SoCal Southern Section Games of the Week: 4/22 - 4/27

April 22, 2024
Steven Hardesty
Central Coast/North LA Area Scout

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Ventura, Calif. - As the entirety of the of the California High School sections are fully underway including sections all across Southern California playing games Prep Baseball California will be highlighting a weekly game of the week.

This weeks match up from SoCal Southern Section Games of the Week was again and extremely difficult selection with another slate of games that will feature the top 2 teams in the standings facing off against each other, but these two matchups take center stage with first the #11 Huntington Beach Oilers taking on the Los Alamitos Griffins in a big Sunset Surf series and farther north the La Mirada Matadores will square off with the Gahr Gladiators in a key Gateway League series.

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#11 Huntington Beach Oilers vs. Los Alamitos Griffins

+ Date: 4/23/24 & 4/25/24

+ Time: 3:15 PM for all games

+ Location: Los Alamitos / Huntington Beach

+ Huntington Beach 2024 Record: 19-7 Overall

+ Head Coach: Benji Medure

+ Los Alamitos 2024 Record: 20-6 Overall

+ Head Coach: Tony Fusco

+ Key Players (Huntington Beach):

‘24 RHP Nathan Aceves (UCSB) - 6’3 195 lbs.

‘24 INF Matt Hansen (BYU) - 6' 190 lbs.

‘24 RHP Colin McNiven (Claremont McKenna) - 5’10 155 lbs.

‘25 OF/RHP Ethan Porter (Oregon State) - 6’2 205 lbs.

‘25 INF/RHP Linkin García (Vanderbilt) - 6’3 195 lbs.

‘25 OF John Petrie (Oregon State) 6’3 205 lbs.

‘25 C Trent Grindlinger (Miss State) - 6’3 215 lbs.

‘25 C Jayton Greer (USD) - 5’10 185 lbs.

‘25 RHP Otto Espinoza (Ohio State) - 6’2 180 lbs.

‘25 OF Trevor Goldenetz (TCU) - 6’ 165 lbs.

‘27 LHP/OF Jared Grindlinger (TCU) - 6’ 160 lbs.

‘27 LHP/OF Tanner Brown (TCU) - 5’10 155 lbs.

’25 RHP Tyler Bellerose - 5’11 170 lbs.

‘25 RHP Jake Frohn - 6’2 185 lbs.

’26 INF CJ Weinstein - 6’ 165 lbs.

+ Key Players (Los Alamitos):

+ '24 SS AJ Cappel UCSB

+ '25 LHP Tristan Dalzell LBSU

+ '25 RHP Jack Lorenz UCSD

+ '25 SS Tyler Smith UCSB

Game Preview: Both programs feature pitching staffs which have thrown the baseball at a very strong level over the course of the 2024 season. The Oilers have allowed only 57 runs in their 26 games so far this year slightly over 2 runs per game with a depth of talented arms leading the way. While the staff for the Griffins comes into the game allowing 71 runs in their 26 games on the year slightly under 3 runs per game. With a pair of strong pitching staffs that allow less than 3 runs per game the two lineups for both teams will be tested to put up runs in the game, but have proved to be solid over the course of the spring with each averaging 5.2 runs per game.

La Mirada Matadores vs. Gahr Gladiators

+ Date: 4/23/24 & 4/25/24 & 4/26/24

+ Time: 3:15 PM for all games

+ Location: Gahr / La Mirada / Gahr

+ La Mirada 2024 Record: 18-6 overall

+ Head Coach: Jimmy Zurn

+ Gahr 2024 Record: 17-7 overall

+ Head Coach: Gerardo Perez

+ Key Players (Gahr):

'24 C Jose Pacheco Perez - Long Beach State - 6'2 210 lbs.

'26 1B/RHP Bryce Morrison - USC - 6'0 180 lbs.

'26 SS Andres Gonzalez - USC - 6'0 180 lbs.

’25 LHP Matthew Sandoval - 5'10 175 lbs.

'25 OF/INF Aiden Baysa - 5'10 165 lbs.

’26 C/SS Oscar Grijalva - 5'8 160 lbs.

'26 RHP Jake Ourique - 5'11 190 lbs.

'26 LHP Jorge Valdez - 6'3 175 lbs.

+ Key Players (La Mirada):

‘24 RHP Walker Calvo (Army) - 6'1 185 lbs.

‘25 SS Aiden Aguayo (UCLA) - 5'11 170 lbs.

‘25 1B Maverek Russell (UCLA) - 6' 185 lbs.

‘25 OF Travis Friend (UCLA) - 5'11 155 lbs.

‘25 3B/OF Kevin Jeon (Boston College) - 6' 185 lbs.

‘25 C Jacob Celiz - 5'9 165 lbs.

‘25 RHP Kaden Corns - 6'1 175 lbs.

‘26 RHP Adrian Meraz - 5'11 165 lbs.

‘26 RHP/1B Jacob Oropeza - 6' 200 lbs.

‘26 OF Noah Rodriguez - 5'8 155 lbs.

‘26 C JT Torres - 6'1 150 lbs.

’27 INF Bear Calvo - 6' 175 lbs.

+ Game Preview: The two top teams in the Gateway League who were also both in the Prep Baseball California Spring Invitational enter the final week of the season sitting in the top two spots with just 1 game separating them with Gahr in first place. La Mirada has been nothing short of electric on the mound this year having allowed only 42 runs in 24 games while on the offensive side they have plated 157 runs with 6.5 runs per game. Gahr has been stellar on each side of the game limiting their opponents to 86 runs over 24 games while they are averaging 5.0 runs per game. The lineup which can find the most success over the course of these 3 games scoring runs can likely find themselves sitting atop the league standings ahead of the start of CIF-Southern Section playoffs beginning the following week.

Additional 1 vs. 2 League Matchups:

+ Westlake vs Oaks Christian (Marmonte League)

+ Tahquitz vs Liberty (Mountain Pass League)

+ Mayfair vs. Bellflower (Mid-Cities League)

+ Montbello vs. Alhambra (Almont League)

+ Maranatha vs. Village Christian School (Olympic League)

+ Rio Mesa vs. San Marcos (Channel League)