All-County baseball: First-team selections

All-County Baseball Team

FIRST TEAM

Gerrit Cole, P, Orange Lutheran, Sr.
He was 8-2 with 121 strikeouts and only 18 walks in 75 2/3 innings for the Trinity League champion Lancers. Cole was the starting pitcher for the North in last week's Orange County All-Star Game. He signed with UCLA, and last week was taken by the New York Yankees in the first round of the Major League Baseball draft.

Kyle Hendricks, P, Capistrano Valley, Sr.
Hendricks was a South Coast League player of the year for the league-champion Cougars. He was 8.2 with a 0.93 ERA and struck out 82 in 72 2/3 innings. He signed with Dartmouth and was drafted by the Angels, and pitched in the county all-star game.

Chad Thompson, P, El Toro, Jr.
He was 12-3, including four victories in the playoffs for the CIF-Southern Section Division II champion Chargers. He struck out 121 in 93 innings and had a 1.28 ERA.

Beau Wright, P, Los Alamitos, Jr.
Wright was league pitcher of the year for the Sunset League champion Griffins. He was 10-1 with a 1.07 ERA and struck out 114 in 78 2/3 innings.

Kyle Higashioka, C, Edison, Sr.
He batted .382 with seven home runs and 31 RBIs. Higashioka signed with Cal and was drafted in the seventh round by the New York Yankees. He was the South's starting catcher in the county all-star game.

Nick Ramirez, 1B, Katella, Sr.
Ramirez batted .426 with 39 hits, nine doubles and 26 RBIs for the Empire League champion Knights, and also was an outstanding pitcher with a 10-1 record and 1.16 ERA. He signed with Cal State Fullerton. (Click to see story on Ramirez being selected player of the year.)

Nolan Arenado, Inf, El Toro, Jr.
He was the leading hitter for the CIF-champion Chargers, with a .456 average. He also drove in 32 runs and scored 33 runs. Arenado, a shortstop, struck out only six times in 120 plate appearances.

Danny Pulfer, Inf, Cypress, Sr.
Pulfer led the Centurions with a .468 average, and drove in 20 runs. He stole 22 bases on 26 attempts. Pulfer, who started at shortstop in the county all-star game, signed with Oregon.

Tyler Rahmatulla, Inf, Mater Dei, Sr.
The Trinity League player of the year for the second year in a row, he is a repeat All-County first-team selection. Rahmatulla batted .409 with 39 hits, 24 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. He signed with UCLA.

Matt Avery, OF, Los Alamitos, Sr.
The Sunset League's player of the year, Avery batted .396 with six home runs and 33 RBIs. He signed with Long Beach State, and was a starter in the county all-star game.

Jordan Foreman, OF, El Modena, Sr.
He was the Century League's offensive player of the year. Foreman batted .367 with 10 doubles and four triples, and drove in a team-high 17 runs for the Vanguards.

Travis Garrett, OF, Los Alamitos, Sr.
Garrett got off to a hot start by going 8 for 15 in the Loara Tournament and stayed productive, finishing with a .338 average and 21 RBIs. He also was 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA on the mound.

Chase Harrison, DH, Orange Lutheran, Soph.
Harrison was a Trinity League player of the year for the league-champion Lancers. He played catcher and first base. Harrison batted .328 with 19 RBIs. He had two hits in the Anderson Bat National Classic championship game.

Aaron Northcraft, Utility, Mater Dei, Jr.
Northcraft, All-County second team last year, was 7-3 with a 1.90 ERA and 60 strikeouts. He also batted .394 with a team-high 23 RBIs. Northcraft also hit five home runs, including one in the Monarchs' victory over Los Alamitos in the CIF-SS Division I quarterfinals.

Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com