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Tournaments  | Story | 7/13/2019

Dodgers boast tough 1-2 punch

Photo: William Ross (Perfect Game)

ATLANTA, Ga. – In a poker game, holding a pair of aces gives you the best chance to win. The same principle applies to baseball. On Saturday, the Florida Dodgers Scout Team rode the right arms of William Ross and Jordan Taylor to cruise to an 8-0 victory over the Ironmen 15u Osting.

The win improves the Dodgers to 2-0 at the WWBA 15u National Championship. More impressively, they have defeated their opponents by a combined score of 19-0.

“We’re blessed with really good pitching,” Dodgers coach Tom Lucas said. “Will could probably pitch in college right now. He sits mid 80s and has three pitches that he throws for strikes. And Jordan is just a phenomenal athlete. He fills that closer role for us, but he could also be a starter. But he’s such an asset in centerfield.”

Ross was Saturday’s starter, and the 6-foot-6, 235-pound righthander attacked from the first pitch. He poured in 70 percent strikes, pounding his heavy mid 80s fastball down in the zone to generate a lot of weak contact. He worked four shutout innings, striking out five and allowing just two hits. He worked quickly, too. Ross’s tempo was a major reason Saturday’s game only lasted a little over an hour.

“My mentality is to just get ahead,” Ross said. “If I throw a ball, then I know I need to throw a strike on the next one. I pride myself on having a good pace out there.”

Ranked 107th overall in Perfect Game’s high school class of 2022, Ross has already committed to coach Kevin O’Sullivan and the University of Florida. The Gators won the national championship in 2017, and have recently produced numerous pitchers selected in the first round of the MLB Draft including Brady Singer, Alex Faedo, Jackson Kowar, A.J Puk, and Dane Dunning. Ross hopes to be next in the line of great players to come through Gainesville.

“I’ve always liked the Gators,” Ross said. “I knew that if I ever had a chance to go there, that was going to be my choice. My parents are actually UCF fans, but they were happy I chose Florida.”

Jordan Taylor came on to pitch the fifth and final inning. Needing only nine pitches, the Florida State commit simply overpowered the Ironmen with his upper 80s fastball to get a strikeout and two ground outs to close out the win.

“I knew we were up by eight,” Taylor said. “I wanted to let my defense work. I was really just trying to throw the ball in the strike zone.”

Taylor is ranked 104th overall in the class of 2022. A standout on the mound and in the outfield, the Jacksonville, Fl. native plans on being a two-way player when he gets to Tallahassee. Taylor has quite a role model in J.C. Flowers, who served as the Seminoles centerfielder and closer in 2019, earning ACC reliever of the year honors.

“They saw me back in October,” Taylor said of the Noles. “We started talking, and I went to one of their camps. I really like their coaching staff, and it all felt like a family. Plus, they gave me a great offer. It was a no brainer.”

The Dodgers try to take the business side of travel baseball out of the equation. They are selective in building their rosters, and keep the program small on purpose. It’s not a factory with a handful of teams per age group. If you make a Dodger team it’s because they see a spark and want to help you realize that potential.

“Our motto is all about development,” Lucas said. “We are an organization that only has one team per age group, so we’re not trying to build a huge brand with multiple teams. We just want the best of the best, and you know that when you make our team that you are a national caliber player.”

“The manager of the (Dodgers minor league affiliate) Tulsa Drillers, Scott Hennessey, founded the program,” he continued. “He came up with the idea, and stresses development above everything else. So we probably do more practices than your typical national team that just shows up at these big tournaments.”

The main objective this week is to win the pool. But being the developmentally focused organization that they are, the Dodgers see an opportunity for growth in every tournament and every game. The fierce competition at the WWBA 15u National Championship provides the ultimate stage for players to diagnose their strengths and weaknesses.

“We want them to see where they stack up,” Lucas said. “We think we have some of the best of the best in this class. So we come to big events like this to let them compare themselves to the rest of the country. That helps them make a checklist of things they need to work on in the fall to further their skills.”

The hoards of scouts that are patrolling the backstops is enticing, too. Ross and Taylor are the only two currently committed on the roster, but that will soon change. Guys like outfielder Mason Steel and shortstop Finn Howell are making a splash as they continue to bash the ball around the fields of Georgia.

“And the other side of the coin is exposure,” Lucas said. “Up in Atlanta, you are going to get more coaches from different areas. We get a lot of Florida and Florida State at our games, but yesterday we had South Carolina. It’s things like that. We have some guys that we think are ready to be seen, and this allows them to be in front of coaches from all across the country.”




Tournaments | Story | 9/27/2023

Midwest Invitational Scout Notes

Tyler Kotila
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Creighton Tuzzio (2024, Clarinda, Iowa) took the ball in the semi-final game and was able to get on the bump and carve for his team. Tuzzio is a taller 6-foot-6, 210-pound frame with plenty to like in the operation. The right-handed pitcher has a slower and more controlled operation as he works through the delivery. He lifts the leg up around the belt and then works through a three-quarters release with good whip through it. The fastball worked up to 86 mph on the fastball and held in the low- to mid-80s. He creates some angle on it with the taller & projectable frame. It runs arm-side and can be a problem for right-handed hitters. He also showed a low-70s curveball with a bigger 11/5 tilt to it and good depth to miss some bats. The Iowa Western commit threw 5.0 innings, allowing just 1 run, with 4 walks and 6 strikeouts to his credit.   There’s no surprise here, but...
Tournaments | Story | 9/26/2023

WWBA World Championship Pool Preview

Perfect Game Staff
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Pool A Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Location Boston Red Sox Scout Connor Lane 500 2024 Tague Davis 59 2024 Boston, MA Cangelosi Sparks Tyler Bell  122 2024 Brady Chambers 500 2024 Lockport, IL Dirtbags National 2024 Dalton Wentz 74 2024 Riley Leatherman 251 2024 Sedalia, NC Florida Burn Colton Schwarz 214 2025 Presley Woodson 500 2025 Sarasota, FL Projected Pool Winner: Dirtbags National 2024 With one of the deepest and most physical lineups in the nation, the Dirtbags National 2024 club have been putting up runs in bunches. No hitter is hotter than Austin Irby, as the ECU commit is While sluggers Dalton Wentz, Will Craddock and Palmer Hornick won’t be in attendance, Lee Sowers, Will Brooks, Jon Young Jr. and spark plug Carter Richardson lead an offense that averages over 7 runs per game. They can cover ground on...
Tournaments | Story | 9/26/2023

Coastal Soph. Fall Invite Scout Notes

Todd Coffey
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Michael Flores (2026, NC) looking great through 4 innings pitched with 11 k’s. Great command and completely missing barrels. #2023WWBACoastalSophmoreFallInvatational pic.twitter.com/Oqd3WD0E05 — PG Coastal Scouting (@PG_Coastal) September 24, 2023 Michael Flores (2026, Mooresville, NC) put on an electric performance to watch for the SBA Futures 2026 in their matchup versus the Carolina Reds. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound, RHP did his job for his team today to keep them in the game. Flores throws with a high leg lift and creates some good motions towards the plate with his whippy action. Flores has a great feel for the zone and pounded strikes at a 66% rate. Flores generated swing and miss after swing and miss and it was clear he was in control out there on the mound. He sat in the 70-mph range to 79-mph range with his fastball with the ability to pinpoint it wherever he pleased....
Tournaments | Story | 9/26/2023

Fall Frenzy Scout Notes

Jason Phillips
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James Sherry (’26, Aiken, S.C.)- the 6-foot-1, 155-pound right-handed pitcher tossed a complete game for Xtreme Xposure Baseball-Bennett in an 8-1 win over 2 Way Athletics 16U. A primary outfielder, Sherry finished with 15 strikeouts and just one walk while controlling the zone at a 65% strike rate. Appearing in only his second PG tournament, Sherry turned in another great pitching performance after being selected to the All-Tournament Team at the 2023 16U PG Southeast Labor Day Classic. Aidan Petrocco (‘24 GA)- singles here into LF to load the bases for @643DPAthletics Primary MIF 2-for-4 w/ run scored on the day. #FallFrenzy @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/Ly7zEuRwyg — Perfect Game Georgia (@PG_Georgia) September 24, 2023 Aidan Petrocco (’24, Johns Creek, Ga.)- the 5-foot-9, 160-pound right-handed hitter for 643 DP Cougars 18U led the 18U Southeast Fall Frenzy...
Tournaments | Story | 9/27/2023

Sophomore WWBA Scout Notes: Day 3-5

Kyler Peterson
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A high speed look at this 2B from Keon Johnson... #WWBAWorlds @PG_Georgia https://t.co/Ejl8GirIgk pic.twitter.com/ate7ro35cp — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) September 24, 2023 Keon Johnson (2026, Macon, Ga.) started off the morning loud, going down to get a pitch down and smoking a double that split the opposite field gap at a 92 mph exit velocity. The shortstop has one of the best hit tools in the class and has tremendous feel for the barrel. The swing is quiet and simple, staying loose through the zone. The ball jumps and the parts really work. At short, Johnson looked silky with good actions, range, and plenty of arm strength across. The game comes easy for the Georgia native, and still just 15, the all-around game is very well-refined for the age.  Jaxson Wood (2026, Hoover, Ala.) finished batting .500 over the tournament, including three extra-base hits. The primary...
Tournaments | Story | 9/25/2023

Deep South Fall Invitational Scout Notes

Alex Dorso
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Patrick Kovacs (2026 Knoxville TN) was dominant in his outing in game two of pool play for Exposure National. The southpaw tossed three scoreless innings allowing two hits while striking out eight. He showed plus command of the fastball dotting it to both sides of the plate while working off the corners at times. Patrick sat 75-78 topping at 79 multiple times throughout. He mixed in a tight breaking ball with two plane movement that he had no problem mixing in any count keeping the opposing hitters off balanced in the box. Coming from a mid 3/4s slot there was some deception within the operation making it tough to pick the fastball up out of the hand. The frame has plenty of athleticism within with plenty of more room for additional strength as he continues to mature. Kovacs should be a fun follow as he continues to progress through high school. Ryan Riojas (‘26 TN) drives this...
Tournaments | Story | 9/24/2023

Sophomore WWBA Scout Notes: Day 3

Troy Sutherland
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Sophomore WWBA Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Extended look at Gunnar Garrison... 7 IP, 1 H, OER, 13 K, 1 BB (70% K) #WWBAWorlds @PG_FourCorners https://t.co/V89oASpD8r pic.twitter.com/tsP1mWCoNz — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) September 21, 2023 Colorado right-hander Gunnar Garrison (2026, Eaton, Colo.) was magnificent in his start for Slammers Anderson 2026’s. The big and physical 6-foot-4, 210-pound arm threw a complete game, seven inning, one-hit shutout, striking out 13 and walking one. The fastball had downhill life to it, sitting in the 85-88 range for the entirety of the game. Garrison held the velocity and reached back for his fastest bullet of the game, at 89, in the seventh inning. Finishing the outing with 70% strikes, he filled up the zone and went right at hitters. He also induced swing-and-miss on a curveball, featuring late...
Tournaments | Story | 9/22/2023

Northeast Qualifier Scout Notes

John McAdams
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Jack Harley (2024, Mendham, NJ) put together a dominant performance at the plate in the WWBA NEQ, leading his team to a coveted Jupiter bid while also earning MVP-honors. The 6-foot-1 left-handed hitter showcased his advanced bat-to-ball skills on several occasions. He batted .643 with two doubles, a home run and six stolen bases. Harley utilizes a repeatable, synced-up stroke with clean separation into launch. He has a great feel for the barrel and creates good strength at impact to all parts of the diamond. The future Hokie recorded a hit in all six of his games and proved to be a reliable bat at the top-of-the-order for Clubhouse 2024 EvoShield. Harley’s build offers a good balance of strength and athleticism, making him a well-rounded prospect with intriguing upside moving forward.  .#VandyBoys commit Aiden O’Connell (‘24, NH) is back on the bump in the #NEQ...
Tournaments | Story | 9/23/2023

Sophomore WWBA Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Vincent Cervino
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Nathan Caldwell (2026, Columbia, S.C.) looked the part in the batter’s box as the Team Elite three-hole hitter had one of the hardest hit balls of the day. There’s really impressive bat speed and the ability to create violence and rotational acceleration through contact. He missiled a single during the game and there looks like there’s going to be pretty significant impact potential long term. He’s a strong kid with good indicators and offensive tools to like. Drew Borkowski (2026, Huntley, Ill.) showed plenty to like in the arm as he got the start in game one on the day for GRB. At 6-foot-1, 170-pounds he’s got a lanky frame with long limbs and plenty of room for physical projection. It’s a quick arm with solid arm speed throughout and he opened up sitting 85-87 mph with the fastball. The fastball showed good sinking life and he used it to get a lot...
College | Story | 9/22/2023

Cape Cod Top 2025 Prospect List

Vincent Cervino
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Earlier this week we debuted our Cape Cod Top 100 Prospect List and mixed amongst the 100 names were some 2025 graduates who will be eligible for the upcoming 2024 MLB Draft. Below, each of the 50 names are eligible in 2025 and those listed with an "^" are continuing their careers at a new school this fall.  Name Pos. Team School Hometown State Adonys Guzman^ C Bourne Arizona Valley Cottage NY Aidan Jimenez RHP Chatham Oregon State Elk Grove CA Anthony Martinez 1B YD UC Irvine Fairfield CA Ben Jacobs LHP Bourne UCLA Huntington Beach CA Bradley Hodges LHP Hyannis Virginia Fleming Island FL Brady Neal C YD LSU Tallahassee FL Brody Donay^ C/1B Hyannis Florida Lakeland FL Caden Bodine C Bourne Coastal Carolina Haddon Heights NJ Cam Leiter^ RHP Orleans Florida State Island Heights FL Cannon Peebles^ C Cotuit Tennessee Mechanicsville VA Drew Faurot^ SS Orleans Florida State Tallahassee FL...
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