CIF Week 8 Scout Blog

Grossmont vs Bonita Vista

Diego Cruz, Prep Baseball Contributor

2026 RHP Jesse McCormick, Grossmont

McCormick was in total control from start to finish, going the distance and allowing just one hit, a bunt single, while striking out three. The senior looked calm the entire way and never felt rushed, even when he worked into hitter’s counts. He consistently fought back by throwing competitive pitches and making hitters earn everything, the type of outing where the tempo stays steady and the opponent never really gets a clean inning to build momentum. He worked with a four-pitch mix, FB/CH/CB/SL, and the secondaries were the story. The SL (69–72) was his best weapon, showing great shape and confidence, especially when he’d front-door it and get it in on right-handed hitters for strikes. The CH (72–75) was nasty, heavy fading action with almost a splitter-like look at times, and it generated plenty of uncomfortable swings when he located it. The FB sat 80–82 (T83) with modest arm-side run, and he mixed the CB effectively as another speed and shape. Overall, it was a dominant performance, great feel for offspeed, trusted his slider and changeup, and stayed in command of the game the whole way.

2027 OF Tyler Holmes, Grossmont

Holmes continues to be the guy who shows up when the game tightens. This was the third time I’ve seen Grossmont the past two seasons, and the third time I’ve come away writing about him, which tells you everything about his consistency in big moments. In a tight ballgame where runs were hard to come by, he delivered again and helped manufacture separation when it mattered. He produced the game’s second run with a hard ground ball through the 5–6 hole, bringing a runner home from second. It didn’t go down as an RBI, but it was absolutely purposeful, and executed well with a runner in scoring position. Holmes just has a feel for those situations, he stays within himself, finds the barrel, and gives his team the kind of insurance that ends up being the difference in close games.

2026 LHP Demarco Rojas, Bonita Vista

Rojas turned in a steady, poised start against Grossmont, giving Bonita Vista a chance to win with 5.2 IP, 1 ER, 4 K. He looked confident from the first inning on, worked with composure, and consistently made competitive pitches to stay in control of counts. Even when things got tight, he didn’t panic, he stayed aggressive in the zone and trusted his stuff to get outs. He operated with a FB/CB/SL/CH mix and showed feel for all four, especially his ability to locate the secondaries to the inner half and disrupt timing. The FB sat 79–82 and touched 83, and he used it to set up a high-dropping CB (67–69) with legit shape that buckled a few hitters when he landed it. The SL (70–73) and CH (75) gave him two more looks he could throw for strikes, helping him stay ahead and avoid giving hitters one speed to sit on. Command drifted a bit as the outing wore on, and a few defensive miscues behind him helped create extra traffic and extended innings, but the overall takeaway was positive. Rojas competed, filled up the zone, and got strikeouts when he needed them.

2028 SS Kensen Johnson, Bonita Vista

It wasn’t Johnson’s day at the plate and it really wasn’t Bonita Vista’s day offensively in general, but the glove was the story for him in this one. He took some aggressive hacks and just never found a knock, same story for most of the lineup, but he still found a way to impact the game with his defense, and that’s what stood out. Up the middle, Johnson made multiple plays that don’t get recorded as “flashy” unless you’re watching closely, balls in the 6-hole and shaded up the middle where his athleticism, awareness, and first step made the difference. The lateral quickness showed, he got good jumps, and he played with urgency. The arm is a real tool, it’s live, and comes out like a bullet with a quick release, letting him beat runners at first even when the play is moving fast. The biggest takeaway is the defensive progress. Coming into the year, the shortstop actions and lower-half polish were more of a question, the operation could get upper-half heavy, but in this look he flashed more confidence and athletic ability at the position. If the lower half continues to smooth out with reps, the arm talent and instincts give him a high ceiling up the middle, and this game was a good reminder that he can affect outcomes even when the bat is quiet.