HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL PREVIEW 2024
WHERE WE LEFT OFF
In its past 30 postseason games dating to 2016, De La Salle under coach David Jeans is a mind boggling 30-0. Even when the Spartans look beat, they find a way to break hearts and dreams. Last season, Central Coast Section powerhouse Valley Christian had De La Salle on the ropes in the CIF Northern California Division I final. Playing at home in San Jose, Valley needed one more out to secure a victory. Little did anyone know that divine intervention was about to emerge. Hank Tripaldi, whose mother had died of breast cancer earlier in the spring, crushed a grand slam over the left-field fence to turn a one-run deficit into a second consecutive regional championship. As Tripaldi circled the bases, he pointed to the sky to tell his mother, Robin, that he did it for her. De La Salle won 11-8, scoring six runs in the visitor’s half of the seventh inning. The victory was eerily similar to the Spartans’ NorCal triumph the previous season at home against St. Francis. De La Salle trailed by three runs in the final inning before scoring four to win 7-6. … St. Ignatius was the only other team to capture a regional championship that finished in the Bay Area News Group Top 20. The Wildcats won the Division II crown behind a pair of then-freshman pitchers, Chase Gordon and Archer Horn. SI beat Casa Grande in the final and finished fourth in the final BANG Top 20. … As for teams from BANG’s coverage to win section titles in 2023, here is the list: De La Salle (Division I) and Athenian-Danville (Division V) in the NCS and Valley Christian (Division I), Bellarmine (Division II), Santa Teresa (Division IV) and Hillsdale (Division V) in the CCS.
BEST OF THE BEST
De La Salle graduated quite a bit of thump and defense from last season’s regional championship team, including first-team all-BANG players Tanner Griffith, Connor Harrison and Kai Smith. But back to lead the pitching staff is Santa Clara University commit RJ Meyn, a left-hander who went 10-0 with a 2.20 ERA while receiving second-team all-BANG honors. Hank Tripaldi also is back for one more season before moving on to San Diego State. Tripaldi hit .314 with 29 RBIs as a junior. Center fielder Alec Blair returns as well. A highly touted two-sport prospect, the junior will join the baseball team once he finishes basketball season. …
Valley Christian is the CCS’s equivalent to De La Salle. The section championship the San Jose juggernaut captured in 2023 was its fifth in the past six seasons that the CCS has held a playoff. The Warriors graduated two key players from last year, West Catholic Athletic League pitcher of the year Michael Castaneda, who also played third base, and WCAL MVP PJ Moutzouridis, a vacuum at shortstop. But they have a big-time talent returning in outfielder Tatum Marsh, a Stanford commit who received first-team all-BANG recognition last year. The Warriors went 14-0 in WCAL play and also won the league playoffs in 2023. … Brian Pollzzie, last season’s Bay Area News Group coach of the year, has young but tested pitching on his St. Ignatius roster. … Clayton Valley Charter, which has a rich baseball tradition, reached the NCS Division I final and NorCal Division I regionals last season. But coach Casey Coakley will have to find replacements for catcher Ryder Helfrick and outfielders Myles Walton and Isaiah Landry. …
San Ramon Valley reached the semifinals of the NCS Division I playoffs last season. Colin Linteo, Julian Cambra, Luke Baker and Marco Jones are among the players back for the Wolves. … Archbishop Mitty, the NorCal Division II champs two seasons ago, should be in the mix for league and sectional titles this spring. Luka Pintar, a San Diego State commit, returns to anchor the pitching staff. … Bellarmine, with a roster that includes Arkansas-bound pitcher Wade Mountz, also could have a strong spring. … Carter Johnstone is back for perennial contender Los Gatos. The Cal State-Fullerton-bound infielder hit .464 (39 for 84) with 29 RBIs last season when he received Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division MVP honors.
WHAT’S NEW
Two years removed from winning the CCS Division I title, St. Francis has a new head coach as Erik Wagle has taken over from Matt Maguire, who stepped down in September after six seasons. … The WCAL’s round-robin schedule has a different look this season. Instead of playing the other seven teams in the first half of league play and then doing the same in the second half, the schedule now calls for a two-game series between the same teams each week. Other leagues have adopted similar schedules through the years. It is meant to prevent a team from pitching its ace against the best teams twice. … Graham Schlicht, a 6-4 sophomore pitcher/outfielder, has transferred from Campolindo to De La Salle. He received honorable mention all-BANG notoriety last season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
(alphabetical order)
Charlie Bates, IF, Palo Alto, senior
Baseball America ranks him the ninth-best draft prospect in the Class of 2024. Committed to Stanford.
Alec Blair, OF, De La Salle, junior
Rated No. 33 by Baseball American in the Class of 2025 draft prospects. Second-team all-EBAL as a sophomore. Hit .311 and knocked in 23 runs. Also a basketball star.
Ryan Burton, IF, Capuchino, senior
Second-team all-BANG and first-team all-PAL Bay Division as a junior last season. Had 40 hits and a .455 batting average.
Matthew Foley, P, Amador Valley, senior
Went 7-0 with a 0.89 ERA last season. Received second-team all-EBAL honors.
Rashad Hayes, IF, Bishop O’Dowd, junior
Stanford commit hit .312 last season, finishing with 24 hits, including nine doubles. Rated second-best defensive infielder in Class of 2025 by Baseball America.
Brayden Jaksa, C/IF, Irvington, junior
Oregon commit. Rated No. 53 by Baseball American in the Class of 2025 draft prospects. Measures 6-6, 205.
Carter Johnstone, IF, Los Gatos, senior
First-team all-BANG and his league’s MVP in 2023. Knocked in 29 runs. Hit four HRs. Committed to Cal State-Fullerton.
Colin Linteo, IF, San Ramon Valley, senior
Helped San Ramon Valley capture the East Bay Athletic League title last spring, finishing with a .359 batting average. Saint Mary’s commit.
Tatum Marsh, OF, Valley Christian, senior
Standout in center field and the batting order. Stanford commit had 35 hits ans scored 43 runs in 2023, earning first-team all-BANG recognition.
RJ Meyn, P, De La Salle, senior
Pitched a compete game in the NCS Division I final against Clayton Valley Charter last season, leading DLS to its sixth consecutive section title. First-team all-EBAL selection.
Wade Mountz, P, Bellarmine, senior
Arkansas-bound 6-7 pitcher helped the Bells win the CCS Division II title in 2023.
Jordan Ortiz, C, Valley Christian, junior
Steady presence behind the plate. Loyola Marymount commit hit .390 last season and was recognized as a first-team all-WCAL and second-team all-BANG selection.
Dominic Panella, P, Leigh, senior
Stanford commit posted a 2.67 ERA last season.
Luka Pintar, P, Archbishop Mitty, senior
First-team all-WCAL selection in 2023. San Diego State commit struck out 74 and walked just 21 for the league runner-up.
Nathan Tichy, OF/P, Pioneer, senior
Pepperdine commit went 9-2 with a 1.20 ERA, 118 strikeouts and 16 walks in 2023. He also hit .383 with 25 RBIs on his way to being named BVAL Mt. Hamilton Division MVP.
Hank Tripaldi, IF, De La Salle, senior
San Diego State commit hit .314 last season for section and regional champs.
Parker Warner, P, Granada, senior
Stanford commit pitched eight innings of two-run ball in the EBAL title game at San Ramon Valley last season, which the home team won in nine.
OTHERS TO WATCH
Liam Barrett, OF, Mountain View, senior
Diego Emerling, P, College Park, senior
Donovan Freed, 1B, Los Gatos, senior
Jacob Gilbreath, IF, Santa Teresa, senior
Archer Horn, P, St. Ignatius, sophomore
Trey Johnson, OF, Berkeley, senior
Samuel Johnston, P/OF, College Park, junior
Brandon Kim, OF, Leigh, junior
Cole Leschak, IF/P, Pittsburg, senior
Quinten Marsh, P/DH, Valley Christian, junior
Jordan Medina, OF/IF, James Logan, junior
Noah Morales, IF, Pioneer, senior
Graham Schlicht, P/OF, De La Salle, sophomore
Nate Simonton, P, San Ramon Valley, senior
Max Stallings, P/OF, Sequoia, senior
Bay Area News Group Baseball preseason Top 20
(Mercury News & East Bay Times)
No. 1 DE LA SALLE (27-5 last season)
Final ranking last season: 1
How it finished: Beat Clayton Valley Charter to win the NCS Division I title and Valley Christian to capture the NorCal Division I crown.
Season opener: Friday at Clovis, 6 p.m.
No. 2 VALLEY CHRISTIAN (31-4 last season)
Final ranking last season: 2
How it finished: Beat Hollister to win the CCS Division I title, lost to De La Salle in the NorCal Division I final.
Season opener: Wednesday at Cardinal Newman, 3:30 p.m.
No. 3 SAN RAMON VALLEY (20-10 last season)
Final ranking last season: 5
How it finished: Lost to Clayton Valley in the semifinals of the NCS Division I playoffs.
Season opener: Friday vs. Benicia, 3:30 p.m.
No. 4 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (21-8 last season)
Final ranking last season: 7
How it finished: Lost to Live Oak in the first round of the CCS Division I playoffs.
Season opener: Thursday vs. Prospect, 3:30 p.m.
No. 5 CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER (22-7 last season)
Final ranking last season: 3
How it finished: Lost to De La Salle in the NCS Division I final and to Valley Christian in the NorCal Division I quarterfinals.
Season opener: Feb. 27 vs. Cardinal Newman, 3:30 p.m.
No. 6 ST. IGNATIUS (20-12 last season)
Final ranking last season: 4
How it finished: Lost to Valley Christian in the CCS Division I semifinals and beat Bellarmine in the semifinals and Casa Grande in the final to win the NorCal Division II championship.
Season opener: Wednesday vs. California, 3:30 p.m.
No. 7 LOS GATOS (20-8 last season)
Final ranking last season: 13
How it finished: Lost to St. Ignatius in the first round of the CCS Division I playoffs.
Season opener: Thursday at St. Francis, 6 p.m.
No. 8 GRANADA (20-7 last season)
Final ranking last season: 9
How it finished: Lost to Pittsburg in the first round of the NCS Division I playoffs.
Season opener: Thursday at James Logan, 3:30 p.m.
No. 9 ST. FRANCIS (16-13 last season)
Final ranking last season: 18
How it finished: Uneven resume includes a doubleheader sweep of De La Salle. Lost to Hollister in the first round of the CCS Division I playoffs.
Season opener: Tuesday vs. Leigh, 11 a.m.
No. 10 AMADOR VALLEY (18-6 last season)
Final ranking last season: 16
How it finished: Lost to Freedom in the first round of the NCS Division I playoffs.
Season opener: Friday vs. Miramonte, 3:30 p.m.
No. 11 BELLARMINE (21-13-1 last season)
Final ranking last season: 10
How it finished: Won the CCS Division II championship, beating Leigh in the final, and lost to St. Ignatius in the semifinals of the NorCal Division II regionals.
Season opener: Feb. 29 at Bear Creek-Stockton, 3:30 p.m.
No. 12 JAMES LOGAN (19-7 last season)
Final ranking last season: 11
How it finished: Beat Foothill in the first round of the NCS Division I playoffs before losing to Clayton Valley in the quarterfinals.
Season opener: Thursday vs. Granada, 3:30 p.m.
No. 13 BERKELEY (19-8 last season)
Final ranking last season: 15
How it finished: Lost to San Ramon Valley in the quarterfinals of the NCS Division I playoffs.
Season opener: Saturday vs. Dougherty Valley, 2 p.m.
No. 14 PITTSBURG (20-10 last season)
Final ranking last season: 8
How it finished: Reached the semifinals of the NCS Division I playoffs, losing to De La Salle.
Season opener: Beat Miramonte 9-1 on Thursday and Kennedy-Fremont 8-1 on Saturday.
Up next: Wednesday vs. San Leandro, 3:30 p.m.
No. 15 FOOTHILL (15-10 last season)
Final ranking last season: Not ranked
How it finished: Lost to James Logan in the first round of the NCS Division I playoffs.
Season opener: Thursday at Serra, 3:30 p.m.
No. 16 MENLO-ATHERTON (19-8 last season)
Final ranking last season: 14
How it finished: Lost to Valley Christian in the opening round of the CCS Division I playoffs.
Season opener: Tuesday vs. Menlo School at MacDonald High, 4 p.m.
No. 17 COLLEGE PARK (11-14)
Final ranking last season: Not ranked
How it finished: Lost to Clayton Valley in the first round of the NCS Division I playoffs.
Season opener: Feb. 29 at Foothill, 3:30 p.m.
No. 18 SERRA (16-12 last season)
Final ranking last season: Not ranked
How it finished: Lost to Bellarmine in the semifinals of the CCS Division II playoffs.
Season opener: Tuesday at Sacred Heart Prep, 3:30 p.m.
No. 19 LEIGH (19-11 last season)
Final ranking last season: 19
How it finished: Lost to Bellarmine in the championship game of the CCS Division II playoffs.
Season opener: Tuesday at St. Francis, 11 a.m.
No. 20 CAMPOLINDO (18-9-1 last season)
Final ranking last season: 12
How it finished: Reached the final of the NCS Division III playoffs before losing to Cardinal Newman by a run in the title game.
Season opener: Feb. 29 vs. Las Lomas, 3:30 p.m.
Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
