With the 2019 high school baseball season just around the corner in California we will begin rolling out team previews from around the state.

In this edition we will take a closer look at the Quartz Hill Rebels (Lancaster, CA), a team looking to avenge a second round playoff loss from last year and appear to have the depth and talent to do just that.

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Team: Quartz Hill

Nickname: Rebels

Section: CIF-Southern Section Division 2

League: Golden League

Head Coach/Years at school: Aaron Kavanagh (14th year)

Team Twitter Handle: @qhhs_baseball

2018 Overall Record: 23-7-1

2018 Postseason Finish: Lost in 2nd Round

Number of Returning Starters: 8

Number of Returning Pitchers: 5

Top Returning Players:

'19 SS Jeovanni Delgado, '19 2B/INF Nate Hernandez, '19 C Tanner Allison, '20 C Andrew Allanson, '20 LHP Ryan Reddemann, '19 OF Mike Marshall, '19 LHP/OF Ryan Sanders, '19 OF Noah Manzano

College Commits:

'19 LHP/OF Ryan Sanders - St. Mary's, '19 C Tanner Allison - Hiram College

Other Players To Watch:

'19 INF/OF Isaac Moreno, '20 INF Tyler Christner; '20 INF Nolan Coon; '20 Ryan Flannery; '21 RHP/OF Cole Vargas; '21 C/1B/3B Mason Johnson; '21 INF Caden McPherson; '21 Ezra Olivares;

2019 Outlook:

After losing in the second round of the 2018 playoffs to a talented Calabasas team, the Quartz Hill Rebels come into the 2019 season eager to prove their 23 win season last year was no fluke. The Rebels return eight position players and five pitchers who will try and make sure that 2019 ends differently than last year.

The Rebels had a team ERA of 2.70 last season and this year will be led on the mound by 2019 LHP Ryan Sanders, a 10-game winner in 2018 and a St. Mary's commit, but they aren't a one-trick pony on the bump. Sanders is the undisputed ace of the Rebels staff and is as calm, cool, and collected as they come. He features a plus changeup that he uses in any count. In addition to Sanders, the Rebels feature three more quality arms in '20 LHP Ryan Reddemann, '19 RHP Mike Marshall, and '20 RHP Cole Vargas who Kavanagh describes as a bulldog on the mound with a live arm. The latter three pitchers combined to win four games in 2018 on a staff that had 18 of 23 wins from two starters one of them a senior who has since graduated. That departure will leave plenty of opportunity for Reddemann, Marshall, and Vargas to step up in a big way in 2019. Marshall, a senior returner, shows good stuff on the mound with a running fastball and changeup that plays up.

Last season it seemed as though every game out the Rebels won in blowout fashion during league play where they went a perfect 14-0. If they're to return to the postseason in 2019 they're going to need to continue to get the same kind of hitting efforts to help out their pitching staff.

The Rebels have to replace three departed seniors that combined for 99 hits, 71 RBI, 7 HR, and 91 runs. A daunting task for sure, but Kavanagh feels as though the Rebels have the depth to collectively make up for those losses.

Jeovanni Delgado returns for his senior season after hitting .457 last season and will be the undisputed leader of the offense. He's a slick fielding middle infielder with gap-to-gap ability at the plate. He'll have help from Nate Hernandez who shows good pop at the plate. "The ball comes of his bat differently," says Kavanagh. Noah Manzano is an instinctive outfielder who is a line drive hitter and returns for his last go around in a Rebels uniform.

2020 C/INF Andrew Allanson could be the wild card for the Rebels offensively. The six-foot-five, 215-pounder is a natural hitter. Kavanagh describes his as a natural hitter with power from both sides of the plate. "A next level hitter," says Kavanagh. Another junior to keep an eye on for the Rebels is six-foot-2, 240-pound, 1B/3B Ryan Flannery who shows a ton of upside with the bat where he has the raw power college program and pro scouts desire. If he can harness that raw power, look out.

While the Rebels look to repeat as Golden League Champions in 2019, they'll also have an eye on the postseason with the intent of eliminating the taste left in their mouths after 2018. The Rebels appear primed for a deep run in the postseason thanks in part to their returners, but also due to the quality of depth they've amassed.

It's what quality programs do. They reload rather than rebuild.

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UPCOMING EVENTS

SHOWCASE	STATE	DATE	LOCATION
Central Valley Preseason I.D.	CA	01/13	Fresno City College - John Euless Ballpark
Northern California Preseason All-State (Invite-Only)	CA	01/27	San Joaquin Delta College
Super 60 Pro Showcase	NATIONAL	02/03	The Max
SoCal Junior Future Games Trials	CA	03/09	O'Malley Field - Harvard Westlake
Northern California Future Games Trials	CA	05/26	Islanders Field