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2,401 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Tournaments  | Story | 9/2/2021

The Meadows gears for Midwest LDC

Photo: Tommy Specht (Perfect Game)

MARION, Iowa – Once the Prospect Meadows Sports Complex got up and running in earnest during the fall of 2019, the eight-field facility began hosting what is now called the Perfect Game Midwest Labor Day Classic.

The event has grown exponentially over its three-year history, and when the 2021 rendition begins its four-day run on Friday (Sept. 5), 74 teams from eight centrally located states (primarily Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin) will compete for championships in the Upperclass (18u), Underclass (17u), Sophomore (16u) and Freshman (15u) age divisions.



And while this year’s field will be dominated by the presence of 24 teams from the ever-expanding Iowa Select Baseball organization, it’s impossible to look past the entrants from Racine, Wis.-based Midwest powerhouse Hitters Baseball, a championship-level program under the direction of RJ Fergus.

“Every year since [PG] has put this event together we’ve liked to go out to Cedar Rapids with all of our teams and get them on the road – for a lot of guys, for the first time,” Fergus told PG during a telephone conversation this week. “You’ll have the whole organization at Prospect Meadows at the same time which is really good for us.

“The younger guys can see the older guys, the older guys can see the younger guys and it’s kind of like a family affair; we all stay at the same hotel,” he said. “It’s a great way for us to kick off our fall season in a competitive environment.”

The 24-team Upperclass division looks to be especially competitive with the Hitters 2022 Navy and Iowa Select 2022 Obermueller standing out heading into the tournament; they are one of two Hitters teams and one of six Iowa Select teams in the field. There are also numerous teams from the Minnesota-based P2P Millers and the Illinois-based Cangelosi Sparks programs that always promise to be highly competitive.

The Hitters 2022 Navy roster will be nearly intact, led by outfielders Michael Lippe (No. 163-ranked, Louisville commit) and Jonathan Kim (No. 468, Michigan); right-hander Mitch Voit (No. 394, Michigan) and catcher Will Vierling (No. 456, Louisville); eight other 2022 Navy prospects are ranked as top-500s.

The most notable absence will be that of PG All-American shortstop Gavin Kilen (No. 25, Louisville) who is in the Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla., area competing at the USA Baseball 18U National Team Trials.

The Iowa Select Obermueller roster is loaded to the gills with D-I talent right out of Eastern Iowa high schools, including six from Iowa City’s City High School. The most prominent player is 2021 PG All-American outfielder Tommy Specht, the No. 39-ranked national prospect from the class of 2022, a Kentucky commit out of Dubuque.

There are also six top-500 prospects on the roster who have committed to the in-state Iowa Hawkeyes: middle infielder Gable Mitchell, catcher Reese Moore, outfielder Cade Obermueller, left-hander Drew Proskovec, right-hander/third baseman Aaron Savary and infielder/outfielder Kellen Strohmeyer.

Twelve teams will compete for the MW Underclass MWLDC crown including three Iowa Select squads and a Hitters 2023’s team that features outfielder JT Kelenic (No. 235, uncommitted), the younger brother of former PG All-American and current Seattle Mariner Jarred Kelenic.

Catcher Thomas Curry (No. 448, uncommitted), shortstop Alex Alicea (No. 463, Louisville) and top-500s Zachary Olson, Evan Shapiro and TJ Schuyler (Indiana) are also rostered with the Hitters 2023’s. The top-ranked player at the event is outfielder AJ Garcia (No. 190, uncommitted) from Illinois-based Elite Baseball Training Lugo.

PG tournament director Mike Bonwell has also put together a 21-team field for the Sophomore division, including eight more Iowa Select squads, three more from the P2P Millers program and the Hitters 2024’s. Another 17 will compete in the Freshman division, featuring seven more Iowa Select teams, two more P2P Millers’ squads and, yes, the Hitters 2025’s.

The most highly-regarded prospects from the class of 2024 playing in the Sophomore MWLDC are Iowa recruits in shortstop Myles Davis (No. 145) from Marion and right-hander Joey Oakie (No. 180) out of Ankeny; Davis is with the Iowa Select 2024 Remington, Oakie with Iowa Select 2024 Murphy.

Fergus pointed out many of his younger players, the ‘24s and ‘25s, did experience travel ball over the summer so they won’t come in not knowing what to expect. They have taken a good chunk of August off, of course, and with a lot of guys now playing football, the rosters will be thinner.

That means less depth, which in turn means players will be asked to do more over the course of the long holiday weekend. Guys who may not have pitched a lick all summer could find themselves toeing the rubber at Prospect Meadows.

“The biggest thing is to get out and be outside of home and then learn to play a little bit,” Fergus said. “And a lot of it is to support Mike [Bonwell] and his group of PG guys in Iowa. [PG] has been great to us over the years and we’ll continue our support with you guys there...This is the opening weekend to see what you’ve got and now you’re putting it together to go out to win.”

The PG Midwest Labor Day Classic is among the most prominent of the six Labor Day Classics being held this weekend, with the five-class, 63-team WWBA East Labor Day Classic being held in Fort Myers also deserving of a shout-out.

With only a handful of exceptions, the teams at the East LDC are all based in Florida, with a few outliers from Puerto Rico, New Jersey and Connecticut. Other four-day Classics will be held in Sanford, Fla. (East, 10u-13u) and Memphis (Mid-South).


Tournaments | Story | 3/31/2026

14u East Spring Opener Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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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. ...
College | Story | 4/7/2026

College Players of the Week: April 7

Craig Cozart
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April 7th Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Andrew Williamson, OF, UCF  The UCF Knights (20-9) are coming off one of their biggest series victories in years when they went to Morgantown and took down the Mountaineers to take control of the Big 12 regular season standings.  The offense put on quite the performance and Andrew Williamson set the tone by leaving the yard in his first at-bat of the weekend launching a towering home run over the centerfield wall.  The 6-0/195 lefty from St. Petersburg, FL has one of the sweetest strokes in the college game today and when he goes, so do the Knights.  In the 3-game series, the junior collected 6 hits in his 10 at-bats, scoring 6 runs, on 5 walks, a double and he launched 3 home runs all told.  While he had a stretch earlier in the season where he was searching for his stroke a bit, he is getting locked in at the...
College | Rankings | 4/6/2026

College Top 25: April 6

Vincent Cervino
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With another week in the books, some teams at the top continue to prove they are elite, and others continue to fall by the wayside.  Meanwhile, there were several teams that had been lingering outside the Top 25 that had huge weekends to put themselves in the thick of things as every weekend has significant consequences for good or for bad.  The No. 1 UCLA Bruins (29-2) have now pushed their win streak to an incredible 23-games as they swept USC (27-6) who was previously ranked No. 7 in the poll.  The Bruins are off to a perfect (15-0) start in Big Ten play and are without a doubt the most complete team in the country right now.  The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (26-5) move up to No. 2 this week after they dismantled now No. 12 Auburn (22-9) in the midweek and then swept Cal on the West Coast last weekend.  Texas (26-5) moves down one spot to No. 3 this week after...
Draft | Mock Draft | 4/3/2026

PG Staff Mock Draft

Jheremy Brown
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Welcome to another Perfect Game Mock Draft. This is not your typical mock draft as it features 15 different GMs drafting the first two rounds of the draft. Each member of the mock draft was assigned two teams and as such will be drafting all of the picks in the first two rounds for each responsible team. The actual draft order will be presented below and we will dive into how teams made their selections and how they feel about the players drafted. It is important to note that this is not how we think the draft will play out in almost any capacity. This is simply an exercise 4 months ahead of time with a large portion of the scouting staff and some picks fall under personal favorites, best available, and a multitude of other factors. Chicago White Sox 1:1 Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA | 1:41 Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame The White Sox don’t overthink here and select Roch Cholowsky, who has...
High School | General | 4/2/2026

High School Notebook: April 2

Steve Fiorindo
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Lennex Minor (‘28 CA) absolutely destroys this offering to the PS for a 2-run shot. 2-4 on the day w/ 4 driven in. Athletic in the box w/ a quick stroke and strength throughout the frame. Also closed out the game running the FB up to 88 in a St. Bernard win #PGHS @PG_Scouting pic.twitter.com/KF7BsKGcm7 — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) March 29, 2026 Lennex Minor, MIF/P, St. Bernard (2028) Minor had a massive day in my look this past Saturday in a game being played at the University of San Diego.  The sophomore had a pair of hits, one which was a no-doubt homer, and drove in four.  Minor’s athleticism jumps out on the field with twitchy actions both at the dish and in the dirt.  He features a 6-foot, 170-pound frame with room to add and generates from a strong lower half and exceptionally quick hands.  Showing two-way potential, he made an...
High School | General | 4/2/2026

NHSI Scout Notebook

Cam McElwaney
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An extended look at ‘26 RHP Wilson Andersen… 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K. @HailStateBB signee. #NHSI26 @JesuitBaseball @Florida_PG @PG_Draft @PGAllAmerican https://t.co/VLwECd2qZ8 pic.twitter.com/JbTFR3Gd2l — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) March 30, 2026 Wilson Andersen, RHP, Tampa Jesuit  Andersen got the ball on day two of the event and showed a quick tempo, pounding the zone with a power mix. He ran the fastball up to 97 mph, working comfortably in the mid-90s, with a power curveball/changeup mix he showed confidence in. He’s one of the top right-handers in the class that saw his stock rise in Cary. Andersen is signed with Mississippi State.    An extended look at ‘26 RHP Cooper Sides… 5 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K. @LSUbaseball signee. #NHSI26 @olubaseball @PG_Draft @California_PG https://t.co/Ag1MfBAR5a pic.twitter.com/5wSszVjBn8...
All American Game | Story | 4/2/2026

All American Classic Heading to Citizens Bank

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  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME DICK’S ALL-AMERICAN CLASSIC HEADED TO CITIZENS BANK PARK IN 2026   Perfect Game makes debut at iconic Phillies venue during America’s 250th birthday celebration   Former Phillies Manager Charlie Manuel named Honorary Chairman of All-American Classic   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Thursday, April 2, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that the 2026 Perfect Game DICK’S All-American Classic will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, marking the first time a Perfect Game event has ever been held at the iconic home of the Philadelphia Phillies.   The game will take place on...
College | Rankings | 4/1/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: April 1

Nick Herfordt
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Welcome to another week of Perfect Game Small School baseball — and if you're looking for clarity at the top, you've come to the wrong place. Across all three classifications, the No. 1 spot is very much an open question, and nobody is sleeping comfortably right now. In NCAA Division II, Pittsburg State is stumbling at precisely the wrong moment, leaving the door cracked wide open for hungry challengers to come knocking. In the NAIA, defending national champion LSU Shreveport has dropped four straight and suddenly looks far more vulnerable than a program of their pedigree ever expects to be. And in NCAA Division III, the race for the top ranking is less a competition and more a ten-car pileup of elite programs, none of whom have done enough to pull away — and all of whom have done plenty to deserve it. Three classifications, three vacancies at the top, and a whole lot of...
Juco | Story | 4/1/2026

JUCO Top 25: April 1

Troy Sutherland
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Another week of JUCO baseball and another week full of wins for No. 1 ranked Johnson County . The Cavaliers have won 18 games in a row and have swept through the Jayhawk Conference to this point, setting a new school home run record along the way. Walters State returns to the top 5 this week on the strength of a 12-game winning streak. Both McLennan and Pearl River are coming off of undefeated weeks and look like strong top 10 caliber teams, while Midland (now 30-3) continues to climb in the rankings for the third consecutive week. For the first time all year this ranking will feature 4 California schools as Palomar joins Ohlone, Fresno City and Santa Ana in the JUCO rankings. Check back in next week for an update as most of JUCO baseball is now past its halfway point in the 2026 season. RK School Week Overall 1 Johnson County (KS) 4-0 34-2 2 Gaston (NC) 2-1 35-3 3 Walters State (TN) 3-0...
College | Story | 4/1/2026

Collegiate Midseason All-Americans

Vincent Cervino
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Collegiate Midseason Awards * denotes Midseason Award Winner - All-Americans chosen based on statistics, prospect status, future projection, among other factors - Only true freshmen considered for Freshmen All-American teams - All Statistics as of Monday, March 30th First Team Hitters Pos. Name School Class AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB C Vahn Lackey Georgia Tech JR .423 .541 .845 36 41 9 1 10 36 7 1B Quinton Coats Cincinnati SO .360 .441 .896 38 45 8 1 19 46 7 2B Jarren Advincula Georgia Tech JR .411 .489 .563 31 46 2 0 5 30 5 3B Ace Reese Mississippi State JR .330 .417 .661 32 36 12 0 8 37 1 SS Roch Cholowsky UCLA JR .350 .493 .730 39 35 8 0 10 32 1 IF Dee Kennedy Kansas State JR .430 .549 .910 44 43 10 1 12 43 15 OF Will Gasparino UCLA JR .351 .468 .794 31 34 5 1 12 38 1 OF AJ Gracia Virginia JR .350 .504 .650 37 36 7 0 8 24 1 OF Landon Hairston* Arizona State SO .469 .551 1.027 44...
High School | Rankings | 3/31/2026

High School Top 50: March 31

Tyler Russo
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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....
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