The high school baseball season is underway in Southern California, and in the Santa Clarita Valley, multiple teams are getting ready to make a push for their respective league titles with many poised to make history.
Here’s what you need to know heading into the start of the league baseball season:
Editor’s note: Teams are listed in order of their Foothill League finish in 2025, followed by the two SCV private schools competing in the Heritage League.
West Ranch looking to repeat
There’s a new head coach at the helm of the West Ranch Wildcats.
Trevor Brown, formerly the head of the Trinity Classical Academy baseball program, replaces Ryan Lindgreen, who stepped down at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign after five years.
Brown led Trinity to Heritage League titles in 2023 and 2024 before stepping down.
With Brown now at West Ranch, the Wildcats look poised to make a run for another Foothill League title and run at a championship in the postseason.
The Wildcats will also have some key players to watch: Blake Johnson is already hitting .500 after the first five games of the season, and joining Johnson is Ty Diaz, who’shitting .429.
On the mound, Orlando Gutierrez will be an arm to watch along with Diaz, who can provide timely strikeouts.
The Wildcats play their first Foothill League game at West Ranch High School against the visiting Golden Valley Grizzlies on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Hawks ready to challenge for league title
After a second-place Foothill League finish, this year’s Hawks are back with some firepower that head coach Brad Meza believes can help the program. Expect many players from last season to be back for Hart this season.
Key returners include first team all-league catcher Anthony Cavarretta and senior outfielder Hayden Rhodes, a three-year varsity letterman.
On the mound, expect senior right-hander Malachi Wobrock to return and be a name worth watching after he made his decision to commit to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Sliding behind Wobrock in the pitching rotation is senior right-hander Cayden Kollasch, who in the first game of the season recorded a stat line of 6.1 innings pitched and seven strikeouts against Santa Paula.
In the infield, Matix Frithsmith is returning after earning second team all-league honors in 2025.
With a heavy mix of returners, Meza’s goal is to uphold the standard of Hart baseball and aim for a league title. Meza believes this year’s team has the right culture to win.
“We are committed to our team-first culture rooted in tradition, accountability and grit,” Meza said. “Having faith that our process can lead us in a league race and deep run in the playoffs.”
The Hawks play their first Foothill League game against the Cowboys at Canyon High School on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Young Centurions looking to make some noise
This year’s Centurions roster features a number of sophomores and juniors expected to contribute right away for head coach Mike Miller. After a third-place finish in the Foothill League last season, he believes this year’s roster can make a deep run.
“I believe this team is ready for that challenge, and we’re excited as a group for any obstacles in front of us,” he said.
Junior outfielder Abraham Ramirez is expected to hit high in the lineup and pitch on the mound.
At shortstop, Banning Sheff returns after earning first-team league honors last year. Sheff is a junior and will be an “exciting player defensively” for Saugus, according to Miller.
A key hitter who will also be catching behind the plate is JD Lawless, a junior who Miller believes will have a significant impact on the batter box.
In the pitching staff, expect junior Tyler Roberts to provide some relief innings after earning a call-up in the middle of last season as a sophomore. When Roberts isn’t on the mound, expect to see him at third base.
Two other arms Miller expects to count on are Chase Kline and Jacob Feldman, juniors who got some time to learn from last year’s senior class.
This year’s team is young, but with tenured juniors and a mix of sophomores and seniors, Miller believes winning a league title will be a challenge, but his Centurions welcome it.
“The Foothill League is a tough league, and this team knows we’ll have to earn every win. We look forward to that challenge,” he said.
The Centurions play their first Foothill League game against the visiting Castaic Coyotes at Saugus High School on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Castaic looks to continue recent success
For head coach Darrell Davis, the standard at Castaic is to replicate the success from the 2023 season when the Coyotes won a CIF Southern Section championship and southern regional title.
He believes this year’s team can reach that same milestone despite graduating 11 seniors last year.
Expect Michael Fava to return after leading the Foothill League in batting average and will slot in at third base defensively.
Another player to watch is sophomore Orion Gonzalez, one of three team captains for Castaic who will be a key batter in the lineup.
Another player Davis is counting on to contribute is Jakob Kerr, Castaic’s senior catcher.
Second team all-league returner Andrew Bond will pitch for Castaic in his senior season and take the ace role while Gonzalez slides into the staff as the No. 2 pitcher.
With a mix of senior and junior talent, and plenty of returning players, the goal for Davis is to win the Foothill League, something the Castaic baseball program has yet to achieve.
“Our goal this year is to try to win a league title,” Davis said. “And obviously, every year is to try to be in that top four and get to the playoffs. I’ve been very fortunate to be able to make the playoffs every year that I’ve been there, so we’re excited, and hopefully we can do that.”
The Coyotes play their first Foothill League game on the road at Saugus High School against the Centurions on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Valencia revamped and reloaded, ready to challenge for league crown
After securing an at-large bid into the playoffs last season, the Valencia Vikings and head coach Tim Pennell are looking for a top four finish in the Foothill League this year.
Last season, the Vikings finished 6-6 in league play, and lost two-way standout Noah Jaquez, who led Valencia in hits and runs batted in.
This year, Pennell is expecting a few players to fill the void, such as senior left-handed pitcher and first baseman Justin Gaisford.
Gaisford is also a left-handed bat and is expected to be at the top of the Vikings’ pitching rotation.
Another explosive bat in the middle of the order for Valencia is Tyler Wertz, a catcher expected to split time at first base and provide run production.
At shortstop, Pennell is sliding in junior Cole DeYoung, an all-around defender who has both good power and speed.
Pennell’s overall goal is to win a league title, but as the season continues, he wants his team to get better every day and compete at a high level when the games matter most in the postseason.
“Our overall goal is to play good, consistent baseball every single day and make a strong push for a Foothill League title,” Pennell said. “Consistency, especially in practice, is something we preach daily. If we focus on that, we believe we’ll put ourselves in position to compete at a high level.”
The Vikings play their first Foothill League game against the visiting Hart Hawks at Valencia High School on March 18, with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Golden Valley looking to make history
This season, Grizzlies’ head coach Marcus Kennedy wants to make history at Golden Valley by being the first team to make the playoffs in school history.
Although Kennedy knows the challenge won’t be easy, he believes this year’s team can get the job done.
One of the players he expects to lead Golden Valley there is junior outfielder Ayden Renstrom, who Kennedy described as “glue to the team.” Renstrom is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he finished with an honorable league mention.
Behind the plate, expect to see junior Tyler Do at catcher and catch a majority of innings for Golden Valley.
On the mound, Kennedy has a few options he’s excited to see pitch.
Senior Charlie Butts returns this season and will be the ace for the Grizzlies. Another arm Kennedy will rely on is right-hander Andrew Markovich, who already threw a handful of innings for Golden Valley as a sophomore.
Kennedy believes Golden Valley has the tools in place to succeed.
“Our goal is very clear to us: Be the first Golden Valley team to play postseason baseball,” Kennedy said. “Not an easy feat by any stretch but that’s what has made it fun. The culture we’re trying to implement is one of meaning. Our guys don’t want any more moral victories — they want to win.”
The Grizzlies play their first Foothill League game against the Wildcats at West Ranch High School on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Canyon looking to tenured group to lead playoff push
This season, head coach Zack Newman is looking toward his tenured group of seniors to lead the Canyon Cowboys for a playoff push — including senior first baseman Brody Bayliss and junior catcher Ryder Brown.
Bayliss is entering his fourth season with the Cowboys while Brown is heading into his third. Both are expected to be heavy hitters along with senior outfielder Matthew Jiminez, who will help control the pace on defense.
On the mound, Newman has penciled in senior Henry Almarez as the ace with Bayliss backing him up in the No. 2 role. Newman added that left-handed sophomore Emmett Trinity will be “a player to keep an eye on” for not just this year, but seasons to come.
With a strong group of tenured players along with underclassmen who can contribute, Newman said the program has one goal: playoffs.
“Our goal is, and always will be, getting to the show,” Newman said. “This means doing the routine things routinely, showing up ready to play each game and keeping runners off the bases. Should be a fun year, and we are all excited about getting the season going.”
The Cowboys open Foothill League play at home against the visiting Hart Hawks on Wednesday with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
Trinity eyeing another Heritage title
After the Knights achieved the program’s fourth-consecutive Heritage League title, head coach Justin Stark wants his team to shoot for a fifth. And he’ll have junior right-hander Andrew Carlson, who’s a commit to Texas Christian University, helping the Knights.
With Carlson as the ace for the Knights, Stark believes he has a strong rotation this year.
Sophomore right-hander Aiden Visconti is expected to slide into the second spot and be an arm worth watching as he develops.
On offense, Carlson is expected to also be a key at the top of the lineup.
Joining Carlson is Quinn Minyard, a senior infielder who can help keep the offense consistent and get timely hits to get on base.
The goal as always for the Knights is to win a Heritage League title, and Stark wants to continue to see his young team grow and get to a CIF championship.
“I think that’s everyone’s goal is to get to that championship,” he said. “Right now, it’s just taking one pitch at a time and one game at a time.”
The Knights open Heritage League play on April 13 against the Santa Clarita Christian Cardinals at the William S. Hart Baseball & Softball Complex, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
New-look Santa Clarita Christian Cardinals looking to make playoffs
There’s a familiar face at the helm of the Santa Clarita Christian baseball program.
Ryan Franchimone takes over as the manager of the Cardinals after helping the Cardinals finish as Division 7 finalists in 2015.
For his first year, he’s got big goals as he wants his Cardinals to vie for a postseason berth.
Expect to see several players on the field defensively and on the mound, such as Greg Michlin, Jacob Trospher and Zach Peña.
Both Peña and Trosper are expected to be key at bats and arms for Franchimone with Zane Stauffer expecting to also be a key player for SCCS.
Franchimone is looking for strong play in the early portion of the season and if the Cardinals can pick up some momentum, he likes his team’s odds of making the postseason.
“Our goal for the upcoming season is to get into the playoffs where everyone has a clean slate,” Franchimone said.
The Cardinals opened Heritage League play splitting the season series against the Vasquez Mustangs. The Cardinals are 1-1 through the first two games of league and play again against the Palmdale Academy Charter Jaguars on Thursday.
