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LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - With the conclusion of the spring season portion of the calendar in the state of California closing, our staff was able to get eyes on players through Prep Baseball California events in the preseason and over the course of the CIF High School baseball season. The busy period of the year allowed our staff to observe the continued improvement/development or introduction to players in the 2028 class. With that visibility afforded to our staff to evaluate players over the last couple of months, Prep Baseball California presents our updated Class of 2028 Player Rankings.

With the continued exposure provided this spring for our staff to the 2028 class we have made an expansion to encompass the new talent we are seeing as this class continues to develop going from 50 in our initial release to 100 now. Included in that expansion, we saw quite a bit of change, especially within the Top 10 and through the initial Top 50.  All of our ranked players will be looking to carry their progress from the 2025 CIF high school seasons into their first full year of high scholl level travel baseball and into next year.

This class is still over 14 months away from their NCAA D1 recruiting process after the rule change in April of 2023 to halt early communication with players prior to August 1st of the summer headed into their junior season of high school. But, undoubtedly the top talents in this class will start to garner attention from college programs as they do their due diligence on this class early in their development process.

Below you'll find the Top 10, along with notes on several Rankings Risers and Ranking Newcomers. 

+ CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS LIST

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CLASS OF 2028, TOP TEN

+ CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS LIST

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CLASS OF 2028 RANKINGS: RISERS

TOP-10 RISERS:

+ Theo Swafford SS Sierra Canyon - Previous: 3 Now: 1

The LH hitting SS out of Sierra Canyon ascends to the number one spot after a tremendous first year playing on the varsity level in the Mission League. Taking a primary spot in the Sierra Canyon lineup the sweet stroke of Swafford produced strong numbers in one of the best high school leagues in the state posting a .366 average with a .924 OPS including 30 total hits with 26 runs scored in 28 games played while only striking out six times. In addition his high level defensive profile was on display winning the defensive player of the year award for Sierra Canyon while being named Second Team All Mission League (only freshmen to be selected for 1st or 2nd team). His toolset was on display for both State Director Les Lukach and Associate Director SoCal Steven Hardesty during live looks over the spring helping to push him into the number one spot.

+ Brandon Williams C Franklin - Previous: 10 Now: 2

Williams made his debut inside the Top 10 and then capitalized on an outstanding showing at the 2025 NorCal Preseason All State event and then backed it up with several strong live looks for Prep Baseball Vice President of Scouting Shooter Hunt and Associate Director NorCal Hank LoForte during the spring high school season. Athletically built with impressive present tools and still plenty of projection to his upside his numbers from the spring backed up his high ceiling profile. Williams posted a .319 average, .899 OPS with eight doubles, two triples, homered once while driving in 26 runs and scoring 19 runs to help the Franklin Wildcats win a CIF-SJS D1 title. The combination of factors pushes Williams up the board eight spots into the number two position.

+ Jordan Ayala RHP/INF Norco - Previous: 13 Now: 4

Ayala entered the rankings initially outside of the Top 10, but the two-way product out of the Inland Empire first season on the high school varsity level was extremely impressive. Ayala's talents were on display for the Prep Baseball California scouting staff during the spring season with a lively pitch arsenal fronted by a FB working up to 94 MPH while living in the low 90's and backing it up with a sharp mid 80's SLD. Ascending into the ace role at Norco Ayala tossed 63.2 innings on the season with 83 Ks against just 17 walks while allowing only 34 hits for a .148 batting average against and won eight games with a 1.10 ERA. As good as Ayala was on the mound the two-way product also showed off his sound offensive toolset with a .278 average including six doubles with 19 RBIs and 16 runs scored. Loud tools with loud performance combine to push Ayala inside the Top 5.

+ Ryan Sheffer SS Oaks Christian - Previous: 35 Now: 9

Sheffer debuted in the initial rankings at 35 after an impressive fall showing at the Ventura County Uncommitted Game in 2024 and then catapulted himself up the board with a strong showing at the 2025 Central California Preseason All State into his first varsity campaign at Oaks Christian. Sheffer initially opened up the spring in a role-player spot for the Lions, but the talented Fr. took over the starting 3B job (will move to SS in his Soph. season) and posted impressive numbers including a .333 average with two homers, one double, nine RBIs, 20 runs scored, walking nine times to only five strikeouts and stole eight bases. The athletically built Sheffer combined his impressive live looks for Lukach, Hardesty and more of the Prep Baseball California scouting staff with a strong first year varsity performance with intriguing all around tools and emerging athleticism to push himself into the Top 10 heading into his summer season.

TOP-50 RISERS:

+ Dru Wilson OF/RHP Notre Dame - Previous: 27 Now : 13

Wilson is a tooled up athlete who immediately found a home inside the Notre Dame lineup while taking over the centerfield position. His run tool is impactful including posting an impressive 4.05 home to 1B time in a live look for Steven Hardesty during the opening week of CIF high school season and that speed profiles him to a future impact defensive profile in CF. His raw tools, athleticism and emerging strength are enticing and playing against high level high school competition in the Mission League Wilson posted solid numbers while playing full time for Notre Dame. With a .257 average, five doubles, one homer, scoring 11 runs while driving in 11 runs plus adding nine walks and eight stolen bases. The foundation to the profile for Wilson is solid with his in game performance, but his ceiling is intriguingly high when combined with the potential for future development and tapping into the wide array of tools he possesses.

+ Brady Brown SS/RHP Tracy - Previous: 45 Now: 14

Brown ascended into a full time role for the Tracy program during his Fr. campaign and the talented RH hitter topped the Bulldogs in several offensive categories including his .333 average, seven doubles, one homer, 19 runs scored while being amongst the team leaders with 14 RBIs, one triple and .900 OPS. A two-sport athlete Brown plays QB in football with an intriguingly projectable frame and emerging strength. His combination of intriguing tools to go with strong present performance against solid varsity level competition pushes Brown up the board 31 spots inside the Top 15 on the recommendation of Hank LoForte.

+ Daxton Hyde RHP/3B Mission Hills - Previous: 22 Now: 19

Hyde is a prototype 6'4 framed RHP and the Fr. shows high quality stuff at present with a FB up to 86-87 MPH with a mid 70's SLD which he flashes sound control of while mixing in an interesting upper 70's CHG. An athletic mover who is also a strong basketball player Hyde earned a spot on the Mission Hills varsity squad and impressed the San Diego based Matt Monk and the Prep Baseball California scouting staff in that region. For his Fr. campaign Hyde tossed 14.1 innings with solid feel to miss bats including 14 strikeouts over his five apperances. While there is rawness to his present baseball profile the upside in the San Diego righthander is intriguing enough to earn him a three spot bump inside the Top 20. 

+ Mason Harris SS Whitney - Previous 21: Now: 20

Harris earned the starting SS role for Whitney during his Fr. campaign and impressed Hank LoForte during the Sacramento Preseason ID in 2025 while also on the scouting trail during the spring season. Add in a strong showing in front of Shooter Hunt we move Harris up one spot from 21 to 20 and into the Top 20. For his Fr. season Harris posted a .305 average with five doubles, 10 RBIs, 15 runs scored with a total of 25 hits for the spring. His intriguing live looks, high quality athleticisim and feel to play the game at a high level could bring future moves higher up this board.

+ Cole Medina Patterson LHP/OF - Previous: 39 Now: 25

Medina is the younger brother of Oregon commit Max Medina and the LHP/OF is making noise for his own profile after a strong Fr. season at Patterson High School. Standing 6'1 and weight 165 lbs. the LH hitter shows the profile to fill strength onto his athletic frame while flashing an intriguing swing that produced a .271 average over 113 plate appearances with two doubles, 17 RBIs, 16 runs scored, 15 BBs and five stolen bases. But, as good as what Medina does as a hitter is the LH pitching potential is even greater with his FB working into the mid 80's at present from a clean athletic delivery which impressed the NorCal Prep Baseball California scouting staff. For his spring season Medina threw 50 innings with 61 Ks while posting an opponents batting average of just .175. Medina won seven games with one save and a complete game while adding a 1.26 ERA to help move his profile up 14 spots into the Top 25.

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CLASS OF 2028 RANKINGS: NEWCOMERS

Top-10 Newcomers:

+ Nate Godbold SS Mt. Carmel - Now: 5

An athletic LH hitting SS is going to catch eyes no matter what class they are in, but when they are a Fr. who is excelling on the varsity level that profile is going to jump out from the crowd. Godbold impressed the Prep Baseball California scouting staff in San Diego with his clean defensive actions, smooth LH stroke and strong feel to hit at a young age. The LH hitter posted a .327 average over 108 plate appearances on the spring with five doubles while scoring 20 runs and driving in 16 runs. Godbold helped push Mt. Carmel into a CIF-SDS championship game appearance with room to add strength to his compact frame there is upside to his future that enhances his strong present overall toolset and performance that helps him debut in the number five spot.

+ Kensen Johnson SS/RHP Bonita Vista - Now: 10

A San Diego based SS who impressed the Prep Baseball California scouting staff during the spring high school season with his loud present raw tools, athletic ability, emerging physicality and strong performance levels Johnson makes his debut inside the Top 10. He shows intriguing present bat speed which helped him produce a .339 average over 124 plate apperances with a .883 OPS, eight doubles, two triples, two homers, scored 29 runs, drove in 16 runs and stole 14 bases. Johnson adds loud present arm strength which helped him in a relief role for Bonita Vista by throwing 8.1 innings with 13 Ks winning one game and saving another.

Top-11-50 Newcomers:

+ Trevor Woodworth RHP/OF Ventura - Now: 17

On a Ventura High staff full of Sr. arms and position players Woodworth's high level of talent on the mound and in the OF earned him a consistent role in their lineup and on the mound. Standing 6'4 with a wiry strong present build Woodworth is an athletic profile who also plays WR in football and that athletic ability shows up in his actions moving down the mound. His present ability on the bump with upside caught the eye of Steven Hardesty in an opening day look for the CIF-SS and then again later in the spring where his FB sat mid 80's while peaking at 86 MPH with a loose quick arm that filled up the strike zone over the course of the spring. Woodworth threw 19 innings on the spring with 26 Ks while walking only four hitters posting an opponents batting average of just .174 and an ERA of 0.74 with two wins in eight apperances. Anticipated to move into a starting role for his Soph. season Woodworth has the profile to move up from his debut position at 17.

+ Quinn Melton OF/C San Marcos - Now: 26

A physically well built at present LH hitter with intriguing bat speed, strength in his swing and path geared to drive the baseball in the air from line to line Melton makes his debut inside the Top 30. His offensive profile jumped out quickly to Steven Hardesty in his first live look and then over each future live look. Melton earned a full time spot in the Royals lineup and during the spring season he took 98 plate appearances with a .277 average blasting two homers with seven doubles while driving in 17 runs and scoring another 15 runs in his Fr. season. Melton moved around between the DH and OF position, but has showed potential to stick at the catching position long term. As he continues to polish his feel to tap into his power profile and finds a defensive home Melton has the upside to move up the board from his debut at 26.

+ Dean Brosterhouse RHP San Dimas - Now: 30

San Dimas made a run into the CIF-SS D3 championship game and the Fr. righthander who showcased an athletic delivery, loose quick arm, feel to pound the strike zone with a FB up to 87 MPH and feel for his offspeed arsenal during a live look for Steven Hardesty in the opening round of playoffs. With a wiry frame that projects to fill out as he matures there is plenty of reason to project future increases to his high quality present stuff and loud Fr. numbers. Brosterhouse made 16 apperarances with 66.1 innings pitched while striking out 57 hitters and opponents hit just .183 against him on the year. The righthander won eight games, tossed two shutouts, earned a save while posting a 1.90 ERA on the spring including three complete games.

+ Jonah Boyd SS Ayala - Now: 31

Boyd has consistently been an impressive performer on the Prep Baseball California event stage from this 2024 Rising Stars Game performance into his 2025 OC Preseason ID the RH hitting middle INF was on the cusp of a spot inside the Top 50. Now after a loud Fr. season on the varsity level for Ayala while impressing in live looks for Les Lukach he finds his way into the rankings by debuting at 31. Athletic with a long term up the middle defensive profile and intriguing offensive potential Boyd produced a strong spring number line with a .424 average, 1.064 OPS, seven doubles, four triples, 25 runs scored, 18 runs driven in and stole 11 bases to pace the Bulldogs offense. His overall profile has the type of potential to see him make future rises up the board.

+ Isaak Medina LHP Santa Paula - Now: 45

Medina immediately took over the ace spot in the Santa Paula rotation as a Fr. and from day one his intriguing present arsenal produced well. Medina works from a cross-fire delivery with quickness to his arm path that produces a FB in the low 80's and touches 84-85 MPH with life to the arm side while flashing an intriguing CHG and breaking ball. The southpaw is durable and solidly built at present, but has room to polish and improve his physicality as he matures to push himself up this board in the future. For his Fr. campaign Medina tossed 58.1 innings with 75 Ks and opponents hit just .181 on the year against him while winning six games and posting a 1.32 ERA and was impressive in a live look for Steven Hardesty.

Top-51-100 Newcomers:

+ Josh Calcanas 2B/SS San Dimas - Now: 63

An impressive live look for Steven Hardesty during the CIF-SS D3 playoffs catapulted Calcanas into consideration for a spot in the rankings expansion with his wiry athletic build, present feel to find his barrel in live game at bats, solid defensive profile and upside to his future. For his Fr. campaign Calcanas earned a full time spot in the Saints lineup taking 79 plate appearances with a .282 average, doubled six times, homered once, scored 16 runs while driving in seven runs. His profile is solid at present and with future strength gains, polish to his athleticism and in game performance there is potential for future rises in Calcanas' profile.

+ Micah Meccuci OF Mission Hills - Now: 67

Mecucci jumped into the Mission Hills lineup immediately as a Fr. to take 98 plate appearances and showcase his intriguing offensive profile. Over his 30 games played Mecucci topped the Mission Hills lineup with six homers, batted .274, doubled four times, drove in 17 runs, scored 17 runs while adding a .903 OPS on the year. Mecucci has an athletic build with emerging present strength and a potential CF defensive profile that as he continues to develop over the coming years could bring about upward movement for his profile.

+ Orion Gonzalez INF/RHP Castaic - Now: 68

Gonzalez is a solidly built present up the middle defender who shows intriguing two-way potential on the mound and a LH bat which has a top to middle of the order profile. Gonzalez impressed during a live look for Steven Hardesty in the early portion of the spring where his tools were enough to put him on the cusp of a rankings spot and his performance as a Fr. on varsity solidly puts him inside the Top 75. Gonzalez hit .329 over 89 plate appearances with seven doubles while blasting two homers, drove in 16 runs with 19 runs scored and nearly 40% of his hits going for extra bases. The righthander threw significant innings early in the season before settling more into an offensive role and on the mound he posted 22.1 innings with 24 Ks, seven walks and just seven hits allowed while posting an impressive 0.00 ERA in five appearances. 

+ Sione Tulua C/3B St. Francis - Now: 74

The strongly built Tulua was a standout at the 2025 NorCal Preseason All State where his interesting present tool set was loud on the day which impressed both Les Lukach and Hank LoForte. Then the RH hitter earned a spot on the varsity squad at Saint Francis which came with significant playing time while Tulua produced solid present numbers. Over his 78 plate appearances Tulua posted 14 hits with five of those going for extra bases (two doubles, one triple and two homers) for a .255 average with a .891 OPS and drove in seven runs while scoring nine runs. As he continues to polish his strong present profile and garners more experience against high level pitching 

+ JT Sanchez RHP/1B Kingsburg - Now: 76

While the Central Valley product Sanchez has not appeared on the Prep Baseball California event platform yet the 6'1 205 lbs. two-ways performance in his Fr. season on varsity was too loud not to garner a spot on our rankings board. On the mound Sanchez made 13 appearances while winning five games with a 1.13 ERA over 42.2 innings he struck out 36 hitters to be a key piece of the Kingsburg pitching staff. At the plate Sanchez drove in 23 runs while blasting two homers, two doubles and scoring seven runs. His two-way performance helped Kingsburg win the CIF-CS D3 title  and as the Prep Baseball California scouting staff gets more familiar with the overall profile for Sanchez he has the potential to make a move up this board in the future.

+ CLICK HERE FOR FULL RANKINGS LIST

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Upcoming Events

Showcase	State	Date	Location
Orange County Summer ID	CA	06/04	Hart Park - Orange, CA
2025 Future Games Tryout: Central California	CA	06/07	Antelope Valley College - Lancaster, CA
Sacramento Summer ID	CA	06/10	Franklin High School - Elk Grove, CA
Central California Summer ID	CA	07/08	Ventura College
Senior Future Games (Class of 2026)	NATIONAL	07/22	LakePoint Sports
Future Games (Class of 2027)	NATIONAL	07/23	LakePoint Sports
Junior Future Games (Class of 2029/30)	NATIONAL	07/24	LakePoint Sports
2025 California State Games (Invite-Only)	CA	07/30	Fullerton College - Fullerton, CA & Fullerton High School

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