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High School  | General  | 2/8/2018

Regional HS Preview: Pacific

David Rawnsley     
Photo: Perfect Game



For all of Perfect Game's regional previews as part of the 2018 high school baseball preview content, the Dream Team is available for free. The region top tools can be viewed with an Insider subscription. To learn more about Perfect Game's subscription packages and to sign up today please visit this link.


2018 Perfect Game High School Preview Index

Top 15 Pacific Region High Schools
Rk. Nat'l School '17 Rec. '17 Finish
1 6 Orange Lutheran (Calif.) 18-12 CIF SS Division 1 1st round
2 10 Mater Dei (Calif.) 21-12 CIF SS Division 1 Semifinals
3 13 Cathedral Catholic (Calif.) 25-9 CIF SDS Open Division Lower Finals
4 32 Servite (Calif.) 19-13 CIF SS Division 1 2nd round
5 37 Harvard-Westlake (Calif.) 22-5-3 CIF SS Division 1 1st round
6 44 Buchanan (Calif.) 28-4 CIF CS Division 1 Finals
7 50 Elk Grove (Calif.) 23-10 CIF SJS Division 1 State Champs
8 NR Notre Dame (Calif.) 23-9 CIF SS Division 1 2nd round
9 NR Valley Christian (Calif.) 22-11-1 CIF CCS Open Division State Champs
10 NR Eastlake (Calif.) 32-4 CIF SDS Open Division Upper State Champs
11 NR Etiwanda (Calif.) 27-3 CIF SS Division 2 State Champs
12 NR Clovis (Calif.) 25-7-1 CIF CS Division 1 State Champs
13 NR El Toro (Calif.) 27-7-1 CIF SS Division 1 State Champs
14 NR Huntington Beach (Calif.) 29-5 CIF SS Division 1 Quarterfinals
15 NR Rancho Bernardo (Calif.) 29-5 CIF SDS Open Division Upper Playoffs

Nat'l denotes rank on the Preseason National High School Top 50

Pacific Region: California Hawai’i

The Pacific All-Region team often more closely resembles the All-Southern California team, as the vast majority of the region's talent seems to come from that part of the state. 2018 is a bit of an exception to that, as Northern California checks in with three players in first baseman Daylen Xavier Carter, middle infielder Osiris Johnson and starting pitcher Dominic Pipkin, and should claim a fourth in outfielder Vinny Tosti, who played his first three seasons in Northern California before transferring this winter due to the Napa fires.

One thing the region lacks this year is a depth of potential first round draft picks, usually a staple for this talent-rich area. Infielder Brice Turang has been nationally known since he started high school and is currently ranked eighth in the 2018 class nationally, painting him as a potential mid-first round pick.




Pacific Region High School Dream Team

C – Kameron Ojeda, Sr., St. John Bosco HS, La Mirada (Calif.)
The lefthanded hitting Ojeda has a well-balanced combination of offensive and defensive tools and skills and has been a three-year starter for St. John Bosco High School, compiling a career .344-9-56 hitting line. Ojeda has the bat speed and strength to drive the ball, although his present inside middle-of-the-field approach is more conducive to contact and singles and doubles than driving the ball out of the park. Defensively, Ojeda is quick and nimble behind the plate and an aggressive thrower. He is currently ranked 63rd in the PG 2018 national class rankings and is signed with Cal State Fullerton.

1B – Daylen Xavier Carter, Jr., Capital Christian HS, West Sacramento (Calif.)
Carter looks the part of the budding star with a very projectable 6-foot-4, 190-pound build and a full collection of athletic tools. As a first baseman, his lefthanded bat naturally leads the way, with a fast swing that promises big gains in power over the next few years. Carter hit .429-3-26 as a sophomore at Capital Christian High School and was just as successful on the mound, going 7-2, 1.76 with 57 strikeouts in 47 innings. He's the 74th-ranked player in the PG 2019 national rankings and has a verbal commitment to UCLA.

MIF – Brice Turang, Sr., Santiago HS, Corona (Calif.)
Turang is the son of former big league utility man Brian Turang, who played parts of two seasons with the Mariners in the 1990's and has stayed in the game as an instructor since. As one might expect, the younger Turang is a very polished player on both sides of the ball but especially with his lefthanded bat. Defensively, Turang is a middle-of-the-field player who has the speed and athleticism for shortstop but whose arm may eventually move him to second base. He is signed with Louisiana State.

MIF – Osiris Johnson, Sr., Encinal HS, Alameda (Calif.)
Johnson is a nephew of former National League MVP Jimmy Rollins and attends the same school in the East Bay that Rollins attended before becoming a second round draft pick. Johnson is also one of the youngest prospects in the 2018 class and could easily be a 2019 by age. He hit .481-5-27 with 20 stolen bases as a junior and has been a three-year starter at Enicinal High School. A Perfect Game All-American, Johnson is signed with Cal State Fullerton.

3B – Jake Moberg, Sr., Vista Murrieta HS, Murrieta (Calif.)
Moberg is a two-way standout at Vista Murrieta High School who plays shortstop and pitches during the spring but plays primarily third base in the summer for TB SoCal Baseball. He's a strong 6-foot-2, 190-pound athlete with a well-balanced and versatile game. A three-year starter in high school, Moberg hit .365-3-17 with 22 walks as a junior and is 8-5, 2.77 with 11 saves over three years working primarily out of the bullpen armed with a 91 mph fastball and a short, sharp slider. Moberg is signed with UCLA.

OF – Preston Hartsell, Sr., Corona Del Mar HS, Newport Coast (Calif.)
Hartsell is a very toolsy and high energy lefthanded hitter who has been a three-year starter at Corona Del Mar High School, where he hit .427-6-22 as a junior. He's been an even better performer at WWBA tournaments, having been named to 11 All-Tournament teams beginning in 2014 and bringing home three Most Valuable Player trophies, including one from the 2017 WWBA World Championship, where he played for FTB/Giants Scout Team. Along with his hitting ability and power, Hartsell is also an easy plus runner, with 6.55 speed in the 60-yard dash. He was a 2017 Perfect Game All-American and is signed to attend Southern California.

OF – Vinny Tosti, Sr., Mater Dei HS, Santa Rosa (Calif.)
Tosti attended Cardinal Newman High School in Northern California until October, 2017, and was named a Perfect Game All-American. He relocated to Southern California after his family's house was burned to the ground in the major fires that ravaged Northern California that month. On the field, Tosti is an aggressive and high energy player with 6.4 speed in the 60-yard dash and a strong righthanded bat. He's signed with Oregon.

OF – Jasiah Dixon, Jr., Orange Lutheran HS, Riverside (Calif.)
Dixon is one of the fastest players in the 2019 class nationally and consistently runs around 4.1 home to first base from the right side and sometimes lower. He brings that same type of speed to center field with outstanding range in all directions. Dixon is also one of the youngest top prospects in the 2019 class and is just starting to add strength and physical maturity. He's ranked 17th in the 2019 class nationally and has a verbal commitment to attend Southern California.

UT – Brandon Dieter, Sr., South Hills HS, Covina (Calif.)
Most Southern Californian baseball fans probably think of Dieter as a primary pitcher after he went 9-2, 0.85 in 82 innings for South Hills High School as a junior, bringing his two-year varsity record to 16-4, 0.94. But Dieter was actually selected to play in the PG All-American Classic based on his tools and potential as a middle infielder. He's an extremely polished player on both sides of the ball, although professional baseball will have to compete hard for his immediate services as he's a top level student as well who is signed with Stanford.

SP – Dominic Pipkin, Sr., Pinole Valley HS, Pinole (Calif.)
Pipkin is a very slender 6-foot-4, 170-pound Northern California product with one of the fastest arms in the country. He is primarily a fastball pitcher at this point in his development but has been up to 96 mph in the past and will consistently sit in the low-90s. He has thrown both a curveball and a slider in the past in addition to a changeup but started throwing his slider more and more late last summer and it is likely his best pitch moving forward. Pipkin went 2-2, 2.20 in 35 innings last spring with 50 strikeouts. He is signed with California.

SP – Ethan Reed, Sr., Aliso Niguel HS, Laguna Niguel (Calif.)
Reed had no national profile and wasn't even considered an elite level prospect before last August's Area Code Games. He had gone 3-1, 2.15 as a junior at Aliso Niguel High School but had only thrown 26 innings. At the AC's, Reed sat in the 90-93 mph range from a easy, low effort delivery and showed depth for a 77 mph curveball and feel for a mid-80s changeup while filling up the strike zone. He's solidified his prospect status playing winter scout ball and has established himself as a potential top three round pick for next June. He is signed with Southern California.

SP – Wesley Scott, Jr., Woodcrest Christian HS, Riverside (Calif.)
Scott is a very athletic 6-foot-1, 190-pound two-way standout who has been well known nationally since he was a freshman throwing up to 92 mph. He throws from a three-quarters to mid three-quarters delivery and has outstanding command of a fastball that was up to 95 mph at times. Scott's best pitch is a very sharp breaking upper-70s slider that may be the best breaking ball nationally in the 2019 class. Scott went 4-3, 2.35 as a sophomore, with 58 strikeouts in 41 innings, and also hit.415-5-19, his second straight season posting a .400-plus batting average. He has a verbal commitment to Vanderbilt.

SP – Erik Tolman, Sr., El Toro HS, Lake Forest (Calif.)
Tolman has come a long way since he topped out at 80 mph with a mid-60s curveball at a 2015 Perfect Game showcase. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior now works in the 88-90 mph range with a lively fastball he spots well and uses a 75-77 mph breaking ball that he has outstanding feel for as his strikeout pitch. He also throws a low- to mid-80s changeup. Tolman has been a high performance pitcher both in high school and in summer tournaments and helped pitch El Toro to the 2017 CIF Division 1 championship, including throwing a two-hit shutout in the semifinals. He is signed with Cal Poly.

SP – Cole Winn, Sr., Orange Lutheran HS, Orange (Calif.)
Winn spent the first three years of his high school career at Silver Creek High School in Colorado before moving to California for his senior year. He went 9-0, 0.73 with 95 strikeouts in 47 innings as a junior and was a consistent presence on the summer circuit. Winn works his fastball in the low-90s, topping out at 94 mph, with his best pitch being a hard and tight curveball that peaks out in the low-80s and is a knee buckler when he's in sync with his delivery. Winn, who is signed with Mississippi State, is ranked 33rd in the 2018 PG national class rankings.


Pacific Region Top Tools


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