For the second straight year, a CIF baseball championship returned to the Santa Clarita Valley.
Hart hoisted the CIF Division 2 trophy and earned coach Jim Ozella the ultimate prize in his final game in an Indians’ uniform.
All-league and all-CIF selections have been released with the completion of the season.
CIF Division 2 Player of the Year: Ryan De La Maza, senior, Hart
CIF Division 2 Coach of the Year: Jim Ozella, Hart
All-CIF:
- Troy Cooper, senior, Hart.
- Ian Edwards, senior, Hart.
Foothill League Player of the Year: Ryan De La Maza, senior, Hart
De La Maza departs Hart a CIF and Foothill League MVP as the last ever catcher to wear an Indians uniform. The Fresno State commit ended his season batting .352 with team highs of 10 doubles and as many stolen bases.
Foothill League Pitcher of the Year: Ian Edwards, senior, Hart
Edwards earned Pitcher of the Year honors to the surprise of few. The submarine sensation was as clutch as they come, registering numerous saves en route to his 0.41 ERA in league play. Edwards finished the year with 48 strikeouts in his 46 innings of work with just six walks.
Heritage League MVP: Jordan Lovelace, junior, Trinity.
Lovelace was a key piece of Trinity’s perfect regular season. The junior batted nearly .700 in league play while going .564 at the plate all year. He also led the Knights with 12 doubles and three triples.
Lovelace was a key piece of Trinity’s perfect regular season. The junior batted nearly .700 in league play while going .564 at the plate all year. He also led the Knights with 12 doubles and three triples.
First team
- Tyler Hawn, senior, Castaic.
- Jack Steidl, senior, Golden Valley.
- Eddie Gutierrez, senior, Hart.
- Taj Brar, senior, Hart.
- Troy Cooper, senior, Hart.
- Dominick Zambrano, senior, Saugus.
- Wesley Yim, senior, Saugus.
- Aiden Voyles, senior, Valencia.
- Jackson Banuelos, senior, West Ranch.
- Michael Murr, junior, West Ranch.
- Nolan Stoll, junior, West Ranch.
Hawn had a solid senior season coming off the CIF and Regional title year as a junior. Hawn will take his two-way talents to Oklahoma Christian.
Steidl capped off his four-year varsity career with another strong year at the plate and on the mound, earning him the first-team honors.
Cooper answered every challenge that Ozella presented him, including becoming the winning pitcher of the CIF title game. Cooper, a Cal Poly SLO commit, finishes his senior year with a 1.32 ERA, 93 strikeouts and just 21 walks through 74.1 innings.
Gutierrez was consistent all year and finished his senior year batting .414 in Foothill League play. Brar, a Biola commit as a pitcher, batted .413 this season, including three big hits in the CIF title game. The senior saw the ball well all season and struck out just once in league play.
Zambrano was solid all year and finished off league play with a team-high .415 batting average. He also led Saugus in 2024 with 15 runs, six doubles and a triple. Yim showcased his steadiness all season and wound up with a 1.59 ERA. The senior fanned 46 batters in his 52.2 innings on the hill while allowing just three extra base hits and eight walks.
Voyles ended his four-year Valencia varsity career with arguably his best offensive season. The Westmont commit batted .321 with 27 hits, 18 runs and hit his first-ever home run in a Vikings jersey, all while being one of the best catchers in the Foothill League.
Banuelos was consistent as they come in his final season with West Ranch. The CSUN commit finished the year with a 1.58 ERA and 78 strikeouts through 62 innings. Stoll, a Stanford commit, batted .380 this season with 30 hits, while manning the defense behind the plate.
Murr batted .464 in league play, while leading the team throughout the 2024 season with 20 RBIs, three doubles and two home runs. Murr hit for West Ranch’s first-ever cycle on March 22, when he hit for the feat in order in a 9-2 win over Saugus. Murr was also a valuable piece of the bullpen and registered two saves on the mound.
Local Heritage League first team
- John Carlson, junior, Trinity.
- Noah Visconti, junior, Trinity.
- Luke Backes, junior, Trinity.
- Andrew Carlson, freshman, Trinity.
- Zane Stauffer, sophomore, SCCS.
Visconti earns more all-league honors after another stellar season. The junior batted .351 at the plate while striking out 16 batters in his 13.2 innings of work as a closer. As an infielder and closer, Visconti totaled 71 putouts, second to only Andrew Carlson.
The freshman pitcher tore through his first ever varsity season with 99 putouts. Andrew boasted a 0.50 ERA and hit .423 on the season as he led the Knights with 25 RBIs. Backes also totaled 25 RBIs along with his six home runs and .391 average.
John also returns to the all-league honors after another impressive two-way season. The junior went 9-0 on the mound with a 1.14 ERA and 92 strikeouts in his 55.1 innings on the bump. The elder Carlson also batted .378.
Stauffer capped off the season batting .478 with 28 hits, 16 runs and four doubles. The sophomore also posted a 4.32 ERA with 70 strikeouts through 37 innings for the Cardinals.
Second team
- Tsukasa Ozaki, senior, Canyon.
- Jacob De La Cruz, senior, Castaic.
- Brayden Jefferis, senior, Hart.
- Michael Hogen, junior, Hart.
- Hayden Rhodes, junior, Hart.
- Parker Allman, sophomore, Saugus.
- Brady Yeaman, senior, Saugus.
- Noah Jaquez, junior, Valencia.
- Lincoln Hunt, junior, Valencia.
- Hunter Manning, junior, West Ranch.
- Landon Hu, junior, West Ranch.
Local Heritage League second team
- Andrew Kelley, junior, Trinity.
- Isaac Saroughian, freshman, Trinity.
- Quin Minyard, sophomore, Trinity.
- Wyatt Waldron, junior, SCCS.
Honorable mention
- Benny Santos, junior, Canyon.
- Travis Van Ness, junior, Castaic.
- Brayden Brewer, senior, Golden Valley.
- Brady Werther, junior, Hart.
- Toby Lite, senior, Saugus.
- Reid Farrell, senior, Valencia.
- Ty Diaz, sophomore, West Ranch.
