Softball  | Softball Tournament | 1/12/2023

2023 Perfect Game Midwest Meltdown

18U

GTS 15u Midwest is a team of 2025 and 2026 grad year players who absolutely hold their own in the 18U division. This young team took home the Champion title, led by Most Valuable Pitcher, Brooklynn Danielson (2025, Kenosha, WI). Pumping out 55-57 mph spins, Danielson dominated the circle, pitching 13 innings, producing swing and miss action through a solid mix pitch routine, striking out 20 batters – averaging at least one an inning. As a closer, she came in a shut it down, going three up three down with back to back to back strikeouts. Danielson allowed only one walk all weekend. As equally impressive, Danielson had eight hits including two homeruns. Danielson walked twice, scoring six times, and knocking in seven additional runs. This two-way player earned a .636 average.

Our Most Valuable Player for the 18U division is Emily Koranda (2025, Marion, IA). Koranda is no stranger to the scouting notes. Koranda is consistently outperforming her peers with both her performance in the circle and at the plate. Pitching for Nebraska Gold 319 Berning, Koranda picked up 14 KO’s in ten innings of work. Koranda is working in the 61-62 mph zone, showing hitters true spin with a rise, drop, and changeup. This changeup fools with the batters, lunging at 40-45 mph off speeds. With the elite mix pitch repertoire, Koranda forces batters to fall short. At the plate, Koranda has huge pull side power, making consistent contact in each of her at bats. She works down the line with a quick cut and clean hands through the zone. This is shown in her nine hits, including four doubles and one homerun, racking up eight RBIs and three runs. As Koranda continues to tighten her performance, you’ll continue to see her name.

Lauren Lenihan (2023, Bunker Hill, IL) is a RHP for Bluff City Elite 18 who put in some impressive work this weekend. In 16 innings, she shutdown 28 batters. Lenihan is throwing some of the fastest speeds this weekend, pumping out 61-62 mph.

Abby Mecklenburg (2026, Marion, IA), slugger for Southeast IA Allstars 16u Gold – Jones. A true powerhouse, smashing out four homeruns in eight of her hits. Mecklenburg led Southeast IA Allstars offensively, scoring six times and assisting in eight additional runs.

16U

Tbsa Wahoos’s 07, based out of Illinois claim the 16U Perfect Game Midwest Meltdown Championship. Zoe Goodreau (2026, Champaign, IL) was hot in the circle during the championship game, with tons of swing and miss action produced from her lively rise, starting low in the zone and jumping to the ceiling. Included in her toolbox is as a curve and screw who both complement each other by working both sides of the zone. In seven innings, Goodreau threw 17 KO’s, allowing only two walks.

Working alongside her for the Tbsa Wahoo’s victory is Daci Walls (2025, Eldred, IL), who is an absolute powerhouse at the plate. With a strong lower half, Walls generates plus pop for power, sending lasers through the 5-6 hole. Her stats include seven hits, one being a homer, four RBI’s and four runs.

Grace Molitor (2025, Marthasville, MO) takes home the title of Most Valuable Player for her team, 06 Louisville Lady Sluggers/Arnold, for her performance at the plate. Molitor has the ability to work all areas of the field, adjusting to pitches at the come and sending them deep. Her stats are impressive, speaking to her elite ability. Molitor collected seven hits, including two homeruns, eight RBIs and 14 runs. In addition, her runner’s IQ and speed assisted her in five stolen bases.

Her teammate, Abreeana Zipprich (2025, Farmington, MO) was a stand-out for her versatility being both a RHP and OF. In three innings, Zipprich earned eight quick KO’s, pumping out 57-58 mph spins and an aggressive 60 mph screw. Each of her spins are tight, through a quick circle movement, and fully operational with a cutting curve and a rise with a late jump. In the outfield, Zipprich is athletic, with fantastic tracking ability, snagging difficult catch nearly out of her range. An all around player, Zipprich smacked out six hits, crossing the plate twice.

14U

Velocity 14u Midwest take home the championship title, absolutely dominating their opponents in all aspects. Velocity 14u Midwest owned the top performance list for the 14u division. This list was led by Cali Craig (2026, Johnson Creek, WI), a freshman LHP, who was named Most Valuable Player for her performance at the plate. Craig is a great all around player with an elite cut, finishing with a nice lift to send the ball deep into the field. With a solid feel for the barrel, Craig knocked out eight hits, collecting stats in all areas: one double, one triple, and three impressive homeruns. Craig helps her team with 13 RBIs and crossed the plate seven times herself. A true force at the plate, keep an eye out for a rising star in the Midwest.

Teammate, Elizabeth Calliari (2026, Kewaskum, WI) carried the weight in the circle, earning Most Valuable Pitcher, by striking out 11 batters in seven innings, meaning she consistently struck out 1-2 batters each inning. Calliari is pumping out 53 mph spins, rarely missing her zone, having only walked one batter all weekend, earning a .86 WHIP. She held her own at the plate, helping the cause with three hits; one double, one triple, and four RBI, scoring seven times. She has high zone awareness, walking three times.

To add the hitting staff is Alex Selear (2026, Menomonee Falls, WI). With an athletic stance, quick cut, and clear bat path, Selear was successful in seven at bats. Selear is a true athlete who can generate plus power and above average speed. This combination helped her collect one double and three homeruns, stealing two bases, knocking in nine runners, and crossing the plate six times.

The Black Dragons fought their way to the championship game, challenging Velocity for the title. Aubrey Hesler (2026, Burlington, IA) stood out among the rest for her two-way ability both in the circle and in the box. Hesler wracked up some strong stats: five hits, two doubles, one homeruns, five RBI, four runs, one stolen base, and three walks. In the circle, Hesler worked through ten innings, sitting down ten KO’s, working in that 52-53 mph zone.


Softball | Softball Tournament | 4/22/2026

PG Softball Battle for the Belt

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Perfect Game Softball Battle for the Belt April 18-19, 2026 Des Moines, Iowa It was a cold and very windy weekend, but the girls still came out and put in their best efforts. If you wanted the place to see some of the state’s top talent, this was the tournament to be at. The 18u division was quite the slugfest! The Ankeny Centennial 18U -Kennedy team took down a tough Iowa Alliance Select-Benge team in the championship. Both teams had double digit homeruns on the weekend. In the 16u division the Iowa Aries CE Fire Black took control of the game from the start and never let up on the gas, taking down a solid Alliance Select- Harper team. 18U Division Kori Lincicum (2026 Ankeny, IA) of the Centennial Jaguars- Kennedy and Drake Bulldog softball commit was the weekends MVP Pitcher. Lincicum defeated a tough Alliance team in the championship game finishing with that game with 11...
Tournaments | Story | 5/24/2026

East Memorial Day Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
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‘27 IF Braylon Sheffield (FL) with an absolute 🚀 here, launching high off the RCF wall for a 3B. Super polished LH stick; hit over .400 last year on the circuit. #GoHoos commit. #EastMemorial pic.twitter.com/mdehqpR5v5 — Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) May 23, 2026 Braylon Sheffield (2027, Fort Myers, Fla.) got the event started with the loudest swing of the night on Friday at Terry Park, rocketing a triple off the wall in the stadium. Sheffield, ranked 121 and committed to Virginia, is a super polished left-handed hitter with left side of the infield projection long term. The swing is tension-free with loose wrists and he generates easy bat speed with already present power to the pull side. This blast came inches away from being a home run and hitting a ball that far at Terry Park stadium is a significant shot. Sheffield also tripled in his second game of the weekend at...
Tournaments | Story | 5/21/2026

Memorial Day Classics Set to Kick Off

Perfect Game Staff
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Southeast Memorial Day East Cobb Baseball will welcome more than 100 teams spanning the 13-17u age groups this weekend as summer baseball gets underway with the highly anticipated PG Southeast Memorial Day Classic, commencing on Thursday, May 21st. This weekend’s annual premier event will feature 11 nationally ranked teams across the five age groups with the No. 9 16u East Cobb Astros headlining the 17u division alongside top prospects such as No. 11 ranked Bryan Johnson Jr. And No. 22 ranked Georgia Tech commit, Malachi Butler. The No. 34 17u ranked 643 DP Cougars will also be a squad to watch as they will look to challenge the Astros for the championship amongst the other 14 17u division teams. While the oldest division will draw lots of attention with highly touted prospects, the 16u field is stacked with 29 total teams including three nationally ranked clubs. Over 30 top 1000...
High School | General | 5/22/2026

Northeast High School Notebook: May 22

Anthony Gambardella
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‘26 RHP Hunter Brown (@NHLionsBaseball - NJ) struck out 1️⃣5️⃣ thru 6 IP w/ 0 BB & 2 H allowed. FB lived 90-92, T93 w/ ASR & late life. Froze bats with his 11/5 CB both early/late in counts (2600rpm). Mixed in fading CH & short/tight SL. #WeAre commit. @PG_Draft#PGHS @PG_Scouting pic.twitter.com/NbSSOmCyD0 — Perfect Game Mid-Atlantic (@PGMidAtlantic) April 23, 2026 Hunter Brown - 2026 RHP, North Hunterdon Reg (N.J.) was utterly dominant in his start against Franklin last month, tossing six shutout innings with 15 strikeouts, zero walks and just two hits allowed. The 6-foot-5 215-pound right-hander has pitched to a 0.97 ERA this spring with 78 punchouts over 36 innings of work. Brown has been one of the many northeast arms receiving increasingly more buzz ahead of the MLB Draft this July. Brown’s heater lived in the low-90s throughout the duration of his...
Press Release | Press Release | 5/22/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 65

Ron Wolforth
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The Insidious Lie That Hurts Pitchers Thep Most How many of you have ever had a terrible outing and afterward couldn’t really explain what went wrong? And how many of you have ever had a great outing and couldn’t explain what you did differently either? That gap between what is happening and your awareness of what is happening may be one of the most important gaps in player development. Closing that gap has a name. It is called metacognition. In simple terms, metacognition means thinking about your thinking. It is the ability to understand how you learn, how you perform, how you respond under pressure, and how you make adjustments when things are not going your way. For a pitcher, that matters because no matter how good your coach is, he cannot stand on the mound with you. Your coach cannot take the ball with the bases loaded, two outs, and the best hitter in the league...
College | Rankings | 5/20/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: May 20

Nick Herfordt
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There is a reason the preseason pick to win it all rarely does. College baseball's postseason is a gauntlet — double elimination, best-of-three’s, then a full World Series format — and the team that looks unbeatable in February has to prove it again in May against opponents who have had just as long to get ready. Plenty of programs have entered the tournament as the obvious favorite and gone home early. It happens every year. Nobody should be shocked when it does. Top-ranked teams flaming out in regional weekends happens so many times it has become its own genre of schadenfreude Which makes this particular moment worth noting. The Perfect Game preseason picks to win the NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division III national titles — Tennessee Wesleyan, UT Tyler, and the University of Lynchburg — are all still alive heading into the final rounds. All three...
College | Story | 5/21/2026

Coppy's Corner: May 21 POY Deep Dive

John Coppolella
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Each week I huddle with Vinnie Cervino and Craig Cozart  to discuss Top-25 rankings and Players of the Week. In Coppy’s Corner, I dive deeper into these Players of the Week, providing analysis from 20+ years working in baseball front offices at the highest level.   Co-Player of the Week: Carson Tinney – University of Texas  As a Notre Dame alumnus, it pained me to see Tinney transfer from the Golden Dome to the University of Texas after an All-American sophomore season for the Irish. He’s picked up in Austin right where he left off in South Bend and is currently hitting .321 AVG, 20 HR, .475 OBP / .695 SLG / 1.170 OPS on the 2026 season. It’s plus right-handed power and a plus arm; with the numbers I have found indicating that Tinney has erased more than half of attempted base stealers over the past two seasons of college baseball. Tinney threw...
Tournaments | Story | 5/19/2026

Best of the Best Event Preview

Jheremy Brown
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In simplistic terms, the Best of The Best tournament is an absolute gauntlet as seemingly every game brings a playoff game atmosphere. Coaches must strategically map out their pitching to ensure they can get through Pool Play while also making sure they have arms to make a deep playoff run. Each and every age group is loaded with the best teams, composed of some of the best players that travel baseball has to offer. The 9u & 10u age groups will respectively have 9 out of the Top 10 Teams within the latest PG National Team Rankings participating in the event. At 9U, LTP-Reign will look to hold on to their #1 ranking but will have plenty of competition with the likes of ZT National Prospects and HTX-Wildcatters 9U looking to take over that #1 spot. In the 10u age group, Elevate National will look to fend off plenty of talent with #2 ranked Kaos National, East Cobb Astros and ZT...
College | Story | 5/19/2026

College Players of the Week: May 19

Vincent Cervino
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May 19th Perfect Game/Co-Players of the Week:  Carson Tinney, C, Texas  The Texas Longhorns just finished off another stellar regular season and are heading to Hoover for the SEC Conference Tournament as the No. 2 Seed this week.  To secure their 2nd place finish, they had to sweep Missouri at home last weekend and did so in large part to the power bat of Carson Tinney.  The 6-4/240 catcher from Castle Pines, CO transferred to Austin after two sensational seasons at Notre Dame and has thrived in his draft year.  In the 3-game set, Tinney collected 7 hits in 13 at-bats, scoring 5 runs, with a double, 3 home runs and he drove in 10 runs all told.  With some of the most prodigious power in the college game this year, Tinney is now slashing .321/.695/.473 with 10 doubles an incredible 20 home runs and 54 RBIs while playing in the most spacious ballpark in the...
College | Rankings | 5/18/2026

College Top 25: May 18

Vincent Cervino
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The regular season is behind us, and it is now tournament time and wow, is there a lot to still be decided.  We are a week away from the Field of 64 being announced and hosting opportunities, at-large bids, as well as automatic bids are there for the taking.  The UCLA Bruins (48-6) continue their stranglehold on the No. 1 spot in the land, finishing the regular season without losing a series all year.  ACC powers, UNC (43-10) and Georgia Tech (45-9) remain at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively and SEC regular season champs, the Georgia Bulldogs (43-12) stick at No. 4.  After that there was a small amount of shuffling within the Top 10 with No. 5 Texas (40-12), No. 6 West Virginia (37-13) and No. 7 FSU (38-16) moving ahead of now No. 8 Auburn (36-18) after they were the only team in this group to drop their weekend series.   No. 14 Florida (37-18) and No. 15...
High School | General | 5/18/2026

High School Notebook: May 18

Jordan Gates
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‘27 RHP Grant Slater (@BoydCoBaseball) gets his 1st start of the year (3rd appearance) as he works his way back. FB opened 89-92 w/ ride & was still up to 91 in the 5th (run rule), while touching 93 in the 3rd. CT worked in the mid 8s & breaking ball in mid 7s (sweep). Big summer… pic.twitter.com/w9EXl6Jmrx — Perfect Game Ohio Valley (@PG_OhioValley) May 8, 2026 Grant Slater, 2027, RHP, Boyd Co (KY) Slater made his full start of the year back on May 7th. He had appeared in a few games in relief roles prior as he has come back from a few injury bugs. The Alabama commit went five strong innings, in a complete game fashion (run rule), only allowed a couple hits, one walk, and struck out 13 batters. Slater is beginning to ramp up at the right time with postseason right around the corner. Slater’s fastball peaked at 93 mph a few times, held velocity in the...
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