THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Tournaments  | Story | 7/10/2021

5 Star Dobbs Doesn't Mind Target on Back

Photo: Brooks Wright (Perfect Game)
FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Heading into the first day of the 2021 15u BCS National Championship, 91 teams have one name circled on each one of their schedules: 5 Star National 15u Dobbs. The Warner Robins, Ga. affiliate of national powerhouse 5 Star Baseball comes to the Gulf Coast having won the two previous 15u BCS titles. After a dominant performance on the first day of play, they look to be in the driver's seat for a three-peat.
 
The powerhouse has some large shoes to fill, however. On 2019's winning squad, 5 Star had 16 Division-I commits and 14 top-500 players in the 2022 class. In 2020, the juggernaut had 10 current Division-I commits with more to come, as well as seven top-100 players in the class of 2023. Both championship squads finished their seasons ranked as the top 15u teams in the country and lost only a combined 10 games in two years. While he knows that every team is gunning for the top dog, 5 Star head coach Britt Dobbs believes his team's past notoriety only helps his team on the field.
 
"We've told teams in the past that they've got the biggest bullseye in the world on their chest," Dobbs said. "Everybody knows that you're the two-time reigning champs. Every time you step on the field, you're going to get everybody's A-game. It's a good thing for us, as that keeps us sharp and into each game."
 
While their reputation precedes them, 5 Star has some stars of their own to back up their prominence. Tennessee commit Brooks Wright leads the way for his team, as the 41st-ranked player in the class of 2024 joins 5 Star from Knoxville. Joining Wright are Camdon Frier, Hunter Carns, Matt Hoag (Duke commit), BJ Gibson, Sean Benjamin and Parker McCoy, all of whom rank inside the top-200 of the 2024 class, as well as Florida State commit Myles Bailey. In terms of building their team, Dobbs believes his team's past success entices top talent to join 5 Star.
 
"It has a lot to do with the winning," Dobbs said. "There's a lot of really good programs in the country. We always felt that we were good, but now that we're winning games on a consistent basis, that makes a lot of talented kids from around the country want to play for us."
 
In their first game of the 2021 BCS, the squad played up to their prestige, taking down the Top Tier Roos United Red 2024 14-1 in a four-inning mercy-rule victory. Dobbs believed the dominant victory was an excellent tone-setter for the tournament and set his team up for success down the road.
 
"It's always good to come out and win game one," Dobbs said. "It's a long tournament, but if you can jump out ahead of some teams, you can save some arms, and our offense did a good job of that today."
 
The talented 5 Star bats showed off their skills to begin the game, as Cooper McMullen quickly lined a single to get things going in the top of the first. As McMullen broke for second on a steal attempt, Jackson Godfrey displayed some situational hitting, shooting a double into the vacant shortstop spot. With two runners in scoring position, Carns delivered, piecing up a two-RBI double down the left field line to take an early 2-0 lead for his squad.

Dobbs said that being aggressive from the beginning is an integral part of the team's philosophy.
 
"We preach about starting hot every day," Dobbs said. "We preach playing at 1000 mph every day, and what that does is put pressure on the other team and keeps us where we need to be."
 
5 Star continued to play savvy in the second. After Bailey singled to start their bats up, the top bat stole second base and smartly advanced to third as the throw-down snuck by the Top Tier defense. Drew Britton then displayed some more situational hitting for his offense, grounding a ball to short to score Bailey. However, the Five Star hitters wouldn't quit as Garrett Harper, Hoag and Bricen Smith quickly loaded the bases on a hit-by-pitch, walk and single, respectively. McMullen then delivered for his team again, smacking a two-RBI double into left to extend his squad's lead to five. The top-300 player in the class of 2024 believed his simple approach was key to his success.
 
"I just went up there and saw the ball well," McMullen said. "I just wanted to make good contact with it, and it all worked out."
 
Things were more of the same in the third, as 5 Star continued to pour on the offense. After loading the bases on a couple of hit-by-pitches and a walk, Bailey stepped into the box and drilled a two-RBI ground-rule double. Britton then returned the favor, lining another two-RBI double to left to give his team a 9-0 lead.
 
However, the 5 Star bats saved their largest explosion for last. After Smith reached on an error to begin the fourth, Jackson Godfrey shot a single to left to start their offensive attack. With Carns at the plate, the 13th-ranked player in the state of Florida delivered again, lining another RBI double to left. McCoy kept things rolling as he hit a sacrifice fly to score Godfrey, and Gibson proceeded to smack a single to left, bringing in Carns as the pivotal 12th run. Yet, the potent offense continued to add some insurance. After Richie Petrosa walked, Bailey stayed hot, sending an RBI double to left. Britton then capped off 5 Star's onslaught, reaching on an error that allowed Petrosa to score. As the top of the fourth came to a close, 5 Star had mounted a 14-0 lead. While he was happy with his offense's performance, Dobbs knows the competition will get even more challenging as the BCS rolls along.
 
"[The offense] was good to see," Dobbs said. "We're going to see some pretty good arms this tournament, as this tournament always produces big-time guys. But getting out offensively today builds confidence, and hopefully, we can carry that on."
 
As their offense continuously produced throughout the game, 5 Star was just as dominant from the bump. In his three innings of shutout work, Caden Kessler struck out six batters while allowing just one hit. Carns then came in to finish the victory, and despite giving up a run, the 13th-ranked player in Florida effectively closed off Top Tier, striking out the final batter to end the game. In their first bout, Dobbs was proud of the way his starter attacked the zone.
 
"Caden threw strikes early, and that's key," Dobbs said. "We tell all our pitchers that strike one is the key to every at-bat. If you get ahead, that puts the hitter on the defensive, and he did a fantastic job of that today."
 
In their quest for success, Wright and McMullen provide valuable experience as young members of last year's championship-winning roster. Despite his team's reputation, McMullen believes this year's squad almost has an underdog mentality through following in their past teams' footsteps.
 
"Last year's team was a well-known team," McMullen said. "Everyone knew they were good. This team is a little bit more hidden, and we have a lot of secret talents that will show up for us big time in the rest of this tournament."
 
While 5 Star always has winning on their mind, Dobbs' main goal for his players is to build strong character throughout the BCS.
 
"We want to compete well and play well," Dobbs said. "We tell our kids that everyone likes to win, but it's how you perform that matters. If we grind and execute for seven innings every game, the winning will come."

Tournaments | Story | 3/31/2026

14u East Spring Opener Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Roman Keister (2030, Dade City, FL) Could not miss the barrel this weekend tallying 6 hits including 2 triples and 4 RBI. Starts the load early and controls his body well, the up the middle approach really plays in game. Also worked from off the mound for an inning and picked up a punch out.  Colton Russo (2030, Coral Springs, FL) Showed off the power burning outfielders all weekend. 5 hits including two triples that carried over the CF and RF heads. Has a good understanding about using the lower half in the swing and the bat to ball skills really impressed.  Karson Blakney (2030, St. Augustine, FL) Made his impact in a big way this week, collecting the win in the quarterfinals. In his outing he went 5 shutout innings and struck out 5 while only allowing 2 hits. Worked in the mid 70s with the FB and topped out at 78. Also produced on offense driving in 5 RBI on 4 hits. ...
High School | Rankings | 3/31/2026

High School Top 50: March 31

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Another pair of weeks has gone by this high school season and with that we have another High School Top-50 Update. Southern states are within a few weeks of the end of the season while some northern states are just getting started this week. Through the end of the spring, we will be bringing you updates to the Top-50 along with state rankings updates coming soon. For the first time in 2026, we have a new #1 in the country as Orange Lutheran (CA) takes over the top spot after winning the NHSI. Venice (FL) came in second place at the NHSI after a thrilling game against Orange Lutheran and comes in at #2. Previous #1 team in the country St. John Bosco (CA) rounds out the top-3 and will have a big showdown against Orange Lutheran starting tonight. Barbe (LA) boasts a 26-1 record and comes in at #4 while Corona (CA) continues to string together wins and holds down the #5 spot in this update....
College | Story | 3/31/2026

PG Collegiate Midseason Awards

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Midseason Awards  Perfect Game Midseason Player of the Year:  Landon Hairston, OF, Arizona State  The season sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston is putting together is generational, even amongst the Hall of Fame talent Arizona State has fielded over the years.  Hairston, the 5-11/195 sophomore outfielder from Queen City, AZ has his club on track for another postseason appearance and they will make plenty of noise in the Big 12 regular season.  To put things in perspective on Hairston’s season, he is currently 5th in the nation in batting average, 3rd in hits, 8th in hits per game, tied for 2nd in home runs, tied for 5th in runs scored and is 4th in runs batted in so far.  He holds a batting average of .469 while slugging 1.027 and reaching base over half the time with an OBP of .551.  Hairston walks more than he strikes out and has 12 doubles, 17...
College | Story | 3/31/2026

College Players of the Week: March 31

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
March 31st Perfect Game/Co-Players of the Week:  Landon Hairston, OF, Arizona State  The Arizona State Sun Devils (20-8) went (3-2) last week and now sit at No. 18 in our latest Top 25 poll.  They are proving that they are legitimate Big 12 contenders and Landon Hairston is making a strong case for National Player of the Year at the halfway point in the season.  The 5-11/195 sophomore outfielder from Queen City, AZ is putting up such loud numbers that they are almost hard to fathom.  In five games last week, the lefthanded hitter collected 12-hits in 19 Abs, scoring 13 runs on 6 walks, a double, 5 home runs and he drove in 11 runs on his own.  For the season, he has put together a slash line of .468/.991/.553 with 12 doubles, 15 round trippers, 45 RBIs, a 12:18 strikeout-to-walk ratio and he has swiped 8 bags so far.  It has been a special year for the...
College | Rankings | 3/30/2026

College Top 25: March 30

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Well college baseball fans, we are officially at the half-way point of the 2026 season and what an incredible ride it has already been.  While there is some separation at the top as we start to look at programs that could be potential NCAA tournament hosts, things continue to change as clubs revitalize their seasons by winning massive series in league play.  The Top 25 seems to be getting more volatile as we reach the midway point, and the second half is setting up to be something special.  The one thing that will remain the same as it has for a month now, is that the UCLA (25-2) will still be the No. 1 team in the nation.  The Bruins are winners of 19-consecutive games and have started off Big Ten league play by sweeping 4-straight series.  The Texas Longhorns (23-4) hold tight at No. 2 this week after sweeping previous No. 11 Oklahoma (19-8) and sit atop the...
High School | General | 3/27/2026

High School Notebook: March 27

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Hudson December (2027, Woodland Hills, Calif.) showed flashes of his upside despite a somewhat uneven three-inning outing. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound right-hander struck out three while working through a couple of tough jams, though his command was inconsistent at times. He ran his fastball up to 87 mph on a pair of occasions and generally sat in the 83–85 range. He mixed in an upper-70s slider with varying shape and execution where it was most effective when thrown with proper intent, showing shorter, tighter depth. He also flashed a changeup against a few left-handed hitters. Mechanically, there’s a blend of positives and areas for development. He incorporates his lower half fairly well and moves down the mound with some pace and intent. The arm is quick, though it can be late getting up at times, and his taller finish limits full torso extension through release. With...
Draft | Mock Draft | 3/27/2026

2026 MLB Mock Draft: V 2.0

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
The spring season is well underway and the board is starting to take shape. Last week, the draft team put together the Top-300 and this week we take a stab at our first mid-season mock draft. While there still is plenty of time for things to shake out differently, here is how we see things shaping up at this point in the draft cycle.  Pick Team Selection Position School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Justin Lebron SS Alabama 3 Minnesota Twins Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 4 San Francisco Giants Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 6 Kansas City Royals Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 7 Baltimore Orioles Ace Reese 3B Mississippi State 8 Athletics Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 9 Atlanta Braves Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 10 Colorado Rockies AJ Gracia OF Virginia 11 Washington Nationals Gio Rojas LHP...
Juco | Rankings | 3/25/2026

JUCO Top 25: March 25

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Another strong week of Juco baseball for teams in our Top 25, and as you may see, our field is the same from a week prior with each and every team handling business in their weekend sets to hold fast to their spots on the board. Some notable movement though inside the Top 5 with Gaston jumping up to number 2 after a 33-2 start to the 2026 season as well Cloud County cracking the Top 15 for the first time all year. Looking forward to watching conference play around the country as we approach the final stretch of the regular season. Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 30-2 2 Gaston (NC) 33-2 3 Florida Southwestern (FL) 26-7 4 Walters State (TN) 26-6 5 Chipola (FL) 29-5 6 Florence-Darlington (SC) 29-6 7 Blinn (TX) 22-8 8 McLennan (TX) 20-7 9 Cochise (AZ) 28-6 10 Pearl River (MS) 25-7 11 Georgia Highlands (GA) 30-8 12 Southern Nevada (NV) 24-6 13 Northwest Florida (FL) 21-12 14 Cloud...
College | Rankings | 3/25/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 25

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Every preseason, analysts and voters pour enormous effort into ranking the small college baseball landscape — poring over returning rosters, transfer additions, coaching changes, and historical trends to assemble the most accurate picture they can of who will be contending when the postseason arrives. And most years, they get it largely right. But the nature of college baseball, with its massive rosters, unpredictable development arcs, and ever-churning transfer portal, guarantees that a handful of genuinely elite programs will slip through the cracks every spring. A team loses too many seniors. A key transfer hasn’t yet suited up. A new coaching staff hasn’t had the chance to prove itself. The voters see the question marks and leave the blank space, and then the season begins and the blank space starts filling itself in — loudly. As the 2026 season heads into its...
College | Story | 3/24/2026

College Players of the Week: March 24

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
March 24th Perfect Game/Player of the Week: Quinton Coats, IF, Cincinnati The Cincinnati Bearcats (19-7) are on the cusp of the Top 25 and are playing their best ball of the season. The offense has been the driving force behind their success, and it has been incredibly consistent having averaged 8.5-runs per game. In the middle of it all, Quinton Coats, is on pace for a historic season both within the program and on a national level. The 6-3/225 infielder from Olathe, KS has been launching home runs at a record pace and opponents seem to be powerless to stop his onslaught. With incredible strength in his hands, Coats creates easy loft and in 5 road games last week he collected 9 hits in 20 at-bats, with 4 home runs, 9 runs scored, and he drove in a total of 9 runs as well. As for his pursuit of history, the modern day BBCOR bat standard single season home run record is 34, set back in...
Loading more articles...