Daily News baseball: Previews for the CIF-SS championship games
A look at the matchups for Harvard-Westlake, Hart, Moorpark, St. Francis and Village Christian in the championship games Friday and Saturday in Lake Elsinore.
The CIF Southern Section baseball championships for all divisions are slated for this weekend at Lake Elsinore Diamond, home of minor league baseball’s Lake Elsinore Storm.
Teams from the Daily News coverage area will be competing in five of the championship games.
Here’s a look at each of the matchups, in chronological order:
DIVISION 6
Village Christian vs. Colony, Friday, 1 p.m.
The Crusaders beat Milken, Brentwood School, West Covina and Diamond Bar to reach the Division 6 championship game. Senior Ethan Tibert leads the team in batting average and on-base percentage at .408 and .538, respectively, and has hit five home runs this season. Junior Gavin Chase has a team-high 26 RBIs. Senior pitcher Winston Peterson is 7-2 and owns a 2.66 ERA. Colony is the Palomares League runner-up and senior Connor Rangel has logged 34 hits for 31 RBIs and a .382 batting average.
DIVISION 2
Hart vs. Moorpark, Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Troy Cooper, Hart’s ace, will start on the mound. Michigan commit Brayden Jeffris will lead off for the Foothill League champions, who have beaten Simi Valley, Newport Harbor, Arlington and Arcadia in the playoffs. Coach Jim Ozella is going for his first CIF Southern Section championship before retiring after 25 seasons. Moorpark is led by alumnus and first-year Musketeers head coach Aaron Garcia. Senior Jacob Shannon-Wilkerson has stolen 26 bases and is hitting .298 with an on-base percentage of .411. Senior Michael Leddy has driven in a team-high 17 RBIs.
DIVISION 4
St. Francis vs. Camarillo, Saturday, 1 p.m.
The Golden Knights have battled from fifth place in a competitive Mission League all the way to the Division 4 championship game. They will be tested against Camarillo pitcher Boston Bateman (10-1), an LSU commit who owns a 0.60 ERA and has given up only nine hits in 58 1/3 innings. Senior Holden Deitch is one of St. Francis’ best bats this season and has slashed .362/.480/.450. Junior Jordan Lewallen has logged a team-high 22 RBIs and is second on the team in hits with 26.
DIVISION 1
Corona vs. Harvard-Westlake, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
@haleymsawyer Harvard-Westlake baseball is moving on to the Division 1 semifinals. #journalist #reporter #sports #highschoolsports #highschoolbaseball #studiocity #sandimas #pitching #pitcher #baseball
Harvard-Westlake edged rival Orange Lutheran 4-2 in the semifinals to punch its ticket to the championship game. The Mission League champions are led by pitcher Duncan Marsten (11-0, Wake Forest commit) and leadoff hitter Bryce Rainer (Texas), who is hitting .511 this season and has stolen 17 bases. James Tronstein and Cade Goldstein round out the top of the lineup in the No. 2 and 3 spots, respectively, and Marsten has come up big in the middle of the lineup, as well. Corona has leaned on pitchers Seth Hernandez (9-0, Vanderbilt commit) and (7-0, UCLA commit). Hernandez also has recorded a team-high 34 RBIs with eight home runs and is hitting .363.