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2026 FL Preseason Classic & Open: Day 1 Recap

February 4, 2026
Prep Baseball Florida
Prep Baseball Florida Staff

The 2026 Florida Preseason Classic and Preseason Open will take place February 3-7 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. Both events feature ten teams from around the state of Florida kicking off their 2026 high school season with two Preseason games.

Preseason Classic - Day 1 Recap

Bishop Verot 2, Doral Academy 0

The Doral Academy put up a strong battle but came up short in a tight 2-0 loss to Bishop Verot on Tuesday. Despite outhitting their opponents and allowing zero hits, the Firebirds couldn't break through against a stingy Bishop Verot pitching staff and timely scoring in the late innings.

Pitching dominated from the outset on both sides. Doral starter Christopher Vasallo delivered a gem on the mound, tossing four shutout innings with zero hits allowed, six strikeouts, and three walks.


Bishop Verot's starter, Joey Lawson, matched the brilliance—four innings of no-hit, no-run ball, with seven strikeouts and no free passes.


The game's only runs came in the bottom of the sixth for Bishop Verot. Brody Baxmann delivered a sacrifice fly to plate the first run, followed by another sac fly from Nico Ayars that pushed the lead to 2-0.


Plant City 9, The First Academy 4

Plant City exploded early and held on for a convincing 9-4 victory over The First Academy on Tuesday night.

The Raiders jumped out to a big lead right from the start, plating multiple runs in the top of the first inning. The rally was sparked by a dropped third strike, followed by a single down the right-field line from Keegan Wilkerson, a walk to Devin Dukes, and a clutch two-run double down the right-field line by Joshua Machado.


Hunter Carbaugh earned the win on the mound for Plant City, delivering three solid innings while allowing just two hits and one run, with four strikeouts and two walks. Alexander Roman took the loss for The First Academy. Keegan Wilkerson provided strong relief for the Raiders, tossing three scoreless innings, giving up only one hit, striking out four, and walking two.

Offensively, Alex Rodriguez paced Plant City with a 2-for-4 performance at the plate.


For The First Academy, Kinon Bastian provided the power in the middle of the order, going 2-for-3 with a solo HR to left.


Preseason Open - Day 1 Recap

IMG Gray 7, Braddock 4

IMG Gray knocked off Braddock with a late push to win 7-4.

IMG Gray struck first in the top of the first inning when Jax Berry singled to plate one run for an early 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs responded immediately in the bottom half, as Juan Chacon ripped a two-run double to put Braddock ahead 2-1.


The Ascenders regained the advantage in the top of the fourth after Cade Hudmon doubled to left field and a Braddock error allowed runs to score, making it 3-2. Braddock tied it at 3-3 in the bottom of the frame when Marcos Rodriguez flew out for a sacrifice fly.

IMG Gray edged back in front in the top of the fifth on another RBI single from Jax Berry. The Bulldogs answered right back in the bottom half, with Rodriguez getting hit by a pitch to force in the tying run at 4-4.

The decisive moment came in the top of the seventh, when the Ascenders broke through for three runs. Cade Hudmon singled down the right-field line, followed by a fielder's choice groundout from Ethan Stipp and a key RBI single down the right-field line from Quincy Kerr.


Turner Dittrich picked up the win for IMG Gray, allowing two hits and two runs over three innings with two strikeouts and four walks. Kevin Orta started for Braddock, giving up three hits and one unearned run over three innings with no strikeouts and one walk.

Miami Christian 2, Bloomingdale 0

Miami Christian showcased strong pitching and timely hitting to secure a tight 2-0 preseason victory over Bloomingdale on Tuesday.

Pitching ruled the day for both teams in this low-scoring affair. Bloomingdale starter Vaughn Osting delivered a strong outing, throwing 4.1 innings while allowing just two hits and one unearned run, fanning nine batters and issuing no walks. Despite the gem, he took the loss.


Miami Christian's Brody Lahoz earned the win, surrendering two hits and zero runs over 4.1 innings with five strikeouts and one walk. Luis Mijares closed it out with a save for the victors.

Miami Christian broke through in the top of the fifth inning when Adrian Felix delivered a single to put his team on the board. He would add another RBI single in the 7th as Miami Christian took this one 2-0.


Upcoming Events

Showcase State Date Location
Tampa Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 02/16 Berkeley Prep - Tampa, FL
Panhandle Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 03/09 Northwest FL State College - Niceville, FL
South FL Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 03/17 Athletic Angels Field - Boynton Beach, FL
Orlando Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 03/21 TNXL Academy - Ocoee, FL
Florida Rising Stars Games (2030-2031 Grads) FL 04/04 Jack Russell Stadium - Clearwater, FL
Tallahassee Summer ID FL 05/26 Tallahassee State College - Tallahassee, FL
Tallahassee Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 05/26 Tallahassee State College - Tallahassee, FL
East Florida Top Prospect Games (Invite-Only) FL 06/02 Cacti Park - West Palm Beach, FL
Tampa Summer ID FL 06/03 Saint Leo University - Saint Leo, FL
Tampa Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 06/03 Saint Leo University - Saint Leo, FL
Bradenton Summer ID FL 06/10 IMG Academy - Bradenton, FL
Bradenton Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 06/10 IMG Academy - Bradenton, FL
Fort Myers Summer ID FL 06/16 Bishop Verot - Fort Myers, FL
Fort Myers Rising Stars ID (2030-2031Grads) FL 06/16 Bishop Verot - Fort Myers, FL
West Florida Top Prospect Games (Invite-Only) FL 06/23 IMG Academy - Bradenton, FL
Miami Summer ID FL 06/24 Doral Academy - Doral, FL
Miami Rising Stars ID (2030-2031 Grads) FL 06/24 Doral Academy - Doral, FL