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All American Game  | Story | 8/16/2025

Pence's pitch heard ‘round the world

Jim Salisbury
SAN DIEGO – Eight days after firing the 100-mph fastball heard ‘round the world, Striker Pence sat in front of a locker at Petco Park and munched on a turkey sandwich. In 45 minutes, the 16-year-old right-hander would take the mound for Perfect Game’s third annual All-Star Game for underclassmen.

It was quite an honor to get the starting nod in such a prestigious and talent-filled game.



But Pence was the guy everyone wanted to see, especially after reaching triple digits at the recent Area Code Games up the road in Long Beach.

“He was the talk of the tournament,” said one scout who was there. “The big thing is he’s so young.”

Pence didn’t reach 100 mph in his one inning of work Friday in San Diego. But that 98 he fired up there looked pretty good. So did that hard slider. Thirteen pitches. A strikeout, a groundout and a fly ball. Not too shabby. At the plate, Pence, also a gifted hitter with left-handed power, struck out early but later hung tough in working a full-count walk to help fuel a game-winning rally as the National squad walked off the American team, 4-3. 

As much as Pence loves to swing the bat – he’s a corner infielder who would like to remain a two-way player – it’s his work on the mound that’s gaining him notice and making college and pro scouts salivate.

“He’s as unique as we’ve ever seen when it comes to velocity, plus stuff, plus control,” said Jered Goodwin, PG’s vice president of scouting operations. “Normally, as guys gain velocity, they lose the strike zone a little bit. But as Striker has gained velocity, he’s actually gained control. He’s throwing better strikes now. More strikes.

“I don’t want to downgrade what he can do offensively because if he was just a hitter he’d be on pro scouts’ radar, as well. But we’ve never had a (pitching) prospect like this at his age. We’ve never had somebody like this that young with that type of stuff that also is controlling the zone. It just never happens. He’s also got a great body, he does it fairly easily, and his off-speed stuff is good.”

It's no wonder that Pence was one of just two 2028 draft year players invited to play in the underclass All-Star Game. The other 39 players will be eligible for the 2027 draft.

Pence’s exciting story is becoming more well known by the day. He comes from a baseball family. Howie, his dad, pitched in the San Diego and Houston organizations before an injury cut short his career. Hunter, his uncle, was a four-time MLB All-Star and two-time World Series champion with the San Francisco Giants. According to Striker, his mom, Allison, always wanted to have a son and call him Striker.

“She had a plan,” the young pitcher said with a laugh. “I think it’s great.”

It is a great name for a pitcher. Maybe the best. At least until some mom names her kid No-Hitter.

The young man with the perfect pitcher’s name also has a pretty good pitcher’s body. He stands 6-6 and is strong-bodied. He just entered his sophomore year at Santiago High School in Corona, California, where he carries a 4.2 GPA. As a freshman, he played first base and threw 12 innings as a closer. Surely, there will be more innings in the coming years – and the scouts will be there for all of them.

Pence said he entered high school a year ago throwing 93-94 mph. By springtime, he was up to 97. He couldn’t help but dream about reaching 100.

“I think it’s a goal for every pitcher,” he said. “I figured in a year or two I would get there. Then I was 99 in North Carolina in late June. I was like, ‘Wow, it’s coming soon.’ “

And, sure enough, it did, on August 7 in Long Beach.

The pitch felt good coming out of Pence’s hand, but he abided by one of baseball’s unwritten rules and did not look at the reading on the scoreboard. Then he heard the crowd begin to cheer. He couldn’t help himself.

“I looked back and was like, ‘Oh, my God,’ ‘’ he said.

Those in attendance estimated that 300 college and pro scouts were on hand. When Pence hit 100 mph, the text messages started flying. The news was so big that it was even picked up by media outlets in Europe.

Pence had barely delivered his next pitch when Goodwin got word of the feat back home in Florida. He was elated for Pence, but not at all surprised.

“He’d been 95 to 99 all summer,” Goodwin said. “We become fans of these kids. Striker has been playing in PG events for a long time. When guys develop like that and when they make that next step on big stages, we’re just as excited as anybody.”

Legend has it that chocolate milk is the magic potion that has fueled Pence’s sensational summer of 2025.

But Friday in San Diego, it was a pregame turkey sandwich.

“This was the first time I pitched in a big-league park,” Striker Pence said with a big smile. “It was super surreal being out there.”
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All American Game | Story | 4/2/2026

All American Classic Heading to Citizens Bank
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