2024 Team Preview: Villa Park
March 14, 2024
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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 season coverage continues today.
High School: Villa Park Spartans
Head Coach: Burt Call
CIF Section: CIF-SS Division 1
Conference League: Century/Crestview
2023 Record: 20-11
Team X Handle: @VPHS_Baseball
Team Strengths: Our team chemistry is our strength as a team. We play well together and compete at a high level
No. of Returning Starters: 1-Justin Tims
No. of Returning Pitchers: 3
Areas of Improvement: Just get a little better each day.
COMMITTED PLAYERS
+ ‘24 3B/RHP Justin Tims - Washington - 6'3 195 lbs.
+ ‘24 1B Issac Barrales - La Verne - 6'1 190 lbs.
TOP UNCOMMITTED SENIORS
+ ‘24 OF Zach Mattern - 6'2 200 lbs.
+ ‘24 SS/RHP Aaron Sambath - 5'8 155 lbs.
TOP UNCOMMITTED JUNIORS
+ ‘25 OF Nate Lewis - 6'0 175 lbs.
+ ‘25 2B Jacob Sandoval - 5'10 170 lbs.
+ ‘25 1B/RHP Jake Nobles
TOP UNDERCLASS FOLLOWS
Class of 2026
+ ‘26 OF Dominic Gutierrez - 6'0 170 lbs.
Class of 2027
+ ‘27 C Owen Dunne - 6'1 175 lbs.
TEAM OUTLOOK
Off to a solid 5-3 start this season, Villa Park has relied on dominant pitching early on. On the mound, ‘24 Justin Tims has yet to allow an earned run in his 14 innings of work and has racked up 18 strikeouts, too. Fellow senior leader Aaron Sambath has been equally as impressive so far, as he is pitching to a .51 ERA across 13.2 innings of work, while also being a large piece of the Spartans offensive efforts as well.
‘25 Jake Nobles has also enjoyed a hot start to the season, as he is currently batting to an average of .308 while also driving in four so far. ‘24 Isaac Barrales and the aforementioned Tims are both still warming up with the bat, expect them to be a dangerous duo once they get hot.
Coach Burt Call’s Expectations: “We are a young team this year. We will look to Justin Tims for leadership this year. We expect to compete for a league title. We will get stronger as the season goes on. We are talented but young and inexperience ”
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