Event Preview: PGF Show Me The Money… Cashing In On a Great First Year

With new travel ball events seemingly popping up daily, it’s quite unusual for one to have such a dramatic impact like the PGF Show Me The Money tournament did in 2021.

Organized by Jason Gusaeff, the PGF East Coast Director, and Bill Hoopes, the PGF Florida State Director, the event literally did “show the money,” with the age division winners receiving $10 thousand each.

Capitalism at its best, but the winner’s money wasn’t the only draw.

Not to be underestimated, the talented teams that competed last year were tied into all club organizations making club coaches eager to participate knowing they would see how their teams stacked against the best in the nation.

That strong field also brought in over 100 college coaches including ones from all the Power 5 conferences.

“We did something different,” explains Gusaeff. “It wasn’t just your typical showcase where you show up and play 80 minute drop dead games. Every game is 1:40 minutes and pool play seeds you in to a double elimination bracket. Every game means something with so much on the line.”

Year 2 of the showcase has been announced for June 9-12 with the main location being Championships Park in Newberry, Florida for the 18U, 16U and 14U age division, but there’s an added draw this Summer.

The title games will be played at the Florida Gator’s Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium for the final three games, giving the sure to be awestruck coaches and players the chance to say they’ve played on an SEC field.

And the trio of championship games will be also produced and broadcast live with multiple cameras courtesy of Athletes Go Live.

But even before that, a big draw to college coaches is that all pool and bracket games will take place at Champions Park, Hal Brady Park and Easton Park which are all within minutes from each other.

At Newberry, you have 16 fields at one location where college coaches can walk around all day and see the play of 100 top teams without ever leaving the complex.

Actually, according to the Event Direct, it could be more teams than that.

“The max is 110 teams,” says Gusaeff, “and there are spots open, but we will be selective in who we take from here.

Another element that will surely make this event a coveted one is that it overlaps with the June 10-11, 2022, weekend… which just so happens to be the first weekend DI schools can go out to recruit.

The club coaches certainly know how key this showcase is and will be once again.

“Show Me the Money has become a top event so quickly based on the quality of teams in the event,” says Georgia Impact Premier Head Coach Patrick Lewis, whose 18U squad won it last year.

“It’s a great park with fields and the southeastern U.S. needed an event like this and the response to it shows that.”

The prize money and awards will top $40K this year with the highlight being the $10 grand first prize in each age group.

The format will be three pool games in a double elimination bracket with all games being one hour and forty minutes.

The championship games will be seven innings with no time limit.

Extra Inning Softball will be onsite all weekend conducting interviews and covering the event

“This year will be even better as we have added so many new features to the event,” Gusaeff concludes.

Below are last year’s top finishers as well as the teams confirmed in each age division for this year…

For team that are interested in attending the event, you can email Jason Gusaeff at [email protected] or Bill Hoopes at [email protected].

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2021 Top Finishers

18U

• Champions: Georgia Impact Premier – Lewis
• Runner-Up: Beverly Bandits – Moran
• Third Place: Tampa Mustangs – TJ

16U

• Co-Champions: Beverly Bandits
• Co-Champions: DeMarinia Aces
• Third Place: Birmingham Thunderbolts – Rocky

14U

• Champions: Birmingham Thunderbolts – Burns
• Runner-Up: Beverly Bandits – Chow
• Third Place: Tampa Mustangs – Seymour

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2022 Show Me The Money Teams

18U

• Arizona Storm Mathis
• Atlanta Vipers Gold – Tamborra
• Atlanta Vipers Hudson
• AZ Storm Telesco/Stankiewicz
• Birmingham Thunderbolts 18 Premier
• Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2023-Rocky
• Clearwater Lady Bombers Gold – Mason
• D1VISION 18U Premier
• Florida Impact
• Florida Impact Feldman 18U
• Florida Select Davis
• Florida Storm National-Shepherd
• Fury Premier 2022 Moyer
• Gainesville Gold Thomas 18U
• Georgia Impact Gusaeff/O’Neal
• Georgia Impact Premier Lewis
• Gold Coast Hurricanes Thompson
• Jacksonville Storm Channell 18U
• Lady Dukes 2022/2023 National Sims
• Lady Gators Jackson 18u
• Miami Stingrays Gold
• Miami Stingrays Gold-Byers
• Mojo – Fisher
• NC Challengers Premier Renzi
• Pines Thunder – Bayona
• Premier Fastpitch 18u Paulson
• Rock Gold Waye / Manetta
• Santa Fe Inferno Patterson/Hobbs 04
• Tampa Mustangs TJ
• Team North Carolina (Hinde)
• TNF (Team North Florida)
• Top Gun 18 National
• Wichita Mustangs
• Windermere Wildfire Pollock
• WT Elite 18u

16U

• Atlanta Vipers – Hargrave
• Atlanta Vipers 07 – Tamborra
• Atlanta Vipers 16U Gold Harris
• Atlanta Vipers Hudson
• Beverly Bandits Premier Conroy
• Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2024-Green
• Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2024-Kaplan
• Carolina Cardinals Red
• Carolina Impact Sherrill
• D1VISION 16U Elite
• D1VISION 16U Premier
• EC Bullets – Cornett
• EC Bullets – Bilz
• FL FIRECRACKERS – Stockton
• FL Firecrackers Yeary 06/07
• Florida Gold 16U – Lopez
• Florida Gold John
• Florida Storm Premier 06
• Florida Thunderbolts 07, Gatewood/Rodmyre
• Florida Thunderbolts 2023 – Gatewood
• Fury Platinum 16u
• GA Thunderbolts- Bailey 2024
• Georgia Impact – 16u Caymol
• Georgia Impact 2024 Hollifield
• Georgia Impact Sampson/Gusaeff
• Gold Coast Hurricanes – Lenzi
• Lady Dukes 16u Sergio
• Lady Dukes Gold 16U – SAMM
• Lady Dukes Premier 16u
• Lady Gators Jackson 16u
• Mojo 2024-Bridger
• Mojo Lunsford
• NC Challengers Premier Renzi 16U
• Ohio Outlaws Acord National
• Rock Gold 16U – Manetta/Perantoni
• Santa Fe Inferno Strickland
• St. Louis Chaos 16U – Gentile
• Tampa Mustangs – Rene
• Tampa Mustangs Seymour
• Tampa Mustangs Torres
• Team North Carolina – Shook
• Tennessee Mojo 2023
• Texas Blaze (FL) 16u – Johnson
• TN Fury National 2024 – Groenewoud
• Top Gun National 16u
• Virginia Unity Johnson/Ross
• Windermere Wildfire 16U = Paulson

14U

• Atlanta Vipers ’07 – Olofson
• Atlanta Vipers 08 – Tamborra
• Auburndale Synergy Luke
• Beverly Bandits Futures 14U Norwood
• Beverly Bandits Premier Moran
• Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2025-Kemp
• Carolina Cardinals 14u National
• Carolina Impact 14U-Brancaccio
• Central Florida Gold
• D1VISION 14U Premier
• EC Bullets 14U – Holcombe
• Florida Gold 14U-Torres
• Fury 07 Premier
• Georgia Impact 08 Taylor
• Georgia Impact Premier Sullivan
• Lady Dukes 14u National-Lamar
• Lady Dukes 14u Premier
• Lady Gators Jackson 14u
• Mojo-Lewis 08
• NC Challengers Johnson Renzi
• Riptide 07
• Santa Fe Inferno Strickland
• SFL Diamond Dusters – de Leon
• Tampa Mustangs – Viruet
• Tampa Mustangs 08 – Fowler
• Team North Carolina (Baylog / Tracy)
• Tennessee Mojo 2025-Gregory
• ThunderCats NXT
• TN Mojo – Trackwell
• TN MOJO 07 – Nelson
• Va. Unity- Meadows/Spinogatti
• Virginia Unity 2026-Johnson