Kingsburg shortstop Houston Hirschkorn / Photo: Sam Marshall
By Gabe Camarillo
gcamarillo@1430espnfresno.com
Evading rain, lightning and whatever else Mother Nature threw in its direction, high school baseball chugged along in the Central Section.
The next stop: league play.
For the Tri-River Athletic Conference, that begins Wednesday. For leagues like the Tri-County Conference and East Yosemite League, it’s already begun. For others like the CMAC, it begins later this week.
Regardless of when your team battles their league rivals, this checkpoint in the season marks a good time to analyze the “preseason” results and rank teams ahead of the “real season,” as some coaches like to call it.
So, without further ado, here is my initial batch of Central Section Top 20 high school baseball rankings, plus my “Next Five Up” and a few more receiving votes. In addition, you’ll have Gabe’s Guide to guide you through the rationale for each ranking.
First edition of Central Section high school baseball rankings
1. Bullard (4-3)
Gabe’s Guide: Deep lineup, 1 through 9. UC Irvine-bound CF Trevor Wilson, batting .304, hit a grand slam to help beat #3 Bakersfield Christian on Mar. 15. Fresno State signee Cam Schneider (0.70 ERA) pitched a complete game shutout, 5-0. San Diego State commit Keynen Gomez consistently gets on base, and senior Jaxon Murphy leads the team with eight hits.
An injury to star shortstop Beckett Zavorek hasn’t slowed down Bullard, which halted a red-hot Bakersfield Christian in its tracks. Sam Reynolds (1-0, 2.44 ERA) helps answer the Knights’ biggest preseason question mark – pitching depth. If you take away a 9-run 6th inning vs. Bellarmine or 7-run 6th inning vs. Valley Christian, where Bullard dug deep into its bullpen, the Knights have been competitive in every game and have not lost to a Central Section opponent.
2. Buchanan (4-4)
Gabe’s Guide: Tradition doesn’t graduate. Despite losing three starting pitchers and five college-bound batters, Buchanan finds itself near the top again because of emerging new guys, plus production from Long Beach State-bound veterans Colton O’Toole and JP Acosta (.423, 6 RBI).
Newcomer Arturo Becerra, batting .333, has a home run and five RBIs. Trent Hill (2-0; 2.53 ERA) has been reliable on the mound; he came in the 5th inning against Bakersfield Christian on Feb. 18, put out a fire, and earned the win with three scoreless innings. Buchanan’s only losses have been against out-of-town competition. The Bears avenged a loss to West Ranch, lost 6-3 to Bellarmine (which beat Bullard 13-4), and squandered a 10-3 lead in a 12-11 defeat to St. Ignatius. Their 6-5 win over No. 3 Bakersfield Christian, which beat Stockdale, means they stay ahead of both for now.
3. Bakersfield Christian (7-3)
Gabe’s Guide: After two losses to start the campaign, Bakersfield Christian turned into the hottest team in Central Valley high school baseball. Their 6-0 run through the Central Classic, capped by a walk-off 6-5 win over defending Division I champion Stockdale, skyrocketed them to No. 3.
Luke Mann leads the charge, batting .500, while TCU commit Mason Brassfield combines a 2.38 ERA with 14 RBIs at the plate. He struck out 14 Mustangs over 4 1/3 innings in the Central Classic championship. Oregon signee Toby Twist has the most starts, delivering a 2.90 ERA. A base Division III ballclub, their ceiling is Division II – but this team has Division I hitting and pitching.
4. Stockdale (6-3)
Gabe’s Guide: Had the Mustangs held onto a late 5-3 lead over Bakersfield Christian, they could be even higher. But that result, along with a 1-0 loss to No. 23 Righetti, weighed down the resumé enough to keep Stockdale at No. 4.
This team returns a lot of pieces from last year’s championship squad. It starts with another Oregon-bound ace from Bakersfield, Ryan Featherston (1.50 ERA). He notably struck out 11 in a complete-game victory over No. 8 Redwood, 3-1. Bowen Salyards has filled the No. 2 starter role admirably in place of Austin Charles. Will Stockdale stockpile runs like they did last season behind departed seniors Charles and Adam Enyart, who combined for 18 home runs? The Mustangs have one of the best hitting/fielding middle infields in the Valley between St. Mary’s commit Matthew Torres and San Diego State commit Ruben Rodriguez.
5. Kingsburg (9-1)
Gabe’s Guide: Underestimate the Vikings at your own peril. The Coca-Cola Classic champions avenged their only loss of the season by dispatching Clovis, 7-2 on Mar. 9. Before this, Kingsburg outlasted No. 7 Clovis West in extra innings, 2-1, and beat No. 10 Tulare Western twice. The resumé is solid, and they land in the Top 5 because of head-to-head wins over two TRAC foes.
Brothers Houston and Holden Hirschkorn hold identical .515 batting averages and combine for 19 RBIs. Cal State Fullerton commit Ethan Winslow is the RBI leader with 15; he also rocks a 2.50 ERA on the hill. Senior right-hander Jacob Bray is dealing, sporting a 4-0 record and team-low 1.79 ERA, and Ethan Salazar has been lights-out from the bullpen, allowing one run over 13 innings. Bodhi Verners tallied three hits in the win vs. Clovis.
6. Clovis (4-3-1)
Gabe’s Guide: The fact that a team as talented as Clovis is ranked No. 6 goes to show the parity in Central Section baseball. They went toe-to-toe with No. 1 Bullard, losing 3-1 on Schneider’s no-hitter. But the Cougars’ most impressive performance came on Mar. 8, one day after a tie with unranked San Joaquin Memorial, when they beat Clovis West 2-1 in extra innings behind freshman Logan Georges’ six strong innings. He allowed one hit and one unearned run. Since they beat No. 5 Kingsburg 8-1 the first time around, the Cougs are definitely close behind the Vikings.
Clovis gets speed, fielding and hitting from steady senior Jaden Carrillo (.360 avg) and junior Marcel Leal (.333). Georges and Logan Borboa lead the team in ERA, and Nico Morelli has been nails out of the bullpen.
7. Clovis West (3-4)
Gabe’s Guide: Records can sometimes be deceiving, and Clovis West is the perfect example. Three of their losses came in extra innings, and the other came by one run. The 6-1 loss to Tulare Western came after the Golden Eagles almost pulled it out in the 7th inning, and there were chances for West to take the lead in the later innings against Clovis. Considering how tightly contested the Clovis-Clovis West game was, they should be right next to each other in rankings.
The hitting will come around for a veteran group of batters like Clovis West’s. The pitching has been outstanding and kept them in ballgames. Junior Jake Turley, called up from JV, boasts a 1.27 ERA; junior Brody Santos has logged a team-low 0.72 ERA, and Fresno State commit Tyler Patrick (2.05 ERA) heads another stellar Golden Eagle pitching staff.
8. Redwood (5-4)
Gabe’s Guide: The Rangers have elite arms that could carry them to an East Yosemite League title and possibly further. Stanford commit Joey Volchko, an MLB Draft prospect, throws one of the hardest fastballs in the Valley. He fanned 14 over six innings against El Diamante on Mar. 16. Cal Poly commit Reece Bueno is a two-way standout, and Alex Hernandez has earned a pair of wins, one of which against No. 11 Frontier.
Joey Rico hit two home runs in the Rangers’ latest 6-0 win over No. 16 El Diamante. He also hit one out against No. 9 Liberty on Feb. 21, a 5-1 Ranger win highlighted by Volchko’s 13 strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work.
9. Liberty-Bakersfield (6-3)
Gabe’s Guide: Liberty lost a star with the No. 41 overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft, Cutter Coffey. Oklahoma State commit Brock Thompson and Stanford-bound Brady Reynolds have picked up the slack, though. Reynolds’ on-base percentage has been north of .500, helping him score a team-high 11 runs. Thompson is batting .321 this season, and junior Caden Churchman leads the Pats in three hitting categories (.321, 13 hits, 10 RBI). Liberty’s ace Nathan Coffey has allowed just two runs in 16 innings.
Liberty’s ranking could improve based on their performance against No. 4 Stockdale Wednesday. They’ve lost to No. 2 Buchanan twice and No. 8 Redwood once, hence why they are behind both.
10. Tulare Western (5-4)
Gabe’s Guide: Tulare Western’s 1-0 win over Frontier, although early in the season, proves the difference in this initial batch of rankings. Another point in Tulare Western’s favor is wins inside the Top 10; Tulare Western beat No. 7 Clovis West, 6-1, whereas Frontier does not have a Top 10 win yet.
Tulare Western gained a lot of respect in its season opener, leading No. 1 Bullard 2-0 through 5 ½ innings before falling 4-3. UCLA commit Justin Cuellar struck out 11 of 13 batters faced that afternoon. Save for some Kingsburg offensive explosions, the pitching staff has been stout, buoyed by seniors John Callison and Brylan Coehlo. Two more seniors, Ben Leon and James Corral, are the Mustangs’ two leading batters.
11. Frontier (7-3)
Gabe’s Guide: The Titans returned their five leading hitters from last year’s squad that upset top seed Buchanan in the postseason. That explains some of the big offensive outputs from Frontier in ‘23 – 14 runs in a rematch win against No. 23 Righetti, 12 runs against Edison, and nine runs in a loss to No. 8 Redwood.
Despite losing 63% of their innings from last season, Frontier has pitched well and posted four shutouts. The leader on the mound is junior Logan Judd, who is 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA. At the plate, Cade Parks is tied for the Central Section lead with 17 hits, and Judd and Joseph Galbadon are team RBI co-leaders with 12 apiece.
12. Madera (6-2)
Gabe’s Guide: Madera is one of the best stories in Central Section baseball. One year ago, the team was 10-18 and opted out of the playoffs. Now, the Coyotes are explosive at the plate and racking up wins over Division I teams like Clovis North and Centennial. The Coyotes nearly beat No. 11 Frontier too, before the Titans launched a 7th inning rally to win, 4-2.
Senior Benji Molina is off to a torrid start (.444 avg, 2 HR, 9 RBI), and sophomore Joel Arrelano is another power bat with two home runs and team-leading 10 RBIs. Francisco Espejo earned the season-opening, 10-6 win over No. 15 Clovis North and parlayed that performance into a complete game shutout over No. 17 Fresno High on Feb. 28.
13. Centennial (4-5)
Gabe’s Guide: The Golden Hawks got a big win over No. 3 Bakersfield Christian, 9-2, on Feb. 16. Yet Centennial’s later losses to lower-ranked ball clubs Clovis East and Righetti keep it outside the Top 10 – for now. The good thing about playing in the Southwest Yosemite River League is that they face No. 4 Stockdale and No. 9 Liberty three times each, opportunities to boost their ranking.
Centennial dropped the first test to Stockdale last Friday, 4-2. Wins over Central and Clovis North keep the G-Hawks ahead of the two TRAC teams.
14. Central (4-4)
Gabe’s Guide: The Grizzlies kicked off the season to a roaring start, tallying 33 runs in their first two games. No. 20 Arroyo Grande and No. 13 Centennial needed late rallies to beat Central, and the Grizzlies didn’t play a full seven innings against No. 22 Kerman; the rain ended a 3-2 Kerman win short. With how competitive Central has been, even in losses, they earn a slight nudge above Clovis North, but the two will settle affairs in TRAC play.
Returning infielders Skylar Dwiggins and Josh Barajas each have 10 hits, and seniors Dallan Alles and Nico Gaucin bring experience and power to the lineup. Warren Vercher has displayed electric stuff on the mound, striking out 35 batters over 19 innings.
15. Clovis North (5-4)
Gabe’s Guide: Clovis North has an opportunity to hit the ground running in TRAC play, facing No. 7 Clovis West for three straight days starting Wednesday. It’s one of the best offenses in the league vs. one of the best pitching staffs. The Broncos have two batters hitting at or above .400 – sophomore Wyatt Prieto (.452) and UNLV-bound junior Jayden Hertel (.400). Sophomore Nate Etchegoinberry gets on base at nearly the same rate (.394), and sophomore Jack West drives them all in with 10 RBIs.
Notice a theme? Clovis North’s production comes mostly from underclassmen. 10 players have at least 10 plate appearances; only one of them is a senior. Head coach Jeff Prieto is investing in the future but also trying to win now with senior pitcher Nate Logan leading the staff. He fired four scoreless innings for the win over No. 17 Fresno on Mar. 7.
16. El Diamante (6-4)
Gabe’s Guide: The Miners played No. 6 Clovis tough on Mar. 3, taking an early 3-0 lead, answering back in the 6th inning after falling behind, and tying the game again in the 7th. The Cougars walked it off, but this result – as well as a 4-2 loss to Clovis North – showed El Diamante isn’t too far behind the TRAC teams. They also drew two of the best arms in Tulare County, Volchko and Callison, in other losses.
What’s leading to wins? Caleb Silva is batting .406 with four doubles. The team ERA sits at 1.32, a sign of an effective pitching staff headlined by seniors Matthew Bettencourt, Brandon Petty and Trevor Hampel.
17. Arroyo Grande (6-5)
Gabe’s Guide: Arroyo Grande has had an up-and-down season featuring big wins over No. 8 Redwood, No. 11 Frontier and No. 13 Central but also losses to No. 16 El Diamante and No. 9 Liberty where they gave up 10 runs in each. In four of their wins, the Eagles allowed one or fewer runs, so pitching is a strength.
Hitting is a strength for senior Ryan Tayman, who through 26 at-bats, is batting .538. The reason the Eagles are ranked this low – that 10-1 loss to El Diamante on Feb. 17. But there is room for the Eagles to soar as the Mountain League appears wide-open this season.
18. Fresno (5-4)
Gabe’s Guide: The Warriors check in just ahead of Clovis East because of their head-to-head win on Feb. 24. They landed inside the Top 20 not only because of the games they won, but the games they almost won – falling by one run to No. 3 Bakersfield Christian, two runs to No. 12 Madera, and three to No. 13 Centennial.
Their record reflects a tough schedule that made Fresno High better, and they are rewarded for that. The next chance to gauge the Warriors against high-level competition will be the Easter Classic next month.
19. Clovis East (3-6)
Gabe’s Guide: Clovis East has shown an ability to beat anybody, taking down No. 13 Centennial and No. 23 Righetti… the day after Righetti beat No. 4 Stockdale. The T’Wolves snapped a three-game skid in emphatic fashion last Friday, beating Paso Robles, 15-4. Mason Martino earned the win on the mound by striking out eight over six innings.
Martino and Gabe Manriquez have held it down on the mound. Martino is also good at the plate, recording three hits against Righetti, and Rocco Gonzalez and Preston Gaeta (.308) are other bats to watch for Clovis East.
20. Washington Union (8-3)
Gabe’s Guide: The Panthers own a Top 10 win by beating No. 8 Redwood on Opening Day, 8-5. They’ve won four of the last five, averaging almost eight runs per game. There’s no sophomore slump with Gianni Di Redo, a .486 batter with 11 stolen bases.
Texas commit Trey Morris is not too far behind with a .429 average plus one home run. He hasn’t pitched as much this season, but he’s a quality bat along with RBI leaders Nico Reed and Kyle Plaza.
Next five up:
21. Liberty-Madera (8-3)
The Hawks beat old league foe Kerman 7-2 to stay just ahead of the Lions. Junior Maguire Smith is the Section hits co-leader with 17.
22. Kerman (5-4)
Kerman beat solid Central Coast squads Arroyo Grande and Righetti, the latter of which comes in behind Kerman because of the head-to-head result. Gilbert Acosta is tied for the home run lead in the Central Section with three.
23. Righetti (6-5)
Righetti scored one huge win over a Bakersfield foe, 1-0 over No. 4 Stockdale, and almost won another. No. 9 Liberty needed to score four runs in the bottom of the 7th to rally past the Warriors, 5-4 on Feb. 22. An extra-innings loss to Liberty-Madera means Righetti is behind them for now.
24. San Luis Obispo (4-3)
The Tigers split their first two games with No. 17 Arroyo Grande. Their strength of schedule is highly rated by MaxPreps, but they’ve only faced one team they would potentially meet in Division I playoffs — Arroyo Grande. A base D1 team, the Tigers faced four base D3 teams to start the season.
25. Ridgeview (6-3)
Ridgeview checks in behind San Luis Obispo because of the Tigers’ 4-3 win between the two. A win over No. 13 Centennial is impressive; a Wolfpack win Wednesday over No. 3 Bakersfield Christian would garner serious attention.
Next teams on deck: Cabrillo, Sanger, San Joaquin Memorial
