Baseball preview: O.C. top 10

The Register has put together its O.C. baseball preview, which includes the season-opening top 10, the top players to watch and more.
Huntington Beach's Dominic Abbadessa made one of the best plays of the season a year ago with this catch near the outfield fence against Los Alamitos. The Oilers are ranked No. 1 in the county to start the season.
JSerra's Royce Lewis will be one of the top infielders in the county this season. The Lions start the season ranked No. 2 in the county.
Orange Lutheran's Tristan Hanoian will be an important player this season for the Lancers, who start the year ranked No. 3 in Orange County.
Cypress' Dominic Fletcher will be one of the top players in the county this season for the Centurions, who start the year ranked No. 4 in the county.
Santa Margarita's Joey Myers will be part of a strong defense that, coupled by excellent pitching, should make the Eagles one of the county's top teams. Santa Margarita starts the year ranked No. 5 in the county.
Los Alamitos pitcher Scott Anderson is part of a strong pitching staff that should make the Griffins the team to beat in the Sunset League. Los Alamitos starts the season ranked No. 6 in the county.
Junior pitcher Hans Crouse is one of the reasons Dana Hills is excited about its chances this season. The Dolphins start the year ranked No. 7 in the county.
Aliso Niguel's Zak Nocon and teammates will be aiming to win the South Coast League title this season. The Wolverines start the season ranked No. 8 in the county.
Foothill's Jack Jansen is part of a senior-laden team that will make a run at winning the North Hills League title. The Knights start the season ranked No. 9 in Orange County.
Mater Dei's Josh Stephen is part of a team that could generate a lot of offense while contending for the Trinity League title. The Monarchs start the season ranked No. 10 in the county.

By Steve Fryer | sfryer@scng.com | Orange County Register

March 4, 2016 at 11:01 p.m.

The Register’s look at the teams in its season-opening top 10.

O.C. TOP 10

1. Huntington Beach: The Oilers won the CIF-SS Division 1 championship last season. They might be better this season, with excellence in all phases of the game. Huntington Beach has a tough schedule, with appearances in the National High School Invitational and the Boras Classic, plus some wicked nonleague games, so their overall record come playoff time might have a deceivingly large number of losses.

2. JSerra: The defending Trinity League champions return seven starters, including third baseman Royce Lewis, who was the league’s MVP last season, and all-league selections Brady Shockey (center field) and Chase Strumpf (shortstop). The Lions went 27-5-1 last season and reached the Division 1 quarterfinalis.

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BASEBALL PREVIEW

Huntington Beach has talent to reach great heights

O.C. Top 10

Top players to watch this season

Other players to watch this season

Important dates

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3. Orange Lutheran: With four Division 1-committed pitchers, the Lancers will be excellent on the mound. The offense will be fine, too. Center fielder Garrett Mitchell and shortstop Tristan Hanoian are coming off of all-league seasons. The Lancers finished last season 22-9 and were second in the Trinity League.

4. Cypress: Senior center fielder Dominic Fletcher, who signed with Arkansas, was All-County first team and the Empire League’s MVP last year. Senior pitcher James Acuna, an Oregon signee, was 8-2 last year with a 1.50 ERA. The Centurions bring back seven starters from a team that finished 20-10 and won the league championship.

5. Santa Margarita: The Eagles finished 18-14 overall and fourth in the Trinity League last season. Pitching and defense should get them back to the playoffs. Sophomore righ-hander Chandler Champlain committed to USC, and right-hander Konnor Kwok committed to Claremont-McKenna.

6. Los Alamitos: The Griffins, who missed the postseason last year, might be Huntington Beach’s chief threat in the Sunset League. Among the returnees are all-league selections Mike Townsend (pitcher, outfielder), Mark Stanford (infielder) and Scott Anderson (pitcher, outfielder).

7. Dana Hills: The Dolphins are short on experience but long on talent. Junior Hans Crouse was 6-1 last year with a 1.86 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 50 innings. Catcher David Clawson signed with BYU. Dana Hills will battle for the championship of the always-strong South Coast League.

8. Aliso Niguel: Five starters return from a team that finished 17-14 and tied Dana Hills for second place in the South Coast League. Senior catcher Blake Sabol committed to USC. Junior shortstop Demetri Colacchio was all-league last season, and second baseman/third baseman Connor Kokx is part of an outstanding infield.

9. Foothill: A senior-led lineup could make the Knights as good as they were last season when they went 22-9 overall and won the North Hills League title. Senior catcher Nick Provenzano is a three-year starter. Dillon Brown (third baseman, pitcher) signed with Cal State Fullerton, and shortstop Preston Moebius was all-league in ’15.

10. Mater Dei: The Monarchs will score runs. They bring back all-league outfielder Josh Stephen, a USC signee, and outfielder Grant Burton, who signed with Stanford, from a team that went 18-13 and finished third in the Trinity League. The pitching staff is young and inexperienced but has potential.