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Hardy's Hits: Oaks Christian vs. Paraclete

November 3, 2025
Steven Hardesty
Associate Director SoCal

   

New Episode LIVE now! - At The Yard Podcast

VENTURA, CALIF. - The Hardy's Hits series returns as the fall event schedule for Prep Baseball California begins to wind down and the schedule for high school fall/winter scrimmages begins to pick up steam. Several squads from around the Central Coast, Los Angeles and High Desert areas are a few weeks into their fall schedule with plenty more to come to continue evaluating the talent on these rosters ahead of the 2026 CIF High School baseball season.

To kick off my Saturday schedule for the 2025 fall portion I made a trip out to see the Oaks Christian Lions of the Marmonte League take on the Paraclete Spirits of the Camino Real League in a 10 inning varsity scrimmage. Oaks Christian started a prominent amount of potential varsity level starters and contributors (a few were missing due to other commitments or are still in football season) while Paraclete ran out a large chunk of their key pieces to start the game. In the later portions of the scrimmage both squads began to mix and match younger players who are in competition for potential varsity level spots or will become key pieces in the coming years while they spend 2026 developing further on the lower levels.

It wasn't a lengthy look at any of the arms for either squad as the Lions used pitchers solely for one inning over the the course of the full scrimmage while the Spirits worked in short 1-2 innings stints with all of the arms they threw during the varsity portion of the day. Each teams lineups gave me at least two at bats with a few players getting 3-4 at bats before the conclusion of the day. Several standouts from the Prep Baseball California event platforms made strong cases to backup their performances at those events by having strong days in this scrimmage looks.

Let's now take a dive in on a few of those names.

Oaks Christian Lions:

+ '26 C Carson Sheffer (Oklahoma State Commit)

Sheffer boasts one of the top defensive profiles of any backstop not only in the state of California, but nationally for his athleticism behind the plate and top end throwing arm. This was per usual on display as the took four innings behind the plate catching the first four arms from Oaks Christian with his usual smooth receiving actions that handle FB velocity, breaking ball spin and track CHGs with confidence to present the ball at receive at an elite level. His arm continues to be a true weapon living at 1.8 - 1.85 on all of his throws in the INF/OF portion of the day and between innings with low carry and accuracy to the bag. Where Sheffer really impressed was first and foremost the added strength to his frame which in turn has boosted his athleticism (per a discussion with Carson he is now running his 60 in the 6.6-6.7 range) with him posting a pair of 4.15 - 4.3 range home to 1b times on INF grounders and parlayed that into multiple stolen bases. With Sheffer hitting in the leadoff spot his improved athleticism opens up the opportunity to create chaos for Lions on any ball he puts in play and once he is on base utlizing the tempo leadoff technique to disrupt pitchers with his added foot speed. Then you take the next operation he has been utilizing since making some tweaks during the later portion of the summer in 2025 that is translating into an intriguing proces in the box. Standing vertical with his hands lower and shifted towards his midsection and employing an athletic leg kick with an under control move forward to launch Sheffer is landing with consistent separation between his body and hands (something he struggled with at times in the past) and being able to generate consistent hard contact whether in the air or on the ground the ball is jumping off the RH hitters bat. Sheffer during the fall scout circuit has posted numerous 100+ MPH EVs on balls in play and two of his four balls in play easily would have been near that level and one of them which was a 2K softer GB his improved foot speed turned into an INF single. Overall, the improved operation for Sheffer is taking what already was a very solid to strong offensive toolset and turning it into one that is going to generate plenty of intrigued for those following him in the 2026 spring and combining it with his upward trending physical frame/athleticism and already loud defensive tools the outlook for his senior year is extremely bright.

+ '26 OF/1B Chad Rolison (Uncommitted)

Rolison is an uncommitted LH hitter who over the course of the past year has really caught my eye for what he can in the batters box. Getting acclimated with him during the fall last year his operation in the box, approach and athleticism grew on me and then during the spring he showed a strong hit tool with upward trending power. He looks to have continued to improve his athletic present frame looking slighlty stronger and moving with increased explosiveness in his swing the corner profile defender who can handle either OF corner (looked very comfortable taking innings at 1B on this day too) is on the rise. His first trip to the plate resulted in a walk where he didn't have a chance to make any real swing decisions as the pitchers control was erratic and during his second trip he just missed an early hittable offering drilling it foul before battling a 2K groundout. But, in his third and fourth trips to the plate the continually upward trending impact to his hit profile was on display. He took a first pitch ball in the third trip to the dish before jumping on a FB out over the plate to launch a HR to the RCF gap which cleared the nearly 90 foot tall OF netting and landed on the road outside of campus at Oaks Christian easily a ball that traveled over 400'. From there he again hammered a mistake out over the plate in his final trip to the dish by lacing a line drive double into the RCF gap. The already strong hit tool for Rolison with added defensive versatility and power that is showing up in game to the pull side has the uncommitted product as a name that college programs need to be keeping in mind when they are on the hunt for LH hitters in the 2026 class over the coming months.

+ '26 RHP Justus Baird (Uncommitted)

Baird rolled out as the second arm of the day for the Lions and the SR. was coming off a trying 2025 spring season where he experienced some setbacks in terms of his health and performance. Fully healthy in the summer time and with a renewed focus solely on pitching the potential for Baird is starting to show not just in flashes, but at a consistent level. In previous viewings the 6'2 righthander lived mainly in the 82-84 MPH range with the occasional bump of 85 MPH, but now with added strength to his frame giving him better control of his delivery and improved arm speed the velocity has begun to jump. Baird came out flashing a three pitch over five hitters with his FB living at 87 MPH consistently over those hitters while touching multiple 88's (has been up to 89 at times over the first few weeks of fall). He looks comfortable getting to his 87-88 MPH velocity without extra giving the appearance of someone who can hold this velocity for multiple innings in a potential starter role for the Lions. Justus mixed in a pair of breaking balls mainly utilizing a 74-76 MPH SLD which topped at 77 that flashed bite to the glove side for whiff/chase when executed properly, but he is still developing the feel for this pitch as he did leave two up and out over the plate that got touched for hits. His third offering was a vertically shaped CB which can act as a sound present cross count offering to give hitters something additional to think about in the box as he threw it twice and both for strikes including a called third strike. The righthander was in the zone consistently with his FB/SLD/CB trio with sound control, but can continue to improve the command of his SLD to make it an even more effective weapon. His FB did collect whiff when up in the zone or above the zone and several uncomfortable off time swings from Spirit hitters. Baird faced five total hitters while picking up three Ks in a scoreless inning of work.

+ '28 SS Ryan Sheffer (#8 in 2028 Class for Prep Baseball California)

Sheffer is the top ranked player in any class on the Lions roster and the younger brother of Carson has solidly stepped out of the shadows of his older brother to build a profile that is amongst not only the best in California, but is amongst the best on the West Coast/Nationally. Much like brother Ryan has gone to work to work on his frame with significant added strength to his frame (now pushing the upper 160's in weight) that is showing up across the board in enhancing his already impressive baseball tools. Sheffer will slide over to man the SS position most likely for the Lions in the spring barring any sudden changes in the program and his glove has an impact level profile which again was on display handling all his chances with clean actions while nearly making a spectacular diving stop to his backhand side on a rocket groundball from a RH hitter for the Spirits. Where the added strength for Sheffer is really helping him is in the batters box where an already solid to strong offensive profile continues to trend up and has plenty of vibes for me personally that Ryan can become an impact offensive player who handles a prominent spot in a lineup not only in high school, but the next level. His swing stays the zone so well that he can be early on pitches and still drive them and when he is on time the ball is beginning to explode off the bat. Taking four trips to the dish over the course of the scrimmage he posted three strong plate appearances. His offensive day was highlighted first by a drive down the LF line where he evidenced his ability to be slightly off time and still do damage when he was early on an offspeed offering but kept the barrel on plane to loft the ball off the the LF fence for a pair of RBIs narrowly missing a homer by five feet or less. From there Sheffer drew a walk showing discipline to stay off several pitches just off the plate and not force the issue into getting himself out on a pitch that was not in his approach. From there he capped the strong day working a deep 2K count and impressed with the adjustability in his swing operation to go down on a 2K CB low in the zone to not only get the barrel on the pitch, but actually hit it with authority into the LCF gap although the Spirits centerfielder ran it down for an L-8 it was an impressive piece of hiting from the uber-talented 2028.

+ '28 INF/RHP Oliver Dauskurdas (#28 in 2028 Class for Prep Baseball California)

Dauskurdas has been high on my radar since my first time seeing him in the fall of 2024 where the physical RH hitter showed off the type of offensive tools you can dream on. Well over the course of the last year Oliver has had some ups and downs (in accordance with any high school underclassmen playing on the varsity level or against varsity competition), but the talented 2028 has learned from those ups and downs to steadily show himself to be one of the top players in this class for Prep Baseball California. While his RH hitting profile will likely always be his carrying tool with bat speed and power in the profile it's the athleticism/defensive versatility he continues to show that has me even more intrigued with the future for Dauskurdas. He took reps at 3B during the INF/OF portion of the day showing sound hands, feel for his footwork and the arm has plenty of strength to profile there (was also up to 85 on the bump in a clean inning of work) giving the feel he has a chance to stick there in the future which continues to rise Dauskurdas stock. In the game you could see some of the need for additional game reps to get his angles, timing, instincts more comfortable at the hot corner, but the foundation is there for him. At the plate I saw three ABs for him and two of those three resulted in the type of process/result you would want to see from an impact profile offensive player. After fouling off an early FB Dauskurdas got into a 2K count which had given him struggles in the past year, but his continued development as an offensive player showed up when he kept his hands back on a breaking ball from the Paraclete RHP to drill an RBI 1B into the RCF gap which was positive step forward for me personally in Dauskurdas' profile. Then in his final trip to the dish his loud contact showed up when the Spirits arm left a FB in a nitro zone for Dauskurdas and he did not miss it driving the ball with authority into the RCF gap for an easy stand up double. 

+ '28 OF/C Kole (KJ) Henrich (#60 in 2028 Class for Prep Baseball California)

One of my favorite sayings in baseball will always be that hitters hit and well Henrich is a hitter and the RH hitter flat out hits every time I see him. Henrich broke out in a big way the West Coast Super Sophomore in September held at the University of Oregon where his 2X impressive workout performances carried into a weekend of barrels against some of the top 2028 arms from around the Western region of the US. Yet, again Henrich came out swinging aggressively on pitches in his approach which parlayed into a multiple hit day with a walk over four trips to the dish. The swing for Henrich much like Sheffer stays in the contact zone for an impressive amount of time allowing him to drill the baseball from line to line with hard contact because of the path in his swing. In his first AB he ambushed an early FB away from the Spirits righthander to shoot it into RF for an RBI single. In his second trip to the dish Henrich again used his feel to get the barrel in the zone early by staying on another outer half offering and lining it sharply into the RCF gap for another knock. His third trip resulted in the only out of the day for the RH hitter when got aggressive on spin, but was unable to get one in fair territory before missing a 2K breaking ball for a K. He adjusted well in the final trip again facing a bevy of spin Henrich controlled the swing decisions much better to lay off the breaking balls and earn his walk. Over the day he saw time in LF making a pair of solid catches showing plenty of comfort moving around in the corner OF where he athleticism and solid arm give him a strong defensive profile out there. But, don't discount his work behind the plate while there is still some rawness to his receiving (getting more comfortable with his timing on receiving spin effectively) he has the overall foundation behind the plate where he could be in contention to compete for the spot back there once Carson Sheffer departs next summer. His arm is accurate behind the dish with throws on the base in the 2.15 - 2.2 range that with some added strength or cleaned up transfers could play in the low 2.0s as a solid tool. Wherever Henrich winds up in the long term defensively I continue to believe his bat is going to be an impact one for a lineup for the entirety of his baseball career.

+ '28 OF Leyton Denove (Prep Baseball California OC Fall ID Standout)

Denove popped on our radar this past October with a strong showing at the OC Fall ID both as a LH hitting OF and southpaw on the bump, but this look gave he an in game view of his offensive/defensive profile. His last name is well known to me as growing up in Ventura County myself I played High School baseball/Legion baseball against his uncle Chris Denove at Agoura High School who went on to play at UCLA and in the Reds organization. Leyton started an played the entirety of the day in CF for the Lions where I got several looks at his natural comfort moving around in the OF to each direction and coming in on the ball (didn't have any balls hit over his head on the day to CF) with consistently accurate routes, good first steps off contact and easy body control moving to the ball in the air or on the ground. His actions out there look the part of a long term strong defender who still has room to develop athletically/foot speed that he could become an impact defender in a premium spot in CF. At the dish already knowing I liked his swing operation for the Fall ID workout this live look gave me the opportunity to see how it plays in game and his approach versus live pitching. With a trio of plate appearances Denove strung together solid appearances in each of them drawing a pair of walks one a with a deep count and the other spitting on pitches outisde the zone. His other at bat resulted in a L-8 when he was just under a pitch being slightly out front that floated into shallow CF, but Denove came out of the box aggressively posting an interesting 4.25 home to 1B time on a turn showing intriguing foot speed/burst from the LH batters box. All around Denove might be slightly off the radar at present compared to the trio of 2028's mentioned earlier, but the foundation of tools, athleticism, feel to play in game and upside to his frame/strength has firmly entrenched him as another talented name to know in the class going forward.

Paraclete Spirits:

+ '26 INF Noah Schneir (Uncommitted)

Schneir put together a solid showing during the early portion of 2025 when he attended the Central California Preseason All State event at Antelope Valley College. On that day he showed a strong offensive profile from a bit of an unorthodox load (barrel wrapped deeply behind his head with deeper handset) and projection to his frame/defensive ability. He backed that up with another strong showing traveling out to the California State Games in the summer of 2025. Now getting eyes on Schneir again the continued development to his all around game was readily apparent. First and foremost the frame for Schneir has continued to develop showing a more athletic build with improved strength to his frame that parlayed into improved actions on defense. His feet were noticeable quicker on the first step with improved rhythm into/through the baseball during INF/OF and made a pair of solid plays on the INF in game. His arm is still fringey for shortstop at the next level, but could easily handle a shift to 2B/3B if necessary where he could be a strong defender at either spot with the improvements to his defensive profile. Already knowing that I was a fan of the hit tool for Schneir his tweaks to the operation of his load starting with kind of a Jac Caglianone type load of the bat off his shoulder into the launch position with improved body control/rhythm to launch was interesting. He only took two ABs on the day as Paraclete went to some younger players early in the game, but in each at bat Schneir got to a deep count working 6+ pitches on each one getting to 2Ks before hittting a hard grounder with one resulting in a 6-3 and the other in a single (4.4 home to 1B time). While the look wasn't lengthy the flashes of Schneir showed was very strong to his continued development and should be a name to consider for college programs looking to add to their 2026 class with high quality players.

+ '28 INF/RHP Gavin Gorman (#49 in 2028 Class for Prep Baseball California)

Gorman has a been consistent performer across multiple different Prep Baseball California game play events from the 2024 SoCal Top Prospect to Central California Preseason All State to California State Games and the West Coast Super Sophomore. Now getting my eyes on him in a high school setting for the first time Gorman backed up each of those solid performances with yet another solid showing on the day. He opened up the day playing 3B for Paraclete and hitting towards the backside of a lineup filled with upperclass players. Defensively, he took a sound INF/OF at 3B looking his usual clean mover over there, but did not get any chances with in the game play to evaluate. At the plate his bat to ball profile was as consistent as it has been at the events we have seen Gorman at. He consistently makes contact when he swings the bat even if the ball does not go into play fair he rarely swings and misses allowing him to grind out at bats even when his timing/pitch selection is not perfect. Gavin stays balanced during the turn allowing him to stay behind the baseball at contact with his upper body giving his eyes/hands a chance to track the ball effectively to contact with a quick/compact hand path. Over two at bats Gorman was sound with his swing decisions to control the strike zone effectively and not chase outside the zone he posted a 4-3 hard groundout in a 2K count during his first AB. He ambushed an early FB in his second AB narrowly missing extra bases down the LF with a line drive shot that landed about five feet foul before battling into a 2K count and drawing a 7+ pitch BB. Gorman should be in the mix for significant playing time at Paraclete as a sophomore and with his continued development over the last year as an athlete/player with room to project even further to come the future for Gorman is extremely bright.

+ '28 C Parker Medlin (Prep Baseball California High Desert Uncommitted Game Standout)

Medlin was coming off a strong showing at the October High Desert Uncommitted Game where he was the youngest player in attendance and took over for the second half of the game behind the dish for Paraclete. While physically he is wiry and lean at present that doesn't hold back Medlin from looking the part of a potential varsity level player as a Sophomore who undoubtedly has a bright future ahead for him. Where Medlin really impressed me during his time behind the dish was in his receiving/blocking and throwing. He adeptly blocks pitches in the dirt with a soft upper body which allows him to keep the ball close and moves with agility laterally on spin to keep the ball close giving the pitchers he was receiving the confidence to attack down in the zone. He handled the Spirits velocity with comfort to stick the FB on time with his glove, but will need to keep adding physicality to his frame to eventually handle higher level velocity, but the foundation/technique is there for Medlin to be a strong receiver behind the dish. While he may not possess a cannon for an arm with his raw velocity at present he has plenty of present arm strength to go with consistently polished transfer/throwing mechanics that he gets the ball out of his glove and out of his hand quickly with accuracy and low carry to post low 2.1 range pop times. Parker made a nifty pick on a low FB which he smoothly transferred into an online one hop throw to second base to nail a would be basestealer during his time behind the plate. Much like Gorman there is plenty of bat to ball at present in Medlin's swing his does a good job of using his hips in the turn to generate bat speed with feel for contact. He ambushed an early FB in his first plate appearance to rip a shot through the left side of the INF for an RBI single and then punched a grounder to the right side in his second at bat. Much like his catching defense the foundation and present profile is all very strong, but the big next step for him will be eventual strength gains to his frame that will allow his solid contact to turn into more authority which will take him from a bat to ball profile into one who can generate increased impact to do damage. Medlin will be one to keep tabs on going forward out of the High Desert as a name to follow for the 2028 class.

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