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
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Championship | 1/24/2025

MLK West Brings Heat, Delivers Hardware

Hannah Jo Groves
Photo: Bruin Agbayani (Perfect Game)
MLK West Championship

14U



Over in Arizona, BTA 14U got the 10-0 victory over AZBC 2029 Pruitt for the championship title.

Coach Troy Silva said that his guys’ willingness to do whatever it took to aid the team was one of their winning traits. 

“Some of the kids that normally wouldn’t pitch stepped up, and if they didn’t do that, we wouldn’t have made it as far as we did,” Silva said, mentioning Anders Jarvi as one of those who came through in a time of need. “Our hitting was on point this weekend and everybody provided at some point some sort of help to the team wins.” Silva said. 

His son, right fielder JJ Silva, contributed 2 RBIs in the championship game, but also won the 14U MVP with 9 hits, a stolen base and 12 total runners batted in during the weekend.

“We’re a Christian organization, so we pride ourselves on trying to honor God with our attitude and our effort. [We] don’t take for granted everyday that [we] get to play the game that [we] love.”

15U

In the 15U division, an organization that has a legacy of winning this specific tournament added another notch to its belt - with Baum Bat NW 2028 getting a 7-5 victory over MMW Arizona Victus 2028. 

Over the first few innings, Baum Bat NW steadily built a lead, then really got going, getting 4 runs in the the fifth inning and making the score 7-0. Though MMW fought for a comeback, scoring 5 runs in the top of the seventh, it wasn’t enough to catch up. 

Right fielder Cameron Hockett and designated hitter Beau Johnson led their team in runners batted in - each contributing 2 in the championship game. 

Hockett had himself a weekend - standing out with 10 hits, 7 runners batted in and 3 stolen bases. 

Though his physical game looked to be strong, he said it’s his mental game he’s been working on. 

“I just had a lot of confidence and was just thinking, ‘I can beat you and you can’t beat me.’ I used to have not a lot of confidence, like this fall. But I was just having a lot of confidence and just thinking that I was going to get on and not thinking I was going to strike out or just do something bad.

[This weekend] I struck out, and popped it out, and I just let it go. I realized if I get mad, then I’m just gonna affect myself, because my team needs me, and if I just get mad at myself, then that’s hurting me.”

Hockett said that his dad and brother have helped a lot with making sure his mind is right. 

“My dad always talks about the mental side and how on and off the field, I need to be mentally strong…not let my emotion get the best of me.”

Beyond focusing on his mental, Hockett credited the team’s attitude as a big reason for them getting to the championship match - which is especially impressive as this team hasn’t known each other very long.

“If somebody struck out, we’re just picking them up and not moping around if something bad happened. I mean, we scored every inning like we were supposed to, and just played the game the way we’re supposed to…I think the way we just clicked and how fast we clicked - and not getting down on each other no matter how bad or terrible we’re doing - we didn’t ever get down on each other.”

17U 

In a game that could have gone either way all the way down to the bottom of the seventh, NorCal U 2026 snatched the 10-9 win over Baum Bat NW 2027 for the 17U title. 

In the bottom of the fifth, right fielder George Schmitt stepped up to the plate and knew he needed to do something big in order for his team to get the lead back, as they had just gone down 5-4. 

“We were down at that point and they brought in a new pitcher right before I went to hit. I was just thinking, ‘get a run. Get two runs in or something.’ And I was just hoping sac, fly or base hit at least, and I got a little bit more than that,” Schmitt said. 

He did, in fact, get 2 runners across home plate with a double to center field. Schmitt also tacked on one more RBI after being intentionally walked in the bottom of the seventh. It was the only intentional walk of the contest.

However, even after that offensive momentum from NorCal U 2026, Baum Bat NW added 4 more runs in the top of the sixth. 

Though NorCal U 2026 had the MVPitcher on their team (right-hander Jp Harmon with 6 innings pitched, 9 strikeouts and 1 earned run on the weekend), he had reached his pitching limit by the championship game. So they brought right-hander Griffin Messenger up to the mound with all three outs left in the top of the sixth.

Messenger didn’t allow any earned runs through 35 pitches in 2 innings. He worked in the low-80s with his fastball and mid-70s with his slider to get the job done for his team. 

“When I got called up to pitch, I was like, ‘the team needs me. I’m the last guy to throw,’” Messenger said. “I just stepped up and threw some strikes and trusted my infield and outfield. At the last batter, I was like, ‘I just need to turn this double play.’ I had runners on first and second, and I just thought to myself, ‘I’m going to second if the ball comes back to me.’ And it did. [I] made a sweet play, my shortstop made a great play and ended the inning. Then from there, energy was up.”

It was Max Medina who stepped into the box in the bottom of the seventh hoping to get his team the walk-off win.

“I was just excited because, man, this is what makes baseball fun,” Medina said. “Having that moment - it doesn’t come around often, but when it does, it’s important to take advantage of it.”

Medina did take advantage of the moment with an RBI single to right field - bringing in the runner that sealed the championship for NorCal U 2026. 

When it comes to potentially stressful moments, Medina is no stranger. He credits his experience playing quarterback as the main reason that he doesn’t let the nerves get to him. 

“I’d say football is a lot of these pressure moments for sure. Having to be a leader on the field - you gotta perform when it’s crunch time. So, these moments in baseball, they don’t come around a lot, but when they do, it kind of just feels like I’ve been there before and I’m not really too nervous. I’m more excited if anything.”

While a lot of the members on this NorCal U 2026 team have played together for years, Messenger and Medina were somewhat new on the squad.

“I knew all these guys by name, of course, because they’re all studs,” Messenger said. “But the chemistry is really awesome. The banter is there, but it all shuts down. When we’re on the field, we’re all focused. Obviously, there’s some jokes here and there, but we always pick each other up. There’s never one guy left out. It’s a team game out there with them…[our coach] always makes it welcoming for any and every player that comes in. He brings together all of California, not just NorCal. He does a great job incorporating everybody and he makes it a really fun time for all of us.”

“I came into this tournament not really knowing a lot of people, and then I came out of it having made some good friends and getting along with the guys. That was fun,” Medina said. “You always just got to put yourself out there. I made a couple of new friends that I really like hanging out with. So, yeah, that was awesome.”

Finally, the Baum Bat NW Upperclass, who won last year, took the title again this year against the Mountain Lions 18U - the final score being 8-0. 

The major standout from the entire weekend was Bruin Agbayani - who had 8 hits, 17 runners batted in, 3 stolen bases and 4 home runs on the weekend. It’s easy to see why he won MVP for the tournament. 

The MVPitcher of the tournament also came from this Baum Bat team in left-hander Logan Sanchez. With 12 strikeouts in 8 innings pitched and no earned runs, he was a force to be reckoned with on the mound. 

In the championship game, it was left-hander Alexander Lopez who facilitated the shut-out victory. In 5.2 innings, he threw 65 pitches, striking out 7 batters with a low-80s fastball, a mid-70s curveball and a mid-70s slider. 

“My mindset was simply to get ahead of hitters and then keep attacking the zone and let my defense do the work,” Lopez said. “I had a great defense behind me, so I just let them make the plays and that’s what they did. They were making the routine plays. [They] weren’t overthinking…I had my full trust in them to make any play when needed.”

There’s a seemingly simple concept that Lopez said has helped him tremendously through his pitching career: 

“Taking deep breaths is one of the things that I’ve done for a long time. Being able to take deep breaths when things don’t go your way and maybe a bad call happens, you just kind of know how to flush it and go right after the next pitch.”

On offense, Agbayani, catcher Isaac Pfeifer and first baseman Connor Johnston each contributed 2 runners batted in throughout the championship match. 

“I felt good. My mindset there was just, ‘if it’s in my zone, drive it in.’ That’s what I did,” Johnston said. 

Lopez said that the 4-year relationship that he has with some of his teammates was a big part of their success in this tournament. 

“A lot of us, we were practicing with each other for a couple years now and we’ve been working all off-season. So the relationships are definitely there.”
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 1/27/2026

MLK East Scout Notes Recap
Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
‘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...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 3/7/2026

Debut: Contreras YouTube Feature

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME DEBUTS NEW YOUTUBE FEATURE FOLLOWING JOSEPH CONTRERAS ON HISTORIC DAY BEFORE WBC   Behind-the-scenes access captures the youngest player in the World Baseball Classic preparing for the global stage   Sanford, Florida (Friday, March 6, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced the debut of a new original YouTube feature spotlighting right-handed pitcher Joseph Contreras, as PG cameras followed him throughout the day of his final high school start before departing to join Team Brazil in the World Baseball Classic.   The feature provides exclusive, behind-the-scenes access to one...
Read More
Softball | Softball Tournament | 3/4/2026

Perfect Game Softball March Madness

Ashley Mears
Article Image
2026 Perfect Game March Madness February 27-March 1st Ashley Mears What a weekend at the Fun City Dome in Burlington, Iowa! The energy was electric from first pitch to final out towering home runs, edge-of-your-seat battles, dramatic comebacks, and extra-inning thrillers with some unpredictable endings, it was a great weekend all around. The Top Performers list welcomed some exciting new names, while seasoned seniors continued to cement their legacies, delivering standout performances week after week. For some, this may have been their final appearance on a Perfect Game stage, and they made sure it was unforgettable. In the 18u division a tough Nebraska Gold 319 Berning team outlasted the Southeast Iowa All Stars in the championship. In 16u the Top Gun 2028- Strange completed their weekend by beating the Iowa Aries 16U CE Fire Black. 18U The weekend’s Most Valuable Player award...
Read More
High School | General | 3/5/2026

High School Notebook: March 5

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
Full BP & pregame I/O from ‘26 SS Keon Johnson. Whippy hands and lifted to the middle of the field throughout the rounds, athletic mover on the dirt & enough arm strength to stick on the left side. #4 in @PG_Georgia & #50 on the @PG_Draft Board. #PGHS @FPDVikingSports https://t.co/vYvReQKTVh pic.twitter.com/BksHJtA09X — Cam McElwaney (@CamMcElwaneyPG) February 20, 2026 Keon Johnson, SS, First Presbyterian Day Johnson has long been near the top of the 2026 rankings and it all culminated in being a PG All-American last August. He heads into the spring as one of the names to know in the upcoming MLB Draft and is drawing crowds to his high school in Macon. It’s a well-built 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame with good actions up the middle. The defensive acumen has continued to improve over the last few years and now looks comfortable at shortstop and even projects there...
Read More
College | Rankings | 3/4/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 4

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
The 2026 college baseball season is starting to reveal its early storylines, and across the Division II and Division III landscape a few programs have already forced their way into the spotlight. From the blistering start by the Pittsburg State Gorillas baseball that rocketed them to the top of the rankings, to the steadily rising championship ambitions of the Taylor Trojans baseball, the national picture is beginning to take shape. In Division III, heavyweight programs like the Trinity Tigers baseball and the Wisconsin–Whitewater Warhawks baseball have already traded blows in one of the season’s first statement series, while emerging challengers such as the Keene State Owls baseball are looking to turn early momentum into a breakout year. With many teams still just getting their seasons underway, the rankings remain fluid, but the early results are already giving us clues...
Read More
Juco | Rankings | 3/4/2026

JUCO Top 25: March 4

Troy Sutherland
Article Image
Another week down as we get into conference play in parts of the nation. This week is led by Chipola at No. 1 with an impressive 24-1 record. Walters State drops to No. 2 at 16-3 and Florida SouthWestern State College (17-5) follows closely behind. Powerhouse programs  McLennan Community College (11-2) and Johnson County Community College (18-2) round out the top five, while one-loss teams Fresno City, Ohlone, and Cloud County are quickly climbing into the national conversation. With traditional Texas powers, West Coast contenders, and deep Florida Juco rosters all in the mix, the race for Grand Junction is already taking shape.   Rk. Team Record 1 Chipola (FL) 24-1 2 Walters State (TN) 16-3 3 Florida Southwestern (FL) 17-5 4 McLennan (TX) 11-2 5 Johnson County (KS) 18-2 6 Gaston (NC) 20-2 7 Blinn (TX) 12-6 8 Florence-Darlington (SC) 18-5 9 Northwest Florida (FL) 16-8 10...
Read More
High School | Rankings | 3/3/2026

High School Top 50 Update: March 3

Tyler Russo
Article Image
As we get rolling deeper into the spring here in the southern states, other states are only a few weeks away from their seasons beginning and some are even starting the day this will be posted. We’ve concluded the first major event on the high school schedule, the PG High School Showdown, and it was an epic weekend in Hoover. The event was littered with talent and these rankings reflect just that. St. John Bosco (CA) holds onto the first spot in this update and are being pushed by an IMG Academy (FL) team that’s 8-0 after winning the High School Showdown as well as beating two preseason top-10 teams in the first few weeks of the season. Orange Lutheran (CA) holds onto the No. 3 spot after a 1-0 start to the year and just a few weeks away from NHSI. A trio of Florida schools follow Olu in South Walton (FL), fresh off a win at the HS Showdown, Venice (FL), a surging team...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 3/3/2026

PG & RaceTrac Expand Partnership

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME AND RACETRAC ANNOUNCE EXPANDED PARTNERSHIP   Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, March 3, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced an expanded partnership with RaceTrac, naming the convenience store brand the Official Convenience Store of Perfect Game in Georgia and Florida. The enhanced relationship significantly broadens RaceTrac’s presence across Perfect Game’s premier tournament venues and digital platforms, deepening its engagement with players, families, coaches and fans throughout two of the most active youth baseball markets in the country.   As part of the expanded agreement, RaceTrac will launch a robust...
Read More
College | Story | 3/3/2026

College Players of the Week: March 3

Craig Cozart
Article Image
March 3 Perfect Game/Player of the Week:  Cider Canon, OF, Duke  The Duke Blue Devils (11-3) went through massive changes in the offseason, with a new coaching staff and heavy roster turnover like is often seen in the college game today.  That hasn’t held them back as they have kind of flown under the radar on their way to a tie for the most wins in the nation.  They won 4 out 5 games last week and Cider Canon was the driving force behind their offensive onslaught.  The 5-11/180 outfielder from San Marino, CA put together an incredible week collecting 9 hits in 14 at-bats, good for a .643 BA, scoring 7 runs, with 3 walks, 4 home runs and driving in a total of 10 runs.  After a successful couple years at Davidson College, Cider made the trip north to Durham and has fit right into the Blue Devil’s high-octane offense.  For the season, he is...
Read More
High School | General | 3/2/2026

HS Showdown Scout Notes: Days 2-3

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
High School Showdown Event Page | High School Showdown Preview High School Showdown Scout Notes: Day 1 An extended look at ‘26 3B/RHP Coleman Borthwick (FL)… 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 8 K, 0 BB #PGShowdown @SWseahawks @Florida_PG @PG_Draft https://t.co/IHJFWFbn4T pic.twitter.com/I2izGcEdyA — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) February 28, 2026 Coleman Borthwick (2026, Freeport, Fla.) was excellent over the weekend, securing MVP honors and delivering one of the best starts of the event on the mound. At 6-foot-6, 255-pounds, Borthwick is an ultra-physical prospect and one of the top two-way prospects in the draft. The Auburn signee drew the biggest crowd of MLB scouts in attendance as there were around 50 or 60 so lined up behind home plate on Friday morning. Borthwick was nothing short of dominant, striking out eight hitters and...
Read More
College | Rankings | 3/2/2026

College Top 25: March 2

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Three weeks in and we are beginning to see some separation across the country.  The quality and depth, or lack thereof, are becoming evident and the conference segment for several conferences starts up this weekend.  Midweek games continue to be a tossup and only the teams that are strong on both sides of the ball have been able to maintain momentum.  We have a new No. 1 in this week’s poll as UCLA (9-2) has already accumulated 5-wins against teams that are currently or were previously ranked in the Top 25.  With last weekend’s sweep of No. 17 Tennessee (8-3), Texas A&M (10-1) and No. 4 Mississippi State (11-1) at the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series, the Bruins leap now No. 2 LSU (11-1) and No. 3 Georgia Tech (11-1) to take over the top spot.  The Texas Longhorns (11-0) are up to No. 5 as one of only 3-remaining undefeated teams in the nation,...
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.