Prep Baseball: Lions Tournament brings top teams to local fields
By Michael Bower
Some of the top high school baseball teams will converge in San Diego County to compete in the prestigious 64th annual Lions Tournament, beginning Monday and concluding April 17.
Over 125 teams will play in eight divisions on baseball diamonds all over the county, including Poway High, Rancho Bernardo and Del Norte. The Titans and Broncos will be competing in the Classic Division, the toughest of all the divisions, while the Nighthawks are in Division 6.
The four-bracket, 16-team Classic Division is loaded with talent. Broncos catcher Alex Jackson and Cathedral Catholic left-handed pitcher Brady Aiken lead the list of big names.
Jackson, a 6-foot, 2-inch, 215-pound right-handed power hitter, is expected to go early in the first round of the MLB Draft in June. He has seven home runs on the season and 43 in his illustrious four-year prep career, four short of tying the San Diego Section record.
Aiken is also expected to go early in the draft. The 6-4, 205-pound senior has already tossed a no-hitter this year and is ranked the top draft prospect by ESPN MLB Insider Keith Law.
Rancho Bernardo, who last won the tournament in 2005, is in Bracket ‘B’ of the Classic Division along with Sahuaro High, St. Augustine and Montgomery. Poway, who last won the title in 2008, is in Bracket ‘C’ with Grossmont, Mayfair and Madison.
“It’s always fun to see something different and that is one of the great things about the Lions Tournament,” Titans’ pitcher Sam Godfrey said. “It brings teams from all over and it’s fun to play teams that you normally wouldn’t see.”
The Broncos, who reached the semifinals of the tourney last year, open play Monday against Sahuaro High of Arizona at 3 p.m. at Rancho Bernardo High School. The Titans open Monday against Mayfair at 3 p.m. at Poway High.
Del Norte is in Bracket ‘C’ in Division 6 along with San Pedro, Patrick Henry and Mission Hills. The Nighthawks open play on Monday against Mission Hills at 3 p.m. at Del Norte.
Bracket-pool play in all eight divisions will continue through Wednesday. The semifinals and championship games will be played on April 17.
The Classic Division semifinals and final are being held at CSU San Marcos, beginning at 9:30 a.m. with the championship starting at 3:30 p.m. The Division 6 semifinals and final are being held at Grossmont College, beginning at 9:30 a.m. with championship starting at 3:30 p.m.
Several players that have competed in the Lions Tournament over the years have gone on to play in the major leagues, including Eric Chavez, Trevor Cahill, Hank Blalock, Billy Beane, Erik Karros, Mark Prior and many more. For a complete list of teams and a tournament schedule, visit lionsbaseball.org.