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At The Yard Podcast: New Episode LIVE now!

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - As the CIF High School baseball season rapidly approaches, Prep Baseball California is taking deeper dives into some of the top leagues, teams, and players to know from around the state. We have separated the state into four regions based on the coverage areas of our staff. State Director Les Lukach will be covering the Orange County, Inland Empire, and South Los Angeles regions. Associate Director SoCal Steven Hardesty will be diving in on the North Los Angeles, Central Coast, High Desert, and Bakersfield regions. Northern California Scouting Director Hank LoForte will be taking a look at the Central Valley, Bay Area, Sac-Joaquin, and other parts of Northern California. Finally, Manager of Content & Operations, Vinnie Alfino, will be focusing on the San Diego area and part of the Inland Empire.

Each staff member has selected some of the leagues of interest for them in their regions. Taking a deeper look into the teams of note, players of interest, pitchers to keep tabs on, and any exciting upcoming underclassmen to know.

LES'S PRESEASON PREVIEW 

SUNSET LEAGUE

PICK TO CLICK: HUNTINGTON BEACH

I know, a stretch going with the Oilers who have been at or near the top of the league for the better part of a decade. But after watching this team in the fall there are no perceivable holes in the lineup that goes with a deep pitching staff that will give the Oilers a chance in every game. Jr. Jared Grindlinger will elevate into the Ace role for the Oilers and the No. 1 ranked prospect nationally in the 2027 class has the ability on both sides of the ball to be All-League performer as a two-way player. Sr. Jared Marchbank (New Mexico St.), Sr. Cayden Hammond (BYU), Jr. Christian Haupt (Cal State Fullerton), and Jr. Tanner Brown should round out the starting rotation for the Oilers. Jr. Duncan McLeod will also play a critical role on the mound for the Oilers. The pitching staff should have plenty of support from what appears to be a deep and very good lineup for the Oilers. Sr. Jason Dunham (Long Beach State), Sr. Owen Bone (Cal Baptist), Sr. Dane Cunningham (Cal Poly), Sr. Sol Moriyama, and Jr. 's Parker Leoff (UCLA) and Elyjah Mason (Oklahoma St.), give the Oilers a deep lineup without many, if any, holes. Grindlinger can leave the yard in any at-bat, as can a few of his teammates giving the Oilers the threat of big offensive innings. If you’ve followed this program for some time under Head Coach Benji Medure, you know that it’s a program that prides itself on internal accountability and consistency. The players police themselves and understand the standard that has been set by the coaches and the players that preceded them. Could this be the year that the Oilers return to the CIF-SS DI Championship game? Only time will answer that, but one thing we know for sure, their first goal is to win the ultra-competitive Sunset League. 

DON’T COUNT OUT: NEWPORT HARBOR

Coming off a second place league finish in 2025, Newport Harbor is primed to take the next step in the quest for a league championship in 2026. With bonafide ace and potential MLB Draft pick, Gavin Guy (UCSB), at the front of the rotation, the Sailors will feel very confident in their first game of any league series. Guy has been brilliant the last two seasons, and now he’s bigger and stronger, and will look to improve on his spectacular 2025 season where he finished with a 1.10 ERA and his 80 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched. Behind Guy, the Sailors return some experience that will need to take the next step if they are to compete for the top spot in a league that should once again be strong top-to-bottom. Sr. Tyler Clark provides the Sailor with what amounts to a second ace coming off a season where he had a sub-2.00 ERA. If he can limit the walks in 2026, the Sailors will have as potent a 1-2 punch as any team in SoCal. Jr. Keaton Anderson will look to solidify himself as the No. 3 starter after finishing with a 3-1 record and a 1.33 ERA last season. Jr. Sam Clapp, a Future Gamer last summer that didn’t throw much for the Sailors last spring, will be looked up to compete for a starters role. Sr. Ryan Williams, who is also a starting outfielder, provides the Sailors with a legitimate lockdown closer for the seventh inning of games. Williams finished with a 3-0 record and an ERA of 2.06 and four saves last season. The Sailors aren’t just a pitching heavy team as they return six hitters with varsity experience to what should be a very good offense. Guy and Williams were amongst the top three hitters in the lineup. Add in Sr. Brooks Francis, Sr. Lior Rochverger, Sr. Henry Mann, and So. Keoni Wun and the Sailors have a strong foundation to execute their grind-it-out style at the plate. 

DARKHORSE: FOUNTAIN VALLEY

With six of their top nine hitters returning from a team that finished fourth in the league last season, the Barons of Fountain Valley are primed for a breakout season for Head Coach Gerardo Gonzalez. In addition to the offense, the Barons return six pitchers that gained valuable varsity experience last season. Sr. ‘s Ethan Cortez, Isaac Grimaldo, Alyis Hernandez, Peter Guevara, Luke Scuncio, Isaac Lomeli, and Josh Grack will provide not only varsity experience but will pace the offense while Grack will also be a force on the mound for the Barons. Grack, a standout on both sides of the ball, brings several years of experience to the table and is one of the better uncommitted players in the class in SoCal. For the Barons to be successful this season, they’re going to need big performances from their pitching staff all season, but especially when they get into league play. In addition to Grack, the Barons will count on Sr. D’Angelo Diaz, Sr. Billy Kutsch, and Sr. Alyis Hernandez to carry the starting rotation back to the playoffs. And while some younger, up-and-coming players will undoubtedly need to step up for the Barons on the mound, the staff has quality in its current starters to give them a chance in every game they play.

BIG VIII LEAGUE

PICK TO CLICK: NORCO

The Cougars are the beneficiaries of a lot of returning talent and an infusion of quality transfers that have them set up to make a run at the league title this spring. Any conversation about Norco has to start with Jr. Dylan Seward (Tennessee) who is the No. 2 ranked player in the country for his class. The 2025 Prep Baseball All-American is coming off a monster summer that started at the ProCase West where he ran a blistering 6.18 sixty before putting on a clinic during the workout and the game. But the Cougars are no one-trick pony. Jr. Zion Martinez (Oklahoma St.) had a huge spring last year hitting .407 before a standout performance at the Prep Baseball Future Games led to his commitment. Jr. Elijah Alvarez (CSUN) hit .325 last spring and played very strong defense in the outfield. Jr. Jayden Serna (UCSB) was a standout defensive catcher and first baseman that hit .312 last season. Sr. Marcus Blanton is an above average defender in the outfield who hit .280 last spring and has added strength to the frame that should result in bigger numbers this spring. So. Jordan Ayala hit .278 last spring but was the ace of the pitching staff with his low 90’s fastball and above average slider. So. Izayah Najera hit .667 in a very limited role that should expand this spring. Newcomers Codey Brown (UCSB) and Jacob Melendez, both juniors, add quality hitters and defense to the lineup while Melendez should earn a lot of innings on the mound as well. On the mound the Cougars return Ayala who finished with a miniscule 1.10 ERA a ridiculous 83 strikeouts against just 17 walks. Sr. Landon Hovermale (GCU) also returns after finishing with a 1.66 ERA with 49 strikeouts against 18 walks and a 9-2 record. In addition to those two and Melendez, Norco will rely heavily on Sr. Vincent Rodriguez, Sr. Riley Moran, Sr. Michael Montoya, and Sr. Blake McHugh to carry the pitching staff. 

DON’T COUNT OUT: CORONA

The Panthers may have lost three prospects selected in the top 32 picks of the 2025 MLB Draft, but the cupboard is certainly not bare for Head Coach Andy Wise. The offense will once again be led by Sr. Anthony Murphy (LSU) who has been the leading hitter for the Panthers each of his three seasons on campus. Last year the standout centerfielder hit .415 with a team high 11 home runs and 35 RBI. The quintessential leadoff hitter, Murphy is also a premier lockdown centerfielder. Sr. Trey Ebel (Texas A&M) moves over to shortstop this season after playing second base all of last year where he hit .315 and will move to the top of the lineup. Jr. Danny DeLaTorre (Arizona St.) will move into a more prominent role for the Panthers this year after being a role player last spring. He’s seen a major jump in his offensive production after a strong summer and fall providing the Panthers with a legitimate power threat in the lineup. Sr. Jesiah Andrade hit .330 last spring and had multiple clutch hits for the Panthers all spring. Sophomores Logan Pascarella and Evan Skelskey have had very strong fall performances and should both find their way into the lineup. Each continues to develop physically and have the look of breakout candidates for Corona. Sr. Kobee Finnikin can and should provide a spark as a utility defender that can really hit. Jr. JoJo Flores Jr. (Ole Miss) is a transfer that will make an immediate impact on both offense and defense. He’s a sure handed left side of the infield guy who can leave the yard at any moment on offense. Soph. Chris Woodson shows flashes of his two-way potential though his greatest impact this year will likely come on the mound. Speaking of pitchers, you have to start with Jr. Mason Sims (Texas) who will slide into the ace role for the Panthers. The lefty finished with a 1.62 ERA and a ridiculous 9:1 strikeout to walk ratio last season. The aforementioned Woodson should slide into the No. 2 starter role. He’s an upper-80’s, low-90’s fastball guy that has what can at times be a devastating slider. 

DARKHORSE: SANTIAGO (CORONA)

The Sharks have arguably the deepest pitching staff of any team in the league. Soph. Striker Pence made headlines touching 100 mph with the fastball on seven consecutive pitches at the Area Code Games last summer. And while that velocity at that age is absurd, command has been an issue, naturally. All reports indicate that he’s improved dramatically in that area with all his pitches. His slider flashes to be above average in the future while his changeup continues to show gains as well. Sr. Tommy Padilla (UC Irvine) has true ace traits with a three pitch mix that he’ll throw in any count and get whiffs with all. Sr. Troy Khasaempanth (UC Irvine) is very similar to Padilla in that he has ace traits and a quality three-pitch mix that can cause havoc for hitters. Jr. Ben Lewis (Oklahoma St.) has seen an uptick in velocity to go with his production that goes back to his freshman season. Up to 92 now, he has an above average changeup to go with a hammer curveball. Soph. Ayden White will also see time on the mound where he lives in the 87-91 mph range with the fastball. With five, and maybe more, quality arms, Santiago will certainly have the pitching to keep them in every game this spring, but don’t sleep on the offense's ability to score runs. Pence, Padilla, and Khasaempanth will all hit in the heart of the order. Jr. transfer Luke Bacon will also find himself in the middle of the lineup and be a stalwart for them at catcher after the 30-day sitout period. Jr. Max Eldridge is a physically imposing power hitting outfielder that can leave the yard at any moment. Jr. outfielder Charlie Lemmons is a multi-base hit machine while being an above average outfielder for the Sharks. Jr. Troy Randall will also play a big role in the Sharks success this spring. A name to remember for the Sharks will be freshman Jayden Ramirez, an infielder.