Baseball Preview: O.C. Top 10

O.C. Top 10

1. Los Alamitos: The Griffins return several top players from last year's team that went 22-6 and was a Sunset League champion. Senior utility player Travis Garrett hit .425 with six home runs and 31 RBIs in 2007, and had a 4-2 record on the mound. Senior pitcher Kyle Simon, who signed with Arizona, was 7-2 with a 2.72 ERA. Junior pitcher Beau Wright went 6-0 in '07. Senior outfielder Matt Avery batted .354 with 22 RBIs, and senior infielder Brian Tripp was 13 for 14 on stolen-base attempts.

2. Mater Dei: Pitching is young but deep for the Monarchs, Trinity League champion and a CIF-Southern Section Division I semifinalist last season. They bring back high-kick right-hander Aaron Northcraft, who was All-County in 2007 when he was 9-4. Sophomore Matt Blanchard was 3-1 with a 0.99 ERA, and junior Ruben Orosco was 2-0. All-County shortstop Tyler Rahmatulla also returns, as does senior outfielder Scott Colton, who hit .436 with seven home runs in '07 and signed with Stanford. Sophomore outfielder Cory Hahn batted .345 last year.

3. Orange Lutheran: UCLA signee and top draft prospect Gerrit Cole leads a strong group of Lancers pitchers. The group includes senior left-hander Aaron Gates, a Pepperdine signee and a solid hitter with a .342 average and 22 RBIs last season, and Brandon Maurer, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander who had a 0.54 ERA and four saves in '07 and signed with Long Beach State. Offensive contributions are expected from junior catcher/outfielder Robby Vaughn and senior infielder Tyler Smith. The Lancers were 19-8 last year and finished second in the Trinity League.

4. Cypress: The Centurions, 24-5 and Empire League champions last year, lost some excellent hitters to graduation, including 2007 third-overall draft choice Josh Vitters, but they have enough returnees to be one of the county's top teams in '08. Senior pitcher Matt Sisto, 10-2 last season and a Hawaii signee, is back, as are senior outfielder Chase Koissian, another Hawaii signee, and junior infielder David Nick, who committed to UCLA. Danny Pulfer, a senior infielder who transferred from Marina, signed with Oregon.

5. Capistrano Valley: A good blend of pitching, hitting and defense should have the Cougars competing for another South Coast League championship, which they won last year as they went 22-7 overall. Dartmouth-bound senior Kyle Hendricks was 3-3 in '07, and junior Kevin Chambers was 3-1. Chambers also batted .403 with three home runs. Senior infielder/pitcher Derek Trippy hit .325 with six home runs and 23 RBIs, and senior infielder Brent Cash hit .446 and could improve upon his eight stolen bases of a year ago.

Click here to see Teams 6-10

Contact the writer: preps@ocregister.com