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Future Games 'A True One-Stop-Shop' For Recruiting

August 4, 2023
Bruce Hefflinger
PBR Canada Senior Writer


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The 12th annual Future Games took place on July 26-29 at LakePoint in Emerson, Georgia. Top uncommitted prospects in the classes of 2025 and 2026 participated in one of the most popular events of the year.

There were 32 teams, including Team Canada, with players representing 44 states plus Canadian prospects. Each team played three games the final three days of the event after all position players were put through a showcase workout on Wednesday. More than 375 college coaches from across the country were looking on as approximately 500 players participated in this year’s event.

Team Canada went 1-1-1, defeating Team Connecticut on Thursday, tying Team Massachusetts on Friday, while losing to Team New York on Saturday.

Future Games ‘A True One-Stop-Shop’ For Recruiting

***To view all the stats/articles related to the 2023 Future Games, click here.

EMERSON, Ga. - The Future Games just keep getting better and better.

The Prep Baseball Report event that initially began in 2011 continues to draw more interest from college coaches, with a record 375 in attendance this year to watch 32 teams with players from 44 states and four Canadian provinces.

“The coaches are what stood out to me, 375 college coaches paid a visit to see the finest uncommitted underclassmen in the country,” related Shooter Hunt, vice president of scouting for PBR. “With the NCAA rule changes in effect, it was astounding seeing some of the premier programs in the country bringing FOUR coaches to cover the event. I think that more than quantifies the significance and importance of the event from the recruiting side. It was a true one-stop-shop.”

For the second year in a row, the schedules for each team featured different opponents from previous years at the Future Games.

“We are constantly reevaluating the process and trying to keep things fresh,” explained Hunt. “A significant amount of time goes into cultivating the scheduling of workout day and game schedule, and I don't think anything is off the table for 2024 including a potential lottery ball drawing … but I also understand the importance of rivalry games and wouldn't be surprised to see rivalries like the Ohio-Michigan battle back on the board for ’24.”

A year ago, Canada lost close games with Mississippi and Alabama while tying Arizona in an eight-inning game. This time around, Canada defeated Connecticut, tied Massachusetts following a lightning delay, and lost to New York.

“Of course in a big showcase event, the results on the scoreboard don’t matter quite as much but you always want to win all three,” explained Cam Black-Araujo, PBR Canada scout and one of the coaches for Team Canada at the Future Games. “Our team competed really well in the first two games, picking up a win and a tie. Our bats put the ball in play and our arms threw strikes, leading to a pair of highly-competitive games. The final game our bats were somewhat tamed by some solid New York pitchers but the arms once again impressed and kept the game within reach.”

Facing new teams was enjoyable according to the scout for PBR Canada.

“It was always fun to play under the old format due to our close ties with those states, but playing new states each year allows our players to get harder looks from the schools in the different states we now play,” pointed out Black-Araujo. “Typically the Canadian players like to play U.S. teams that are further from Canada - as they typically see players from Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania in tournaments - and this new format allows that to happen.”

As for how Team Canada showed at the event, Black-Araujo was more than pleased with what he saw.

“What stood out most to me this year on the Canadian side was the amount of underage players we brought to the event,” Black-Araujo said. “We had three 2026 players on the team and one 2027, compared to the one or two we typically have. All four looked the part and were not out of place at an event with some of the top 2025s in the U.S. and Canada.

“Another thing that stood out in the event as a whole was the talent on the Junior Future Games side. We saw and played against plenty of young players who no doubt could have taken the field on the Future Games side and fit right in.”

Team Canada had an enormous amount of strong performances during the workout day and the three games that followed during the event.

“I was excited with the players we were able to put together for this year’s Future Games and they didn’t disappoint,” Black-Araujo noted. “I was impressed with every single arm on our team that took the mound. They all flashed what they’re capable of with plenty of strikes, and showcased the velocities we were hoping and expecting. Our positional players balled out on Showcase Day and had schools excited for when gameplay began. The big moment of the event came on Friday night following a weather delay with Quinn Carson going deep off the scoreboard under the LakePoint lights.”

Hunt saw a lot to like in the team from Canada.

“Team Canada always brings it,” Hunt pointed out. “Shoot, they have an entire country to pull from! The bats did not disappoint, and a few of their arms are likely to have their phone batteries drained by college coaches on Aug. 1 and after.”

The new rule regarding contact between college coaches and players not being permitted until Aug. 1 was seen as a positive.

“I like the idea of the rule a lot,” Hunt explained. “Allowing the coaches to evaluate over a longer period will hopefully lead to better decisions and less need for the Transfer Portal. You cannot blame the coaches for the ‘arms race’ that the recruiting world had become where recruiting quantity held a quality on its own. However, now, with the luxury of time to evaluate, look for the process to be slowed down a bit. I see the Future Games playing an even more pivotal part in the process given its massive number of uncommitted players who have been evaluated by trusted PBR state directors and scouts.”

The Junior Future Games, featuring mostly 2027 and 2028 players, is also affected by the new rule which does not permit coaches to talk with players until Aug. 1 heading into junior year of high school.

“As for the Junior Future Games, the ability to get more looks in front of college coaches, or their trusted PBR sources, is of massive importance because while the recruiting process has been slowed down, the need for recruiters to ‘hit the ground running’ has sped up,” Hunt said. “Being added to a list as a follow helps college programs once they turn the page to each new class.”

For Black-Araujo, the rule change was not a big deal.

“We typically didn't see any players commit immediately after the event so it is not a big change there among Canadians,” Black-Araujo said.

Even without official contact, players can see who is interested in the world of social media.

“After I hit a homer in game two I had about seven coaches follow me on Twitter,” noted Carson, a 2025 from Oakville, Ontario.

Black-Araujo, along with PBR Canada Scouting Director George Halim, see a bright future for those that wore Canada across their chest.

“George and myself were extremely excited with the roster we put together this year,” Black-Araujo said. “We only had three Future Games eligible players who are committed, which helped create a loaded roster. We had over 10 schools comment on the depth of talent we brought to Georgia and even had a text from a PBR employee during Josiah Romeo’s start, saying ‘the college coaches in the tower are buzzing with chatter right now.’

“With the calendar now flipped to August, I would expect plenty of our arms and positional players to draw significant interest going forward at the college level.”

A PBR thank you to all that participated and a special thanks to the players on Team Canada that gave their thoughts about the event (including what schools have been in contact with them since Aug. 1):

***** If you were on Team Canada and did not share your thoughts, feel free to email us and we will get them included within this article.

The Arms

Shane Brinham LHP / OF / Handsworth, BC / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 7 / POS: 1

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My highlight was my pitching performance. I pitched very well going two innings with four strikeouts, no walks and zero earned runs.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I feel I played like I normally do. I didn’t try to do anything extra and I just trusted my talent.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
It was an honour to represent my country and amazing to put in a good word for Canada baseball.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was some of the best I’ve ever played. I really enjoyed the high competition.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
It helped me get looks from big-time schools and overall just put my name out there to coaches.

Austin Collins RHP / RHP / Foothills Composite, AB / 2025

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
The amount of scouts watching all of our games was very thrilling, as well as the people who helped organize our awesome event for us.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I’m extremely happy with my performance on the mound. I hope I really impressed some scouts.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
Despite everyone being from all over the country, we still had a lot of team chemistry. The experience was awesome playing with people who I play against in the regular season.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was very good, there was a lot of talent on the diamond, and they proved to be good ball games.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Participating in this wonderful event allows a growing ball player to get noticed by all sorts of colleges and universities. It also shows the competition that there will be moving forward.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?
Arkansas State (Peyton Traywick), South Carolina Upstate (Kane Sweeney), St. John’s (George Brown), University of Michigan (Brock Huntzinger), and my coaches said there are more coming.

Ben Goodacre RHP / Ancaster, ON / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 3 / POS: 1

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
I really enjoyed being the Game One starter for Team Canada as well as seeing all the scouts behind home plate.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I did not perform the way I wanted to at the Future Games but it was a great learning experience. I let the pressure jump on me early before I got settled in.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
I enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of Team Canada. I got to meet a lot of great players and coaches as well as be a part of a great event.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
At the Future Games I faced elite competition that I’ve only pitched against a couple of times.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Participating in the Future Games helped me get connected with some colleges. This could help me develop at a college and potentially develop into a draft prospect.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?
Since the Future Games I committed to West Virginia.

William Labonte RHP / Okotoks Dawgs Academy, AB / 2026

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
Probably getting the opportunity to pitch and showcase myself in front of a lot of scouts.

PBR: Assess your performance.
My first inning was a little longer due to errors and a walk or two, but I managed to only give up one and get out of the jam by striking out two in a row. I competed very well and made adjustments quickly.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
Being part of Team Canada was an honour because I was able to represent my country and set a good example of how we handle our business and play in Canada.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was good, everybody that was at the event was fighting for a scholarship which makes the competition at a really high level for our age group.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Participating in the Future Games certainly helps me put my name on the map and get attention from schools that don’t really scout in Canada. I feel like there are less opportunities in our country to be showcased so to go down south is a really good opportunity to get attention.

Robert Scalzo RHP / Lambrick Park, BC / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My highlight of the tournament was swording a batter on a really good slider.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I think I did pretty well. I only struggled a bit with my fastball command but other than that I was happy.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
I loved being able to represent Canada at the Future Games and meet a lot of great guys doing it.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
All the competition was good and everyone belonged at that event.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
I think the Future Games will help everyone in the future because there were hundreds of scouts there to watch everyone and help them make it to the next level.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?
Here is a list of a few schools that have reached out: Kent State (Coach Sloniger), ETSU (Coach Marshall), University of San Francisco (Coach Supplee), University of Tennessee (Coach Jackson)

Lucas St-Laurent RHP / 2B / Ecole Okotoks, AB / 2026

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
I topped 87 mph on my fastball for the first time.

PBR: Assess your performance.
My performance was not as good as I hoped. My fastball was great but my other pitches were not great, that’s why I gave a lot of run.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
I loved playing with Team Canada. The experience was great.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was great for my age and that was a really good experience for my future.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
In my mind the Future Games can really help me to show my talents to colleges for the future.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?
I got a contact from St John’s University and the Ohio State University.

Alex Uher RHP / USS, ON / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 10 / POS: 3

***Waiting to hear back

The Two-Way Prospects

Josiah Romeo SS / RHP / Mayfield Secondary School, ON / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 1 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 344 / POS: 73

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
Future game highlights we’re definitely getting the chance to hit and showcase that I can hit and pitch.

PBR: Assess your performance.
My overall performance was pretty good, hitting was decent going 1-4, and my pitching went well.   

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
Being part of Team Canada is nice to see because there is a lot of talent that I didn’t even know about until I played with them at this event.  Also meeting new guys from around Canada is a good sight.  

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was solid as always. Seeing guys from all over America coming to showcase their talent, nothing’s better than that, especially when it’s competitive.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Participating in such a big event gives me the chance to showcase what I can do in front of a school that I could call home in the future.

Adyn Schell 3B / RHP / Martingrove CI, ON / 2026

Rankings  StateRank: 3 / POS: 1

***Waiting to hear back

The Catchers

Benjamin Kautto C / OF / Western Technical Commercial, ON / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 7 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 374 / POS: 46

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
A big Future Games highlight of mine was getting a triple in the second game in the late innings. Another highlight would be my throws in the last game as catcher. I made some good throws, which felt really nice.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I think I did well overall. There are always little things in your game that you feel like you could’ve done better, but I got a few good hits and did my thing during the showcase portion. I think I put myself out there as a great player and I’m happy with my performance.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
Being able to represent your country in any respect is always a privilege and honour. On this occasion it felt really special to be there with that select group of guys. I think what stood out to me is the fact that there were so few of us in the grand scheme of the whole country.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
I think the competition I faced at the event was good. I played 17u this year, so going to those tournaments gave me a sense of the highest level of competition. I would say that it was a comfortable level of competition. I never once felt overwhelmed or overpowered at Future Games.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
I think the Future Games put me on the map. It was an amazing event that brought so many more opportunities into my life. On top of that, just being in that sort of environment with so many scouts helps normalize something like that, making it easier to perform in front of them as you normally would.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?
I have been in touch with some D-I college coaches since the Future Games. I was previously in contact with none.

Lukas Le Gras C / 3B / Lambrick Park, BC / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 4 / POS: 1

***Waiting to hear back

The Infielders

Justin Boisjoly SS / 2B / TNXL Academy, FL / 2026

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My highlights from the Future Games were just making some good plays on defense and having competitive at-bats, while enjoying the experience.

PBR: Assess your performance.
My first game was a little bit rough because I hadn’t played a game for a month, but the last two games went pretty well. I gave my best effort on the field.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
Being able to be on Team Canada to represent Canada at the 2023 Future Games was an amazing experience. I had a lot of fun with the boys and what really stood out to me was just being able to play baseball against the best and in front of the best schools.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition that was at the event was really good. You get to face high-80s and low-90s every single at-bat which really tests your skills, which I thought was pretty cool.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Playing in the Future Games can help me in the future by having more schools knowing my name and looking at me. It's also going to help me when I have to face good competition every day. I feel like I will be more ready because of that event.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?
As a 2026, I have not been in contact with any college coaches because of the new NCAA rules

Philip Cheong SS / 2B / Bill Crothers, ON / 2026

Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
Meeting all the players and teams from all over the nation.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I think my performance was good. As always I try to do the best I can and play the game with passion and heart.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
Being a part of Team Canada was an honour for me. The coaching and the level of talent on the team was amazing.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was strong and talented, but as always, we’re up for the challenge.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
Participating in the Future Games definitely will help my future. I noticed the huge audience of scouts and coaches from different universities and organizations.

Owen Gregg SS / 2B / Appleby College, ON / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 9 / POS: 3

***Waiting to hear back

Jordan Jacob 3B / SS / Bill Crothers, ON / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 8 / POS: 2

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
I believe some of my highlights were my very first game as I think I showed pretty decently . Another highlight I would put is playing outfield and doing well even though I have never played outfield before.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I think as for my performance I could’ve done a better job getting on base in-game more and do better when it comes to recognizing off speed. I think I did some positive things such as playing well in the field and making hard contact although I could’ve gotten on more.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
I think being part of Canada was an honour considering we were representing a whole country. And the talent I was alongside as well made it 10x more enjoyable and special.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition was really good all around but I found the pitching very good and fun to face as most of them had very solid arms and good mixes.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
I think participating can help my future because there were a lot of college scouts there. With the right performance and showing the type of player I am when it comes to not only skills but different aspects of the game, it can be very crucial and beneficial to my future and my college career.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?
I have been in contact with coaches from Alabama, Miami, Ohio State, Indiana State, Toledo and Georgia State.

Joey Marino SS / 2B / Fleetwood Park Secondary, BC / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 1 / POS: 1

***Waiting to hear back

Robert Omidi SS / 3B / St. Martin Secondary, ON / 2027

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
The highlights of my experience at the Future Games were the high-quality fields, which made me feel like I was playing at a major league ballpark. But definitely being able to represent my country and playing alongside the top players from North America was the biggest highlight.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I was pleased with how I played, but there is always room for improvement. It was humbling to be around so many great athletes.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
There are so many great players in Canada, so I was honoured to be chosen. I was impressed at how well our team stacked up against the high-level competition.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
As one of the youngest players there, I was inspired by the high level of play exhibited by the competition. It helps me raise my personal bar.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
It was impressive to see how many colleges were represented at the event and I am grateful to have played in front of them. Hopefully it will open some doors.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?
As a 2027, if I’m fortunate enough to be at next year's event, I’ll be looking forward to those opportunities.

Timothy Piasentin SS / 3B / Dr. Charles Best, BC / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 14 / POS: 3

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My Future Games highlight was playing with the top players in the country, and seeing how I stacked up against them.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I was satisfied with my performance but I recognized that there are a lot of areas in which I need to be better.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
I enjoyed playing with Team Canada and it is an experience I will never forget. What stood out was seeing how much talent there is across Canada, and seeing that I fit in well.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition I faced at the event was really strong and I was impressed to see some very good players.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
The Future Games can help me by giving me exposure to high-level schools and coaching.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?
I have been in contact with coaches from the University of Miami, University of Washington, University of South Carolina, Georgia State University, Winthrop University, Oakland University and St. John’s University.

The Outfielders

Quinn Carson OF / St. Ignatius of Loyola CSS, ON / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 6 / POS: 2

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
Hitting a home run off the scoreboard and being able to represent Canada as sort of a special team because it is our country as the other teams represent their state. And lastly, just being able to meet new people and see what the best players in Canada have to offer in terms of skill.

PBR: Assess your performance.
I feel I performed decently. I managed to hit a home run but didn’t get any other hits but that’s just how baseball is sometimes. I made all the plays in the field that I should have and didn’t make any errors. So overall, I’m quite happy considering the competition down at the Future Games.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
Being a part of Canada at the Future Games means a lot to me. Not only does it make me feel good representing my country but I loved answering some of the funny questions that the Americans had because they had never been to Canada before.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The competition at the Future Games was great. To be honest, I would have liked to see a bit more velocity but most of the pitching was very fun to compete against. I found that the defense was the most well rounded part of the event. In all three of the games I played in there were diving catches and very solid defense all around.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
I think the Future Games will help me greatly in my future. The amount of scouts that were at each game was crazy and because of this I think I will be able to have interest from some schools that I wouldn’t have imagined.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?
I have been in contact with the following: LSU, Purdue, Ohio State, Missouri State, Morehead State, ETSU, Charleston, Lindenwood, Cincinnati.

Landon Kauffman OF / LHP / Okotoks Dawgs Academy, BC / 2025

PBR: What were your Future Games highlights?
My favourite part of the Future Games was playing after the lightning delay when the sky was all lit up and it wasn’t so hot.

PBR: Assess your performance.
With our big lineup and being walked and hit by the pitch once, I didn’t get too many at-bats but in the couple I did I thought I had aggressive swings but just missed two hard hits. I thought my showcase day went quite well.

PBR: Give your thoughts on being part of Team Canada and what stood out.
It was a really cool experience being on Team Canada. I enjoyed having conversations with the Ontario guys and also the guys from back home in BC, especially the new Dawgs’ recruits.

PBR: Touch on the competition you faced at the event.
The skill level at this event was very good and there wasn’t one player who I would say isn’t very good.

PBR: How can participating in the Future Games help you in the future?
With there being 375 schools in attendance, if you can show out you are going to be able to continue your dream at the highest level of college baseball.

PBR: What, if any, college coaches have you been in contact with since the event ended and the Aug. 1 deadline has been reached?
On Aug. 1, I received my second D-I offer from the University of Portland.

Ryan Stalony OF / Loyola Catholic, ON / 2025

Rankings  StateRank: 2 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 373 / POS: 61

***Waiting to hear back

***To view all the stats/articles related to the 2023 Future Games, click here.

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