LaVerne, CA. - After being rained out on Saturday the Maranatha Minutemen squared off against the San Dimas Saints at Bonita High School in their first game of the Inland Valley Tournament on Monday.

In front of 20+ professional scouts 2019 RHP Dawson Netz took the mound for his first regular season start of the season. The Arizona signee did not disappoint the drove of scouts that came out to see him. The righty worked 91-93 with his fastball early showing some life and movement with the pitch. He snapped off an 11/5 shaped late breaking curveball that shows depth which he was able to command for the most part and drop in for strikes. He worked with those two pitches until the third inning - second time through the lineup - when he unleashed his full repertoire.

Netz flashed his hard biting slider at 78 that he used as an out pitch at least once while throwing in any count. The pitch features late two-plane break as it fades away from right handed hitters. He also threw his changeup at 81-83 that induce weak roll over contact from hitters. Netz maintained his velo very well working 91-93 in third and 90-92 into the fifth. Netz finished with seven strikeouts while allowing three hits after retiring the first 11 hitters he faced. He also collected two hits.

Countering Netz for San Dimas was 2019 RHP Zach Jacobs a UC Riverside signee. The 6-foot-1, 150-pound righty came out pumped about the big time matchup working 86-87 and touching 88 three times in the first inning. He settled into his customary 85-86 velocity but it’s the movement on his pitches that makes things difficult for hitters. Nothing is straight out of his hands particularly in the 85-86 range where there’s noticeable arm-side run on his fastball.

After allowing a leadoff double to Max Blessinger, Jacobs picked him off third base to end the threat in the first inning. In the second Jacobs ran into some trouble. A walk, a single, an HBP, and another walk plated the first run before a sac-fly scored another.

Jacobs would settle down after that finishing the day with five strikeouts and five hits allowed.

The play of the game came from 2020 OF Jacob Moreno of Maranatha. San Dimas was trailing 3-0 and had to men on when Isaiah Marquez squared up a ball into the right center field gap that would’ve easily scored two runs and maybe more had it rolled to the wall. Moreno, who was shaded on the third base side of center field tracked the ball before making the diving catch and taking all the wind out of the Saints sails.

ELSEWHERE:

Cypress traveled to face Gahr on the road before heading into the Loara Tournament this week. The Centurions trotted out 2019 RHP Cameron Repetti to the mound. The Cal State Fullerton signee had some command issues early before settling in and finding his rhythm. The righty tossed a complete game shutout that included five hits and seven strikeouts. His fastball was 85-88 topping out at 90 while his curveball was 71-72 mph. He also featured a slider at 72-75 and changeup at 77-78 mph.

2021 INF Matthew Polk is an electric athlete that continues to impress our team of scouts. The UCLA commit flashes elite speed while his bat and defense have improved significantly since last season. His bat-to-ball skills are uncanny and with continued added strength he is certain to see his power numbers increase. He had one of the five hits on the day for Gahr, a standup double.

2022 C Luke Davis is the No. 1 player in the state in his class due to his combination of power at the plate and high level defense behind it. He flashes a strong, accurate arm and good feel for the position. But it’s his bat that will attract all the attention. It’s a smooth, aggressive stroke that generally results in him getting the barrel on the ball. As a switch hitter there’s room for development, but there’s no questioning his present power and bat speed.

Huntington Beach Edison traveled to face off against El Dorado on Monday afternoon. It was a close game throughout as each team scored a run in the fourth inning. Then 2019 shortstop Ted Burton of Edison stepped to the plate in the top of the eighth inning in a 1-1 game. The Michigan signee led off the inning and wasted no time doing damage teeing off on the first pitch he saw.

 

NOTES:

Blessinger, an Oregon State commit, put together some really good at bats on the day. Having him in the leadoff role will pay huge dividends for Maranatha this season. His approach is consistent and he shows a very good understanding of the strike zone. He shows aggressive patience at the plate as the table setter for what should/will be a very stout offense this season...The at-bat of the day goes to 2020 INF/C/P Ryan Kim of San Dimas. The sophomore came up with Netz cruising and put together a 13-pitch at-bat that gave his teammates time to breath. Kim fouled off pitch-after-pitch and the at-bat appeared to wear on Netz a bit. Not coincidentally when Jacobs took the mound the next inning he had one of his better innings....2020 first baseman Brock Vrandenburg of Maranatha is a physical specimen at 6-foot-5, 220-pounds. And while he didn’t have any loud contact in the game, his present power is obvious. Will be a fun player to monitor this season….2021 third baseman Robbie Mansour of San Dimas is good with a chance to be a special type player. His feel for the game on defense is off-the-charts. He’s always in proper position and has the tools/instincts of a shortstop where he’ll likely slide over when the spot opens up. The Cal Poly commit was one of the better players on the field….2021 SS/RHP Caden Aoki, the 30th ranked player in the state in his class, put together a heck of an afternoon. The sophomore threw four strong innings striking out four and allowing four hits. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Solano-Sac Junior Future Games Trials	CA	02/24	Vacaville Christian HS
SoCal Junior Future Games Trials	CA	03/09	O'Malley Field - Harvard Westlake
East Bay Junior Future Games Trials	CA	03/24	Athenian School
North Bay Junior Future Games Trials	CA	04/28	Clyde P. Smith Field - Cardinal Newman HS
Northern California Future Games Trials	CA	05/26	Islanders Field
SoCal ProCase	CA	06/08	Hart Park

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