FAYETTEVILLE -- The nation's most prestigious summer baseball showcase will have a heavy shade of purple.
No high school in the country will be better represented at the Perfect Game National Showcase than Fayetteville as three Bulldogs have been invited to what has become the top summer event for rising high school senior baseball players in the United States and beyond.
At A Glance
Perfect Game National Showcase
When: June 12-16
Where: Fort Myers, Fla.
Who: Top 300 high school seniors from the United States and Puerto Rico participate in various workouts and tournament games for Major League Baseball scouts and college baseball coaches
Notable: Recognized as the most prestigious showcase tournament for high school baseball players entering their senior year. … Nearly 200 PG Showcase alumni currently play in major leagues, including former NWA Naturals Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers, former Arkansas Razorback Zack Cox and former NL MVP Buster Posey. … Three of six players from Arkansas attending this year’s Perfect Game National Showcase are Fayetteville Bulldogs.
Andy Pagnozzi, Drew Tyler and Cody Davenport all played big parts in Fayetteville's 31-4 season this spring, which included a 14-0 run through the 7A-West Conference before a runner-up finish in the Class 7A state tournament. This week, the three Purple'Dogs will test their games against some of the best players around as each has accepted an invitation to Fort Myers, Fla., for the Perfect Game National Showcase.
"It's a really great opportunity," Davenport said. "Really it's just an honor to be asked, and I just want to go down there and show them what I can do."
Davenport, a 6-foot right-handed outfielder/pitcher, batted a team-high .423 for Fayetteville as a junior with five home runs, 28 RBIs and 26 runs scored. He also finished 4-1 on the mound with a 1.89 ERA.
"I went to a pitcher/catcher showcase in Iowa before our (high school) season started and I did pretty well up there," Davenport said. "When I was up there, somebody from Perfect Game came up to me and said they'd like to see me at their showcase."
Davenport is playing for the Arkansas Rawlings Prospects this summer. He won't miss any time with his summer team to attend the PG Showcase since this weekend was an off week on the Prospects' schedule.
Tyler, a 6-0 shortstop for Fayetteville, and Pagnozzi, a 6-1 junior pitcher/third baseman, have already started their summer ball playing for Marucchi Elite out of Baton Rouge, La. Both Tyler and Pagnozzi will be teamed together at the Perfect Game Showcase, while Davenport will play on a different team.
"You can ask who to be paired with," Davenport said. "We asked to be put on a team that didn't start playing until Saturday so my parents wouldn't have to take off as much time with work."
Davenport, Pagnozzi and Tyler are the only trio from the same school in the U.S. set to attend this year's Perfect Game Showcase and three of just six players from Arkansas invited. The only other team sending three players is the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy out of Manati, Puerto Rico.
"We've got guys playing all over the place this summer," Fayetteville coach Vance Arnold said. "And that is a big one."
Tyler, who hit .320 with four home runs and 26 RBIs for this season, has committed to Arkansas. Pagnozzi, the All-NWA Media Player of the Year, was 10-1 with a 0.68 ERA and hit .311 with one home run and 15 RBIs. He has committed to Ole Miss.
Davenport is still uncommitted.
"We've got a good program (at Fayetteville)," Davenport said. "We're pretty proud of what we've got."
Sports on 06/10/2014