Preseason Invitational Matchup Preview: Capo Valley v Ayala

LOS ANGELES, CALIF. - The Inaugural PBR California Preseason Invitational will kick off on Saturday, February 12, 2022 as the officially CIF Southern Section sanctioned tournament will play host to some of the top teams from around SoCal and the entire state. With the changes in the rules for permissible games allowed taking effect in 2022, PBR California believed coaches would want every non-league game to be against the best competition they can play against which proved to be true. With over half the field in the California Power 25 rankings, the PBR California Preseason Invitational will be heavily scouted by both our own staff and pro scouts alike thanks to the amount of draft talent participating in the event this year. 

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates throughout the tournament. You can also see the full schedule here. 

In the matchup preview we will take a closer look at the Capo Valley v Ayala game.  

Capo Valley

Preseason Invitational Schedule

For second year head coach Adam Sorgi, the strength of this Cougars team will undoubtedly be in the frontline pitching. With MLB Draft prospects Brady Disbro and Mason McGwire, Sorgi has two aces at the top of the rotation. Mix in junior Owen Geiss and he has a trio of starters that will undoubtedly give opponents fits all season. But, that’s not all the Cougars have as the strength of their team is the pitching staff that goes at least six deep. After a second round exit in playoffs last year, Capo Valley is primed for a deep run with their depth on the mound despite needing the offensive side to catch up in a hurry. After seeing them in an intrasquad scrimmage this fall, there’s little doubt the bats will catch up and perform. As always, Capo Valley is stout defensively up the middle with shortstop Ruben Lopez, catcher Matt Deutsch, and center fielder Jackson Wear. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

BRADY DISBRO 

MASON MCGWIRE

JACKSON WEAR 

JADEN SEKHON 

RUBEN LOPEZ 

MATT DEUTSCH

OSCAR SAMANIEGO

OWEN GEISS

MICHAEL WALSHE

FROM COACH SORGI:

“We have a strong returning pitching staff that pairs with an inexperienced offensive team.”

AYALA

Preseason Invitational Schedule

For Ayala head coach Chris Vogt, the goal is to find a way to replace the production from several starters from last season with young players that gained valuable experience en route to the postseason last year. Lucky for Vogt the cupboard is not bare. Senior shortstop Ty Borgogno, an All-CIF player last year, and three year starter LHP Andres Pasillas return as the leaders of a club that will give teams fits with their play. In addition to Pasillas, the Bulldogs will have sophomores Bryan Yang and Vinny Hudson on the mound. All three of these pitchers have pitched in big games for Ayala and will rely on that experience this season. Add in talented freshman Daniel Camou and the Bulldogs pitching staff will be near the top in the Palomares League. Offensively they’ll rely on Borgogno, Anthony Dominguez, Marcus Galvan, Pasillas, Ethan Nunez, Jake Lemoine, and talented freshman Roman Lopez. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

MARCUS GALVAN 

ANDRES PASILLAS 

TY BORGOGNO 

VINNY HUDSON 

BRYAN YANG 

ANTHONY DOMINGUEZ 

DANIEL CAMOU 

ROMAN LOPEZ 

MATTHEW YARC 

JAKE LEMOINE 

ETHAN NUNEZ 

ANDREW TORRES 

CADIN GATES 

JEREMY BYERS 

FROM COACH VOGT:

“We lost a lot of starters off a team that was extremely offensive.  We were able to have a great 2021 without much depth on the mound.  This team is going to give opponents a different look.  We are going to be young across the board, but very talented.  This is probably the deepest pitching staff we have had in years. This team is extremely talented and after getting some in-game experience we expect this group to compete for a league championship and hopefully make a run in the CIF Playoffs.”