THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,031 MLB PLAYERS | 14,466 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,031 MLB PLAYERS | 14,466 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 9/20/2020

4 shutouts lift Dynasty Black to semis

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Cody Bledsoe (Perfect Game)

MARION, Iowa – Four games. Twenty-two run-rule shortened innings. How has that worked out for the Illinois Dynasty Black 18U at this weekend’s PG WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship being played at the Prospect Meadows Sports Complex? Quite well, in fact, and thanks for asking.

The Shorewood, Ill.-based Dynasty Black 18U were the talk of the tournament late Sunday afternoon after winning a pair of playoff games by shutout and keeping their championship hopes alive at this long-running event.



Their performances Sunday came after they had also won their two pool-play games by shutout on Friday and Saturday. That means they will head into Monday’s semifinal round of this PG WWBA World Championship qualifying tournament having outscored their four opponents by a combined 33-zip.

The Dynasty Black 18U earned the playoffs’ No. 2 seed after posting a 22-0 run differential during pool-play, just a tick behind the No. 1 Cangelosi Sparks 2021 Black’s 27-0 showing. Both totals are impressive, to say the least.

“Our pitchers have thrown strikes and when the other team happens to put the ball in play we can field it and turn a double-play,” Dynasty Black 2022 head coach John Karczewski told PG on Sunday. “That’s what we pride ourselves on. We pitch and we play great defense and we get a little timely hitting to go along with some bunting and things like that. We play good baseball; our guys grind.”

Not surprisingly, perhaps, the Sparks 2021 Black also advanced to Monday’s final-four but they did allow three runs in their two wins Sunday so they are no longer unscored upon.

The No. 2 Illinois Dynasty Black 2022 (4-0-0) will face the No. 14 Canes Midwest Scout Team 21’s & 22’s (5-0-0) in one of the semifinals while No. 4 STiKS Academy (4-0-0) and the No. 1 Cangelosi Sparks 2021 Black (4-0-0) face-off in the other. Cangelosi Sparks teams have won the last three WWBA Kernels Foundation Championship titles.

The Kernels champion receives a paid invitation to this year’s prestigious PG WWBA World Championship (Jupiter) Oct. 8-12 in Fort Myers, Fla., but that wasn’t something that was on the collective minds of the Dynasty Black 2022 coming into the weekend.

“I’ll be honest. I don’t even know if my guys know about that,” Karczewski said. “We don’t talk about it because you’ve got to play one at a time and if you get a hiccup you ain’t going anyway. It would be nice, something to look forward to, but we’re taking it one game at a time. If it comes our way, then we’ll see.”

Something was certainly on their mind Sunday while they were taking care of business at Prospect Meadows, first beating No. 15 MN Icemen Baseball (Minnesota) 3-0 in a second round playoff game before dispatching No. 10 USA Prime National 2022 (Texas) 8-0 in five innings in the quarterfinals.

Both of the Dynasty Black 2022’s pool-play games were ended by the run-rule after five innings: an 8-0 win over the Recruits Baseball Club on Friday and a 14-0 win over the Gamers 2021 on Saturday; those two opponents totaled only two hits in 10 innings against the Dynasty Black.

Remember the name Cody Bledsoe, a 2021 lefthander. He threw three innings of one-hit, two-strikeout ball against the Recruits before coming back strong on Sunday (more on that after a bit). 2021 righty Will Morris and 2021 lefty Jack Stellano combined on a no-hitter against the Gamers 2021 with Morris throwing four innings, striking out eight and walking one.

Drew Buss, a 2021 righthander, threw a complete game three-hitter, striking out six without issuing a walk, in the second-round playoff win over the MN Icemen on Sunday.

“It’s been a great atmosphere,” Bledsoe told PG after the quarterfinal game. “Pitching has been great, hitting has been off the charts and we haven’t given up a run yet; hope to keep that (going).”

That’s a good segue into their quarterfinal contest against a very good USA Prime National 2022 squad out of Texas. Bledsoe, both unranked and uncommitted, got the start and shutdown the Prime National 2022 on two hits over his five innings of work, striking out five and walking none.

“My mindset was just to go out there and play like I normally do,” he said. “This is just a normal game to me; you can’t make it any bigger than it is.”

The Dynasty Black 18U also unpacked their bats once again in this one, rapping out 12 hits with everyone from the top to the bottom of the order contributing.

Leadoff hitter Jack Irwin – who had two of his team’s three hits against the MN Icemen – tripled, singled and scored a run; No. 2 hitter Tylor Phommachanhom contributed a pair of singles and scored twice; Gavin Arseneau, the No. 3 hitter, tripled, singled twice, drove in three runs and scored two others.

Camden Karczewski, batting fifth in the order, tripled, singled and drove in two; Matt Stariha, the No. 9 hitter, singled twice and both drove in and scored a run. That’s outstanding production from top to bottom, although it’s apparent these guys could be inserted just about anywhere in that order and be productive.

“Before the (first) game we talked and we knew that it was going to be two tough games and we’re going to come in with everything we’ve got, just a lot of energy and that’s what we did,” Arsenault said postgame. “Now we’re moving on to Monday.”

He wasn’t finished with his thoughts on this team:

“The pitching has been amazing and we’re playing really good defense behind them,” Arsenault said. “We’re looking to bring that into tomorrow and hopefully win a championship. … We were expecting being the final-four and playing on Monday. We’re excited for the opportunity.”

Coach Karczewski couldn’t be any prouder of this team. The field at the 18th annual Kernels Foundation Championship is as strong this year as it’s ever been but, like his players, Karczewski is not at all surprised the Dynasty Black 18U are in Monday’s final-four

“We have a phenomenal group of parents and guys, and even the guys that just pitch for us they come out and they show up and they hang with us,” he said. “These guys stay focused. They’ve been together for a while and it’s a great group; there’s nothing like them.”

The Dynasty Black 18U have made an effort to go out and play against some of the strongest competition as possible throughout this very unusual 2020 summer and fall travel ball seasons and won a lot of games, Karczewski reported. But the team still is very much of an unknown on the national scene and he’s hoping their final-four showing can alter any of those misplaced perceptions.

“These guys are some of the best,” he said. “They’re not the biggest, they’re not the fastest but they’re great baseball players. We have quite a few commits and we’ll have more even after this weekend. The colleges are talking to me and I imagine most of them will be signed by Christmas.”

Any friends, family, scouts and curious onlookers in attendance at the Meadows for Sunday morning’s first-round playoff games got an early look at the quality of play the day would feature.

One of those first-round matchups pitted the Indiana-based No. 14 Canes Midwest Scout Team 21’s & 22’s and the No. 19 Hitters 2021’s out of Wisconsin, both among the pre-tournament tournaments to win the whole thing.

The Canes ultimately prevailed, 3-1, and advanced all the way to the semis, where they’ll face the Illinois Dynasty Black 18U. This was such a well-played game, with great pitching, solid defense and timely hitting – all the familiar cliches – it could have served as a worthy substitute for Monday’s championship game.

The Canes 21’s & 22’s righthander Holden Groher, a 2021 Butler commit, was on top of it, allowing one run and striking out six in the complete game four-hitter. After falling behind 1-0 in the first inning, the Canes took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out, two-run single from Reese Harmon

They added a  single run in the fifth on a one-out RBI single from Dominic Decker that came after Gallien Coupet led-off the frame with a double.

Just like that the table was set for a great day of playoff baseball that didn’t disappoint. And there at the end it could be argued convincingly that the Illinois Dynasty Black 18U provided one of the best feel-good stories of them all.

“We always have high expectations anywhere we go,” Bledsoe said. “Just play well, show it off. … We need to keep playing, keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Bledsoe said. “Just keep playing the same way.”

It won’t be easy, of course.

“Any team that’s still left hanging around (Monday) is going to be a quality opponent,” Karczewski said. “We’ll throw it out there and see what we can do.”
Give us your feedback
Tournaments | Story | 9/27/2023

Midwest Invitational Scout Notes
Tyler Kotila
Article Image
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...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 9/26/2023

WWBA World Championship Pool Preview

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
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...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 9/26/2023

Coastal Soph. Fall Invite Scout Notes

Todd Coffey
Article Image
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....
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 9/26/2023

Fall Frenzy Scout Notes

Jason Phillips
Article Image
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...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 9/27/2023

Sophomore WWBA Scout Notes: Day 3-5

Kyler Peterson
Article Image
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...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 9/25/2023

Deep South Fall Invitational Scout Notes

Alex Dorso
Article Image
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...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 9/24/2023

Sophomore WWBA Scout Notes: Day 3

Troy Sutherland
Article Image
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...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 9/22/2023

Northeast Qualifier Scout Notes

John McAdams
Article Image
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...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 9/23/2023

Sophomore WWBA Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
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...
Read More
College | Story | 9/22/2023

Cape Cod Top 2025 Prospect List

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
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...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2025 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.