THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,802 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,802 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Summer Collegiate  | Story | 8/23/2017

Tom Sox top summer team

Bryan Cooney
Photo: Humphrey Liu

2017 PG/Rawlings Summer Collegiate Player of the Year: James Outman

Traditionally, college summer leagues are very tight-knit with the communities the teams reside in. Providing locals a chance to see some of the top college baseball players in their backyard can offer a glimpse of the next wave of potential big leaguers.

The Charlottesville Tom Sox of the Valley League had a first-year manager with hometown roots. Dating back to his days as a high school standout at Monticello High School, and playing a key role in two College World Series trips for his hometown Virginia Cavaliers, 30-year old Corey Hunt seemed like the perfect fit to steer the ship.

Now the head coach at his former high school, Hunt led the Tom Sox to a 32-10 regular season mark, and Charlottesville marched through the Valley League postseason, defeating Strasburg 2-1 in the third and deciding game of the league championship series for the organization’s first Valley League crown.

That honor went a long way into Perfect Game’s decision to name the Tom Sox the Summer Collegiate Team of the Year in just their third year of existence on the summer baseball landscape.

“The chemistry the kids had from the start along with the tight ship that our manager Corey Hunt conducted went a long, long way,” Tom Sox general manager Mike Paduano said. “This is a huge honor for our organization and everyone played a part in it from the temporary players we had that turned into full-time guys all the way up ladder. It was the best summer we could have imagined.”

Hunt’s extensive ties to Charlottesville played a large part in the approach he took with managing college players for the first time. Embracing what the team did on and off the field, and the impacts it had on the community, was something Hunt really wanted to impart on his players.

“Kids sometimes don’t realize the type of impact they can have in the local community when playing summer baseball,” Hunt said. “Being from the area, I have seen how much it can mean.

“When little kids got to watch our team, I tried hard to get them to pay the right way. I went in with the philosophy of letting the guys play and not get in their way too much, and from day one I saw that we were just one team that played for each other. That’s what pleased me the most with this group.”

The balancing act for any players competing in summer leagues is for the organizations to get as many opportunities to play as possible, something Hunt did a great job of providing for his club.

“It’s hard to balance the expectations one player may have of himself along with the emotions of maybe not getting the playing time they would like,” Hunt added. “You want to make sure the guys get the reps they need out there, and I think we did a good job on that front, particularly with our pitching staff.”

On the mound is where the Tom Sox excelled the most, and incorporating a pitching system that suited the toughest questions of managing arms off of a long season in a summer league paid huge dividends for all parties.

“Our Vice President Jeff Burton came up with the idea of what he called ‘The Pitching Caring System,’ which would utilize two starting pitchers and one reliever to work through the entire game,” Paduano explained. “We would have a bridge guy in case one of the starters didn’t have his best on a given night.

“It worked out really well obviously. We want to build relationships with the colleges that send their kids to us, knowing that we are going to take care of their arms and be treated right.”

Hunt had not worked with a system for pitchers like that before, and was more than pleased with the end result.

“I really enjoyed how the system panned out,” Hunt said. “Our pitching coach Sam Bashioum did an outstanding job managing the staff; we wouldn’t have had the success on the mound if it wasn’t for him. Our guys could really go out and focus on their jobs, from the starters to the relievers and work on what they needed to.”

The Charlottesville team ERA checked in at 2.96, a full run better than the next closest team. The Tom Sox posted five shutouts and the entire pitching staff allowed just seven home runs in 42 games.

One righthander put up eye-popping numbers from the Charlottesville bullpen in University of Richmond junior Layne Looney. The Dallas, Texas native struck out 41 batters in 24 1/3 innings for the summer and allowed a mere eight hits. In Looney’s first two outings, he allowed six runs, but the final 10 outings saw him toss 19 scoreless innings to end the season.

“Layne doesn’t leave much in the bag when he’s out there on the mound,” Hunt said. “He’s a shorter guy at 5-foot-10, but has an extremely live arm. He really made a difference in the bullpen role with his three-pitch mix and controlled the running game with his tempo.”

The catalyst for the Tom Sox for the duration of the summer was a player not from the Power 5 conferences in which many Charlottesville players came from. Division III College of Wooster’s Michael Wielansky was always an underlooked prospect even coming through the high school ranks, but has turned himself into an All-American caliber player at the Division III level and jumped right into the Valley League and kept on hitting.

“Mike showed up with the right mindset from the onset, and we just plugged him into the lineup and let him go,” Hunt said of his star player. “He did what he was supposed to do. The game rewarded his hard work that he puts in, and he is deserving of all of the accolades he gets.”

Wielansky hit a blistering .432 in 37 regular season games, with 18 doubles, four triples and four home runs, and he also drove in 34 runs. In seven postseason games, Wielansky went 13-for-32 (.406 average), and scored the game-winning run in the deciding game in the championship series against Strasburg. Wielansky earned the Valley League MVP for his efforts.

Vinnie Pasqualino, coming off of a strong freshman campaign at Old Dominion in which he batted .321 with 17 doubles and 38 RBI, picked up where he left off in the spring by batting .336 in 31 games. The Moseley, Va. native went 10-for-29 (.345) in the seven postseason games for Charlottesville.

The versatility of another standout from the D-III ranks would impact the Tom Sox on the mound and at the plate in Randolph-Macon College’s Rick Spiers. The Chesterfield, Va. native batted .333 in 30 games, but was outstanding as a righthanded pitcher as he registered a 0.74 ERA in 36 2/3 innings for the summer. Similar to Wielansky and Pasqualino, Spiers took his game to another level in the postseason, going 2-0 on the mound while closing out the championship game by firing 2 2/3 scoreless frames in the Tom Sox’ 2-1 victory against Strasburg.

“Rick’s one of those sleeper, fantasy draft type of guys you love to have,” Hunt said. “He was incredibly versatile for us. We had a two-game stretch in which he tossed five or six innings on the mound and threw him out to play shortstop the next game and picked up a few hits. He’s got the poise you want in a player and was a clutch performer all summer.”

Given the organization’s situation being an up-and-coming team, Paduano has seen what bringing higher quality players did to not only his Tom Sox, but the Valley League as a whole in 2017.

“I think the goal for the Valley League is to get to that next level to become the best league outside of the Cape Cod League for colleges to send their players to,” Paduano said. “The general managers in the league have upped their recruiting efforts to bring kids from the bigger conferences in. For our club, the first two years were tough sledding.

“Winning helps a ton to bring people out to the ballpark. We want to make this a long-term effort to make the city of Charlottesville a baseball town.”

With a hometown man at the helm in Hunt and a breakthrough season under their belts, the Tom Sox may have the perfect mix to become a mainstay among the college summer ranks for years to come.

2017 PG/Rawlings Summer Collegiate Team of the Year Finalists:

• Bethesda Big Train (Cal Ripken)
• Corvallis Knights (West Coast)
• Top Speed Baseball (Golden State)


Previous PG/Rawlings Summer Collegiate Teams of the Year:

2006: Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (Cape Cod)
2007: Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox (Cape Cod)
2008: Santa Barbara Foresters (California)
2009: Forest City Owls (Coastal Plain)
2010: Eau Claire Express (Northwoods)
2011: Bethesda Big Train (Cal Ripken)
2012: Newport Gulls (New England)
2013: Brazos Valley Bombers (Texas)
2014: Lakeshore Chinooks (Northwoods)
2015: Edenton Steamers (Coastal Plain)
2016: Yarmouth-Dennis (Cape Cod)
Give us your feedback
Summer Collegiate | Story | 9/26/2023

Cape Cod: Best of the Rest
Vincent Cervino
Article Image
Cape Cod Top 100 Prospect List | Cape Cod Top 2025 Prospects * indicates draft eligible sophomore ^ indicates incoming transfer Name Pos. Team School Hometown State Andrew Sundean C Hyannis UCF Lakeland FL Bradke Lohry^ IF Hyannis Tennessee Trinity FL Cam Schuelke^ RHP Hyannis Mississippi State Dorr MI Carter Lovasz RHP Hyannis William & Mary Midlothian VA Colby Shelton*^ IF Falmouth Florida Lithia FL Colin Tuft^ OF Orleans Tulane Vienna VA Daniel Corona^ IF Cotuit Missouri Brooklyn NY Derek Clark^ LHP Orleans West Virginia Petersburg MI Duce Gourson IF Falmouth UCLA San Diego CA Eddie Micheletti OF Orleans George Washington Wilmington DE Enzo Apodada^ OF YD Baylor Scottsdale CA Evan Truitt RHP Orleans Charleston Southern Berlin MD Finnegan Wall RHP YD UC Irvine Hesperia CA Garrett Coe RHP Falmouth Uconn Lakeside CT Ian Petrutz OF Bourne Maryland Mantua NJ Jakob Christian^ 1B YD...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 1/12/2026

Top 100 Collegiate Freshmen

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
As we creep toward opening day here in a month or so, the draft team has put together the Top 100 freshmen on campus this spring.  Three high-end arms lead the way, starting with Jack Bauer. The Mississippi State left-hander reached triple digits as a prep and is sure to make an immediate impact this spring. UCLA right-hander Angel Cervantes was selected in the 2nd round of last year’s draft but held firm on his commitment and should be an impact arm for the Bruins. Following the arms, a collection of bats rounds out the Top 10. There is loads of upside to the group with the potential and they should draw considerable playing time as freshman.  As the list gets deeper, there are plenty of players that should pop up and make significant contributions both this year and years down the line. The class has both depth and talent, making for a very intriguing group of...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 1/9/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2030

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Complete PG Leaderboard Database PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 | Class of 2029 Today we wrap up our reviews of the 2026 thru 2030 class where we looked back on some of the eye opening metrics we saw from around the country, both in a showcase and tournament setting. To those not inside the youth baseball world, some of the metrics below would seem truly unattainable from current 8th graders, from the pair of 90 mph heaters courtesy of Amani Tuiasosopo and Kingston George, to upper-80s velocity from all over the field and multiple players north of 90 mph on the exit velocity testing (with wood), this 2030 class is one that has a chance to be special as we continue to watch it unfold moving forward.  Top Fastball Velocity  Rk Player FB Event School Hometown 1 Amani Tuiasosopo 90 2025 WWBA 14U World Championship Renton...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 1/8/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2029

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Complete PG Leaderboard Database PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These players below are just entering their freshmen year's of high school, a scary though as you scroll through the 11 categories and see some of the eye opening numbers from the fastballs to the infield and outfield velocities, down to the Diamond Kinetic testing and their three sub-categories.  Top Fastball Velocity Rk Player FB Event Commitment School Hometown 1 Brody McCorkle 92 2025 18U PG Mid-Atlantic Fall Elite Championship Uncommitted Ranney Forked River, NJ 1 Caleb Polk 92 2025 14U Perfect Game Select Festival Uncommitted IMG Academy Dallas, TX 1 Knox Myers 92 2025 PG WWBA Freshman World Championship Uncommitted East Bay Riverview, FL 2 Alex Bello 91 2025 16U PG Fall World Series Uncommitted Montverde Academy Orlando, FL 2 Alex Bello 91 2025 14U Perfect Game...
Read More
College | Story | 1/9/2026

LSU Reloads & Returns; Opens No. 1

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
“How do you get to success? You have to honor the process that you built to get to that success…The standard is how we operate, train, and get better each day.”” Process-oriented leadership is a popular coaching strategy here in the mid-2020s but no one exemplifies that more than LSU head coach Jay Johnson. He’s won the Tigers two national titles during his time in Baton Rouge and expectations won’t be any lower in 2026 as LSU is the No. 1 team in the country in Perfect Game’s Preseason Top 25.  Johnson is heading into his fifth season at the helm in Baton Rouge and it’s fair to say that he has already experienced enormous success. There have been two national titles in four years (2023, 2025), a Golden Spikes winner (Dylan Crews, 2023), a first overall MLB Draft pick (Paul Skenes, 2023), and five first-round MLB Draft picks during...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 1/7/2026

PG Announces Naming Rights in Chesterfield

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 FIRST COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION ANNOUNCE CHESTERFIELD ATHLETIC COMPLEX    Landmark Partnership to Center on Community, Inclusion and Youth Sports    Chesterfield, Missouri (Wednesday, January 7, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, along with the City of Chesterfield, today announced  an exclusive naming rights partnership with First Community Credit Union (FCCU) for the Chesterfield Valley Athletic Complex. Effective immediately, the venue will be known as the “Chesterfield First Community Athletic...
Read More
College | Rankings | 1/8/2026

2026 Preseason Top 25

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
With an interesting and action-packed fall behind us, a new college season is just around the corner. The college game continues to prove it is alive and well as the Division 1 team count has now ballooned to 308 teams for the 2026 season. With new legislation allowing teams 5-weeks to prepare for opening day, many student athletes have returned to campus and will begin skill related workouts soon. Opening Day, as usual, will fall on Valentine’s Day weekend and it is just six weeks away. After a fall of evaluation and months of research and discussion, we are ready to release our annual Perfect Game pre-season Top 25 poll. After winning 53-games, hosting the NCAA Regional and Super Region, and sweeping their way through the College World, the LSU Tigers will debut the 2026 season as our No.1 ranked team. Head coach, Jay Johnson, has now led the Tigers to two national titles in the...
Read More
College | Story | 1/7/2026

Preseason Collegiate All-Americans

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The transfer portal, JUCO gems, 6th year waivers and impact freshman; following the college game and figuring out rosters is basically a fulltime job nowadays. This is the new norm, and while the baseball purist may not like it, the college game has never been more exciting. It looks like 2026 is shaping up to be an incredible season with the balance of power seemingly spread out evenly from coast to coast. Like we seem to say every year, the depth and quality of talent has never been better, and the 2026 Perfect Game Pre-Season All-American teams will attest to that fact.With the 2026 College Baseball season is just around the corner, the Perfect Game college staff will have you loaded with coverage heading into the new year. On the heels of our Pre-Season Top 25 poll, the All-American list will be headlined by a banner sophomore class on the 1st team. The sweet lefthanded swings of...
Read More
College | Recruiting | 1/6/2026

Recruiting Notebook: January 6

Michael Albee
Article Image
Griffin Boesen (‘27, IA) shoots this one backside down the line. Adds his second hit of the day. Picked up a base knock. Physical LH bat w/ an ability to drive the baseball here. @IowaPG @PG_Uncommitted @CanesMidwest #WWBAWorlds https://t.co/pmpIzaAbLz pic.twitter.com/Qz0CHiS3P1 — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 13, 2025 Griffin Boesen, Class of 2027 Commitment: Duke Another top 100 prospect is off the board as the Corey Muscara led Duke Blue Devils picked up a physical two-way prospect in Boesen out of Florida recently. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, Boesen looks the part of a middle of the order type slugger and he's just that, showing lots of looseness and bat speed in his left-handed stroke and is coming off a Jupiter where he hit .700 (!!) as an underclassman while driving in 10 runs. The bat-to-ball skills are obvious as he simply hit at all the big stops in 2025,...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 1/7/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2028

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Complete PG Leaderboard Database PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 Well, the fastball department is dominated by two arms in particular with Striker Pence and Dexter McCleon Jr. combining for almost 200 mph of velo between them on their peak heaters in 2025. That's just absolutely insane. The freakiness of the class continues down the boards with a 6.26 60-yard from Colton Fitzgibbon to the 88 mph hand cannon of Grant Arnold behind the plate to Christian Lux's 106 (!!!) mph exit velocity, this class has out of this world chart toppers. Even scarier? They don't graduate for another three years... Top Fastball Velocity Rk Player FB Event Commitment School Hometown 1 Striker Pence 101 2025 PG WWBA World Championship Uncommitted Santiago Corona, CA 2 Striker Pence 99 2025 PG 17U World Series - National Uncommitted Santiago Corona, CA 2 Striker Pence 99 2025 PG 16U WWBA...
Read More
Showcase | Story | 1/6/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2027

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Complete PG Leaderboard Database PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026 To think this group still has another two years of high school is a scary thought given what some of the category leaders already are. Samir Mohammed up to 97 mph on the mound, Bryce Fontenot with a max exit velocity of 103 mph and a 6.22 60-yard out of Dylan Seward are all otherworldly numbers that you'd expect to find on a college campus, much less a junior in high school.  Below we check in on several categories for the Class of 2027 and will continue to do so through the week, taking in the top 10 for each, from both Perfect Game showcases and tournaments.  Top Fastball Velocity Rk Player FB Event Commitment School Hometown 1 Samir Mohammed 97 2025 PG WWBA World Championship Louisiana State Tampa Jesuit Trinity, FL 2 Connor Salerno 96 2025 PG WWBA World Championship Mississippi State Sun Valley Indian Trail, NC...
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.