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Tournaments  | Story | 6/25/2021

Royals Start Out Perfect at Southeast WS

Photo: Perfect Game
MARIETTA, Ga. -- Ninth Inning Royals 17u Bartlewski began their Perfect Game Southeast World Series conquest in dramatic fashion, beating Wow Factor 9-0 on Thursday afternoon, in a pitching effort that earned three of their arms a combined perfect game. 
 
Through six complete innings, no runners reached base at the hands of the Royals’ staff, in a commanding start to what they hope to be a particularly promising tournament. 
 
“I was just trying to attack hitters with fastballs, work on my mechanics and keep the ball in the zone to let my defense work,” said Royals starter Ryan McTighe. “And they did for me today, Aaron [Lopez] was really solid for us today at shortstop.”
 
McTighe threw the first four innings on the bump, racking up three strikeouts on a fastball that touched 84 mph, and a 73 mph curveball. Submariner Lucas Schelhammer was first out of the 'pen in the fifth and was quickly followed Ezra Goodwin in the game’s final frame. 
 
Between the trio, they successfully carved an exceptionally efficient win in which they had to throw only 68 combined pitches.
 
“I’d say definitely, we just have confidence in competing with teams that on paper, should be better than us,” McTighe said. "So, we just keep that underdog mentality to really attack teams.”
 
Through their first five events of the summer, Ninth Inning has posted a 12-5 record and has reached the playoffs in each of their last three tournaments, one of which was the National Select Championship. But it’s how this team secures wins that makes them unique. 
 
You won’t find a roster stacked with inter-state talent or top-10 players. Only one of the 17 rostered players have currently secured a college commitment, yet every week, the Royals stand with some of the nation’s top squads. And with a string of recent decisive wins, momentum is beginning to gather. 
 
Although their few commitments, this team almost surely won’t finish the summer with similar statistics. Two on the team are ranked within the 2022 class’ top-500 players, another five are in the top-1000 and a further six are labeled with the ‘high follow’ status. 
 
It’s this talent pool that allows the team to compete in a playing style built on fundamentals, timely pitching, and aggressive at-bats. During their tournament’s opening contest, the Royals filed 10 hits, five of which were of the extra-base variety. Five of those batters that reached, stole a base. 
 
“[Aggression] is really important for us, it’s honestly one of the top things that we have on our team,” said Aaron Lopez. “We want to play aggressive, but also play smart. That’s just what gets us to score runs, even easy runs, and helps us compete.”
 
Lopez’s teammates echoed his mentality, in a strategy that seems to infiltrate every facet of the game when the Royals take the field. No pitch is too fast, no ball too far, nor opponent too large. Clearly, he and his teammates know how to win, and take no diversion in doing so.
 
“We go up there hunting fastballs every time we hit," said Southern University commit Sadir Ryan. “And whenever we do get a first-pitch breaking ball, we’ll most likely spit on it, and just keep looking for our pitch later in the at-bat.”
 
Another integral part of this competition-hardened squad is just how tightly-knit the players actually are, almost a necessity when facing the caliber of teams the Royals see on a weekly basis. 
 
“Family. The main thing is family here,” Ryan said. “We’ve all got along really well, since 15u for most of us. Then we just have to go out there with the mentality that we can beat anybody and everybody."
 
Some of those to fall in Ninth Inning’s recent exploits include programs like Team Georgia, the Georgia Jackets and the Dirtbags, but the players assured that their focus lies on whatever game is next. The Royals next game is scheduled for Saturday against 7000 Baseball Academy. A win will all but assure them their fourth consecutive Perfect Game bracket play berth, and another run at a title. 

Tournaments | Story | 1/27/2026

MLK East Scout Notes Recap

Perfect Game Staff
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‘28 OF Jakob Groeschel (OH) continues to impress with the bat on the circuit, picked up 2 2Bs in the first game today. Really athletic, went 4.4 on turn; easy to dream on all the traits. #MLKEast @PG_OhioValley pic.twitter.com/wOIwnGKnkg — Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) January 17, 2026 2028 OF Jakob Groeschel (Springfield, Ohio) broke out at this event last year hitting a casual .909, and although he didn’t turn in quite the same performance, he hit a strong .462 with 4 extra-base hits, 5 walks, 5 bags and only struck out once. He’s a pretty dynamic athlete who can do a lot of things well, but the bat is the calling card as he just lives on the barrel and has no problem handling all kinds of pitching. It’s a simple swing, but he’s got fast hands and he can really impact the ball without being overly physical yet.  2030 RHP Michael Vazquez...
General | Blog | 2/20/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 63

Ron Wolforth
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Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 62, Part 1 | Part 2 Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls - Part 3  We've made it to Part 3…the final installment of our series on baseball's most misunderstood and debated topics.   In Part 1, we tackled the curveball. The takeaway: the pitch itself isn't what’s dangerous. Decades of awful and ineffective coaching cues, ”snap your wrist," "turn the doorknob”…exacerbated and even in many causes caused some of the problems. Teach it correctly, when the athlete is ready, and it's no riskier than a fastball.  In Part 2, we examined pitch counts. The takeaway: they're a useful tool, but a limited one. Treating a single number as a universal measure of safety ignores everything...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/20/2026

18U PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor

Dave Durbala
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SPRINGFIELD, IL - 2026 Perfect Game Softball Winter Elite Showcase, February 6 - 8, 2026.  Twenty teams rolled into Springfield to showcase their talents in this 18u, four-game guarantee, pool-into-bracket play,  at the newly opened 170,000-square-foot domed facility at Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe. In the Silver Bracket, it was the 09 Midwest Sluggers taking home the championship over the CR Blue Devils 18u National. In the Gold Bracket, a championship game that featured the tournament's top two pitchers, it was the Iowa Dynamite 18u with the win over GTS 15u Elite-Herrick, by a score of  2-1. The tournament, with a mix of committed players, and those young ladies striving for the next level,  was loaded with talent.  Below are some of the players that excelled on the field and made their way onto the tournament’s Top Performers list. Earning...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/19/2026

14U PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor

Erica Beach
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PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor 14U January 17-18, 2026 Springfield, IL   SPRINGFIELD, IL- It may be cold outside, but there was some hot competition going on at the PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor tournament. Six team converged on the Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe and the Texas Glory IL 29 walked away with the hardware after a close 7-6 ballgame. Below we highlight some of the impressive athletes who competed on the weekend.     Lila Rafferty (2029, Leroy, IL) of the Texas Glory IL 29 was an unstoppable force at the plate over the weekend. She showed great tenacity in the box, proving to be one of the most consistent hitters in the tournament. She finished her weekend batting an incredible .750, tallying nine hits and scoring five times. She flashed her speed on multiple occasions, stealing two bases and legging out two doubles and two triples. She came in clutch,...
High School | General | 2/19/2026

Pacific Northwest All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
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NORTHWEST REGION (WA, OR, ID, WY, AK, MT, HI)    The biggest change in the Northwest Region for 2026 is the addition of Hawaii, which has always been overlooked due to being lumped with California in the former Pacific Region.  This also coincides with an increased Perfect Game presence in the islands in the form of additional events and scouting.  And Hawaii certainly contributed in it’s first year, placing four players on the All-Region team, including slugging 2026 outfielder Judah Ota. The powerhouse Puyallup HS team is the only Northwest Region team to be represented in the PG Pre-Season Top 50 National HS Rankings, beginning the year ranked 26th.  C – Teagan Scott (Sr., South Salem HS, Ore.) Scott has been on the prospect map since he played in the 2023 PG 14U Select Festival and is signed with Oregon State.  A right-handed hitter with lots...
Showcase | Story | 2/20/2026

PG ID Camps Help Build Baseball Resume

Jim Salisbury
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PG ID Camps Help Youngsters Build a Baseball Resume There was still snow on the ground in a lot of places last weekend, but that didn’t stop more than 200 young players from going indoors to participate in the first round of Perfect Game Select Fest ID Camps for the 2026 season. John McAdams, PG’s national crosschecker and Northeast scouting director, ran the event in Farmingdale, New Jersey, and was impressed with his group’s energy and desire to improve at the game. “We’re giving young players the opportunity to build their baseball resumes and chart their growth and progress over a span of years,” he said. In addition to New Jersey, Select Fest ID Camps were held in Lake St. Louis, Missouri; Rossford, Ohio; Marietta, Georgia; and Kent, Washington. The ID camps debuted in 2025. Twenty-two of them were held around the country with nearly 700 young...
Draft | Story | 2/19/2026

Then vs. Now: '26 Class Look Back

Tyler Henninger
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One constant across our scouting staff is the volume of in-person looks we get at prospects during their high school years. With assignments at national tournaments and showcases throughout the calendar, we’ve built a deep library of reports and video on many of today’s top college prospects dating back to their prep days. This week, we took a step back to revisit what those players looked like as high school prospects. Which tools stood out? What was missing from the profile at the time? And what, if anything, did we overlook that ultimately helped shape the player they’ve become? Below, we break down 10 players in a “Then and Now” reflection. Justin Lebron (23 FL) finishes off the tournament getting in on the hit parade with a single to the pullside. #PGShowdown #Bama commit pic.twitter.com/C4Irym2ZTR — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) March 4, 2023...
High School | General | 2/18/2026

High School Notebook: Feb. 18

Cam McElwaney
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Grady Emerson (‘26 TX) laces this ball to right for a walk off single. Clean lefty stroke. Looks the part both sides of the ball. Checks all the boxes. Will be scouted heavily this Spring. #PGHS #HookEm commit. #PGDraft pic.twitter.com/wXvdHdgqME — Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) February 6, 2026 Grady Emerson (2026, Argyle, Texas) had a strong showing throughout the opening week of high school baseball out here in Texas. Works good at-bats and is always a tough out in general. Makes all the plays at short and just has the look of a future big leaguer. He does all the little things right. Bat to ball will play at a high level and there is still a lot more power to project on here. There is a reason why Emerson is one of, if not the most highly coveted high school prospect in the 2026 class and it’s easy to see why. Currently committed to Texas, but has the potential to...
High School | Rankings | 2/18/2026

Midwest Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
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Midwest All Region & Top Tools Rk Midwest 2025 Record 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (KS) 27-4 2 Edmond Memorial (OK) 30-8 3 Muskego (WI) 27-10 4 Lawrence Free State (KS) 28-2 5 Mill Valley (KS) 22-6 6 Valley View (AR) 29-5 7 Platte County (MO) 29-8 8 Liberty North (MO) 19-14 9 Millard North (NE) 23-13 10 St. John Vianney (MO) 38-2 11 Owasso (OK) 40-3 12 Olathe East (KS) 22-6 13 Staley (MO) 38-4 14 Shawnee Mission South (KS) 10-11-4 15 Blue Springs South (MO) 27-7 16 Blue Valley (KS) 21-10 17 Edmond Santa Fe (OK) 37-7 18 Skutt Catholic (NE) 24-7 19 Howell (MO) 35-4 20 Olathe West (KS) 25-3 21 Creighton Prep (NE) 16-15 22 Rogers (AR) 26-4 23 Fayetteville (AR) 26-7 24 Blue Valley West (KS) 17-10 25 Cretin Derham Hall (MN) 19-5-1
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/18/2026

PG Softball Winter One Day Tournament

Dave Durbala
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BURLINGTON, IA - Perfect Game Softball Winter One Day Tournament, February 15, 2026. Twelve teams, split between the 16u and 18u divisions, participated in this event.  With two pool games, and then a move into single elimination bracket play,  some players used this tournament as  their last warm-up before kicking off their high school seasons, while others were tuning up for the busy Spring and Summer travel season. In the 16u division, it was the Iowa Aries 16u Ce Fire Red taking the championship, with Southeast Iowa Allstars 18u Gold Miller earning the crown in the 18u division. Below are write-ups from observations made during the day, as due to a software glitch, there were no stats available to complete a Top Performers list. 16U Division  Earning the MV-Pitcher Award, as selected by her coaches, was Aurora Widlund (2029 Altoona, IA) of tournament champion Iowa...
College | Rankings | 2/18/2026

DIII Rankings: February 18

Nick Herfordt
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Every spring, Division III baseball begins as a wide-open map. Cold mornings turn into long bus rides, non-conference gauntlets test resolve, and by the time the dust settles, only a few teams are still standing with a clear line to the NCAA Division III baseball tournament. The 2026 Perfect Game Division III Baseball Rankings capture that moment before the stretch run, highlighting the programs that have separated themselves through depth, durability, and an ability to win in a variety of ways. These eight teams are not simply piling up wins; they are shaping identities built to survive the grind and thrive when the margins narrow.  The destination is familiar, even if the journey never is. Once again, the final chapter will be written at Classic Park, where timing, composure, and roster balance matter as much as raw talent. The teams ranked here enter 2026 with more than ambition....
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