Southland’s top high school baseball players
Prep baseball players to watch
Top pitchers
Tanner Bibee; Mission Viejo; Sr.; Cal State Fullerton signee had 1.61 ERA
Jesse Bergin; Harvard-Westlake; Jr.; shut out JSerra in DI semifinals
Hans Crouse; Dana Hills, Sr.; first-round draft pick in the making
Hagen Danner; Huntington Beach; Sr.; he’s healthy and throwing strikes
Jeremiah Estrada; Palm Desert; Sr.; UCLA signee was 10-3 with 1.00 ERA
Chase Farrell; Valencia; Sr.; UCLA signee made dramatic improvement
Sam Glick; El Toro; Sr.; UCLA signee is left-hander with nasty stuff
Hunter Greene; Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; Sr.; great velocity, ability to throw strikes
Timmy Josten; West Ranch; Sr.; Foothill League pitcher of the year
Nick Pratto; Huntington Beach; Sr.; USC signee delivers with his arm and bat
Others
Blake Beers; Loyola; Sr.; Michigan signee is ready for big season
Trevor Beer; Crescenta Valley; Jr.; had 1.07 ERA and only 10 walks
Branden Boissiere; Woodcrest Christian; Jr.; went 7-1 with 0.33 ERA
Tony Bullard; North; Jr.; went 4-0 with 1.58 ERA
Justin Campbell; Simi Valley; soph.; he’s 6 feet 7 and getting better
Chandler Champlain; Santa Margarita; Jr.; USC commit
Cole Dale; Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; soph.; UCLA commit has made major progress
Brandon Dieter; South Hills; Jr.; comes through under pressure
Isaac Esqueda; Bishop Amat; Sr.; can be dominant pitcher
CJ Fernandezees; Gardena Serra; Sr.; Loyola Marymount signee is four-year starter
Elan Filous; El Camino Real; Sr.; pitched well at Dodger Stadium
Evan Fitterer; Aliso Niguel; soph.; Made impact as freshman
Noah Fluman; El Toro; Sr.; left-hander went 8-2
Michael Frias; Servite; Sr.; can hold his own in Trinity League
Josh Haley; Gahr; Sr.; Arizona signee
Bo Jelinek; Westlake; Sr.; Your No. 1 closer
Carson Lambert; Newbury Park; Jr.; USC commit
Carlos Lomeli; St. John Bosco; Sr.; starts out as ace for staff with depth
Dane Morrow; Oaks Christian; Sr.; Pepperdine signee
Isaiah Parra; Cypress; Sr.; San Diego State signee
Tommy Palomera; Chatsworth; Sr.; Has been three-year standout
Zachary Pettway; Long Beach Wilson; Sr.; UCLA signee wins games
Danny Pimienta; Sun Valley Poly; Sr.; left-hander signed with CSUN
Tim Post; Loyola; Sr.; knows how to throw strikes
Clay Rickerman; Alemany; Sr.; part of talented rotation
Daniel Ritcheson; Alemany; Sr.; capable of throwing hard and effectively
Carson Rudd; Oaks Christian, Sr.; Stanford signee is ace
Raul Salazar; Cypress; Sr.; Empire League pitcher of the year
Cole Samuels; JSerra; Sr.; ready to become ace
Nathan Schneider; Bonita; Sr.; Went 7-3 last season as No. 2 pitcher
Owen Sharts; Simi Valley; Jr.; Effective two-way player
Jake Spillane; Mission Viejo; Jr.; Went 7-0 with 1.20 ERA
Sean Sullivan; Chaminade; Jr.; Talented young prospect
Max Sterner; Culver City; Sr.; Four-year starter
Seth Stone; Sierra Canyon; Sr.; 8-2 with 2.45 ERA
Blaine Traxel; Alemany; Jr.; 3-1 in Mission League as a sophomore
Sam Villa; Cleveland; Sr.; has been standout for three years
Steven Villagran; San Fernando; Jr.; two-way standout
Reece Weinberg; Chaminade; Sr.; Throws strikes
Michael Weisberg; Agoura; Sr.; One of the best in Ventura County
Travis Weston; Moorpark; Sr.; Left-hander throws shutouts
First base
John Dearth; South Hills; Sr.; Palomares League MVP
Cory Lewis; Marina; soph.; Runner-up in league MVP voting as a freshman
Danny Zimmerman; Redondo; Sr.; power hitter and power pitcher
Others
Zach Busalacchi; Orange Lutheran; Sr.; dependable hitter headed to Oregon State
Jake McKenna; Peninsula; Sr.; has lots of power
Connor Timko; Riverside Poly; soph.; Ready to be impact hitter
Second base
Zach Lew; Orange Lutheran; Jr.; does everything well
Jose Olivas; Granada Hills Kennedy; Sr.; Valley Mission League MVP had 33 hits
Riley Williams; Corona Santiago; Sr.; Cal State Fullerton signee
Others
JJ Cruz; Gahr; soph.; Earning rave reviews
Tommy Delgado; Bonita; Sr.; batted .388
Connor Knox; Aliso Niguel; Sr.; three-year starter
Third base
Jacob Dominguez; South Hills; Sr.; Cal State Fullerton signee
Jonathan Schiffer; Mater Dei; Sr.; Washington signee is two-way threat
Spencer Weston; Woodbridge; Sr.; San Diego State signee
Others
Stephen Burke; Loyola; Sr.; one of best hitters in Mission League
Harrison Spohn; Damien; Sr.; can hit in the clutch
Cole Cummings; Corona Santiago; Sr.; batted .426
Catcher
Gabe Briones; Riverside King; soph.; USC commit
Blake Hunt; Mater Dei; Sr.; Pepperdine signee
Adam Kerner; Oaks Christian; Sr.; delivers with his bat, arm
Kameron Ojeda; St. John Bosco; Jr.; One of most dangerous hitters in Trinity League
Daniel Zakosek; Chatsworth; Sr.; best in City Section
Others
Cole Andavolgyi; North Torrance, soph.; has speed and power
Casey Buckley; Los Alamitos; Jr.; strong arm and developing bat
Noah Cardenas; Alemany; Jr.; terrific arm
Jayson Gonzalez; Bishop Amat; Sr.; lots of power, experience
Chris Jimenez; Etiwanda; Sr.; Long Beach St. signee had four HRs
Kewin Ledesma; Crescenta Valley; Sr.; will be four-year starter
John McKee; Redlands East Valley; big, talented player
Omar Veloz; Cathedral; Sr.; Fresno State signee
Max Williford; LB Wilson; Sr.; All-Moore League performer
Shortstop
Jacob Amaya; South Hills; Sr.; Cal State Fullerton signee ready for best season
Tyler Freeman; Etiwanda; Sr.; sit .388 with 11 doubles
Michael Perez; Gahr; Jr.; had 28 hits, 31 RBIs
Royce Lewis; JSerra; Sr.; sets the standard for excellence
Brice Turang; Corona Santiago; Jr.; all he does is hit, hit, hit
Others
Diego Alarcon; LB Millikan; Sr.; one of the best in Moore League
Kyle Arenado; Edison; Sr.; UC Davis signee is solid
Nick Atkins; Venice; Sr.; best hitter in City Section
Brendan Beck; Corona; Sr.; batted .379 with 33 hits
JaJa Bellinger; Carson; soph.; made impact as a freshman
Brandon Bohning; Chatsworth; Sr.; scoops up balls left and right
Drew Bowser; Harvard-Westlake; Fr.; going to create excitement for years
Trace Eldridge; Valencia; Sr.; must come through in hitting department
Tristan Hanoian; Orange Lutheran; Sr.; TCU signee is poised for top season
Kevin Kendall; La Mirada; Sr.; Batted .450
Matt McLain; Beckman; Jr.; has been standout since freshman year
Caden Miller; Alemany; soph.; he’s healthy and ready to make impact
Jake Moberg; Vista Murrieta; Jr.; ready to show how good a hitter he is
Tyler Olivas; Chaminade; soph.; three errors as a freshman
Justin Palafox; Burbank Burroughs; Sr.; delivers clutch hits
Worth Planer; Great Oak; Sr.; San Diego signee
Dane Reed; El Camino Real; Sr.; will be counted on to provide hitting success
David Rivera; Lakewood; Sr.; had 40 hits as a junior
JT Schwartz; Corona del Mar; Jr.; UCLA commit
Kyle Velasquez; Ayala; Jr.; batted .407
Bryce Wooldridge; Glendora; Jr.; hit .383 with 33 hits as a sophomore
Outfielders
Jonny DeLuca; Agoura; Sr.; makes contact, gets on base
Ben Fariss; Valencia; Sr.; two-way standout
Blake Mann; Chaminade; Sr.; can hit with best
Garrett Mitchell; Orange Lutheran; Sr.; possible first-round draft pick
Jasiah Dixon; Orange Lutheran; soph.; had three home runs as a freshman
Others
Julian Boyd; St. John Bosco; Jr.; top athlete
Grant Burton; Mater Dei; Jr.; shows power potential
Trevor Cadd; King; Jr; Cal State Fullerton commit
Ben Grunberg; Calabasas; Jr.; LMU commit is back from injury
Jaden Fein; Royal; Jr.; should be his best season yet
Abbott Haffar; Simi Valley; Sr.; four-year starter
Cole Kitchen; El Camino Real; soph.; ready to become standout
Blake Klassen; JSerra; soph.; lots of potential
R.J. Lan; La Mirada; Sr.; TCU signee
Jesse Lopez; El Dorado; Sr.; had 10 doubles last season
Andrew Lucas; Camarillo; Jr.; CSUN commit is tough out
Josh Medina; Chatsworth; Sr.; headed for All-City honors
Karlos Morales; South Hills; Sr.; Long Beach State signee
Isaiah Page; Damien; Sr.; Michigan signee
Cole Roederer; Hart; Jr.; watch him make big jump
Eduardo Rosales; Birmingham; Sr.; terrific defensively
Cade Seabold; Newport Harbor; Sr.; hit .507 as a junior
Noah Taylor; Sherman Oaks Notre Dame; Sr.; has speed, top skills
David Telles; Franklin; Sr.; watch him steal bases
Colin Townsend; JSerra; Sr.; all-Trinity League player
Michael Peabody; Mater Dei; Sr.; UC Irvine signee
Tanner Smith; Servite; Jr.; Let’s see who gets him out
Je’Von Ward; Gahr; Sr.; had impressive summer
Twitter: latsondheimer
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