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High School | General | 1/25/2022

Preseason HS Top 50: 31-40

Tyler Russo Colton Olinger

Photo: Perfect Game

2022 High School Baseball Preview Index | 41-50

31. Obra D. Tompkins (Katy, Texas)
2021 Record: 32-9-1
Head Coach: Kenneth Humphreys
Notable Standout(s): OF Jace LaViollete (Texas A&M), MIF Jack Little (Wichita State), RHP Michael Debattista, RHP Trevor Esparza (Tyler Junior College), MIF Cash Russell (Temple Junior College), LHP Solomon Rotberg (Eskrine College) SS Drew Markle (Mississippi), C Landon West (Rice), OF Nathan “Ty” Dagley (Houston Baptist)

With 10 starters back from a 2021 squad that made it to the Regional Semifinal, Coach Humphreys and his staff will be looking for last years’ experience to help this 2022 team take that next step toward a Class 6A Texas State Championship. Seniors Jace LaViolette and Jack Little both are coming off strong junior seasons as proven run producers in this lineup. Senior middle infielder Cash Russell, along with a strong junior class that boasts a trio of bats to keep an eye on in shortstop Drew Markle, catcher Landon West and outfielder Ty Dagley, will give the lineup the kind of depth needed to compete in Texas’s highest classification. On the mound, senior right-handers Trevor Esparza and Michael Debattista give the Falcons a pair of upper-80s arms to turn to. Senior lefty Solomon Rotberg rounds out the trifecta of senior arms that could be counted to shoulder a majority of the innings on the mound.

32. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.)
2021 Record: 23-4
Head Coach: Jerry Royster
Notable Standout(s): RHP Jaden Noot (LSU), RHP Kassius Thomas (Duke), RHP Max Martin (UC Irvine), SS Andrew Cisneros (Siena), 3B Kehden Hettiger (Oregon), OF Julian Areliz (California)

You may recognize the Sierra Canyon name if you follow high school sports on the West Coast and the one-two punch at the front of the rotation ranks among the best in the entire country. Jaden Noot and Kassius Thomas are a pair of right-handers who will run the fastball into the mid-90s, to go along with quality secondaries, and both rank within the top-40 nationally, not to mention are also currently the top two ranked right-handers in the state. While both of those arms will surely have scouts flocking to their games to check in, fellow senior Max Martin gives them another talented right-hander in the mix for innings. The offense has a couple talented underclassmen in Kehden Hettiger and Julian Areliz who are committed to a couple of the West Coast’s best college programs, and the bulk of a lineup that was young a year ago is back.

33. Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)
2021 Record: 41-2
Head Coach: Rick Arnold
Notable Standout(s): OF Korbyn Dickerson (Louisville), C Matt Klein (Louisville), OF Paul Osting (Bellarmine University), LHP Garrett Brunstetter (Western Kentucky), LHP Tyce Powers, SS Jake Schweitzer (Louisville)

Replacing last year’s National Player of the year Daylen Lile will be no small feat, but if there are two players to keep an eye on, outfielder Korbyn Dickerson and catcher Matt Klein both hit well over .400 a year ago and are coming off impressive summer circuits. Guys like Paul Osting and sophomore Jake Schweitzer both figure to play bigger roles in the offense this season as the Shamrocks look to repeat the 41-2 showing from a year ago. On the mound, the likes of senior Garrett Brunstetter and sophomore Tyce Powers will bring a tough look for opposing hitters as Coach Arnol’s group will surely have a target on their back after outscoring opponents 371-86 in 2021 and ending the season on an 11-game win streak.

34. Friendswood (Friendswood, Texas)
2021 Record: 31-3
Head Coach: Steve Hecker
Notable Standout(s): RHP Jacob Rogers (Texas Tech), C Dylan Maxcey (Texas Tech), OF Mason Munz, 3B Boots Landry (Texas A&M), RHP Easton Tumis (Houston), SS Ryan Partida (Texas San Antonio)

Last year was an impressive one for the Friendswood program as they won their first 30 games of the spring, not taking a single loss until deep in the playoffs where they eventually fell just short of a state semifinal appearance. This year they’ll look to surpass that effort coming in as the top-ranked team from the 5A Classification in the state of Texas with the bulk of the roster back from a year ago. They’ll have to replace the production of second-rounder Izaac Pacheco, but they’ve got a handful of names that should have no problem stepping up on the offensive end, including guys like Dylan Maxcey, Mason Munz, Boots Landry and youngster Ryan Partida. Jacob Rogers is back on the mound after pushing neat triple-digit strikeout numbers last spring while Easton Tumis looks ready to jump into a bigger role with another year under his belt.

35. Yucaipa (Yucaipa, Calif.)
2021 Record: 21-10
Head Coach: Ralph Grajeda
Notable Standout(s): 3B Jacob Reimer (Washington), RHP Peyton Von Kaenel (Concordia University (California), RHP Wyatt Doty, RHP Carter Herrera (Cal State Fullerton), RHP Jayson Nace, OF Owen Egan (UCLA), RHP Luke Scherrer (Cal Poly), RHP Carter Elliott (Arizona State), 2B Daniel Arambula (Louisiana State)

With a roster full of Division-I commits who have already given a verbal commitment to some of the top college programs around the country, this has the makings of a special season for Coach Grajeda and the Thunderbirds. After averaging almost nine runs a game in 2021, this year’s offense will return five guys who hit over .380 a year ago in significant roles. Seniors Jacob Reimer and Wyatt Doty will lead that offensive surge in their final seasons, while the depth with the underclassmen is truly special. Owen Egan and Daniel Arambula both shouldered big roles last year, as did the likes of Wes Hickey and Carter Elliott in that remarkable offense. On the mound it will rely on some of the same names we have already mentioned, like Doty and Egan, as two of the top three innings guys coming back, as well as Carter Herrera that should round out the rotation.

36. Providence (Charlotte, N.C.)
2021 Record: 15-3
Head Coach: Danny Hignight
Notable Standout(s): RHP Eli Jerzembeck (South Carolina), RHP Michael Forret (East Carolina), SS Carson Dunlap (Liberty), RHP Collin McDougall (Wingate), C Luke Wolff, 1B Ben Baldassarre

Providence fell a game short of reaching the state championship last spring and what was a young team then is back with experience now and the firepower to finish the job this year. They’ll be led on the mound by a dynamic duo of Eli Jerzembeck and Michael Forret, who are both extremely talented right-handers who will work in the low-90s, show full mixes and likely draw some draft attention over the course of the spring. The senior leadership doesn’t stop there as Carson Dunlap and Collin McDougall figure to factor into some roles on their respective sides of the ball while Luke Wolff and Ben Baldassarree are just a couple of the younger names that will add some physicality to the lineup, among other things. Look for the one-two punch at the top of the rotation to be one of the best in the state and the success should be evident of it.

37. Rockwall-Heath (Rockwall, Texas)
2021 Record: 38-11-1
Head Coach: Greg Harvey
Notable Standout(s): SS Jett Williams (Mississippi State), RHP Cade Sharp (Texas Tech), 3B Jonathan Lowe, RHP Joshua Hoover, RHP Baylor Baumann (Houston Baptist), RHP Andrew Daniels, RHP Trevor Tranberg, 1B Caleb Hoover

The Hawks had an up-and-down regular season last spring but undoubtedly got hot at the right time and battled their way to a state title in the state’s top classification. While they’ll lose some of the production from that championship team, the senior class this year is deep and ready to put together another run. Jett Williams is the spark plug of this team as one of the state’s top overall prospects manning the shortstop position while fellow senior Jonathan Lowe and a young physical bat in Caleb Hoover each look to carve out big roles. Where the roster looks deep is on the mound with Cade Sharp leading the way, followed by the likes of various juniors and seniors, including Baylor Baumann, who posted nine wins in 2021, making up what should be a quality staff as a whole.

38. Berkeley Preparatory (Tampa, Fla.)
2021 Record: 24-5
Head Coach: Richie Warren
Notable Standout(s): RHP JT Quinn (Ole Miss), C Gunnett Carlson (FSU), LHP Andrew Jergins (Georgetown), SS/RHP Owen McElfatrick (Northwestern), SS Cade Kurland (Florida), C Troy Reader (Notre Dame), 1B James Hankerson (Wake Forest), SS Julius Pfau, LHP Rivers Kurland, OF Joseph Troupe

It was a good run by Berkeley Prep last spring as they made it all the way to the Regional Finals before suffering a loss to an eventual state champion, and excitingly a large chunk of that team returns for 2022. It’s an excellent combination of young and old on this roster as they’ll sport four key seniors looking to lead the way while numerous underclassmen are talented enough to see significant innings. JT Quinn and Andrew Jergins lead the way on the mound with the right amount of experience that’ll go a long way, while the offense is deep. Gunnett Carlson and Owen McElfatrick are the two key senior bats, but Cade Kurland is a premier talent on the offensive end as a junior with Troy Reader and James Hankerson also bringing big skill sets of their own. Look for contributions to come out of the entire roster this spring, making this a deep team with state aspirations.

39. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
2021 Record: 20-10
Head Coach: Tim Held
Notable Standout(s): SS Blane Nestle (Louisville), 1B Nathan Earley (Ohio State), RHP Max Tramontana (Lafayette), RHP Cameron Porter, OF Keelan Daniel, OF CJ Richard (Ohio State), C Nathan Manley (Wright State), RHP Clay Burdette (Ohio State), SS Toby Hueber (George Mason), SS Connor Christenson (Air Force), 3B Ethan Sweat, RHP Zion Theophilus (Duke), RHP Tucker Wilburn

This year’s Archbishop Moeller roster brings back a majority of last season’s core that will be hungry to better their 2021 second round exit in the playoffs. If there is one place this roster doesn’t fall short, it is with talent across each class. At the top, seniors Blane Nestle, Nathan Earley and Keelan Daniel will lead the offense. Juniors CJ Richard, Nathan Manley, Connor Christenson and Ethan Sweat will all fill bigger roles this season and give the lineup great depth. On the mound, two-way stand out Toby Hueber brings back the most innings from last year while senior right-hander Max Tramontana has a chance to build on his record of 4-1 from last season. If that wasn’t enough, the Fighting Crusaders could also potentially have the best tandem of freshman right-handers in the country with Zion Theophilus and Tucker Wilburn.

40. Hoover (Hoover, Ala.)
2021 Record: 27-22
Head Coach: Adam Mosley
Notable Standout(s): C Lucas Steele (Samford), RHP Marcus Locklear, SS RJ Hamilton (Vanderbilt), RHP Tyler Wilson (Auburn), C/IF Cade Carr (Samford), 1B Devin Lee, RHP Brewer Smith, RHP Colin Rengering

After coming up just a game short of an Alabama 7A State Championship in 2021, this year’s Bucs will look to use last season’s momentum to keep the ships headed in the right direction in 2022. Returning a strong core of last season’s nucleus, this group has valuable experience and knows what it takes to win big games. With the schedule laid out ahead of them in the regular season, this team will be battled tested early and often. Offensively, senior backstop Lucas Steele will bring juice from both sides of the plate while juniors Cade Carr and RJ Hamilton are both game changers with their variety of offensive tools. After relying on a younger pitching staff a year ago, Tyler Wilson will be a weapon for Coach Adam Mosley to use in multiple roles. Brewer Smith and Colin Rengering also return with valuable experience gained as sophomores, pitching in big time spots throughout the 2021 playoff run.

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