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New Episode LIVE now! - At The Yard Podcast

The 2024 California high school baseball season is quickly approaching and, as usual, excitement is abound throughout the state. Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across California.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in their respective CIF Section Championship Game, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes reality. We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams across the state as we preview individual teams across California. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, eventually releasing our Preseason Power 25 rankings that’ll carry us into the opening week of action and the Third Annual Prep Baseball California Spring Invitational.

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across California. Each week we will be releasing our Power 25, Players of the Week, Diamond Notes, Podcasts and much more.

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Crespi Carmelite Celts
Head Coach: Mike Glendenning
CIF Section: CIF-SS, Division 2
Conference League: Mission League
2023 Record: 23-8-3
Team X Handle: @crespiathletics

Team Strengths: We handle small ball well and are able to put pressure on the defense
No. of Returning Starters: 5
No. of Returning Pitchers: 3
Areas of Improvement: Hitting for power and pitching.

 

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COMMITTED PLAYERS

+ ‘25 RHP Tyler Walton - UC Santa Barbara - 6’4 170 lbs.

+ ‘25 INF Nate Lopez - San Diego State- 5’11 180 lbs.

+ ‘25 C Landon Hodge - LSU - 6’0 165 lbs.

+ ‘25 SS/RHP Diego Velazquez - Southern California - 6’2 195 lbs.

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TOP UNCOMMITTED SENIORS

+ ‘24 RHP Brayden Briscoe - 6’1 180 lbs.

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TOP UNDERCLASS FOLLOWS

Class of 2026

+ ‘26 INF Isaias Tirado - 5’9 145 lbs.

+ ‘26 OF Krystan Bell - 5’9 140 lbs.

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TEAM OUTLOOK

After tallying 28 wins last year, the Celts bring back a solid core of upperclassmen back, highlighted by a number of Division 1 commits. Recent Prep Baseball Future Games standout, ‘25 Tyler Walton returns a .97 ERA from last year across eight appearances. ‘25 Diego Velazquez will be expected to make two-way contributions all season long, bringing back a .354 batting average and a 1.39 ERA from last season. ‘25 Nate Lopez and ‘25 Landon Hodge are both two other key returners for the Celts; expect them to make a big impact all year long.

Not only do the Celts have a number of committed talent on the squad, but uncommitted senior ‘24 Brayden Briscoe will yet again be a big piece on the mound, as he pitched to an ERA of .38 last season. ‘26 Isaias Tirado and ‘26 Krystan Bell are a pair of underclassmen to note as they will look to take on larger roles as they head into their second year at the prep level.

Coach Mike Glendenning’s Expectations: “To compete for a Mission League title ”

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