California Games of the Week: 4/7 - 4/12
April 7, 2025
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VENTURA, CALIF. - As the entirety of the of the California High School sections are underway with regular season games Prep Baseball California will be highlighting weekly games of the week with some of the best matchups from all over the Golden State.
This week our staff has picked these four matchups as their top games of the week from around the State of California:
Les Lukach: No. 10 Santa Margarita Eagles vs. No. 14 St. John Bosco Braves
Steven Hardesty: Summit Skyhawks vs. Jurupa Hill Spartans
Hank LoForte: No. 19 Serra Padres vs. St. Ignatius Wildcats
Matt Monk: No. 24 Cathedral Catholic Dons vs. Eastlake Titans
Les Lukach Game of the Week:
No. 10 Santa Margarita Ealges vs. No. 14 St. John Bosco Braves
+ Date: 4/8 - 4/9 - 4/11 (Trinity League Series)
+ Time: 3:15 pm - 2:30 pm - 3:15 pm
+ Location: St. John Bosco - Santa Margarita - St. John Bosco
+ Santa Margarita 2025 Record: 10 - 5
+ Head Coach: Chris Malec
+ St. John Bosco 2025 Record: 11 - 3
+ Head Coach: Andy Rojo
+ Key Players (Santa Margarita):
+ '25 INF Blake Ankrum
+ '25 INF/RHP Trevor Banning (Santa Clara Commit)
+ '25 RHP Brennan Bauer
+ '25 C Carter Enoch
+ '25 1B/OF/LHP Ben Finnegan
+ '25 OF/RHP Logan Freeborn CSU Monterey Commit
+ '25 RHP Hayden George UCLA Commit
+ '25 1B Benjamin Lindsay
+ '25 INF/OF Lucas Owens
+ '25 C/OF Aramis Perez Whittier Commit
+ '25 OF Delmar Perez
+ '25 RHP Ethan Russell UC San Diego Commit
+ '25 RHP Christopher Saucedo
+ '25 INF Gavin Spiridonoff Cal Poly SLO Commit
+ '26 LHP Noah Darnell
+ '26 C/1B/RHP Warren Gravely IV Notre Dame Commit
+ 26 C/OF Chase Marlow USD Commit
+ '26 UTL Andre Owens Oklahoma St. Commit
+ '26 INF Brody Schumaker TCU Commit
+ '26 OF/RHP Jacob Wicker LMU Commit
+ Key Players (St. John Bosco):
+ '25 OF Macade Maxwell (Holy Cross Commit)
+ '25 LHP Trevor Heishman (Memphis Commit)
+ '25 C Micah Taguiam
+ '26 OF/INF Jaden Jackson (UCLA Commit)
+ '26 SS James Clark (Princeton Commit)
+ 26 OF Miles Clark (Princeton Commit)
+ '26 OF/1B Moises Razo (Fresno State Commit)
+ '26 RHP Gavin Cervantes
+ '26 INF/RHP Jack Champlin
+ '26 INF Noah Everly
+ '27 LHP Griffin Tagliaferri
+ '28 C Aaron Garcia
+ '28 RHP Brayden Krakowski
Game Preview:
The Braves enter this Trinity League heavyweights matchup riding a hot wave having won 10 of their last 11 games including a big sweep of the Orange Lutheran Lancers to open Trinity League play. Bosco has capitalized on a stellar pitching staff which has allowed just 26 runs in 14 games all season while tossing two shutouts and three more games where they have allowed just one run. Their staff is fronted by the arms of Champlin, Heishman, Cervantes and Krakowski who all sport ERAs below 2.00 with Heishman and Cervantes below 1.00. Heishman has 35 Ks in 17.2 IP, Champlin has 28 in 26 IP, Cervantes 19 in 19.2 IP while Krakowski has punched out nine in 12.1 IP. Offensively the Braves have been solid with 59 runs scored this spring and James Clark plus Macade Maxwell have been the key pieces. Clark is hitting .396 with three doubles whle Maxwell is at .323 with two doubles. Champlin, Miles Clark, Razo and Everly have blasted the four homers for the Braves. The Eagles have been highly productive on the offensive side of the game this spring with 97 runs scored in their 15 games for over an average of six runs per game. The bats of Schumaker, Gravely, Spirindonoff, Ankrum and others have been consistent performers on the spring. George, Russell and Bauer have helped front a pitchign staff which has allowed just 48 runs over 15 games for slighlty over three runs per game. With both teams sitting amongst the top three teams early in the Trinity League standings the winner of this series can put themselves in a prime spot for a run at the league title.
Steven Hardesty Game of the Week:
Summit Skyhaws vs. Jurupa Hills Spartans
+ Date: 4/9
+ Time: 3:15 PM
+ Location: Jurupa Valley High School
+ Summit 2025 Record: 14 - 3
+ Head Coach: Samuel Lopez
+ Jurupa Hills 2025 Record: 11 - 2 (Play King HS on 4/7 prior to matchup)
+ Head Coach: Leon Baham
+ Key Players (Summit):
+ '25 RHP/OF Dylan Harrison Clemson Commit
+ '25 SS Sammy Lopez Cal Baptist Commit
+ '25 RHP/3B Kody Smathers Cal Baptist Commit
+ '25 INF/OF Isacc Castanon LBSU Commit
+ '25 C Ian Stewart Concordia University Irvine Commit
+ '25 RHP Ryan Oaks CSUN Commit
+ '27 Mario Flores
+ '27 Landon Peterson
+ Key Players (Jurupa Hills):
+ '25 OF/RHP Alejandro Preciado
+ '25 2B/RHP Matthew Toscano
+ '25 P Alfredo Hernandez
+ '26 SS/3B Gavyn Perez
+ '26 1B/RHP Jose Plazola
+ '26 OF/RHP Casey Ard
+ '26 INF/RHP Jayden Wright-DiGiamarino
+ '28 OF/RHP Aaden Lopez
+ '28 C Jeremy Calderon
Series Preview:
The Skyhawks have ridden their talented SR. class to an outstading start to their 2025 spring season posting 14 wins already and are on a 11 game winning streak as the face down a matchup with Jurupa Valley. Summit has gotten there behind the strength of strong pitching staff which has allowed just 46 runs in their 17 games for an average of less than three runs per game with two shutouts and seven games where they have allowed two runs or less in a win. The offense has been equally as impressive with 110 runs scored across their 17 games played including six games in which they have scored 10+ runs in a win. For Jurupa Hills they are off to an 11 win start in their first 13 games and have won nine of their last 10 games. A strong pitching staff has allowed just 34 runs over their 13 games with the FR. Lopez putting up a dominant start to his high school career having tossed 27.2 IP with 30 Ks, just seven hits allowed and five walks allowed and an eye-popping .25 ERA. Preciado, Hernandez and Wright-DiGiamarino have been stellar on the bump with ERA's under 2.00 at present. Offensively the Spartans have four regulars over .400 in Preciado, Ard, Toscano and Lopez who is hitting a healthy .524 with two doubles and three triples. As a team they have scored 119 runs in 13 games while allowing just 34 runs. With a pair of dominant pitching staffs set to face explosive offenses in a non-league showdown it will be a battle of which elements hold to their current performance levels and which succumb to see who brings home the win.
Hank LoForte Game of the Week:
No. 19 Serra Padres vs. St. Ignatius Wildcats
+ Date: 4/8 (WCAL matchup)
+ Time: 4:00 PM
+ Location: St. Ignatius
+ Serra 2025 Record: 13 - 2
+ Head Coach: Mat Keplinger
+ St. Ignatius 2025 Record: 8 - 3 - 2
+ Head Coach: Brian Pollzzie
+ Key Players (Serra):
+ '25 Evan Bradshaw University of Pacific Commit
+ '25 Ian Josephson St. Marys Commit
+ '25 Davis Minton
+ '25 Jack Armstrong
+ '25 Richie Calderon
+ '26 Kelley Crawford Cal Poly SLO Commit
+ '26 Riley Lim
+ '26 Nate Hui
+ '26 Aiden Waters
+'27 Aaron Minton
+ '27 William Walbridge
+ Key Players (St. Ignatius):
+ '25 OF/INF Emmett Johnson
+ '25 P Spencer Guido
+ '25 RHP/INF Beau Schaffer
+ '25 P Eddie McCartney
+ '26 P Tycco Giometti
+ '26 INF/RHP Archer Horn Stanford Commit
+ '26 1B/LHP Chase Gordon
+ '26 1B/OF Ryan Rosenthal Puget Sound Commit
+ '26 DJ Delaney
+ '26 INF/C AJ Wineinger
Game Preview:
The Padres enter the second game of this WCAL showdown having claimed a 9-6 win in the first game on Saturday 4/5 putting themselves in third place in the league. Serra has scored 87 runs in their 15 games this spring while holding opponents to just 42 runs over that span with two shutouts. Hui and Lim combined for strong outings in the opener and Crawford is likely slated to get the ball in game two entering it with an ERA of 2.75 and two wins in his 20.1 IP with 20 Ks. Hui has been the key reliever for the Padres with four saves on the season while sporting an ERA of .47 in 15 innings with 24 strikeouts while Aiden Waters has been a key reliever throwing 12 innings with 11 Ks and posting an ERA of .58. Bradshaw is off to a .388 start at the dish with 16 RBIs, one double, two triples and a homer to power the Serra offense while Davis Minton sits at .391 with two doubles, two homers and 16 RBIs. But, Josephson has been the hottest bat for Serra sitting at .489 with five doubles, one homer, 8 RBIs and 18 runs scored. The Wildcats dropped the opener of the two-game set and is looking to rebound to grab a game against the Padres and remain in first place atop the WCAL. For the season the Wildcats have scored 75 runs in 13 games with Horn having a monster year at the dish blasting six home runs, three doubles, one triple while posting a .500 average with 16 RBIs. Rosenthal, Delaney, Gordon and Johnson are all off to over .300 starts at the plate with Delaney second on the team having hammered three homers. Horn and Gordon did the bulk of the work in the Saturday game likely putting Giometti or Guido on the bump for this matchup with each having tossed over 10 innings on the year and striking out at least one batter per inning pitched with ERAs under 2.00.
Matt Monk Game of the Week:
No. 24 Cathedral Catholic Dons vs. Eastlake Titans
+ Date: 4/8
+ Time: 4:00 PM
+ Location: Eastlake High School
+ Cathedral Catholic 2025 Record: 6-5
+ Head Coach: Gary Remiker
+ Eastlake 2025 Record: 7-5
+ Head Coach: Ramon Orozco
+ Key Players (Cathedral Catholic):
+ '25 OF Trey Gudoy UCLA Commit
+ '26 SS Alex Harrington Stanford commit
+ '26 OF Hunter Harrington Stanford commit
+ '26 INF Trey Kotsay Princeton commit
+ Key Players (Eastlake):
+ '25 3B/RHP Kalani Jaurequi (San Diego State Commit)
+ '25 OF Angel Laya (Oregon Commit)
+ '25 SS Noah Solano (Colorado Mesa Commit)
+ '25 C Austin Stroberg
+ '25 LHP Nick Romero
+ '25 1B/RHP Luca Penteraini
+ '26 INF/OF Hamza Hatahet
+ '26 INF JP Conero
+ '26 UTL Jordan Gomez
+ '27 INF Zowen Watson (LSU Commit)
+ '28 OF Joel Vargas
+ '28 RHP Lucas Yriqui
Game Preview:
Two of the top programs in San Diego square off in a non-league matchup when Cathedral Catholic travels to play Eastlake. The Dons are coming off a 2-2 showing at the Boras Classic South and on the year have been solid at the plate with 48 runs in 11 games averaging over four runs per game while they have allowed 34 runs in those 11 games just over three per game. Alex Harrington and Trey Gudoy are off to over .400 starts at the plate with Harrington having blasted two homers, three doubles and three triples with Gudoy adding two doubles and homer. Uslander and Smyth have been the top two arms for the Dons on the spring with both having ERAs under 1.40 at the present while striking out at least one batter per inning pitched for Cathedral Catholic. The Titans enter having scored 56 runs over their 12 games on the spring while allowing 29 runs in that span. Their offense has been paced by Conero who is hitting .343 with two doubles and one homer while Hatahet is sitting at .333 with eight RBIs and one triple. Vargas has collected five doubles and is hitting just under .300 as a FR. on the varsity level. Romero has been the Titans ace with 23 IP, 29 Ks, two wins, and a .64 ERA with the trio of Tello, Gomez and Covell having been solid on the spring all throwing over 10+ innings this spring with at least one strikeout per inning and Tello posting a .64 ERA in eight appearances out of the pen.
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