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Tournaments  | Story | 7/1/2018

BCS title written in the Stars

Photo: Molina Stars (Perfect Game)

FORT MYERS, Fla. – During a conversation with Perfect Game shortly after his team had pulled off a victory over highly regarded Team Elite 15u Prime in the quarterfinals at the PG 15u BCS National Championship on Saturday, Molina Stars head coach Pete Greenwood spoke about expectations.

The only expectations he had of this team, he said, were those regarding effort. The Stars’ coaches didn’t talk about expectations of outcome, he explained, because that’s not always relevant in 15u summertime baseball.

Well, if it’s effort that counts, Greenwood saw plenty from his Stars’ players Sunday morning at jetBlue Park, and he’s certainly in no position to argue with the outcome, either.

The McLean, Va.-based Molina Stars bolted to leads of 2-0 after one inning and 6-0 after four and 2021 right-hander Nathan Knowles took a no-hitter into the fifth, and the Stars held on to top the Little Rock, Ark.-based Sticks Baseball Academy 2021 Elite, 6-3, in the PG 15u BCS championship game.

The victory capped an amazing week of play for the Stars (8-2-0), who won the program’s first PG national championship.

“That was our 10th game in (seven) days, and just being out on the field and playing as hard as you can, that’s really all the effort you can ask,” Greenwood said postgame Sunday. “They put forth good effort; anybody that makes it this far, that’s a lot of effort they’ve put in.”

Knowles ended up allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out seven without issuing a walk in five complete innings, and that was more than enough. The Sticks were able to plate a couple of runs in the bottom of the seventh against the Stars’ pen, but Knowles had done his job.

“Being at jetBlue, I was just trying to throw strikes, have fun, enjoy this scenery; I just wanted to have a good time here,” he said. “I was feeling really nice – of course, the mound is perfect – and I was just groovin’,”

Molina scored its six runs on seven hits, led by a 3-for-4, two doubles effort from James Triantos; David Zamora and Colin Tuft each drove in two runs apiece.

What made the Stars’ early run-scoring outburst all the more remarkable is that it came against Sticks BA 2021 Elite ace Nicholas Griffin. A 2020 left-hander and Arkansas commit ranked No. 19 overall nationally, Griffin gave up the six runs (four earned) on three hits and five walks in 2 2/3 innings of work.

Another Arkansas recruit, 2021 No. 171-ranked righty Austin Ledbetter came in and righted the ship, shutting out the Stars on two hits over the next 3 1/3. Jackson Harris had a pair of doubles and drove in a run and Traejon Blake doubled, singled and had an RBI to pace the Sticks BA 2021 Elite (8-0-1) at the plate.

The Stars’ Dan Merkel, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound 2021 outfielder from Millstone, N.J., went 1-for-3 with a run scored in the championship game, and finished the tournament batting 11-for-28 (.393) with two triples, a double, six RBI and two stolen bases; he hits from the leadoff spot in the Stars' order.

Merkel also made three appearances on the mound without giving up a run on four hits in 7 1/3 innings, striking out 11 and walking five; he was named the Most Valuable Player.

“We started the week off slow but we started getting better beating good teams like Team Elite,” he said. “We came in here and we knew Knowles was going to shut (Sticks) down and that we could hit fast pitching, and we were confident throughout the whole game.

“As the (competition) got better we (grew) closer,” he added. “We were cheering for each other, we believed in each other and we had each other’s backs the whole time.”

The start in the championship game was the fourth appearance of the week for Knowles, a 5-foot-11, 165-pounder from Arlington, Va. He worked 10 2/3 innings over those appearances, surrendering two earned runs (1.70 ERA) on eight hits with 14 strikeouts and but two walks; he was named the Most Valuable Pitcher.

The Stars arrived at this tournament carrying a 14-man roster and all 14 contributed to the championship in one way or another. Greenwood also pointed out the team is relatively young, with four of those roster spots filled by guys who are eligible to be playing at the 14u level.

And now they can look forward to playing at the PG 15u WWBA National Championship in the north Atlanta suburbs July 13-20. They will arrive with a bit of a bounce in their steps.

“At first, at the beginning of the week, it’s definitely about the expectations, and then as you get rolling and get better, it gets a little bit more exciting,” Greenwood said. “The adrenaline of ‘let’s see how far we can go’ kind of takes over because your body is just drained by day-six; you try to keep it rolling and they did a great job.”


2018 15u BCS National Championship runner-up: Sticks Baseball Academy 2021 Elite



2018 15u BCS National Championship MVP: Dan Merkel



2018 15u BCS National Championship MV-Pitcher: Nathan Knowles






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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Tournaments | Story | 9/26/2023

Fall Frenzy Scout Notes

Jason Phillips
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Tournaments | Story | 9/27/2023

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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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