THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,406 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,406 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 10/26/2020

Roos American '23 rock the Worlds

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Aidan Miller (Perfect Game)

JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., the MLB Spring Training home of the Boston Red Sox, served as the host venue for the 2019 Perfect Game 14u Select Baseball Festival, an all-star weekend for 40 of the top age-eligible 14u prospects who had been invited to the event to showcase their skills.

Held over the Labor Day Weekend, that 14u Select Fest featured the talents of four elite prospects who had spent the summer of ’19 playing for the Tampa-based Top Tier Roos American 2023, a team that was starting to generate headlines based on its wonderful winning ways.



Third baseman/right-hander Aidan Miller, middle-infielder/right-hander Cade Kurland, shortstop/righty Steven Milam and catcher/outfielder Colton Wombles were all at jetBlue Park that weekend after helping the Roos American 2023 finish 39-6-3 during the summer.

There isn’t much an outstanding player enjoys more than being around other outstanding players and that was certainly the case for Miller, Kurland, Milam and Wombles. A full summer spent rubbing shoulders with dozens of other top guys from the class of 2023 (and older) had rubbed off on the quartet and honed their humility.

“I think the way these kids process that is the right way,” Top Tier Roos American 2023 manager/general manager Jason Miller told PG during a telephone conversation late last week. “They’re not looking for accolades from it; they don’t think they’re better than their other peers in the dugout or the other kids across the diamond.”

A statement of fact, to be sure, but it’s also true that after taking part in the PG 14u Select Fest, that quartet and a close and comfortable group of around five or six other teammates proved time and again from October 2019 through October 2020 they were among the best nationally in their 15u/16u age group.

It started when they took home the title at the 2019 PG WWBA Freshman World Championship in West Palm Beach, Fla., continued through a challenging but successful summer of 2020 and culminated with championship-caliber performances at a pair of WWBA World championships in Fort Myers.

More specifically, the Top Tier Roos American 2023 captured the crown at the PG WWBA Sophomore World Championship the last week of September and then reached the final-four at the PG WWBA Underclass World Championship the first week of October; the same 10-man roster was used at both events.

“The Underclass, for us, was kind of icing on the cake,” Miller said when asked to reflect on that amazing two-week stretch in Fort Myers. “We went into that kind of limping from the Sophomore and obviously did a lot better than I think anybody expected us to do; that was a lot of fun.”

Eight of the top guys who played key roles on the ’19 Freshman World championship team were on this year’s Sophomore World championship team, including Miller, Kurland, Milam and Wombles; Miller was the MV Player at the ’19 Freshman and the other three were ‘Elite’ all-tournament team performers.

Aidan Miller, Jason’s son, is an Arkansas commit ranked the No. 3 overall national prospect in his class and the No. 2 third baseman behind Georgia product Cam Collier. Shortstop Cade Kurland is a Florida commit ranked Nos. 14/3; shortstop Steven Milam is an LSU commit ranked Nos. 29/6 and catcher Colton Wombles is an Auburn recruit ranked Nos. 33/6.

Milam was the MV Player at the WWBA Sophomore World and a co-MVP at the WWBA Underclass World. He was joined on the all-tournament team at both events by Miller, Kurland, Wombles, catcher/infielder Kodi Deskins (No. 121, Miami); right-hander/outfielder Anthony Gualemi (No. 141, uncommit); right-hander/infielder Liam Peterson (t-1000, uncommit) and left-hander/first baseman Cristofer Walley (No. 455, uncommit); right-hander/utility Tommy Haggerty was all-tournament at the WWBA Sophomore.

And that’s it, really. Include left-hander/outfielder Wesley Mendes (No. 91, uncommit), righthander/utility Landen Maroudis  (No. 216, N.C. State) and right-hander/middle-infielder Landon Dorman on that list and you’ve got the entire Roos American 2023 roster.

“It’s a special group,” Jason Miller said. “They all pitch for the most part, they all are willing and able to play multiple positions and for me, as kind of the architect of putting this team together in the beginning, they’re all made up of the same character. They’re all about team-first and winning. They’re always willing to do whatever they need to do … for the greater good of the team.”

With this team, Miller explained, it all starts with the makeup of the players and their families that have remained committed to the program. It’s not uncommon in today’s travel ball world to see players jump from team to team with each new season and some may even switch in-season. The Roos American 2023 have been fortunate in that this group has stayed mostly intact the last two seasons.

“Obviously, because of how they perform on the field they all have that tremendous opportunity to play at the next level and possibly beyond that,” Miller said. “From a player and family perspective, everyone was really comfortable in their own skin to know that the grass wasn’t going to be greener someplace else.”

The Top Tier Roos program is based in Tampa and is an affiliate of the Top Tier Baseball organization that is headquartered in McCook, Ill. Its players start out playing in the Kangaroo Court Roos youth program at the 9u through 14u level and then change uniforms and become Top Tier Roos.

The TT Roos field four competitive teams in the 15u, 16u and 17u age divisions and Jason Miller acts as the director/general manager of the Florida operation in addition to his coaching duties.

The group of players that formed the core of this 2020 version of the Roos American 2023 first came together at the 10u level and have grown and prospered as a unit for the past half-decade. It’s a team that really entered the Perfect Game arena at a full sprint after winning numerous national championships at the 11u and 12u level.

Playing under the Kangaroo Court Roos banner the team claimed three PG Youth Tournament Championships at the 11u and 13u levels, one each in 2016, 2017 and 2018. It was also at the 13u level that the team moved up to the 60/90 fields and immediately started earning the respect of their opponents – and college recruiters.

After winning the PG 13u Fall World Series in 2017, the Roos finished as runner-up at the 2018 PG 13u World Series. Miller was the MV Player at the event and Deskins and Kurland joined him on the all-tournament team.

They took the next step the following year when they claimed the championship at the PG 14u World Series with Wombles bringing home the MVP award; Deskins, Kurland and Miller were also all-tournament.

“From my perspective, in the biggest of the events at the time in each of those age groups for this team, they’ve demonstrated they were the last team standing for the most part,” Jason Miller said. “You can’t win ‘em all, but the big ones we kind of plan for every year.”

The head of steam the team built from winning the WWBA Freshman World Championship title in October 2019 dissipated quickly when the COVID-19 pandemic canceled all baseball activities in the spring and through early summer.

Once PG was able to get its tournament schedule up and running, the Roos American 2023 jumped out of the gate and finished as co-champs with a 6-0-1 mark at the PG 15u National Elite Championship in Hoover, Ala. (the scheduled championship game against 5 Star National 15u Dobbs was rained out).

The next stop was the PG BCS 15u National Championship in Fort Myers the second week of July where they finished 6-2-0 after a loss in the quarterfinals. The Top Tier Roos headed to Sanford, Fla., a little over a week later to compete at the PG 15u World Series where they were forced to face an unfamiliar reality: no playoff berth.

Despite outscoring their five pool-play opponents by a combined 27-12, a pair of one-run losses left them with a 3-2-0 mark and in third place in the final pool standings. Miller couldn’t recall another tournament at which this team had failed to advance out of its pool, dating back to when they were playing at the 11u level. It proved to be a wake-up call.

“We had experienced success but I think experiencing some adversity in the (PG) World Series was good for us to get our mojo back heading into the fall,” he said. “They were hungry – they were hungry to get back out there and get after what they thought was theirs.”

What followed was an 8-0-0 run to the championship at the WWBA Sophomore World and a 6-1-1 run to a third-place finish at the WWBA Underclass World. The TT Roos American 2023 wrapped up the PG summer and fall seasons with a combined 39-7-3 record, with one of the ties coming from the rained-out championship game at the 15u National Elite Championship.

The roster is built around Florida kids, most of whom live and go to school in the Tampa Bay area. Wombles joined the program from his home in Salem, Ala., while Milam is the real outlier, calling Las Cruces, N.M., home.

It was no accident that Milam, the No. 1-ranked 2023 prospect in New Mexico, wound up playing with the Top Tier Roos American 2023, Aidan Miller and Milam had been teammates on USA Baseball national teams since their 12u playing days.

They were also teammates – along with Wombles – on the USA Baseball 15u National Team that won the gold medal at the 2019 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup Americas played in Mexico. Milam has been part of the Top Tier Roos program for a full year now and has been an obvious difference-maker.

With Milam at short and Kurland at second, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more talented up-the-middle tandem at the now-16u level. Add Miller at third and you have three 2023 prospects ranked Nos. 3, 29 and 14 looking left to right from home plate.

“It’s a lot of fun to watch and I think from a scouting perspective or a fan perspective, to watch the way those guys carry themselves and with the instincts they have … is special,” Jason Miller said. “You can’t really coach that in-game. These kids have the makeup for that, they understand the game and it’s fun to just sit back and watch them do their thing.”

Jason Miller, a catcher and righ-handed pitcher, was a 24th round draft pick of the Rangers in the 1994 MLB June Amateur Draft and played one season in the minor leagues. Now an entrepreneur in the Tampa Bay area, Jason and his wife Jennifer are also the parents of former PG standout Jackson Miller.

Jackson was a second round pick of the Reds right out of J.W. Mitchell HS in New Port Richey, Fla., in this year’s truncated draft. Jackson also played in the inaugural PG 14u Baseball Select Festival in 2016 making he and Aidan the only brothers invited to the event in different years (twin brothers have played in the same year).

“They’re both very special baseball players and they’ve been in the right environment to experience as much success as they’ve had,” Jason said of his sons. “They’re just super humble and for me that’s the key.”

The Top Tier Roos American 2023 will head into the 2021 PG summer season with an even bigger head of steam than they had coming into the delayed 2020 season. Imagine how much the players’ level of play will be enhanced next summer if they’re given the opportunity to enjoy an uninterrupted high school season in the spring.

The Roos American will presumably return with their four 2019 PG Select Fest alumni intact, a quartet of talent that has already excelled on so many of amateur baseball’s biggest and brightest stages. They and their Roos American teammates not only have learned how to win important baseball games but their experiences have taught them how to win with humility.

“When you’ve got that kind of a mix of talent and character and makeup it makes for a special recipe and that’s what we’ve experienced,” Jason Miller said. “It’s been a lot of fun coaching these kids since they were little. … We’re super excited about going into ’21; for us and this group, we’re getting close to the end of the road.”
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 4/9/2026

Don't Boot the Loot Scout Notes
Cam McElwaney
Article Image
‘30 UTL Chase Jelks (GA) lifts this one deep into the gap & rolls around the bags for a triple. Loose LH swing w/ feel to lift. #DontBootTheLoot @PG_Georgia pic.twitter.com/leF4GMTawJ — Perfect Game Youth (@PGYouthBB) April 4, 2026 Chase Jelks (2030, Atlanta, Ga.) put together a great weekend for The Dream 14u Black in their run to a championship game appearance, hitting .444 with two triples and a double along with three RBI. He controlled the zone throughout the event in the box and finished with a 6:1 BB:K ratio because of it while also swiping five bags as well. It was a strong showing for Jelks, something that’s becoming common this spring in PG events.    ‘30 MIF Cohen Carter (TN) hits this one on the screws into the gap for a triple. Functional & compact swing. #DontBootTheLoot @PG_Tennessee pic.twitter.com/YVUfxbHBxx — Perfect Game...
Read More
Juco | Rankings | 4/15/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 15

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Another week of undefeated weeks for our top 4 ranked teams. Joining them in the top 5, coming off an undefeated week of their own, is Florence-Darlington, a team we have consistently had as a top 10 team all season long. Cloud County and Midland College continue to put together strong weeks and climb the rankings each week it seems. Jumping into the rankings this week on the strength of a 15-game winning streak is Seminole State (OK). And Linn Benton makes the top 25 for a 2nd consecutive week and looks like the top team in the NWAC this spring. Plenty of high-level matchups at the JUCO level for some of the top teams in the county this next week.  Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 42-2 2 Gaston (NC) 43-3 3 McLennan (TX) 34-7 4 Chipola (FL) 37-7 5 Florence-Darlington (SC) 40-8 6 Walters State (TN) 37-10 7 Blinn (TX) 31-11 8 Florida Southwestern (FL) 30-12 9 Southern Nevada...
Read More
College | Rankings | 4/15/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 15

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Welcome to this week's small school baseball rankings, covering NCAA Division II, the NAIA, and NCAA Division III. As the calendar turns toward the final weeks of the regular season, the urgency is real across all three levels — teams are running out of weekends to build their cases, and the extended postseason invitations that every program is chasing don't go to programs that peak in March. The next few weeks of results will carry more weight than anything that happened before spring break, and the postseason committees in all three divisions are watching closely. Every series dropped to a team you should beat, every road sweep you let get away — it all matters now in a way it simply didn't two months ago. What you'll also notice as you read through the breakdowns below is that the numbers are doing more of the heavy lifting in how these rankings are constructed. Run...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 4/15/2026

Perfect Game & Youth Prospects Team Up

Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME AND YOUTH PROSPECTS ANNOUNCE   BROADCAST RIGHTS AND CONTENT PARTNERSHIP    Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, April 15, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with content platform Youth Prospects centered around broadcast rights, content collaboration and expanded visibility for elite youth baseball events.    As part of the agreement, Perfect Game will grant Youth Prospects broadcast rights to select games across its premiere events, including marquee matchups at the WWBA World...
Read More
College | Story | 4/14/2026

College Players of the Week: April 14

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
April 14th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Jaquae Stewart, INF/OF, Texas State  The Texas State Bobcats (24-12) are sitting in second place in the ultra-competitive Sun Belt Conference, and they have one of the most explosive offenses in the country.  They average right at 8-runs per game and can slug with the best of them, averaging almost 2-home runs per game as well.  Sitting in the middle of the order, Jaquae Stewart, is putting together a career year and is becoming the focus of opposing teams.  The 5-10/234 junior from Sinton, Tx is your classic lefthanded power hitter and is thriving in his move from Austin to San Marcos.  While it wasn’t the best week for his club, Stewart was sensational, collecting 8 hits in his 19 at-bats, scoring 5 runs, launching 5 home runs and driving in an insane 17 runs.  For the season, he is now slashing...
Read More
Showcase | Story | 4/14/2026

PG Announces Prospect Gateway Schedule

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
PG has announced the dates for Prospect Gateway events across the country - unique opportunities for young players to receive professional feedback and prepare for the next level. The Prospect Gateways are for players ages 13U-14U and serve as a qualifier for the National Showcase. Kevin Schuver, the senior director of showcases at Perfect Game, said these events are chances for players to step out of their comfort zone and show what they’re really made of. “Perfect Game Prospect Gateways aren’t just events. They’re doorways into something bigger. For young athletes, they serve as the first real step beyond their local fields, where raw ability begins to meet visibility and purpose.” At the event, each player is assigned a PG advisor who will watch and advise them individually. There will also be other scouts giving tips on how to enhance and develop a...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 4/13/2026

PG & MLB Clubs Offer Discount Tickets

Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME PARTNERS WITH THREE MLB CLUBS TO OFFER EXCLUSIVE TICKET DISCOUNTS FOR YOUTH TEAMS    Sanford, Florida (Friday, April 10, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new fan engagement initiative in partnership with three Major League Baseball clubs — the Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals — to provide exclusive discounted ticket opportunities for teams participating in Perfect Game events.    Through the collaboration, youth baseball and softball teams competing in...
Read More
College | Rankings | 4/13/2026

College Top 25: April 13

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
In a season where remaining in the Top 25 has become a war of attrition, the No. 1 UCLA Bruins (33-2) are making the game look much easier than it is in all reality.  Winners of 27-games in a row, this club continues to win games by any means necessary as they continue their historic run.  Beyond the incredible win streak, the Bruins have started off Big Ten play (18-0) by sweeping their first six conference weekend.  Adding to their resume, in Game 1 of their series at Rutgers, they won a 14-inning thriller by a score of 4-1where their pitching staff registered an eye-popping 30-strikeouts while only surrendering 1 walk and 4 hits throughout.  In most any other season, the No. 2 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (30-5) would be sitting atop the poll as they are putting together a historic season of their own.  They swept Florida State (24-11) who was previously ranked...
Read More
Draft | Story | 4/10/2026

PG Draft: Favorite Position Group

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Every draft class has its strengths. Some years its a loaded group of prep infielders, some years its a deep collection of college arms. In this year’s class, certain position groups stand out above the rest to us. This week, the draft team dives into their favorite position groups. Groups that we believe are loaded with depth, upside, and big league potential. College Infielders It’s hard not to get excited about the crop of college infielders in this year’s class because of who is at the top. Roch Cholowsky alone makes the group exciting. He’s got gold glove potential at the next level and an offensive profile that should make him one of the Top 15 to 20 prospects in all of baseball the second he gets drafted. Justin Lebron is another player with as much upside in the class. He is a premium athlete that can really pick it at short and has big upside with the...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 4/10/2026

Perfect Game and vivenu Partner Up

Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME PARTNERS WITH VIVENU TO POWER DIGITAL COMMERCE ACROSS YOUTH BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL    Sanford, Florida / New York, New York (Friday, April 10, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, has selected vivenu as its ticketing and commerce partner to unify revenue operations across its tournament ecosystem.    With 1.6 million tickets sold annually, 9,800 events in 40+ states and an immense social footprint, Perfect Game has built the most influential pipeline in amateur baseball. The organization has produced over 2,200 MLB alumni, and...
Read More
General | Blog | 4/10/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 64

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
What Do Barry Zito, Justin Verlander, Trevor Bauer, and Dallas Keuchel All Have in Common? By Ron Wolforth | Texas Baseball Ranch® | PG Arm Care Take a second and think about the question posed in the title before you read on. Four Cy Young Award winners. Four of the most decorated pitchers of their generation. What's the common thread? The first answer is obvious… they all won the most prestigious individual award in pitching. Most of you probably got there immediately. The second answer is less obvious… they all trained at the Texas Baseball Ranch® at some point in their development. Interesting, maybe, but not the point of this article. The third answer is the one I really want you to sit with, because it has direct relevance to your career right now: they all move completely differently. And they all attack hitters completely differently. Don't rush past that....
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.