Orange County Baseball Preview: Preseason Top 10
1. Orange Lutheran: With an abundance of NCAA Division I commits and signees, the Lancers could be the best team in the school’s history. They are ranked No. 2 in California by CalHiSports.com and No. 4 in the nation by Baseball America. Lutheran has quality all over the field including Caleb Ricketts at catcher, Cole Winn at pitcher, Zach Lew at shortstop and Jasiah Dixon in right field.
2. El Toro: Several outstanding players graduated from last season’s CIF-SS Division 1 championship team, but plenty of good ones return. Among the returnees are All-Orange County first-team pitcher Erik Tolman and All-South Coast League outfielder Stone Shiffman. The Chargers are No. 15 in state preseason rankings and No. 27 in the nation.
3. Mater Dei: The Monarchs, ranked No. 6 in California and No. 10 in the nation, return five starters from last season’s team that reached the CIF-SS Division 1 semifinals. Among those returnees are USC-signed senior shortstop Emilio Rosas and junior third baseman Chad Call. The addition of slugging outfielder Vinny Tosti, a transfer from Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa, gives the Monarchs a powerful batting order.
4. Servite: The Friars are No. 17 in CalHiSports.com’s California preseason top 25 because of a skilled group of returnees. Among them are three Oregon-bound players – senior pitcher Christian Ciuffetelli, sophomore catcher Garret Giuillemette and senior outfielder Tanner Smith. Servite has enough pitching, too, to challenge for the Trinity League title.
5. Cypress: A young team that struggled at times last season should be much more steady this season. The Centurions remain young, with an almost all-juniors starting lineup. It is a good group of juniors, led by infielders Mike Marsh and Cameron Repetti. Senior left-hander Josh Landry was 6-2 last season.
6. El Dorado: The defending Crestview League-champions bring back a strong group of pitchers from a team that advanced to the CIF-SS Division semifinals. Kyle Luckham was 5-0 on the mound last season and made All-Orange County first team as a first baseman after hitting .337, and senior infielder Bobby Silvis was all-league first team.
7. Capistrano Valley: With nine college-bound players, the Cougars will be in the running for the championship of the always-challenging South Coast League. Senior infielder Bryce Willets was all-league first team last season and is among eight returning starters. Senior infielder Connor Martin also was all-league first team in 2017.
8. JSerra: The Lions might not have the ace pitcher the better teams have, but they have an abundance of reliable arms and that could help JSerra compete for the Trinity League championship. They should do well offensively, too. Junior first baseman/outfielder Blake Klassen, an Arizona commit, last year batted .347 with 16 RBIs. Michael Curialle, who committed to UCLA, could be another force in the batting order.
9. Huntington Beach: The Oilers might not be the terror they were the past couple of seasons, but they should be good enough to make a run at the Sunset League championship they won last year. The pitching looks good, with Joshua Hahn, last year’s league rookie of the year, and all-league first-team selection Nate Madole. Huntington Beach is ranked No. 18 in California.
10. Aliso Niguel: From last place to first place is a long leap in a league as rugged as the South Coast League, but the Wolverines might be able to do it. Aliso Niguel’s returnees include senior pitcher Ethan Reed, who signed with USC. Infielder Connor Kokx was all-league first team in 2017. Aliso Niguel scored 18 runs Saturday in a season-opening doubleheader sweep of Newport Harbor.
