All-State Baseball: First Team

We’re so glad to be able to honor these 30 elite California players after not being able to do the same for 2020. We had done it for 38 years in a row. This 39th edition had many challenges and it’s much later than a “normal” season, but the players deserve the accolades. The big news is that three different teams all landed three players on this squad — Thousand Oaks, Harvard-Westlake and JSerra. There’s also another shortstop from Chula Vista besides Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year Marcelo Mayer.

For the all-state second and third teams (Gold Club), CLICK HERE.

(Special thanks to Orange County correspondent Chuck Nan & Northern California correspondent Daniel Poulter for contributing writeups to this package.)

RELATED: All-State Underclass (Gold Club) | All-State Medium & Small Schools | Final 2021 State Rankings (Gold Club)

For Gold Club post of our all-time all-state first team baseball archive back to 1990 (with second team back to 2003), CLICK HERE.

Note: We hope you enjoy this free post. State baseball record lists plus two of our four all-state baseball posts are for Gold Club members only. To join our team today, CLICK HERE.

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Congratulations to these players who’ve been named first team overall for the 39th edition of the Cal-Hi Sports all-state baseball honors program:

FIRST TEAM CATCHERS

Isaiah Gomez (Grossmont, La Mesa) Sr.
Clocking in at just 6-foot and 170 pounds didn’t stop Grossmont’s Isaiah Gomez from becoming one of the top power hitters on the West Coast. The senior was tied for second in the state with Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year and No.4 overall MLB Draft pick Marcelo Mayer of Eastlake at 14 home runs. Gomez helped power Grossmont to a 29-7 record and an appearance in the CIF Southern California Playoff Regional, where it eventually fell to Orange Lutheran (Orange). The senior sported a .450 average while knocking in 49 RBI and scoring 52 runs on 54 hits on the season.

Malcolm Moore (McClatchy, Sacramento) Jr.
He became one of the top MLB prospects in the country this past season, with the junior from the Sac-Joaquin Section racking up quite a trophy case. The McCatchy 6-foot-3 200-pound catcher won the Gatorade State Player of the Year, the Cal-Hi Sports Junior of the Year and the Sacramento Bee Metro Player of the Year award during his stock building season. The 4.3 cumulative grade-point average student was a powerhouse at the plate, as Moore had a .535 batting average while knocking in a team high 55 runs and hit seven home runs in 23 games played. Moore helped the Lions to a 20-4 record and 11-1 in the Metropolitan Conference League.

Charlie Saum (Thousand Oaks) Sr.
Once a decision was made that there would be three on the first team for the State Team of the Year Lancers, Saum gained the nod as the third in a close call over teammate pitcher Myles Weiss. Having a prep career that included being an all-state sophomore at St. Bonaventure of Ventura and being a highly ranked prospect with a commitment to Stanford gave Saum an edge. On the field this spring, Charlie was in charge behind the plate, he was third on the team for batting average (.388), second for RBI (38) and he had six homers.

Austin Young (Buchanan, Clovis) Sr.
Considered the top all-state candidate for the top team in the CIF Central Section this season, the Fresno State commit was named the Tri-River Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player and was the Fresno Bee’s Player of the Year. Buchanan had one of the top years in its storied program history and Young was at the forefront of the charge. Young had a senior season that put him in the Bears’ record books, as the catcher’s 38 runs scored puts him at fifth best in school history for a single season.

FIRST TEAM PITCHERS

Christian Becerra (Harvard-Westlake, Studio City) Sr.
Talk about coming through at the end. Becerra dramatically capped his high school career by pitching a shutout with seven strikeouts and one hit allowed to anchor Harvard-Westlake’s victory over JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 final. It granted the Wolverines’ first CIFSS baseball title since 2013. Becerra also shut down the Lions with five hitless innings in a another victory earlier in March. The Cal commit finished his senior campaign 11-1 overall with 86 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings and a 1.62 ERA. He was selected as the Mission League’s “Pitcher of the Year” and he was the CIFSS D1 Player of the Year.

Chris Canada (Lutheran, Orange) Sr.
In 16 appearances for the Lancers, the only questionable outing for Canada ironically came in a high-scoring game that OLu won against Mater Dei. He pitched very well in two close losses to JSerra and was not the losing pitcher in either game. For the season, Chris racked up a 7-0 record with a 1.39 ERA and he had 82 strikeouts in 65 ⅔ innings. Canada will play next at San Diego State.

Jonathan Cymrot (Valley Christian, San Jose) Sr.
Kansas-bound Cymrot and Jacob Hudson made a lights out pitching duo for the Warriors this past season, with Cymrot sporting a 6-2 record with a 1.55 ER in 49 ⅔ innings. The Valley Christian hurler completed a feat that will be hard to top in the West Catholic Athletic League, as the senior was a part of four straight Warriors’ teams that won CIF Central Coast Section titles. Cymrot also added value at the plate, as he was third on the team with 27 hits and had a .290 batting average. The right handed hurler also picked up State Freshman and Sophomore of the Year honors during his time at the school.

Anthony Joya (Banning, Wilmington) Sr.
He is considered to have one of the best arms to come along from the Los Angeles City League in some time. The Cal State Fullerton signee earned numerous City Section honors during his career. The big left-hander was 7-1 with a 1.12 ERA this past spring. He coupled that with 99 strikeouts in just 56 innings. In the Pilots’ two wins against league foe Carson, Joya struck out 15 in both contests. In the first win, Joya also contributed with an RBI triple and sacrifice fly. He also tossed a no-hitter against Poly (Sun Valley) while striking out 15 in that game.

Gage Jump (JSerra, San Juan Capistrano) Sr.
A no-brainer all-state first team pick, Jump was probably the state’s highest regarded pitcher among all seniors (not to take anything away from what Christian Becerra did in his last game). This UCLA commit led the Lions to the Trinity League championship and a Southern California regional title. On the mound, he was a stellar 9-0 with 104 strikeouts in 56 innings to go along with a 0.63 ERA. Jump also was named a Los Angeles Times 2021 All-Star. Scouts like his solid fastball (95 mph plus), but his curveball is probably his best pitch.

Mason Molina (Trabuco Hills, Mission Viejo) Sr.
One of the main reasons that Trabuco Hills rode deep into the CIFSS playoffs was the arm of Molina. The left-handed Texas Tech signee went 10-2 with 153 strikeouts in 84 1/3 innings in leading his team to the Division 2 championship game. Described as a three-pitch starter whose big arm allows him to play outfield as well, Molina threw a complete game with 15 strikeouts and allowed just one hit against Aliso Niguel in a 9-0 win that won the Sea View League championship. He also threw a no-hitter against Newport Harbor with 16 strikeouts and was named a Los Angeles Times 2021 All-Star.

Eric Silva (JSerra, San Juan Capistrano) Sr.
After what he did to end the spring, throwing a dominating 12-strikeout win over Ayala of Chino Hills in the first-ever CIF SoCal D1 title game, Silva pretty much ensured his spot on the all-state first team even though teammates Gage Jump and Cody Schrier also were going to have to be on. Then the MLB Draft took place and Silva was the fourth-highest high school player in the state to be selected. He was picked at No. 115 overall in the fourth round by the San Francisco Giants and has since signed with the Giants ($1.5 million) and won’t be going to UCLA. Knowing that JSerra was going to get three first teamers also made it necessary in a way to also have three from CIFSS D1 champion Harvard-Westlake and State Team of the Year Thousand Oaks.

FIRST TEAM INFIELD

Temo Becerra (Buchanan, Clovis) Sr.
Headed to Stanford, it’ll be fun to see Temo perhaps someday batting against Christian Becerra of Cal. Buchanan’s Becerra batted .393 with six homers and was a defensive force up the middle as well. In Buchanan’s 17-4 victory over Liberty of Bakersfield in the CIF Central Section D1 final, Temo cracked a pair of homers and he had four RBI.

Blake Burke (De La Salle, Concord) Sr.
One of the most feared hitters in Northern California resided in the Bay Area, as Burke helped De La Salle power its way to an East Bay Athletic League title and top 10 state ranking. The University of Tennessee signee had a .554 batting average on the year and knocked in a team high 32 RBI on 41 hits and smashed six home runs for the Spartans in just 24 games. Burke also completed a four-year career for De La Salle and was named the San Francisco Chronicle’s All-Metro Player of the Year and was selected as a second team 2021 Collegiate Baseball All-American for his senior campaign. What may be his most impressive statistic is that the hard-hitting slugger only struck out three times during his senior year.

Davis Dias (Acalanes, Lafayette) Sr.
A four-year starter for the Dons, Diaz was drafted in the 12th round of the MLB Draft this summer by the Arizona Diamondbacks, although the National League West team wasn’t able to pry Diaz away from his commitment to SEC power Vanderbilt. Diaz only played in 13 games during his senior campaign, but was still able to put up solid numbers. The shortstop hit for a .406 average, while knocking in 10 runs on 13 hits and swiping a perfect 9-for-9 stolen bases. Diaz also showed that he could have a future behind the plate, as he displayed a quick ability to pick up the position during his senior year.

Bennett Markinson (Harvard-Westlake, Studio City) Sr.
Once it was determined the CIFSS D1 champs would get three on first team (same as JSerra, the team the Wolverines beat in their last game), the tough choice was which three. Markinson wound up as one of them. He was first team all-Mission League and first team All-CIFSS for the division. He also put up solid numbers against top-notch competition: .417 average, .631 slugging, 1.106 OPS, 43 hits in 32 games, 12 doubles, two homers, 22 RBI, 34 runs and 13 steals. Markinson will play next at Northwestern.

Marcelo Mayer (Eastlake, Chula Vista) Sr.
The CIF San Diego Section has had a history recently of producing some of the top end talent of the state and Mayer follows in that tradition. Projected as a potential No. 1 pick in the MLB Draft, the infielder fell into the laps of the Boston Red Sox at the No. 4 overall selection. The shortstop was named the Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year and is the second Eastlake player in a row to pick up this honor after Keoni Cavaco grabbed the honor in 2019 (no honors were able to be done in 2020). Mayer was one of the hardest hitters in the state, with the senior smashing a large school state leading 14 home runs and had a .392 batting average while driving in 45 runs. The well-rounded prospect also had 46 runs, snagged 18 bags and was walked 31 times in 34 games. Mayer and Eastlake fell to Ayala of Chino Hills in the CIF SoCal D1 regional playoffs, but the senior ended his impressive career with a grand slam.

Daniel McElveny (Bonita Vista, Chula Vista) Sr.
As the Red Sox were scouting Marcelo Mayer it looks like they also checked out a player from nearby Bonita Vista. In fact, with their 166th pick in round six of the MLB Draft, Boston chose McElveny. That ranked him all the way up to No. 5 among all California high schoolers who were drafted. Daniel’s improvement from the end of his junior season (very early of course due to COVID) into his senior year was remarkable. McElveny hit .435 for the 19-11 Barons with five homers, nine doubles and 37 runs scored.

Max Muncy (Thousand Oaks) Sr.
Doing it all for the top-ranked Lancers, Muncy batted .469 with 45 hits, 49 RBI, 11 home runs, 34 runs scored and stole nine bases. Four of this Arkansas commit’s home runs were grand slams. Defensively, Muncy recorded a team-high 50 assists at shortstop with a fielding percentage of .928 and he helped turn 11 double plays. He was chosen as the Los Angeles Times “Player of the Year” and the L.A. Daily News Player of the Year. Muncy (not related to the L.A. Dodgers’ star) was a first-round (No. 25 overall) selection in the 2021 Major League Draft by the Oakland Athletics.

Roc Riggio (Thousand Oaks) Sr.
This Oklahoma State signee started the season hitting home runs in five consecutive games, a feat that came one short of the state record. Riggio kept hitting bombs and finished with 12. The left-handed batter was in the leadoff spot for his team and posted a .377 batting average to go with the homers. Riggio also had 26 RBI, a .619 on-base percentage, .857 slugging average, 44 walks, 50 runs scored and 21 steals. Riggio was also a Los Angeles Times 2021 All-Star.

Ryan Rivera (San Marcos) Jr.
He went toe-to-toe with Eastlake’s Marcelo Mayer and Grossmont’s Isaiah Gomez for the home run title in the CIF San Diego Section this season, with the 2022 San Diego State University commit blasting 12 home runs on the year. The third baseman continued to be the catalyst for the Knights, with the junior knocking in a team high 37 RBI on 44 hits and scoring 40 runs for San Marcos. Rivera also drew 14 walks in 30 games and will have San Marcos primed to once again be a top team in the SDS next year. He already has been named to the all-section first team plus first team all-state for juniors.

Cody Schrier (JSerra, San Juan Capistrano) Sr.
Here is another JSerra grad heading to UCLA. Cody also continued the Lions’ reputation for producing top-tier shortstops with his fielding and a .372 batting average as a leadoff hitter. Schrier is blessed with an athletic build and strength. He already was selected as a Los Angeles Times 2021 All-Star. In addition, he has shined on the international stage as he was named the 2019 World Baseball / Softball Confederation International Baseball “Player of the Year.”

Jacob Tobias (Liberty, Bakersfield) Sr.
He proved during his four years at Liberty that he is one of the top power hitters in the CIF Central Section, as the Arizona State University bound senior crushed his way to the top of the home run charts. The third baseman had a section leading 10 home runs and drove in 28 RBI during 22 games for the Patriots. Tobias was a key reason that Liberty reached its first ever Central Section Division 1 title game against state power Buchanan (Clovis). The Patriots would also secure a spot in the first ever Southern California Playoff Regional.

FIRST TEAM OUTFIELD

Toussaint Bythewood (Harvard-Westlake, Studio City) Jr.
A highly gifted player with the complete package, especially on defense due to his strong arm, Bythewood was named the Mission League’s “Most Valuable Player” as a junior this past season and was on the L.A. Times 2021 All-Star squad. He had a .429 batting average, four triples and 11 stolen bases. Toussaint, a UCLA commit, is the son of acclaimed movie director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who we once saw compete as a high school athlete for Pacific Grove in track and field.

Cole Koniarsky (Ayala, Chino Hills) Sr.
Being a four-year starter for a very successful Ayala program elevated Koniarsky to first team all-state. This Cal State Fullerton signee is described as a good runner who moves well in the outfield — covering a lot of ground with excellent reads off the bat and efficient routes to the ball. As a senior, Koniarsky batted .393 with six home runs, thirty-seven RBI, seven stolen bases and a .984 fielding percentage.

Eddie Madrigal (Elk Grove) Sr.
The latest Madrigal to play at Elk Grove would be the top honors candidate from a squad that went 23-4 and was the highest state-ranked team from the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section. Eddie is a cousin of current Chicago Cubs’ second baseman and former all-state player Nick Madrigal (who also played at Elk Grove). Eddie only played three games as a junior, but went 5-for-10 with four RBI and this year he led the team with a .400 batting average. He was named the Delta League Most Outstanding Player. Madrigal will play next at St. Mary’s, closer to home than some other colleges who recruited him. It’s only been since last June when Eddie lost his father to brain cancer so for him to keep on working hard & getting better was not easy.

Matthew Polk (Lutheran, Orange) Sr.
Head coach Eric Borba has a continuing dynasty at OLu and Polk was a huge factor for the Lancers in 2021. He contributed three home runs with 26 RBI, a .360 batting average, a .511 on-base percentage, and .560 slugging average. Polk was named “Most Valuable Player” of the prestigious JSerra Classic, won by his team. In that event, he was 7-for-13 with two doubles, a home run and four RBI. Described as an “uber-athlete who is a game-changer with his speed,” Polk committed to Vanderbilt where he is looked upon as a dynamic prospect with high-level athleticism, quick feet and soft hands at shortstop.

Quincy Scott (Mission Hills, San Marcos) Sr.
This two-sport standout had a knack for always finding a way on base during his senior season. His major accomplishment was tying Adrian Gonzalez (Eastlake) for the San Diego Section hitting streak record at 29 games (which also makes the state record book). The 6-foot-5 outfielder had an elite OPS of 1.495 and sported a batting average of .545 in 34 contests. Scott had a team high 35 RBI while connecting on 54 hits and took first base a combined 36 times between walks and being hit by pitches. The senior is uncommitted for his future plans, but has picked up a football scholarship offer to Idaho.

Tyler White (Bishop Amat, La Puente) Sr.
Already named as the Del Rey League MVP and Player of the Year by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, White can now add first team all-state. The smooth, speedy outfielder helped Amat go on a deep playoff run that included a win in the CIF SoCal regional playoffs at Buchanan of Clovis. White, who will play next at Long Beach State, batted .494 with an on-base of .567 and a slugging mark of .788. He also had three homers, 12 doubles and 25 RBI.

FIRST TEAM MULTI-PURPOSE (Hit & Pitch)

Tucker Bougie (Tamalpais, Mill Valley) Sr.
With all-state medium schools first team picks Malcolm Moore and Davis Dias already written up for this first team overall group, it only stands to reason that the Medium Schools State Player of the Year also gets the same honor. Bougie, who is going to play next at Cal, led the Red-tailed Hawks to a 19-1 record and Marin County Athletic League title. He was voted player of the year in that league. The 6-foot-3, 195-pounder ended 6-0 as a pitcher with a 0.43 ERA while as a batter he had a .472 batting average with four homers and seven doubles.

Carson Williams (Torrey Pines, San Diego) Sr.
One of the top two-way players in the country this season resided in the CIF San Diego Section, as Williams wreaked havoc on opponents of Torrey Pines this past season. The five-tool player had a .495 batting average with 35 RBI, 42 runs and 12 home runs on 48 hits. Williams also averaged just over one stolen base a game, with the senior snagging 34 stolen bases and not being caught once. The Tampa Bay Rays saw the same talent as the SDS, as the American League East squad made the shortstop their first round pick in the MLB Draft at 28th overall.

Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports