Baseball preview: Top 5 players

Top 5 players to watch this season

Chris Amezquita

Servite, Senior, Infielder

The scoop: Amezquita played in the AFLAC All-American Game this past summer. Last year, he batted .394 and hit 14 doubles, tying the school record established by the Cleveland Indians' Ryan Garko for single-season doubles. Amezquita, who also pitched to a 4-2 record, signed with UCLA.

James Cacioppo

Sonora, Senior, Pitcher/Infielder

The scoop: He was an All-Orange County first-team selection last season, when he was 11-1 with a 0.63 ERA with 70 strikeouts. Cacioppo also batted .373 with 38 hits and 21 RBIs, and was named Freeway League player of the year.

Gerrit Cole

Orange Lutheran, Senior, Pitcher

The scoop: A 6-foot-3, 205-pound right-hander, Cole has signed with UCLA and is a potential early-round draft choice in June. He is a Baseball America preseason All-American, and played in the AFLAC All-American game this past summer. In 2007, he was 3-0 with a 0.92 ERA as the Lancers' No. 2 pitcher behind Dan Renken, an '07 first-team All-County player who starts for Cal State Fullerton.

Tyler Rahmatulla

Mater Dei, Senior, Infielder

The scoop: He was All-Orange County first team last year, and a Trinity League player of the year, when he batted .352 with three home runs, 26 RBIs and 26 runs scored. Rahmatulla, another UCLA signee also had 13 stolen bases and pitched to a 3-0 record with three saves.

Matt Sisto

Cypress, Senior, Pitcher/First base

The scoop: Sisto, a 6-foot-5 right-hander, was 10-2 with a 1.39 ERA last season. He was the Empire League's pitcher of the year in '07 after going 7-1 in league games. Sisto was All-County second team, and signed with Hawaii.

Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com