Prep Baseball Preview: Rancho Bernardo High reloads; Poway brings back experience on mound; Del Norte looks to stay offensive

By Michael Bower

The Rancho Bernardo High baseball team lost a handful of great players off its Open Division championship team, but the Broncos appear to have just reloaded once again.

Rancho Bernardo is ranked No. 21 in MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25 national rankings. The Broncos are led by senior Alex Jackson, who has signed with Oregon but is expected to be a high first-round pick in the 2014 MLB Draft.

Poway will once again be trying to chase down the Broncos in the Palomar League. The Titans have the bats, but will once again need to see if their pitching can come through.

Del Norte lost a lot of its offensive production, but should be near the top in the Valley League.

Maranatha Christian returns a few of its talented arms and is led by first-year coach Edward Stepanow.

Here is a closer look at the local teams:

Rancho Bernardo

Coach:

Sam Blalock, 24th year

2013 Record:

30-5, Palomar League and Open Division champions

2014 Division:

Open

Key players:

C, Alex Jackson, Sr.; Inf./P, Casey Henderson, Sr.; Inf., Mondesi Gutierrez, Sr.; P/1B, Drew Finley, Jr.; Inf., Niko Holm, Sr.; P, Alex Homick, Sr.; OF, Calvin Mitchell, Fr.; OF, Tora Otsuka, Fr.; Inf., Adam Storch, Fr.; P, Tyler Marks, Jr.

OUTLOOK:

The defending Open Division champions start the season ranked No. 1 in the section and in the top 25 of several national polls.

The Broncos lost two solid starters on the mound and the middle of their infield to graduation, but they appear to have reloaded with enough talent to chase a repeat in the Open Division and a fourth consecutive crown in the Palomar League.

“Nobody is going to shed a tear for us,” Blalock said. “There comes a time when you have to enjoy the fact that everybody wants to see you lose ... We have our fans and we aren’t concerned with who is against us.”

Catcher Jackson, the No. 2 high school draft prospect in the country, will anchor the lineup. The senior is just 11 home runs shy of breaking the career section record.

Holm will also provide some pop in the middle of the lineup. He hit .356 with 31 RBIs last season.

Gutierrez will move from the outfield to second base to take over for the graduated Gosuke Katoh and Henderson makes the move from third base to shortstop to replace the graduated Matt Jervis.

“Those two guys were great players,” Blalock said of Katoh and Jervis. “Everybody in our program knows they are going to be tough to replace.”

Henderson, who picked up the win in the Open Division title game last year, will be a starter on the bump along with Homick. Cathedral Catholic transfer Finley should also be in the rotation.

A trio of freshmen will be starting in the field. Mitchell, Otsuka and Storch appear to be in the next wave of never-ending talent at Rancho Bernardo.

“We have a lot of versatility this year,” Blalock said. “We have decisions that need to be made. Players will have to earn their spots and their roles.”

Poway

Coach:

Bob Parry, 20th year

2013 Record:

14-17, 0-2 in Open Division playoffs

2014 DIVISION:

Division I

KEY PLAYERS:

OF, Kyle Dean, Jr.; OF, Joey Fiske, Sr.; P/1B, Sam Godfrey, Sr.; OF, Chris Lowe, Sr.; Inf., Brett Singer, Jr.; P, Tommy Brunansky, Sr.; P, Connor Jones, Sr.; SS, Kevin Bristow, So.; 3B, Luke Kane, Jr.; OF, Jeff Pellegrino, So.

OUTLOOK:

The Titans struggled on the mound last season and are hoping Godfrey, Brunansky and Jones can turn it around this year.

Poway is experienced at the position with everyone on the staff except one guy being a senior.

“The key issue last year was the number of walks we gave up,” Parry said. “We have taken care of that this year. They have been working hard.”

Godfrey is dialed in as the ace. The 6-foot, 2-inch, right-hander features a fastball in the mid-80s to go along with a solid breaking ball and changeup.

Dean, a USD commit, should provide the pop in the middle of the lineup. The junior hit .337 and led the team with 28 RBIs a year ago.

Lowe, who will continue his career at Indiana next year, Bristow and Godfrey should also help keep the Titans’ lineup productive.

“I watch the guys in batting practice and they crush the ball,” Parry said. “We have to take that into the games. I think we will be just fine offensively.”

Poway will miss the pop of Tyler Nevin, who is out after having Tommy John surgery. There is a small chance he can come back to DH before the year is over.

The Titans have enough talent to compete with the top teams in the Palomar League. If they get solid pitching, they have an outside chance at the crown.

Del Norte

Coach:

Rielly Embrey, 5th year

2013 Record:

22-10, Valley League champions, 2-2 in Division III playoffs

2013 Division:

Division II

KEY PLAYERS:

P/Inf., Tyler Plantier, Sr.; C, Dillon Kidwell, Jr.; OF, Rey Buccat, Sr.; OF/P, Parker Lappin, Jr.; P, Matt Meggers, Sr.

OUTLOOK:

The Nighthawks graduated 17 of the 21 home runs they hit last season and will be looking for a group of guys to replace the production that was lost.

“I don’t know if we have quite the established offensive group like last year,” Embrey said. “But I think we have guys that can step in for us and do it together. That is what we are banking on.”

Buccat is the leading returning hitter with at least 25 plate appearances. The senior hit .307 last season, while Lappin hit .306 and Kidwell hit .279. Plantier should also provide some pop.

Meggers returns as the ace of the pitching staff. The right-hander is crafty and throws plenty of strikes.

Also in the starting rotation will be right-handers Lappin and Plantier. The Nighthawks are still in the midst of figuring out who will be their bullpen guys.

“We are not well defined there at this point,” Embrey said. “We are still trying to fill some roles.”

Ramona returns nearly its entire lineup and are the favorites in the Valley League. But Del Norte should be next in line.

Maranatha Christian

Coach:

Edward Stepanow, 1st year

2013 Record:

13-10, 0-2 in Division V playoffs

2013 Division:

Division V

KEY PLAYERS:

C/P, Corey Adkins, Jr.; SS, Metro Henning, Jr.; P, Matt DeWildt, So.; OF/Inf., Andre Escoffier, So.; OF/Inf., Bailey Williams, Jr.; P, Aaron Polley, So.

OUTLOOK:

The Eagles are coming off a winning season and return many of the arms that helped them do it.

Henning posted a 3.32 ERA last year and will return along with Dewildt, who had a 3.59 ERA as a freshman last year.

Of the 14 on the Maranatha roster, eight of them can pitch if needed.

Escoffier, Henning and Adkins return as the leading hitters. New coach Stepanow is hoping to help his team learn to adjust to the pitcher’s ball park at Maranatha.

“We have a unique advantage,” Stepanow said. “In my experience, our park is pitcher friendly so we need to build on pitching and defense. We have some guys that can hit for power, but we need to hit the other way at home. I think we can be a better team if we learn to do that. With the wind and how the sun sets in the batters’ eyes, it is extremely tough to hit home runs (at Maranatha).”

The Eagles went 5-5 in the Coastal-North League last season. Defending champion Escondido Charter graduated most of its squad so the title is up for grabs.

“I think we have a lot of talent and athleticism,” Stepanow said. “If we do a good job of communication-style baseball, then I think we can be competitive.”