Roughly 30 college scouts will be stationed across major-league spring training complexes in Sarasota County and Port Charlotte starting July 18, watching hundreds of teenage ballplayers compete for recruiting attention at the Prospect Wire 7th Annual National Championship.

The five-day tournament runs through July 22, with games from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at CoolToday Park, the Atlanta Braves' spring training home in North Port, and Charlotte Sports Park, where the Tampa Bay Rays train. Five age divisions, 13U through 17/18U, will play on the same fields where big leaguers take grounders each February.

"It's a benefit, because a scout might be there to watch specific players, but with four games going on at once at a complex, then there are seven other teams that have an opportunity to catch someone's eye," Brian Werner, president of Prospect Wire, told SRQ Daily on July 16.

Werner, who joined the organization in 2008 and became president in 2021, said Florida's Gulf Coast is an easy draw for out-of-state teams because most games take place on major-league complexes. He expects scouts from four-year universities and junior colleges alike.

About 12% of high school baseball players go on to play in college. The national championship gives players from the graduating classes of 2027, 2028 and 2029 a shot at landing on a scout's radar heading into the fall recruiting cycle.

Teams in the 14U through 18U brackets are guaranteed four games plus a single-elimination playoff. The 13U division gets a three-game guarantee before its playoff round.

Last year's tournament drew 78 registered teams and more than 30 college coaches. Prospect Wire's broader 2025 summer season hosted 544 teams across multiple events nationwide, surpassing the organization's historical average, according to a recap on PlayEasy. The organization, founded in 2005 and now owned by DS Sports Ventures, operates tournaments in 10 states.

Play opens July 18 at 8 a.m. at both complexes and continues daily through July 22.