Preseason Invitational Matchup Preview: Foothill v Harvard Westlake

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 Foothill v Harvard Westlake game.

FOOTHILL

PRESEASON INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE

Foothill has long been a mainstay in the Division I postseason, in fact, the Knights are one of the several public schools that have long competed for CIF DI titles over the years. Second year head coach Chris Price returns an experienced senior group that pairs with talented underclassmen all of whom have their sites on another deep run in the CIF-SS Division I playoffs. MLB Draft prospect Austin Overn is one of the best athletes in the entire state and he’ll be the table setter at the top of the Knights lineup, but he’s not the only one that can do damage in that lineup. Seniors Aiden Taurek, Brady Schrank, Pedro Hernandez, Ramon Hernandez, Cameron Kessel, and Cayden Tallman will all play big roles on this team. For the Knights to once again compete for a Division I title they’ll have to navigate one of the toughest schedules in the section. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH

AIDEN TAUREK

AUSTIN OVERN

BRADY SCHRANK

PEDRO HERNANDEZ

RAMON RAMIREZ

CAMERON KESSEL

CAYDEN TALLMAN

ERNIE GONZALEZ

ANDREW PARKER

ANDREW HARBOUR

GARRETT DAVIDSON

TY COWLEY

GABE GARCIA

MATT LITTLE

MASON SOUTER

NOAH SCOTT

GRANT JOHNSON

FROM COACH PRICE:

“We return an experienced, senior heavy lineup that expects to win a Crestview League title and should have the chance to make a deep run in the playoffs. The juniors and sophomores are talented and we should be deep on the mound. We play a very tough and demanding schedule that should challenge this team all year. Looking forward to the year and this tournament.”

HARVARD WESTLAKE

PRESEASON INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE

Winning the CIF-SS DI title in baseball has long been considered the toughest thing to do in prep sports in the state of California making what Harvard Westlake did in 2021 all the more special. The Wolverines had some close calls en-route to the title last year, but in the end they were standing holding the trophy. The expectation every season at Harvard Westlake is to be in the last game of the season which they’ve done in the last two seasons (2020 was canceled due to Covid) going back to 2019. Seventh year head coach Jared Halpert returns depth up-and-down the lineup with multiple Division I commits scattered across the roster. And while they lost two key pieces to a deep pitching staff, you can expect Harvard Westlake to compete with the depth they have at that position. Offensively, the lineup is one of the better ones in Division I led by Toussaint Bythewood, Jordan Kang, Will Gasparino, Kai Caranto, and Bryce Rainer, the Wolverines will not have a shortage of bats capable of changing a game with a single swing.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

TOUSSAINT BYTHEWOOD

JACOB GALLOWAY

JORDAN KANG

WILL GASPARINO

KAI CARANTO

JACK KELMAN

BRYCE RAINER

CADE GOLDSTEIN

DAVID LOZANO

DUNCAN MARSTEN

ALEX SHANE

FROM COACH HALPERT: 

“We expect to have a chance at another Mission League title and a deep run in the playoffs. We have a strong returning pitching staff both in talent and experience along with an offensive line up that carries throughout the order. We will need to prove our worth defensively.”