Prep Rally: Here's Who To Watch For In High School Baseball

Hi, and invited to different version of Prep Rally. I’m Eric Sondheimer. The precocious schoolhouse shot play originates this week, and it’s nan athletics that produces nan astir early pro athletes successful Southern California. While everyone thinks they are a scout and thousands of dollars are spent connected backstage coaches, recreation shot and showcases seeking immoderate benignant of edge, nan bottommost statement is whether a subordinate tin nutrient results against value competition. And throwing 90 mph without throwing strikes intends thing to nan programs that win.

Baseball begins

St. John Bosco High teammates observe pinch a dogpile connected nan section aft winning nan location shot title past season.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Baseball is nan athletics successful Southern California wherever you deliberation nan champion squad tin triumph a title but doesn’t because there’s ever different squad pinch arsenic bully pitching Corona was nan definite squad past play to triumph it each (just for illustration nan Dodgers), but St. John Bosco hit nan Panthers successful nan playoff semifinals and won nan Southern Section Division 1 championship.

Now St. John Bosco is nan Corona of 2026: Everyone’s No. 1 squad to commencement nan play because of galore returnees, including nan Clark twins, James and Miles; person Jack Champlin; apical hitters Jaden Jackson and Noah Everly; positive nan summation of a patient pitcher, Julian Garcia, who was expected to beryllium nan No. 1 thrower past play until an injury.

Just for illustration Corona, however, St. John Bosco is nary judge point because there’s tons of teams pinch nan benignant of standout pitching to hit nan Braves successful a one-game playoff situation.

The Mission League unsocial has truthful galore pitchers throwing 90 mph and supra that if you don’t person a radar weapon astatine a game, you look retired of place. Harvard-Westlake, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, Sierra Canyon and Loyola each person formidable pitchers tin of winning large games against apical opponents.

St. John Bosco faces contiguous challengers successful nan Trinity League, led by Orange Lutheran, which has different squad filled pinch all-star players, including 6-foot-8 pitcher Gary Morse and Huntington Beach infielder transportation CJ Weinstein. Texas perpetrate Brady Murrietta will beryllium a four-year standout. The Lancers tin show anyone that being classed No. 1 hardly guarantees occurrence successful nan postseason. They haven’t been capable to triumph a conception title contempt tons of awesome teams.

Royal has a group of pitchers pinch large arms fresh to spot wherever they stand. Who’s going to inflict a nonaccomplishment connected Huntington Beach inferior Jared Grindlinger? Striker Pence of Corona Santiago has been clocked throwing 101 mph.

Cypress, El Dorado, JSerra, Santa Margarita, Mater Dei, Aquinas, La Mirada, Arcadia, Norco, Gahr and Huntington Beach person nary fearfulness of taking connected nan large boys this season.

As acold arsenic pro prospects, outfielder Blake Bowen of JSerra, outfielder Anthony Murphy of Corona, infielder Trey Ebel of Corona and infielder Brody Schumacher of Santa Margarita are among nan apical players to watch.

And hole for 1 of nan astir talented group of players from nan people of 2029, led by nan leader of nan El Segundo Little League World Series team, Louis Lappe, who makes his freshman debut for Harvard-Westlake.

Here’s a floor plan of Lappe and 2 of his chap people of 2029 teammates.

Here’s a preseason all-star team.

Here’s the preseason apical 25 rankings by The Times.

Boys basketball

OJ Popoola of Palisades has made awesome contributions aft transferring pinch his copy relative from Detroit.

(Nick Koza)

The City Section Open Division semifinals are group for Saturday astatine L.A. Southwest College. Palisades will look San Pedro astatine 6 p.m. and Cleveland will return connected Fairfax astatine 4 p.m.

Fairfax upset No. 3-seeded Birmingham. San Pedro eliminated Coliseum League champion Washington Prep. San Pedro has nan benignant of seasoned squad that mightiness beryllium capable to enactment pinch nan top-seeded Dolphins for a small spot if its area is working.

The apical seeds are mostly holding successful Division I. The semifinals will person No. 3 Venice astatine No. 2 Chatsworth and No. 5 L.A. Jordan astatine No. 1 Granada Hills.

In Division II, No. 10-seeded Marquez is making sound down shot standout Elyjah Staples, upsetting No. 2 Eagle Rock 57-50. Marquez will beryllium astatine Sylmar successful nan semifinals. King/Drew coach Lloyd Webster has his squad successful semifinals aft a 52-50 triumph complete Downtown Magnets. He besides was smiling because his son, Josahn, scored 22 points for Rolling Hills Prep successful its triumph complete Orange Lutheran successful Southern Section Division 1.

La Mirada sewage a breakthrough triumph successful nan Southern Section Open Division. Here’s the report. On Tuesday, Corona Centennial is playing astatine Redondo Union to find No. 1 successful its excavation and ditto for Harvard-Westlake astatine Santa Margarita.

Blair upset top-seeded Bonita successful Division 4. Blair is coached by Derrick Taylor, who’s won championships astatine Taft and St. John Bosco. Here’s nan report.

Mater Dei and JSerra proceed to predominate successful Division 2 and Division 1, respectively. JSerra will look a situation successful nan quarterfinals connected Tuesday from Rolling Hills Prep astatine North Torrance. Rolling Hills Prep inflicted a nonaccomplishment to Orange Lutheran past week.

Girls basketball

One of nan champion coaching jobs this play has been turned successful by Birmingham’s Victor Koopongsakorn. The Patriots are 27-3 and seeded No. 2 successful nan City Section Open Division contempt being a young squad pinch fewer returnees. Next up is simply a semifinal crippled against Hamilton connected Saturday. The different semifinal has top-seeded Westchester facing Venice. Three of nan 4 remaining teams are from nan Western League.

In nan Southern Section Open Division, there’s nary motion immoderate force is going to frighten Ontario Christian, Etiwanda aliases Sierra Canyon among nan 12 teams successful excavation play. All 3 are preparing to inevitable meetings successful nan adjacent 2 weeks.

Oak Park came done pinch a 67-44 triumph complete Corona Centennial to make itself nan apt No. 4 squad to situation nan large three. Karisma Flores had 17 points and Ava Rogerson 15.

Two seasoned coaches, Charlie Solomon of Brentwood and Kevin Kiernan of Troy, faceed pinch their teams connected Saturday successful Division 1. Troy won 61-48. Kiernan is nan winningest coach successful California history. He came retired of status to return for a 2nd stint astatine Troy. Mei-Ling Perry had 19 points and 9 rebounds to beforehand Troy to nan quarterfinals. Kelsey Sugar had 20 points for Brentwood.

Softball

Garden Grove Pacifica continues to return pridefulness successful each of its erstwhile players playing assemblage softball. The database is astatine 16 for this season. As they say, “Once a Mariner, ever a Mariner.”

Norco, nan defending Southern Section Division 1 champions, is expected to beryllium nan preseason No. 1 pinch nan return of pitcher Coral Williams. The Cougars unfastened nan play Tuesday astatine location against Aquinas.

Defending City Open Division champion Granada Hills has to find a pitching replacement for Addison Moorman, but has tons of hitters, including Zoe Justman, who batted .442, and Elysse Diaz, who deed .470. The Highlanders will effort erstwhile again to hole for City title by playing Southern Section teams successful nonleague and tourney games.

Wrestling

Birmingham’s Henry Aslikyan, seen present past year, became a four-time City Section champion connected Saturday.

(Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)

Henry Aslikyan of Birmingham capped disconnected a singular four-year tally successful City Section wrestling by winning his 4th City individual title. This clip it was astatine 120 pounds, sending him connected to nan authorities championships. He has won 2 authorities titles but nan 120-pound section will beryllium nan toughest successful authorities pinch 3 returning authorities champions competing.

Here’s the nexus to complete City results.

Here’s the nexus to Southern Section results.

Soccer

El Camino Real, South East, Marquez and Palisades are nan 4 teams that person made it to nan City Section Open Division boys shot semifinals. On Thursday, top-seeded El Camino Real will big Palisades and No. 2 South East will big Marquez.

On Wednesday successful City Open Division girls semifinals, No. 1 Cleveland plays big to Palisades and Thursday, No. 6 New West Charter hosts Granada Hills.

In Southern Section Open Division boys, nan quarterfinals statesman Tuesday pinch Orange Lutheran hosting Placentia Valencia and JSerra hosting Mater Dei. In Division 1, Servite is nan 4th Trinity League still live and plays big to Santa Monica.

In Southern Section Open Division girls, Santa Margarita, Oaks Christian, Mater Dei and Redondo Union person advanced.

In Southern Section Division 1 girls, Mission League rivals Harvard-Westlake and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame will look disconnected successful Wednesday’s quarterfinals astatine Harvard-Westlake.

Competitive equity playoffs

The CIF governs precocious schoolhouse sports successful California.

(CIF)

There’s still coaches unhappy pinch nan Southern Section competitory equity playoff strategy utilizing machine algorithms to spot teams successful divisions.

The Southern Section says nary strategy is perfect, but it’s clear nan strategy utilized for hoops is flawed. How successful nan sanction of sanity (just spell inquire coaches) was Mater Dei placed successful Division 2? They were successful Division 1 each play until taking a free autumn from Jan. 27 until nan clip nan adjacent rankings were released during seeding announcements. They happened to request an at-large berth to suffice for nan playoffs and wouldn’t person earned 1 successful Division 1, causing conspiracy theories. I don’t judge location was a conspiracy, conscionable that nan machine strategy sewage it severely wrong. Mater Dei has won its first 2 Division 2 playoff games by scores of 83-63 and 85-59. And look for much to travel because they are a Division 1 team.

Here’s a look astatine nan concerns.

Notes . . .

St. John Bosco has already won nan transportation portal successful precocious schoolhouse shot pinch nan announcement that standout sophomore violative tackle Elisha Mueller of Servite has arrived astatine nan Bellflower school. Leuzinger sophomore backmost Russell Sekona has transferred to Mater Dei. Leuzinger sophomore protect backmost Pakipole Moala has transferred to Santa Margarita. Here’s nan transfer portal list. . . .

Russell White has stepped down aft 10 years coaching eight-man shot astatine Flintridge Prep. He’d for illustration to effort 11-man football. White led Crespi to a Division 1 shot title successful 1986 playing moving backmost and went connected to prima astatine Cal earlier being drafted by nan Rams. . . .

Rick Garretson is nan caller shot coach astatine Servite. He’s a 1974 postgraduate of Servite, was erstwhile a long-serving adjunct coach and served arsenic caput coach astatine Chandler successful Arizona from 2019-2024. Here’s the report.

Kicker Jacob Kreinbring of Loyola has committed to Stonybrook. . . .

Football coach James Stewart of La Quinta has resigned. Lucas Alexander will beryllium nan caller coach. . . .

Randy Luna is nan caller shot coach astatine Canoga Park. . . .

Fred Gambrell has resigned aft 2 years arsenic caput shot coach astatine Sunny Hills. . . .

Junior receiver Eli Woodard of Chaparral has committed to USC. . . .

Golfer Charlie Woods, nan teenage boy of Tiger Woods, has committed to Florida State arsenic portion of nan people of 2027. . . .

Two apical precocious schoolhouse shot tournaments for this outpouring person been finalized. The Boras Classic will statesman April 7 astatine Mater Dei and JSerra. The National Classic besides will beryllium held successful Orange County starting March. 30. Here’s the link.

St. John Bosco twins Ethan and Justin Coach, standout linebackers, person committed to Washington. . . .

Henry Polanco is nan caller girls emblem shot coach astatine Schurr. . . .

Kiyoshi Harris is nan caller shot coach astatine JW North. . . .

Benjamin Siff, an adjunct shot coach astatine St. Margaret’s since 2016, has been named nan caput coach effective astatine nan extremity of nan 2026 season. Long-time coach Scott Wallis is leaving retired of Orange County astatine nan extremity of this season. . . .

Richard Masson has announced his status from coaching basketball. What a travel he’s had coaching boys and girls aft winning much than 700 games. He was boys coach astatine L.A. Jordan for 7 years, Carson boys coach for 22 years, Rolling Hills Prep girls coach for 7 years, Carson girls coach for 4 years. He’s won championships and coached tons of awesome players. “Blessed to person had awesome players, adjunct coaches and support system,” he said.

From nan archives: LaMelo Ball

Chino Hills defender LaMelo Ball pulls up for a changeable complete Mater Dei’s Michael Wang and Matthew Weyand (21) successful 2017.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

It’s been 9 years since LaMelo Ball scored 92 points arsenic a 15-year-old sophomore for Chino Hills successful a 146-123 triumph complete Los Osos successful February of 2017, truthful why not look back.

The large statement was whether it was an accomplishment that should beryllium celebrated aliases criticized.

“As a coach, if I spot a subordinate doing well, who americium I to extremity his shine?” Stephan Gilling, Chino Hills’ first-year coach, said successful 2017.

“About nan 3rd quarter, my dada said, ‘Keep shooting,’” LaMelo said during a power question and reply connected KLAC-AM (570). “If I knew I was going to people that much, I would person changeable much successful nan first half.”

Here’s a story looking backmost astatine that game.

Recommendations

From nan Seattle Times, a communicative connected erstwhile NBA defender Jamal Crawford coaching his boy successful precocious school.

From nan Tennessee Bar Assn., a communicative connected really nan authorities is moving to loosening transportation rules pinch 1 free sports transfer.

From nan Pleasantonweekly, a communicative from past December from a precocious schoolhouse sportswriter detailing his vexation pinch nan transportation issues successful California precocious schoolhouse sports.

From nan Los Angeles Times, a communicative connected really Brentwood School’s diversion accommodation are facing a situation from nan Veterans Administration.

Fram Angelusnews, a communicative connected nan turnaround astatine St. Bernard.

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Until adjacent time....

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