Scout Stories: Part 1
New England Dream Team (2024 & 2025 Grads)
We’ve officially reached that point in the year where many guys are shut down for the Winter, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still recognize studs across the region who have made an impact in 2023. Listed above is a group of players a coach could only dream of having in the dugout with a wide range of advanced talents to say the least. With 28 D1 commits, it’s safe to say that there’s an abundance of riches available when it comes to constructing a lineup.
Starting with the infield, there’s tons of balance present in terms of pure offensive value, as many of the names listed have shown the ability to hit for both contact and power. Depending on the route a coach wants to take, these boys would be able to beat you in multiple ways whether it be going base to base with advanced speed or choosing to boast the juice potential and rely on the long ball. In just 2023, Christian Nilsen, John Mass and Gabriel Tirado hit for over a .350 batting average while Luke Gallo and Julio Solier connected for multiple home runs. If that wasn’t enough firepower, Bennett Crerar and Cooper Tarantino achieved both milestones. Defensively, the value is just as prominent, especially behind the dish. Tirado, Matt Conte, Cesar Gonzalez, Connor Lane, and Thomas O'Connell have all posted sub 2.00 pop times in PG events with big time arm talent present. Regardless of who gets the start at catcher, don’t expect the opposition to even sniff a stolen bag. All in all, what’s really impressive is the depth here, as many of these prospects are athletic enough to play that “Swiss Army Knife” role and provide insurance at a range of defensive spots.
The talent only continues into the outfield where Owen Carey, Colin Larson, and Carter Bentley provide defensive stability with the ability to cover tons of ground while also producing pop at the plate. All three names have at least one home run in the previous season and certainly do not get cheated on swings, whipping the barrel through the zone with easy strength in the hands along with leverage created. Once again, the multi-dimensional advantage comes into play here with Bentley, as the ‘25 prospect has been up to 93 mph from the outfield, 91 mph across the diamond, and runs a 6.70 sixty. Can’t ask much more from the Virginia Tech commit who really excels on both sides of the field and can even give you innings out of the pen if needed.
We could be here for days talking about the arms listed above, but we’ll just let you know how good this group of guys is by stating a couple facts. All nine of the primary arms above are 91+, and their combined ERA for 2023 is under 2.00. Led by none other than Mavrick Rizy, this staff would cause absolute headaches for opposing lineups with over 240 combined strikeouts racked up in ‘23. Rizy, an LSU commit and #1 overall player in the state of Massachusetts, towers on the mound at 6-foot-9, 225 pounds and pumps low 90s with ease. Consistent mid-90s is expected to be right around the corner as the defending National Champs seem to get better and better each time you look. Pair him with the other eight premier arms on display here, and you have a staff that could pretty much compete with anyone in the nation.
Each and every one of these guys deserves every bit of recognition they get, and while no one is going to argue that these are 29 of the top players in the region, it doesn’t mean that they are the only players. There were countless names that could’ve easily gotten onto this squad, again revealing the true depth of the region. Regardless of the names that are on here or not, what matters is the performances on the field, and 2024 should without a doubt bring another action packed season in the heart of New England.
C:
Gabriel Tirado, 2024, South Charlotte Panthers
Matt Conte, 2024, NEB
1B:
Christian Nilsen, 2024, Clubhouse 2024 Evoshield
Logan Charboneau, 2025, CT Mets 2024
2B:
John Mass, 2024, New England Scorpions
Bennett Crerar, 2025, CT Clubhouse 2025 Demarini
SS:
Brendan Horne, 2025, NH Prospects
Luke Gallo, 2025, NEB
3B:
Julio Solier, 2024, Westernmass Rebels
Fiztgerald Barranco Villanueva, 2024, Northeast Supreme
OF:
Owen Carey, 2024, Boston Red Sox Scout Team
Colin Larson, 2024, Powerhouse Bulldogs
Carter Bentley, 2025, Nokona Chiefs
UT:
Cesar Gonzalez, 2024, Powerhouse Bulldogs
Jayden Novak, 2024, Clubhouse 2024 Evoshield
Connor Lane, 2024, CT Edge/Boston Red Sox Scout Team
Thomas O'Connell, 2025, Artillery Baseball
Tyler Stone, 2025, MVP New England 2025
DH:
Braeden Purser-Eber, 2024, Dirtbags 17U All Black
Cooper Tarantino, 2025, NEB
P:
Mavrick Rizy, 2024, Canes National
Michael Yeager, 2024, USA Prime National
Alex Grant, 2024, Clubhouse 2024 Demarini
Aiden O'Connell, 2024, Boston Red Sox Scout Team
Gavin Lyons, 2024, Clubhouse
Cole Raymond, 2025, MVP New England
Austin Howard, 2025, CT Dawgs
Garrett Snyder, 2025, Ninth Innings Royals
John Paone, 2025, Route 2 Blue Sox/Dirtbags Scout Team
-AJ Denny
Best Game I saw
2023 WWBA South Jupiter Qualifier: PNT Scout Team V. Banditos Scout Team 2025
An electric pitcher’s duel that ended in dramatic fashion. Texas A&M commit Jake Evans went toe-to-toe with Oklahoma commit Jaden Barfield on the hill over five-plus innings of one-run ball. The final blow for PNT Scout came off the bat of Texas commit Matt Scott II in the bottom of the sixth, who took a hanging fastball deep over the right field fence the other way for a game breaking grand slam. PNT Scout would end up winning and advancing to the championship in the final frame, where they won it all.
Best Tournament Performance I saw
Couldn’t get much better to start the summer circuit than seeing Texas Twelve’s Jordan Garza (2026, Corpus Christi, Texas) toss a 14-strikeout perfect game over seven innings. It was a simply dominant performance from the right-hander. He ran it up to 87 mph and had it all working. He spun a tight slider for strikes and missed bats at will. Garza certainly made an impression.
Favorite Single Game Moment
Two swings turned the tide in the championship game of the WWBA South Underclass Qualifier. HP 2025 Greene took the lead in bottom six off a huge swing from uncommitted Austin Glasscock (2025, Cypress, Texas) who launched a two-run shot to pull. But Banditots Underclass 17u didn’t fall in its final frame, as Baylor commit Caldwell McFaddin (2025, Magnolia, Texas) launched a two-run blast of his own to help retake the lead. He closed it out on the bump to cap-off a thriller all in the span of 5-10 minutes.
Biggest Showcase Breakout Performer
Now a 2023 PG Select Fest member, George Ferguson (2027, Abilene, Texas) first popped for us at the Sunshine South Showcase in Tomball, Texas. Ferguson was a big two-way force with advanced arm talent for his age and size. He was 84-86 with life out of hand and snapped off a sharp two-plane breaking ball with big arm speed from a physical 6-foot-4 build. Safe to say he impressed that weekend.
Pick to Click
Going with Brayden Stevenson (2026, New Waverly, Texas) out of New Waverly High who has the traits of a true power Texan arm. He didn’t get a ton of time on the hill in 2023, but the physical ability on the hill shines at points. He’s all of 6-foot-6 with ample projection left, was up to 89 mph for us this year and it jumps a bit out of the hand. Stays inline and controlled with good intent to the arm. Can spin a good breaker in the mid/high-70s and flash feel for a split-type changeup, as well. Traits are all there to click next year.
-Isaiah Burrows