A look at the area's top pitchers
The Mission League is loaded with pitchers who can throw hard and keep batters off balance. It is known as one of the best leagues in the country, featuring nationallyranked programs like Notre Dame and Harvard-Westlake, It's the best place to start when looking for the area's best pitchers.
Notre Dame has four NCAA Division I commits in Justin Lee (committed to UCLA), Oliver Boone (Cal), Levi Sterling (Texas) and Sammy Petrocelli (Stanford). Boone recorded 34 strikeouts in 39 innings last season while Lee fanned 33 batters in 37 innings. Lee and Petrocelli are seniors. Boone and Sterling are juniors
Standout junior Bryce Rainer (Texas) returns to the mound for Harvard-Westlake after not pitching his sophomore season. The Wolverines also return junior Duncan Marsten (Stanford), who is coming off a significant injury that kept him off the mound last season. Tommy Bridges (TCU) is the team's top returner after going 8-1 in 12 appearances with an ERA of 1.98.
Crespi's Isaiah Magdaleno (Hawaii) is the reigning Mission League Pitcher of the Year. Chaminade senior Cristian Brewster (Cal State Fullerton), Sierra Canyon junior Jonny Hagopian, Alemany senior Josh Habell, and St. Francis senior Lucas Dixon (Columbia) are pitchers expected to lead their respective teams.
In the Marmonte League, Newbury Park has a bullpen highlighted by a trio of talented next-level arms that could rival Notre Dame and Harvard-Westlake, with seniors Cole Miller (UCLA), Derek Turner (Cal State Fullerton) and James Guyette (Kansas State). Miller returns as the team's top strikeout leader, notching 46 in 43 innings last season.
Westlake will look to juniors Andrew Habermann and Dylan Volontis. Calabasas returns senior Peter Lynch and junior Jordan Kingston. Oaks Christian senior Jaden Onaca is the returning Marmonte League Pitcher of the Year after finishing last year with a 1.74 ERA.
Be on the lookout for Agoura's Braylen Dritz, a transfer from Westlake.
Coach Anthony Chevrier expects Dritz to have an immediate impact after serving his sit-out period as a transfer.
In the Foothill League, Hart has a savvy bullpen led by four seniors in Mike Rogozik, Sean Elsee (LHP), Chris Downs (LHP) and Lucas DeSpain. West Ranch junior Jackson Banuelos (LHP) and senior Drew Greenberg will anchor the Wildcats from the bump. Valencia senior Ricardo Ojeda (UC Irvine) is the top arm for the Vikings. Saugus' No. 1 is senior TJ Cataldi, the school's starting quarterback in the fall. Cataldi plays center field when he's not on the mound. Castaic returns All-Foothill League second-team selection Kyler Freude, a senior lefty.
In the City Section's West Valley League, Birmingham is very strong and poised for a run at the City title. Seniors Daniel Flores and Kaden Taque (Cal) will lead the way. Cleveland senior Kevin Vazquez, Granada Hills junior Easton Hawk and El Camino Real senior Oscar Lopez are the top pitchers to watch in the league.
Quartz Hill has a pair of senior pitchers in Logan Reddemann and Dominick Lee. Simi Valley senior Matthew Cuccias, Camarillo senior Blake Uribe and Moorpark senior Roman Munoz are other pitchers to watch.
SOULJAH NILES
School: Sport: Year: Noteworthy: Niles, who scored 13 points in the 5546 semifinal victory over Westchester, provided the gamewinning moments on back-to-back baskets with two minutes to play at Pasadena City College on Saturday evening. After a layup to give Taft a 46-45 advantage he followed with a dramatic old-fashioned three-point play to balloon the lead to 49-45 with 1:26 to play. Niles later dished to Alexander Bothast for a jump shot with 30 seconds left to help ice the game.
MORGAN MACK
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Year: Sophomore Noteworthy: Mack stuffed the box score the last two games to help Hart earn a spot in the CIF Southern Section Division 2AA final against La Salle. The standout sophomore tallied 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in Hart's 62-44win over Santa Monica in the quarterfinals before scoring 30 points in Saturday's 68-65 semifinal win over San Juan Hills. The Division 2AA final will be played at Mira Costa High on Saturday at 4 p.m.