One of the top baseball tournaments in the country gets underway Monday when 16 teams compete for the championship at the National Classic in Fullerton.
Eight of the 16 teams competing have appeared in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national baseball rankings this year at some point and the tournament features some of the best individual talent in the country. Past participants who have gone on to a major league career include Alex Rodriguez, Dustin Pedroia, Pat Burrell, J.P. Howell and Shawn Green.
The tournament is entering its 20th year and this year’s event draws two teams from the East Coast who figure to contend for the tournament title. Don Bosco Prep of Ramsey, N.J., was 33-0 last season in winning a state title and is off to a 3-0 start this year with a No. 3 national ranking by MaxPreps.
Meanwhile Mamaroneck, N.Y., won a AA state championship last year and returns the bulk of last year’s squad. Although the Tigers lost their season opener, they can’t be overlooked as a title contender.
Mike Rosenfeld of Mamaroneck, New York.
File photo by Jim Stauffer
The other out-of-state teams include a pair of undefeated teams in Spanish Fork from Utah and Notre Dame Prep of Scottsdale, Ariz. Spanish Fork was ranked No. 1 to start the season in Utah while Notre Dame Prep has risen to the top of the Division 4 rankings in Arizona.
From the South, Palm Beach Central returns to the National Classic after a one-year absence. Palm Beach is ranked No. 1 in the Miami-Palm Beach region of the state of Florida.
The remaining 11 teams all hail from California. Mater Dei of Santa Ana is ranked No. 6 in the Xcellent 25 national rankings while Jesuit of Sacramento is No. 18. El Toro, NorCo and Archbishop Mitty all were ranked earlier in the season.
Among some of the players to watch from California include Aaron Northcraft, Mater Dei, pitcher; Matt Hobgood, Norco, pitcher; Chad Thompson, El Toro, pitcher; Nolan Arenado, El Toro, infielder; Niko Speziel, Don Bosco Prep, pitcher; Mitch Haniger, Mitty, OF; Devon Travis, Palm Beach Central, 2B; Andrew Susac, Jesuit, catcher; Mike Rosenfeld, Mamaroneck, catcher; and Brock Duke, Spanish Fork, pitcher.
Crespi won last year’s championship with a 7-2 win over Orange Lutheran. El Dorado, Aptos and Esperanza are the only three teams returning from last year’s tournament. Palm Beach Central won the tournament in 2007 while De La Salle captured the title in 2006.
Following is a closer look at each of the opening round games.
Aptos, Ca vs. Mater Dei, Ca
Game 1 – at Field 2, Monday, 10 a.m.
About Aptos: The Mariners are off to a tough start this season at 4-10 after going 26-5 last season. Aptos lost All-American pitcher Kevin Eichorn, who was drafted and signed by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Mariners return eight players from last year’s Santa Cruz County Athletic League championship team including all-league infielder Joe Davis
About Mater Dei: The Monarchs (12-2) were No. 7 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 national rankings, but will likely drop a bit this week after falling to JSerra Catholic, 6-4, on Thursday. Aaron Northcraft is the top pitcher for the Monarchs. He went 2-0 in Mater Dei’s tournament win at the Elks Tournament at the start of the season, however he has absorbed both of the Monarch’s losses in tight ball games.
Notre Dame, AZ vs. Norco, CA
Game 2 – at Field 2, Monday, 1 p.m.
About Notre Dame: The Saints enter the tournament as the hottest team in Arizona after winning its first 16 games of the season. Notre Dame Prep has eight starters batting over .300, led by Drew Ozanne at .488 with three home runs and Nick Barber at .465. Jordan Luvisi and Matt Ozanne lead the team in homers with four apiece. Luvisi is also the team’s top pitcher with a 5-0 record and 33 strikeouts, however Casey Upperman is 3-0 with 35 K’s.
About Norco: After a pair of early losses at the Chino Tournament, Norco has reeled off six straight wins to up their mark to 9-2. The Cougars have one of the nation’s top hitter/pitcher combinations in Matt Hobgood, who was the Los Angeles Times’ Southland Player of the Year as a junior. He’s back at it again this year, batting .579 with 19 RBI and six home runs with a 5-0 mound record that includes 40 strikeouts and a 0.24 ERA.
{VIDEO_4b56d792-9a0b-420e-a7f1-8f1ac5e13429,floatRightWithBar}
Northview, CA vs. Archbishop Mitty, Ca
Game 3 – at Field 2, Monday, 4 p.m.
About Northview: The Vikings won the Division IV Southern Section title last year with a 26-4 record and they are off to a 9-2 start in 2009. Northview was also ranked No. 1 in Division IV to start the season.
About Mitty: The Monarchs were the runners-up in the Central Coast Section Division 1 last year, falling to Valley Christian in the final inning. Mitty is off to a 15-3 start with a win over Jesuit and a victory over Valley Christian. Mitch Haniger is the heavy hitter for Mitty with five home runs while Brett Fuller has 25 RBI and four home runs. James Roberts has the top batting average for full-time starters with a .474 mark. Trevor Hildenberger is 5-2 on the mound with 36 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched.
Mamaroneck, NY vs. Esperanza, Ca
Game 4 – at Field 3, Monday, 7:15 p.m.
About Mamaroneck: The usual late start in New York and a couple of cancellations leaves the Tigers with just one game under their belt heading into the National Classic and that was a 3-2 loss to Suffern. The defending AA state champions returns one of the state’s best catchers in Mike Rosenfeld, who had 58 RBI last season for a 30-2 team.
About Esperanza: It’s been a tough go so far for the Aztecs, who are 3-9-1 overall entering Monday’s play. Ryan Bergman leads the offense with a .457 batting average and three home runs.
Nolan Arenado of El Toro.
File photo by Heston Quan
Spanish Fork, UT vs. Palm Beach Central, FL
Game 5 – at Field 1, Monday, 10 a.m.
About Spanish Fork: The Dons (11-0) were the preseason No. 1 team in Utah in the coaches poll and they have one of the state’s best pitchers in Brock Duke, who earned all-state honors last season and is set to play at Utah next season. Duke is one of four talented pitchers on a staff that also includes Adam Duke, Chase Castleberry and Tyler Duffin.
About Palm Beach Central: The Cardinal are off to a 17-1 start with the only loss coming against defending 3A state champion American Heritage. Palm Beach Central has one of the state’s top catchers in Ryan Roberson while Devon Travis ranks as one of the best middle infielders. Travis has signed with Florida State.
Notre Dame, CA vs. Jesuit, CA
Game 6 – at Field 1, Monday, 1 p.m.
About Notre Dame: The Knights are 11-2 on the season, 3-1 in Mission League play. Notre Dame is led by Ranny Lowe, who is batting .545, and Casey Ryan, who is hitting .488. The Knights have four pitchers with at least two wins while Josh Goossen-Brown leads the team with three victories and 18 strikeouts.
About Jesuit: Only a loss to Mitty mars an otherwise perfect record for the Marauders (11-1), who are the defending Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 champions. Jesuit has one of the best catchers in the state in Andrew Susac, who is batting .464 on the year. Danny Hayes leads the team with a .609 batting average while Brad Gerig is tops in home runs with three. Brock Simon is thecae of a deep pitching staff. He is 4-0 on the year with 22 strikeouts. Alex Plog and Nick Paulsen are both 3-0.
Don Bosco Prep, NJ vs. El Dorado, CA
Game 7 – at Field 3, Monday, 4:30 p.m.
About Don Bosco Prep: The Ironmen are the defending state champions in New Jersey and posted one of the best records in the nation last year, going 33-0. Don Bosco Prep is 3-0 to start the season with shutout wins over Bloomfield (10-0) and Bergen Catholic (5-0). The Ironmen have one of the top pitchers in the country in Niko Speziel, who threw a five-inning no-hitter in his first outing of the season. Brett Knief is an all-state performer who returns in the outfield.
About El Dorado: The Golden Hawks are off to a solid start with a 10-4 record. El Dorado has five starters batting over .300, led by Adam Velez at .447 and Billy Hutchinson at .357. Appropriately named Travis Pitcher is the team’s top hurler with a 4-0 record and 21 strikeouts.
De La Salle, CA vs. El Toro, CA
Game 8 – at Field 1, Monday, 1 p.m.
About De La Salle: The Spartans are 5-6 on the season, but recently defeated highly-regarded Monte Vista and also have a win over San Ramon Valley. Erik Rowen leads the hitting attack with a .355 average.
About El Toro: The Chargers, who won the Southern Section Division 2 championship last season, have won seven in a row since a loss in mid-March to San Clemente. Ranked among the top teams in the country at the beginning of the season, The Chargers are starting to heat up at the plate where they are batting .370 as a team. Nolan Arenado leads the attack with a .543 batting average while Aaron Wirsch has smacked five home runs. El Toro has one of the best pitchers in the country in Chad Thompson, who is 4-0 with 45 strikeouts and a 0.27 ERA, however Wirsch is solid as well with a 5-0 mark, 42 K’s and a 0.96 ERA.
For complete schedule see National Bat Classic website
