2026 East Coast Super Sophomore Games: Previewing the Class of 2029

From Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2, Columbia, South Carolina will host the 2026 East Coast Super Sophomore Games. Rivaling the format and prestige of the Future Games, this premier event serves as a marquee showcase for the top high school baseball talent along the East Coast.

The three-day event will be held across two premier venues: Founders Park (home of the University of South Carolina) and Lexington County Ballpark (home of the Coastal Plain League's Columbia Blowfish). The tournament features 10 elite teams representing nine different states, including dedicated rosters for Team NC and Team Select highlighting top-tier regional talent.

For the players—all premier prospects from the Class of 2029—the event offers a unique platform to compete against their highest-ranked peers. For collegiate coaching staffs, the weekend provides a vital opportunity to initiate and build out their 2029 recruiting boards by evaluating both advanced analytics and live game performances.

The schedule begins Friday at Founders Park with a comprehensive player workout and data-collection session. Following the showcase portion, teams will transition to game play, with each squad guaranteed three highly competitive, 8-inning games concluding on Sunday.

Follow along throughout the weekend as we provide comprehensive coverage, including analytical breakdowns, standout performer spotlights, and key scouting insights from this elite talent pool.

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Team NC & Team Select: North Carolina Player Previews

North Carolina will be heavily represented at this year's games, splitting its top-tier talent across the Team NC and Team Select rosters. Below is an analytical scouting breakdown of the targeted 2029 prospects representing the Old North State in Columbia.

Catchers

• Cole Christian (C/RHP | South Mecklenburg HS)
  A highly physical dual-prospect who carries significant presence both behind the plate and on the mound. Offensively, he projects as a definitive middle-of-the-order bat with high-level impact potential.

• Will Brincefield (C | Broughton HS)
  A switch-hitting backstop who recently stood out at the NC/SC Border Battle, showcasing advanced rhythm and premium barrel feel. Brincefield brings valuable high-level showcase experience as a Team NC alum from the 2025 Jr. Future Games.

• Chase Kafes (C | Heritage HS)
  Possesses advanced arm strength behind the dish paired with significant power projection in the batter's box. Kafes has already demonstrated a mature ability to handle and catch high-level arms.

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Corner Infielders

• Whitton Butler (1B/OF | High Point Christian Academy)
  Regarded as one of the premier power-projection bats in the entire 2029 class. A 2025 Jr. Future Games alum, Butler's ability to consistently get his barrel to elite velocity separates him from his peers.

• Sam Piscorik (3B/RHP | Wakefield HS)
  A left-handed hitting corner infielder with substantial raw power upside. While the offensive profile leads the way, his defensive footwork and glovework are highly advanced. Piscorik will also contribute innings on the mound for Team NC.

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Middle Infielders

• Ryder Sheffield (SS | North Stanly HS)
  Distinguished as one of the most fundamentally sound performers at the 2025 Junior Future Games. Sheffield has added notable functional strength and quickness over the past calendar year, elevating his status into the upper echelon of the class.

• Karsen Dodd (SS/RHP | Providence HS)
  Featuring a lean, high-waisted, and long frame, Dodd showcased a strong defensive presence and lateral quickness at the NC/SC Border Battle in June. He features a quick bat at the plate and flashes advanced raw stuff on the mound, where he will log crucial innings.

• Colton Pettinato (2B/RHP | Metrolina Christian Academy)
  Earned valuable varsity experience this spring against some of the state’s top-rated programs as a freshman. An athletic mover with sharp baseball instincts and natural twitch, Pettinato will operate as a two-way factor for Team NC.

• Keaton Larsen (SS | Pro5 Baseball Academy)
  Another long, lean athlete who holds massive physical projection. Larsen put his loose rhythm and overall athleticism on display at the Preseason All-State Central event earlier this year.

• Owen Duncan (SS/RHP | Metrolina Christian Academy)
  Earning recognition as one of the premier prospects in the country, Duncan possesses an elite ceiling with plenty of room left on his frame. He has already proven capable of handling high-level pitching and flashes premium arm strength and explosiveness on the mound.

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Outfielders

• Michael Marelli (OF/RHP | Providence HS)
  A youthful, thin frame built on loose quickness both in the outfield grass and on the bump. While he offers easy projection as he fills out his frame, his present on-field performance remains highly productive.

• Kingston Rupert (OF | Wilmington Christian Academy)
  A dynamic athlete whose game revolves around high-end foot speed and quickness in both his hands and bat. Still physically youthful, the way he moves dynamically on the field immediately commands attention.

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Pitchers

• CJ Nixon (LHP/OF | Grace Christian Academy)
  Ranked among the top left-handed arms in the country. Nixon possesses advanced pitch feel and the raw stuff required to aggressively attack hitters. A 2025 Junior Future Games alum, his clean arm action and frame suggest significant velocity gains are down the road.

• Logan Grainger (RHP/INF | Hoggard HS)
  A highly competitive strike-thrower with a legitimate out-pitch. Another 2025 Jr. Future Games alum, Grainger consistently misses bats by pairing precise fastball command with a devastating, tumbling changeup.

• Dennis Andrison (RHP | Topsail HS)
  An athletic mover who fills the zone up with a fastball that generates heavy, late life. Showing an advanced feel for spin, Andrison projects beautifully into a high-grade sink-slide profile.

• Landen McElhinny (RHP | Corvian HS)
  Features a quick, electric arm with noticeable present upper-body strength. The right-hander drives his fastball firmly through the zone and shows a developing, sharp breaking ball as a primary out-pitch.

• Noah Rumley (LHP | Revolution Academy)
  A physical presence on the mound with a clean arm path and excellent overall athleticism. Rumley impressed scouts in the preseason and has seen his metrics steadily tick upward ever since.

• Owen Todd (LHP | Pinecrest HS)
  A southpaw with an arsenal that naturally separates him from the pack. Todd mixes his pitches effectively while generating excellent run and movement, combining present pitchability with long-term projection.

• Cooper Long (RHP | Home School)
  A fluid athlete and efficient mover down the mound. Long commands premium arm strength for the class and has already translated that into high-level success against varsity competition.

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TEAM SELECT — NC Prospect Spotlights

*Team Select is represented by players from SC, NC, and VA. These players were selected to represent Team Select to add a 10th highly competitive team, featuring names to know as we move closer to the peak recruiting season for the 2029 class.

• Connor Stein (1B/RHP | Laney HS)
  A right-handed hitter possessing a long, ultra-lean frame with substantial power projection. He remains a highly intriguing arm to watch as his delivery refines to match his growing extension.

• Max Liriano (SS | Eastern Carolina Academy)
  A top-flight defensive infielder wrapped in an athletic package. Liriano exhibits excellent rhythm, soft hands, and advanced internal clock with the glove. As his offensive barrel consistency catches up to the defense, his prospect status could skyrocket.

• Jacob Frangipane (SS/RHP | Home School)
  A highly versatile utility prospect with a fascinating frame. Frangipane projects to log time all over the diamond—including the mound—offering immense developmental upside as his frame matures.

• Kaiwi Sharp (SS/RHP | First Flight HS)
  A highly projectable athlete who has already turned heads with substantial, impactful production at the varsity level. Sharp has a massive ceiling that could easily land him in the upper tier of the region's rankings.

• Aiden Kirkland (RHP | High Point Christian Academy)
  An effortless, easy mover down the mound who floods the strike zone with what projects to be a true power arsenal. The arm stroke is clean, quick, and points toward multiple swing-and-miss out-pitches in the near future.