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VENTURA, CALIF- At the conclusion of the 2024 CIF High School baseball season the St. John Bosco Braves were left standing on the field of Lake Elsinore in  heartbreaking fashion. The Braves made a run to the CIF-SS D3 title game against Beckman High School and in a spectacular game that took extra innings to determine a winner the Braves finished as a runner-up to finish their 2024 year. That defeat set the stage for a rise over the next 12+ months to complete a trifecta of titles in 2025 that is arguably the most difficult one to complete in the state of California. This trifecta included a 14-1 record in the process of claiming the Trinity League title (widely regarded as the most talented high school league in America). From there the Braves would pull off a stunning semi-final round upset over the Corona Panthers (defending CIF-SS D1 champions and a Top 10 Prep Baseball National ranked program at the time) on their way to a CIF-SS D1 title. While most SoCal teams who claim Southern Section titles don't accept invites to the Regional round of the CIF-Championships the Braves did. Taking the venture into competing against other top teams from sections around the Southern region of California Bosco brought home another crown in winning the CIF-South Region D1 title.

Before we dig too far into the feat accomplished by the Braves in 2025 the makings of what they would accomplish was apparent during an mid-January look at the squad. Traveling just 45 minutes north of my hometown in Ventura to take in four games at the UCSB team camp over MLK weekend provided me two early looks at the promise Bosco was showing just weeks in advance of the start of the CIF spring season. Seven players stood out in my scouting trip on that day from the likes of 2025 MLB draft pick LHP Trevor Heishman to the star of the Braves offense in Trinity League Player of the Year James Clark (who has risen to amongst the Top 10 players in the 2026 class in California). The Braves dominated two games against Santa Barbara based opponents and set the stage for a trip to Las Vegas before the start of their 2025 regular season. 

Hardy's Hits (featuring Trevor Heishman & James Clark from MLK Weekend 2025)

+ '25 LHP Trevor Heishman - Memphis Commit

I've seen plenty of video on Heishman the Memphis commit across X and IG while also getting a quick look at him in the start of the SoCal Scout ball circuit at Long Beach state, but this look was my first real chance to bear down on a multiple inning look at Heishman. With a durable 6'4 frame that has present strength to it at what looks to be the 220-225 lbs. range he moves with body control and lower effort down the mound while showcasing present quickness to his arm speed that helps him show high quality stuff. Heishman opened the day by working 90-92 MPH with a riding FB that plays well at the top of the zone while eventually settling in at 88-90 MPH over the course of his 2 inning look. His FB plays best when utilized at the top of the zone to get over barrels for both whiff/soft contact, but when down in the zone was where he got hit on the FB. Utilized a 77-79 MPH SLD with a horizontal shape that was especially tough on LH hitters starting at the front hip and diving back over the plate for strikes/whiff. There was the occasional big miss on a couple of FB that got away from him, but for the most part Heishman was in and around the zone with both the FB/SLD. It was easy to see why the talented southpaw holds a D1 commitment, but there is plenty in the foundation of Heishman that I wouldn't be surprised if he garners some MLB scout coverage this spring or during his collegiate career that eventually gives him a turn in professional baseball.

+ '26 SS/2B James Clark - Princeton Commit

This was my first live look at the Princeton commit who had already generated a lot of buzz around the stadium at UCSB for the impressive INF/OF he took on the opening day of the event and it was readily apparent in seeing him move around the INF dirt at SS on the evening that Clark has the actions across the board to man the premium spot of SS not only at the High School level, but be a premium defender at a premium spot once he moves onto the next step of his playing career once High School is done. In multiple at bats on the day I got a good look at his offensive profile as a LH hitter who can work the middle of the field with hard line drive contact which combined with his run tool (sub 4.2 H-1b time and multiple stolen bases) can turn those balls in the gaps into extra base hits and potentially as he matures taking the present bat speed he shows to elevate the baseball to the pullside for HR power. It is just my first real look at Clark, but the foundation of what I saw gives me plenty of reason to believe he has the potential to one day play this game professionally.

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Trifecta of Titles (Trinity / CIF-SS D1 / CIF-South Region D1)

Once, the spring season kicked off for the Braves their initial results were more ho-hum than hard charging towards the finish they would post to the season. Six games into their 2025 campaign the Braves sat at 3-3 having dropped a pair of tournament games to out of state foes (Bishop Gorman & Basic HS of Nevada) and one game to Inland Empire foe Damien. But, from that point forward starting with a 7-2 win over Calvary Day High School on 3/19/25 St. John Bosco would go on an eye-popping 27-1 run to the finish of the season. 

During their furious run to the completion of the 2025 season the Braves would pull off an impressive feat by first claiming the Trinity League title in dominant fashion. In a league stacked with powerhouse programs like Orange Lutheran, Santa Margarita Catholic, JSerra Catholic, Mater Dei and Servite winning the league alone is a feat to be celebrated. But, not only did Bosco win the league they utterly dominated the league by going 14-1 against this elite level competition. During the opening week the Braves swept a talented OLU program in three pitchers duels. Then to open the second week against another uber talented program in Santa Margarita, Bosco dropped the opener by a score of 10-5, but responded with two resounding wins to take the series two games to one. Starting 5-1 in the league facing off with two programs that battle atop the league nearly every year for a title Bosco had put the league on notice of their potential as at title team. From that point on the Braves were staring at nine games left in Trinity League play with five of those on the road and they would not drop another league game on their way to locking up the title before ever playing JSerra Catholic in the final week of league play.

With the Trinity League title firmly in their grasp the Braves were assured of a high seed in the CIF-SS D1 playoffs, but even a high seed would face a difficult road to the title. Regarded as the most difficult title to win in high school sports in California the CIF-SS D1 playoffs is a gauntlet of elite programs in a single elimination format where a program needs five to six wins to dogpile as the champions. Given the number four overall seed in the playoffs Bosco was staring down a road to the finals that included a potential match up with Corona High School in the semi-finals. With a first round bye afforded to them Bosco was able to reset their pitching staff for the second round and would need every bit of it as they were tested by Vista Murrieta out of the Inland Empire in a 5-4 win. The Quarterfinals brought yet another pitchers duel for a program that had experienced numerous of them all season long with a 4-3 win over Villa Park Hogh School of Orange County.

These two hard fought wins put the Panthers of Corona High School in front of the Bosco. Drawing the home site for the semi-final matchup Bosco prepared to face the elite arm of Seth Hernandez and the rest of the talented Panthers program. The Braves were more than up to the test as they were able to break through for two runs against Hernandez, while their own MLB draft pick arm Heishman dominated the powerful bats of Corona for 6.1 innings of nine strikeout, one hit work. Once Heishman departed the game UC-Irvine commit Jack Champlin closed out the game with .2 innings of scoreless relief punching out one for the save propelling the Braves into the championship game. 

Playing on a Friday night under the lights of Cal State Fullerton's Goodwin Field the Braves would face a familiar opponent in Trinity League rival Santa Margarita Catholic. In a season full of tough opponents, pitchers duels and many other challenges one could only expect the championship game to follow suit and that it did. Jumping out to a 2-0 lead afte the first inning the Braves were staring a title right in the eyes, but the Eagles of Santa Margarita were able to battle back and tie the game at two after plating runs in the 2nd and 5th innings. To pick up the second piece of their trifecta Bosco would have to survive not only seven innings, but had to play two extra innings. This year though the Braves were able to rush the diamond at Goodwin Field when they walked off the Eagles with a solo run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Long Beach State commit Gavin Cervantes gave the Braves 3.1 innings of strong work and then FR. Brayden Krakowski would toss 1.2 innings of sound relief. But, it was again the rightarm of Champlin that provided the finish to the game as he tossed four scoreless, one hit, four strikeout innings of relief to pick up the win.

With the first two steps of a memorable season completed for St. John Bosco many anticipated they would close out the year and begin preparations for defending each of their titles in 2026. But, the Braves were not done yet as they took their spot in the CIF-South Region D1 playoffs. With eight teams from around SoCal placed into a three game tournament Bosco would first take down St. Augustine from San Diego in a tight 2-1 game to push them into the semi-finals. Their berth in the semi-finals would bring a rematch with Villa Park from Orange County and once again the Braves would be pushed by Villa Park, they were not to be defeated by claiming a 7-4 win and a berth with Patrick Henry High School from San Diego. St. John Bosco would jump out to an early 4-0 lead by plating two runs in the first and two runs in the second which was all the offense they would need. Behind the duo of Krakowski and Champlin, St. John Bosco would hold the Patriots to just four total hits and no runs for their third dogpile of the 2025 campaign.

By winning the trifecta of titles Bosco accomplished something that had never been done in Southern California previously. While winning anyone of the three titles the Braves took home in 2025 would easily have been considered a successful season, but to bring all three home in the same spring season is nothing short of historic.

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