Billy Carlson of No. 1 Corona gets mobbed by teammates after home run hit during last year’s NHSI in North Carolina. Photo: @USABEvents / Twitter.com.
The Cal-Hi Sports state baseball rankings enter the 47th season of compilations and begins with what could be the most powerful squad to ever take the field in the state. Defending State Team of the Year Corona has that kind of starpower and also is just about everyone’s No. 1 team in the nation. Huntington Beach also seems like a solid No. 2 for Southern California by everyone as well, but we’re starting out Granada of Livermore (32-1 last season with many top returning players) in the same place statewide where it finished in 2024.
Note: We hope you enjoy this free post on CalHiSports.com. All preseason and/or first rankings for any season are free as a sample of the work we do on a regular basis (and for more than 40 years in five sports). All regular season weekly and final state rankings, however, are available only to our Gold Club members as well as our state stat star of the week honor rolls. Some of our the eventual all-state teams also will be for Gold Club members only. To check out getting a Gold Club membership to see all of these features plus all of our updated state record lists, and more, CLICK HERE.
CHECK OUT CALGAMESWANTED.COM
Created for Coaches by Coaches for California Varsity High School Head Coaches and Athletic Directors, Start building your schedule with CalGamesWanted.com.
User friendly to take the stress out of scheduling.
(Win-loss record from 2024 season)
1. Corona 30-3
Where to begin with the Panthers? They were the top team in California last season after winning the CIF Southern Section Division I title, won the National High School Invitational and were No. 1 in more than one final national poll. Mr. Baseball State Player of the Year Seth Hernandez leads the returnees and yes he could be the first player taken in the next MLB Draft. Corona also could have two others going high in the first round in the same draft — infielder Brady Ebel and pitcher/infielder Billy Carlson. NCAA championship teams don’t even have that. Add to that a junior in Anthony Murphy who’s been State Player of the Year for his class, plus top-ranked sophomore Trey Ebel (younger brother of Brady and both sons of L.A. Dodgers’ third base coach Dino Ebel) and major transfer Ethin Bingaman from Arrowhead Christian (who should fill the gap of graduated pitching standout Ethan Schiefelbein) and it’s just an unprecedented bag of gold. The trick for head coach Andy Wise and staff will be to keep the group focused on what can be accomplished as many of the players have their entire futures playing in their minds. It only takes one really good pitcher on a roll in one day to grind it all to a halt.
Mikey Boyd is one of the returning standouts at No. 2 Granada of Livermore. Photo: @matadorbaseball / X.com.
2. Granada (Livermore) 32-1
If it wasn’t for so much coming back at Corona, the Matadors in a normal year may have been preseason No. 1. That’s partly due to what they did last season, a run that culminated with a CIF NorCal D1 title and comparisons to some of the greatest teams in Bay Area/NorCal history. State Coach of the Year Corrigan Willis does lose leading pitcher Parker Warner to Stanford, but will have a staff led by USC-bound Jake Sekany and four other pitchers who all had a lot of experience. The lineup has most of it back, led by third baseman Mikey Boyd (Fresno State) and catcher Tommy Brown (Arizona State). Outfielder Tyler Klardy (St. Mary’s) is another top returnee.
3. Huntington Beach 24-10
Most of the preseason rankings seen thus far (nationally & one for the state) have the Oilers next behind Corona. We almost did that as well, but Granada had such a historically great season in 2024. This group is loaded with 13 college committed players and will be playing in the biggest events, including the NHSI in North Carolina. Brothers Trent (senior) and Jared (sophomore) Grindlinger are the two leading returnees. Trent, a catcher going to Mississippi State, is one of the best at his position nationally. Jared, who pitches and plays outfield, is one of the top sophomores nationally regardless of position. Among others back for head coach Benji Medure are senior outfielder Trevor Goldenetz (Long Beach State), who had 30 hits last season, and junior infielder C.J. Weinstein (.322, three triples, three homers).
4. Valley Christian (San Jose) 27-6
Head coach John Diatte starts the season with 763 career wins since 1993 that puts him seventh on the all-time state list. In all those years, he may not have ever had the pitching that this year’s group can claim. Two of the best — Quenten Marsh and Brock Ketelsen — are going to Stanford. Another, Kole Laubach (UC Santa Barbara), had the program’s first ever perfect game last season vs St. Ignatius. And there’s also imposing fireballer Rohan Kasanagottu, who is headed to USC. The Warriors should be fired up not to falter like they did last season in the CIF Central Coast Section D1 playoffs (upset by Archbishop Mitty) and then took a loss to St. Mary’s (Stockton) in the NorCal regionals. In additiion to the pitching, VC has a lot back from its lineup, led by catcher Jordan Ortiz (Loyola Marymount) and infielder Hunter Fujimoto (Santa Clara).
5. Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 22-10-1
Senior pitcher Brennan Bauer had some great outings last season for the Eagles as a junior and was on the all-state team. He may not be the top pitcher on the staff, however, as senior Hayden George (UCLA) missed most of last season with an injury and will be back. Head coach Chris Malec also has the returning Co-Player of the Year in the Trinity League coming back in junior Brody Schumaker, a TCU commit. Lanky senior first baseman Blake Ankrum also is back as one of several big-banging left-handed hitters. He batted .364 last season and was All-Trinity League.
6. St. Mary’s (Stockton) 30-6
Last season’s CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 champions and NorCal D1 runner-up to Granada certainly have enough returning firepower to deserve to be that section’s preseason No. 1. Tanner Grove got the win in the section final, had a 1.23 ERA for the season, went .378 as a hitter with 23 RBI and is headed to Washington. Pitcher Nico Bavaro (9-0, 0.52 ERA) has committed to UCLA. Also back is senior infielder Brady Errecart (.361, 43 hits). Junior Dax Hardcastle also was one of the top sophomores in the state. He had 31 RBI as a hitter and could become one of the aces in the pitching staff with a 90-92 mph fastball.
Senior Brady Errecart and junior Dax Hardcastle helped St. Mary’s of Stockton win 30 games last season, including the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 crown. Photo: Mark Tennis.
7. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City) 27-5
We thought about putting Mission League rival Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) higher, but the Wolverines deserve to be higher ranked until that’s proven on the field. They’ve been a national/state powerhouse the past several seasons and will have to revamp their pitching this season with big-timer Bryce Rainer (first round MLB Draft pick), Duncan Marsten (Wake Forest) and Tommy Bridges (TCU) all moving on. Head coach Jared Halpert always has pitching depth and should have some others stepping up. The lineup is more loaded with two of the top sophomores in the nation — OF/INF James Tronstein (Stanford commit) and OF Ira Rootman — among those back. The infield also will have Michigan-bound Jack Laffitte and and Cade Goldstein (UC Santa Barbara).
8. Lutheran (Orange) 28-7
There’s a big change at OLu as longtime head coach Eric Borba has stepped away after the team won the CIF SoCal D1 championship last season. Borba had been the Lancers’ head coach for 16 years and took the program to national acclaim. R.J. Farrell, an assistant coach the last few seasons, has been promoted. The Lancers probably won’t drop at all with that change and there are some in SoCal who have them as winning the Trinity League title this season (and not Santa Margarita). Junior pitcher Gary Morse was the Trinity League Soph of the Year after going 6-2 with a 1.18 ERA. OLu also still has senior 1B/OF Josiah Hartshorn (Texas A&M) and junior catcher Brady Murrietta (Texas commit) ready to rake at the plate. Another pitcher to watch is senior Stanford commit Colt Peterson.
9. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 19-10-1
Head coach Tom Dill enters his 34th season with another highly-ranked squad that will be playing an elite schedule. Despite the loss of MLB Draft pick Levi Sterling, the pitching looks to be a real strength with returnees such as Logan Berenson (Boston College) and Holden Newhouse (Loyola Marymount). The Knights have senior infielder Dominic Cadiz back to lead the offense. He has signed with UCLA. Junior catcher/pitcher Jacob Madrid (Long Beach State) is another player that scouting analysts think has a lot of high-end potential.
10. De La Salle (Concord) 21-8
The Spartans will need to have some younger players step up if they’re going to challenge Granada of Livermore in the East Bay Athletic League and in the CIF North Coast Section. They do have some leading players to build around, especially junior shortstop Tyler Spangler (.375, five homers, 30 hits) and senior outfielder Alec Blair (.377). Blair, signed by Oklahoma on a basketball scholarship but going to play baseball there as well, draws comparisons by us to MLB outfielder Christian Yelich. Senior Ethan Sullivan also is back after getting 26 hits and 19 RBI. The top pitcher may be junior Graham Schlict (3-1, 2.75 as a soph).
11. La Mirada 25-8
While Bear Harrison is no longer at De La Salle, the Matadores will have sophomore Bear Calvo, who was one of the state’s top freshmen last season. He plays infield and pitches. Head coach Jimmy Zurn also has a great group of returnees overall. The list includes senior Kevin Jeon (39 hits, 12 doubles), senior Maverek Russell (33 hits), senior Aidan Aguayo (31 hits) and junior Jacob Oropeza (.353, 36 Ks in 28 innings).
12. Granite Hills (El Cajon) 21-8
Possibly since we’ve covered several of the Eagles playing football and know how athletic they are, we’re going to start them out on top among teams from the CIF San Diego Section. They also were the runner-up team in the Open Division last season after also nearly winning the Open Division title two years ago. Brenden Lewis, who was all-section as a receiver in football, will be a four-year standout in baseball. He has signed with Arizona State for baseball. Parker Vance, who had eight interceptions last season in football, returns for the Eagles in baseball after hitting five homers and seven doubles. Head coach James Davis also has solid returnees on the mound and elsewhere in the lineup.
St. Augustine of San Diego scores a run during Western League matchup last spring with Patrick Henry. Both teams are included in this year’s preseason rankings. Photo: FOX5 San Diego.
13. St. Augustine (San Diego) 23-8
Saints are going to get a bunch of preseason attention in the CIF San Diego Section as well. They clearly have the top pitching staff based on college signings/commitments and one of the best in California. Senior Grayson Boles (Texas) leads the group and is getting MLB Draft buzz. Junior Jonny Haskett (Cal commit) also is in that pitching group. St. Augustine’s lineup has most of its players back as well, including catcher Shane Miranda (Notre Dame) and shortstop Tyler Wick (Oregon).
14. Clovis West (Fresno) 26-8
All of the top teams from last year in the CIF Central Section suffered different degrees of graduation losses, none more than defending D1 champion Liberty of Bakersfield. Clovis West was the runner-up last season, but then nearly upset Granada of Livermore in the NorCal D1 playoffs (Liberty went to the south). Head coach Kevin Patrick loses his son, Tyler, to Fresno State plus some others, but there is a pretty good core still around. Catcher Micah Raygoza and infielders Nolin Santillan and Matteo Martinez give the Golden Eagles much strength up the middle.
15. Maranatha (Pasadena) 22-7
Zach Strickland ranks as one of the top returning pitchers in the state. The UCLA-bound senior racked up an 8-0 record with a 0.40 ERA last season and struck out 88 batters in 53 innings. The Minutemen also have solid depth in their pitching with five other returnees. Senior infielder Josh Proctor (Oregon) and junior outfielder Erid Zdunek (TCU commit) are two of the top returning players on offense.
16. Franklin (Elk Grove) 26-7
The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 champs from two years ago fell short last season and despite losing all-state level talents such as infielder Jordy Lopez, pitcher Nic Abraham and more, there’s still much to get excited about. Pitcher Dylan Wood is back with an Arizona scholarship, but also has MLB Draft potential. UC Santa Barbara-bound Kyle Pott is another pitcher to watch. Jason Harris (Cal commit) had a breakout 2024 season, but another junior, Dylan Minnattee, had such a monster summer that he’s now ranked among the top hitting prospects nationally in the class. Minnattee has committed to LSU.
17. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 28-5
The Cardinals were D2 for the CIF NorCal playoffs last season, but they won the title and have a tremendous 1-2 punch in returning pitching this season and should again be stronger than all but a few D1 programs in Northern California. Josh Jannicelli, the Redwood Empire Pitcher of the Year with a 12-1 record and 0.73 ERA, is one of those two. The other is senior Jack Pezzolo, who had a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts in a win last season vs Vallejo. Infielder Charlie Slater is one to watch as well. He had 21 hits as a junior.
Josh Jannicelli is one of two pitching aces from Cardinal Newman of Santa Rosa who are back this season. Photo: Cardinal Newman Athletics.
18. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 23-10
Junior shortstop Alex Harrington has been a highly-regarded prospect in the Class of 2026 for a couple of years and is joined as a standout for the Dons by twin bother Hunter, who is an outfielder. Both Harrington brothers have committed to Stanford. Senior OF Trey Gudoy (UCLA) also returns. While this team looks like a contender for the San Diego Section Open title right now, it should get much better when La Jolla Country Day transfers Joshua Priest (outfield) and Jose Partida (pitcher/hitter) both become eligible. They are sophomores. Junior Shoei Darvish from IMG Academy in Florida is another transfer who won’t be eligible for the first few weeks of the season.
19. JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 15-13-1
While the Lions on paper don’t have the returning strength of either Santa Margarita or Orange Lutheran in the Trinity League, they should continue to be very hard to beat in the Trinity League. The State Team of the Year for 2023 has two all-leaguers returning with junior pitcher Josh Hollis and senior infielder Tyler Dunning (UCLA). Josh is the younger brother of 2023 all-state first team J.J. Hollis and younger brother Joey (a sophomore) is coming up next and he’s a big-time pitcher as well. Infielder Jordan Marian (UC Santa Barbara) and junior pitcher Marcus Greis (TCU) return as well.
20. Rocklin 24-11
The Thunder reached the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 final last season and have a lot back both in terms of pitching and hitting. There’s two D1-bound pitchers coming off top-notch junior campaigns with Joey Lorenzini (Arkansas) and Daniel Pantanglow (San Diego State). Lorenzini struck out 63 in 37 2/3 innings while Pantanglow went 7-1 with a 1.90 ERA. The team’s top hitter from last season, Cash Brennan, who is going to Arizona, also returns. He had 40 hits as a junior with a .374 average.
21. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 14-14
This team is much higher ranked by the L.A. Times and Prep Baseball CA and it’s easy to see why. We just have never started out a team that was .500 or below in a previous season in the top 20. Those teams need to prove it on the field first before going much higher. The Lions will be led by junior Quentin Young, a highly regarded infielder/hitter who is the nephew of former MLB players Dmitri and Delmon Young. Quentin has committed to LSU. They also have a solid top two pitching combo with senior Ty Hanley (Cal State Bakersfield) and junior Jack Laubacher (Oklahoma State).
22. Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) 24-9
It still might be a year away for the Broncos being way up there since there is a powerful group of juniors coming up, but they have a chance to arrive early. The top returnees are junior outfielder Brady Strachan (.354, 35 hits as a soph), junior outfielder Nathan Bembenek (.321, 35 hits) and power-hitting junior catcher Owen Glick. Junior Caden Dockan also is back to help with pitching. He has committed to UC San Diego.
23. St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 23-11
The Braves have shown to be quite competitive in the Trinity League and there are high hopes for 2025. They are coming off of a CIF SoCal D3 championship and they have a brand new baseball diamond ready to open. Junior pitcher Julian Garcia was one of the top sophs in SoCal last season with an 8-2 record and 1.86 ERA. Other top returnees include senior catcher/first base Micah Taguiam (28 hits, 21 RBI), junior outfielder Jaden Jackson (23 hits) and first basman Moises Razo (Fresno State).
24. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth) 16-11-2
It looks like the Trailblazers will be a team to watch in the Mission League with Harvard-Westlake and Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks). Head coach Tom Muesborn has two first team all-league selections back with senior outfielder Andrew Nelson and junior infielder Cody Gallegos. Junior shortstop Greyson Gullage (Cal Poly SLO commit), senior pitcher/infield Ethan Montes and junior pitcher Armando Solorio are other players who have had shining moments last spring and in summer showcases.
25. Heritage (Brentwood) 20-6-1
The next team in line from the East Bay area of the CIF North Coast Section just may be the Patriots. The Bay Valley Athletic League champs from last season return most of their roster. BVAL MVP Alonzo Alvarez, a senior catcher who led the team in 2024 with 28 RBI and 27 hits, tops the list. Two-way standout J.J. Kinnaird, who had 26 hits at the plate and went 7-0 as a pitcher with a 1.58 GPA, also is back.
NEXT 10 TEAMS IN ORDER
26. Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 20-9
Returning standout Vaughn Neckar and the Broncos should be tough to beat once again in the Big West Conference.
27. Frontier (Bakersfield) 21-10
Pitcher/outfielder Brady Durkan is one of the top returning players in the CIF Central Section and there are other solid players who are back. Update: He was looked up, but didn’t see that Brady will be out for the season before doing these rankings.
28. Clovis 20-10
The Cougars are another preseason favorite in the CIF Central Section and in the Tri-River Athletic Conference.
29. Paloma Valley (Menifee) 27-2
Almost all of the pitchers who got wins for the Wildcats last season were underclass.
30. Patrick Henry (San Diego) 21-8-1
St. Mary’s-bound Cody Cappelletti should lead one of the best pitching staffs in the CIF San Diego Section.
31. Gahr (Cerritos) 18-11
The Gladiators are projected to be second behind La Mirada in the Gateway League and have two top USC commits in junior shortstop Andres Gonzalez and senior pitcher/hitter Bryce Morrison.
32. Torrey Pines (San Diego) 23-11
The defending CIF San Diego Section Open Division champions have a lot of graduation losses, but have a couple of leading hitters back, including senior outfielder Aidan Stroot (26 hits, 18 RBI).
33. Liberty (Bakersfield) 32-4
It’s also a situation of major graduation losses for the defending CIF Central Section D1 champions, but catcher Tryce Spainhoward is one to watch with four homers, 38 hits, 12 doubles and 38 hits from last season.
34. Great Oak (Temecula) 16-11
Catcher Dylan Fien may have gone in the seventh round of the MLB Draft, but infielder Gavin Fien is back (Texas commit and one of top hitters in SoCal) along with some other promising players.
35. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 20-13-1
The Monarchs were the ones that knocked off Valley Christian in the CCS Open playoffs and then won the title with a mostly senior lineup, although returning senior Waylon Walsh batted .389 with 42 hits.
More Teams On The Bubble
Aquinas (San Bernardino) 24-7
Bell 22-7
Bishop Amat (La Puente) 18-9
Buchanan (Clovis) 15-16
Crespi (Encino) 9-18
Cypress 19-10-1
Granite Bay 24-10
Hart (Newhall) 26-5
Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 17-13
Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) 15-14
Red Bluff 22-11
Royal (Simi Valley) 16-13
San Dimas 25-5
Serra (San Mateo) 22-7
Villa Park 18-12
Whitney (Rocklin) 21-12
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.
