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SAN DIEGO, CALIF. - San Diego High School baseball kicked off on Monday and our staff has been in full-go mode every day since. We saw a premium matchup featuring La Jolla Country Day and No. 13 Patrick Henry, some electric arms, and talented lineups filled with Power 5 commits and top uncommitted bats alike.

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No. 17 St. Augustine

Saints faced off against Francis Parker in two games to start off the season, grabbing an 11-1 win on Tuesday and an 8-2 win on Thursday. The lineup produced strong overall output and showed good indications for how the season will go. They face off against San Marcos this week.

‘25 SS Tyler Wick (Oregon) - Wick had an immediate impact as the St. Augustine leadoff hitter, collecting a smooth backside double. He’s a good runner with + bat-to-ball skills that generate hard contact to all fields. Wick showed on Thursday that he goes where the ball does, rather than being pull-happy. An opposite-field double to open his 2024 account is a great way to start. His motions at shortstop are confident and patient. 

‘25 RHP Grayson Boles (Texas) - The first outing for the season couldn’t have gone better for Boles, going 4 perfect innings, and striking out 10 of the 12 batters he faced. Boles’ stuff is undeniable, what was truly impressive was his efficiency. He completed his appearance with only 44 pitches. 

He relied heavily on the FB which was consistently sitting at 89-91 throughout the entirety of his appearance. He showed good control within the zone, hitting all corners of the strike zone. The only thing I felt was missing from the outing was a little more mixing of the pitches. Boles flashed a changeup that has seen minimal use in the past, setting the foundation to be used at a higher rate this year. There’s good lateral movement to the arm side and a subtle amount of dive, the -8 off the FB (82 mph) kept hitters way out in front during its limited use on Thursday. What everyone can anticipate to be the main secondary is his above average curveball. There’s a sharp break profile that Boles has full control over, pinpointing at the bottom of the zone, down and away as a chase pitch, and as a get-me-over pitch. Boles’ use of a top-of-the-zone FB paired with a sharp CB (77-79 mph on Thursday) dropped into/below the zone has proven to be his repeatable bread and butter in the past.

We also can’t ignore the hitting capabilities. Boles is the #1 nationally ranked first baseman and has turned in positive hitting results in his Saints career and at Prep Baseball events. At the 2023 Future Games, Boles hit the ball with an average exit velocity of 93.5 mph with his peak reaching 98.4 mph. The arm may be the focal point, but the bat will do damage in the middle of the St. Augustine lineup.

‘24 INF/OF Tommy Carney (Uncommitted) - We have all been buyers of the Carney stock here at Prep Baseball California for the last couple of years. He has been a consistent performer in all situations in the past two years at our events and has shown great improvements that leave him as a top ‘24 uncommitted player. A LHH with a rocket for an arm, full positional versatility, and good athleticism in tow, Carney has proven his well-rounded profile. He showed off the bat in game one, hitting a massive, pull side no-doubt grand slam. This year we anticipate Carney going off for Saints in an already stacked lineup.

‘25 C Shane Miranda (Notre Dame) - Miranda is the second Future Games alum on St. Augustine. He showed at LakePoint and this week that his defensive profile is extremely strong. He is very heads-up and is always looking to exploit lapses in focus from baserunners. A direct example of this is his two back picks on Thursday night. Miranda knocked a single up the middle on Tuesday, keeping his hands inside and getting the barrel vertical to an inside pitch.

Del Norte

Del Norte opened the week with two losses, they play Bonita Vista and Granite Hills this week.

‘24 SS Addison Klepsch (Auburn) - Klepsch attended the Prep Baseball Super 60 and showed off an extremely well-polished profile: 6.78 60-yard dash, 92 mph throwing velocity, 99.8 mph peak exit velocity, and event-leading rotational acceleration at 34.5 g. With this in mind, we know he can throw it, run, and hit it with excellent body control and efficiency. In a scrimmage, Klepsch rocketed a double down the line in left after being pitched around most of the day. He collected a hit against Cathedral Catholic and went 3-for-3 in a loss to Santana.

‘25 OF Elliot Kim (Uncommitted) - My first looks at Kim have been extremely impressive. He has a projectible tall and athletic frame. We didn’t see Kim in action in the field, but the speed and athleticism show promise for an outfielder with range, potentially sticking in CF. Onto the hitting, Kim collected four hard barrels resulting in a single and two doubles. My favorite of those four swings was a double to the wall in RCF. It is solid and hard contact throughout the park on all types of pitches. The gap-to-gap power and consistency make me think Kim will have a strong breakout campaign. A name to watch.

No. 3 Cathedral Catholic

Cathedral Catholic enters 2024 with one of the scariest lineups in the state. They proved their point dropping 15 runs in their first two games. A point of doubt for the overall strength of CC was their pitching staff but they did well in their first week allowing 3 runs. They will be tested this week in three games against Carlsbad, Hilltop, and La Costa Canyon.

‘24 INF/RHP Vincent Venverloh (USD) - Venverloh started on the mound going four strong innings punching out five while only allowing 3 hits and one unearned run. What impressed me even more was his at-bats. He had two fly-outs that were barrelled up, sending both near the warning track to LCF and RCF. In his third at-bat, he finally cashed in with a single up the middle driving a run in. He ended the day with 2 RBIs, a talented bat for CC.

‘24 INF Brooks Bachman (Colorado Mesa) - Bachman was 2-for-3 on the day grabbing 5 RBIs and a walk. Big day for the lefty as he was a main contributor to Cathedral Catholic’s 10-2 win over Del Norte on Tuesday.

No. 13 Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry pulled through a tight game against a top SD side in La Jolla Country Day. An early test from both teams we saw good pitching and hitting on both sides. They play against Torrey Pines, San Pasqual, and Mt. Carmel this week.

‘24 LHP/1B Talin Gardini (St. Mary’s) - Gardini was the standout of the day at both the plate and on the mound, pitching 6 innings, striking out 9, allowing 1 earned run on 2 hits and a walk. At the plate, he launched two doubles. On the mound, Gardini has that tangential competitive gene, feeding off this high-quality matchup. His confidence and bravado translated to his sequencing and results. He kept hitters off balance and chasing the entire game. His FB was consistently at 84-85 mph, topping at 86 mph twice. He held this velocity for his entire appearance and paired it with his 72 mph CB and 77-78 mph CH. Gardini’s pitch ability and hitting prowess have carried over from his performance MLK weekend. Should be the backbone of the Patrick Henry rotation with consistent performances.

‘24 OF Carter Lockwood (Uncommitted) - Lockwood drove in what was eventually the game-winning run (PH won 5-4) after the best at-bat of the night. He spoiled away multiple pitches to get to his, which he followed by connecting for a line drive into the RF corner. He ran approximately 11.2 seconds to third base where he was cut down by a good relay. An impressive and crucial start to the season for the PH leadoff.

‘27 OF/RHP Lukas Waite (Uncommitted) - We are very high on Waite coming into this season and after seeing him consistently hit and run like crazy over MLK weekend, his stock is sky-high as one of the top 2027s in the state and arguably the country. Adding to his middle-of-the-lineup bat, we have his pitching, up to 90 from the right side. An exciting freshman season to come for him in which he started it off by legging out a double in game No. 1.

‘25 SS/RHP Cody Cappelletti (Uncommitted) - Cappelletti is another bat/arm that PH has stashed at the front of their lineup. Last season he was stellar on the mound. With the bat, I’ve seen firsthand consistent hard contact up the middle as well as a strong defensive profile. That was shown off on Wednesday when Cappelletti knocked an RBI that he turned into a double after catching the outfielders sleeping. He started on the mound on Friday, going 5 innings allowing two runs. He routinely hit 89 mph with his FB and showed three offspeed pitches for strikes. CB: 71, SL: 75-77, CH: 77-78. Cappelletti also roped a single, driving in a run. Lots to see this season from the talented 2-way.

La Jolla Country Day

‘25 OF/1B Jackson Norum (Uncommitted) - Norum was the hottest bat for LJCD hitting a triple and a single driving in one run and coming across the plate twice. The triple went to the RCF gap with authority. The single was a hard line drive into LF. Norum has a smooth and violent swing with quick hands. Norum also collected two hits on Friday against Torrey Pines. Uncommitted name to follow in a strong LJCD lineup.

‘26 OF/1B Josh Rock (Uncommitted) - Rock had probably the most important swing of the day for a prospective LJCD comeback. He drove in a run with a double past the RF and more importantly represented the tying run at second base with a runner on third with less than two outs. The XBH power from the LH side will play for LJCD this season.

‘26 OF/1B Josh Rock comes through in the clutch for Country Day with this double to RF.

Drove in a run to make it 5-3, groundout to make it 5-4@PrepBaseballCA pic.twitter.com/8gUjtPaHDU

— Matthew Monk (@PBRmonk) February 29, 2024

Carlsbad

Carlsbad scored a combined 27 runs in two games allowing only 4 from the opposition. They start 2-0 and will face some tough competition this week with a game vs. Cathedral Catholic and two games against Rancho Bernardo.

‘25 OF Aydan Munoz (Uncommitted) - The uncommitted outfielder had a great day from the leadoff spot. He collected three hits with a walk in four at-bats. Two of his hits were doubles with one going to LCF. The LHH has a big hip hinge and swings with a strong base.

‘24 C Adrian Macias (Uncommitted) - Macias has been off to a hot start for the Lancers. Hitting in the 3-hole, he went 2-4 with two RBIs and a walk. He showed good receiving and framing behind the plate. 

‘24 1B Griffin Moye (Uncommitted) - Moye had a great day going 3-4 with three RBIs and a walk. Two of his hits were doubles. I was impressed with his patience, waiting back and smacking a double to RCF off a curveball.

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‘25 LHP Ian Fisher (UCLA) - Fisher was nothing short of dominant on the mound, going four innings on 50 pitches allowing only three baserunners while striking out 5. There was a good mix to keep hitters off balance and Fisher showed good control of the FB (81-84 mph T85 mph) going inside and on the corners to hitters. I really liked his pacing, he was always ready on the mound to go. That mindset translated to a fast-paced performance where the opposition was on their back foot. Good use of his CH (74-75) against RHH and occasional use of the CB (69-71 mph).

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