Other promising Inland teams to watch during the 2025 season

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Chino Hills’ Brody Buoncristiani pitches in the CIF-SS Division 5 title game against Santa Monica in Lake Elsinore last May. Buoncristiani went 11-2 with a 0.41 ERA and a .364 batting average last season. Photo by Andrew Foulk

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By Eric-Paul Johnson

ejohnson@scng.com

The 2025 high school baseball season started early this week. Corona, last year’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 champion, opens the new campaign as the No. 1 team in a handful of national rankings. Here are some other teams to keep an eye on this season.

Aquinas (24-7): The Falcons are the four-time defending champions of the Ambassador League. Senior Gavin Egan is a top two-way player who batted .297 last season while going 5-0 with a 1.19 ERA on the mound. Seniors Chase Davidson (.350), Esteban Olazaba (.312) and Mason Greenhouse (Miami) are other top hitters in the lineup. Yucaipa transfer Trevor Busby (San Francisco) will be a key member of the rotation.

Arlington (26-5): The Lions went unbeaten in the River Valley League last season but are now part of the Ivy League. Arlington has a strong pitching staff, led by a trio of southpaws: seniors Nathan Chavez (California Baptist) and Cody Kiemele (Arizona State) and junior Troy Khasaempanth. The Lions have several key hitters returning in the lineup, including seniors Sky Donaldson, Caleb Flores and Luca Lombardi and sophomores Joe Flores and Luke Bacon.

Ayala (16-13-1): The Bulldogs finished third in the Palomares League and reached the Division 2 semifinals last season. Junior Caleb Trugman is one of the top two-way players in the 2026 class. He batted .438 with 21 RBIs last season and also went 2-2 with a 1.50 ERA as a pitcher. Senior Isaac Huver posted a 0.87 ERA in 18 appearances. Other key offensive returners include juniors Jaden Valenzuela, Aidan Erlandsen and Elijah Duarte.

Bonita (19-8): The Bearcats are the two-time defending champs in the Palomares League. Senior Camden Farina went 5-2 with a 2.90 ERA last season. He will be joined in the rotation by junior Daniel Nageer. The offense is led by seniors Austin Owens, Andrew Sanchez and Cody White (La Verne).

Centennial (22-7): The Huskies finished second in the Big VIII League last year. Junior Aiden Simpson batted .284 last season and might see more time on the mound this year. Sophomore Jaden Walk-Green, who is a star defensive back in the football team, could be poised for a breakout campaign. The pitching staff was depleted by graduation, but seniors Ian Calvillo and Charles Rogers are among the candidates to lead the rotation.

Chino Hills (22-9-2): The Huskies finished third in the Baseline League but went on to win the Division 5 section title. Junior Bordy Buoncristiani is a phenomenal two-way talent who went 11-2 with a 0.41 ERA last season while leading the team with a .364 average. Junior Max Zaldivar is another key arm in the rotation. The lineup also returns senior Frankie Brazil (USC commit) and juniors Andrew Baldomino and Jacob Jimenez.

Citrus Valley (17-10): The Blackhawks claimed the Citrus Belt League championship last season. Oregon-bound outfielder Matthew Bline batted .391 with 28 runs and 23 RBIs last season. The southpaw also could see time on the mound. Seniors Jacob Cook (.357) and Cole West (.354) are two of the team’s other top returning players. Cook and junior Nolan Tornberg appear to be first in line to head the rotation.

Colony (26-7-1): The Titans finished second in the Palomares League and won the Division 6 section championship. Colony has moved to the Hacienda League this season. Steven Gonzales once again will lead the rotation after going 10-2 with a 1.71 ERA last season. The Titans graduated a handful of top offensive players, but senior Ricardo Zazueta (.306) returns. Junior Michael Huicochea is another key arm in the rotation.

Great Oak (16-11): The Wolfpack look to bounce back after finishing fifth in the Southwestern League and missing the playoffs last season. The team has some star power. Senior Reagan Ricken (LSU commit) has caught the eye of pro scouts because of his 6-foot-5 frame. He went 3-2 with a 1.40 ERA last season and will play catcher and first base when not on the mound. Senior Gavin Fien (Texas) is another draft prospect who hit .411 last season.

Norco (15-13): The Cougars also are seeking a bounceback campaign after placing fifth in the Big VIII League last year. Dylan Seward was one of the best freshman in the state last season, batting ..381 with 24 runs and 23 RBIs. Junior Landon Hovermale (7-5) is back to lead the starting rotation.

Paloma Valley (27-2): The Wildcats went undefeated in the Ivy League last season. Paloma Valley has one of the deepest pitching staffs in the Inland area with seniors Justin Allen (5-0, Hope International commit), Jaxon Baker (5-0, Texas) and Brody Smearer (5-1, Concordia-Nebraska) and sophomore Jacob Melendez (6-0) all returning. Baker (six home runs) and Melendez are standouts on offense also.

San Dimas (25-5): The Saints won back-to-back titles in the Valle Vista League but have moved over to the Hacienda League this season. The program suffered heavy losses to graduation, but the lineup does return Arizona State-bound outfielder Vaughn Coleman, who batted .347 with 39 runs and 21 RBIs last season. Josh Calacanas and Dean Brosterhouse are highly-touted freshmen who will be key members of the rotation.

Santiago (16-13): The Sharks finished third in the Baseline League last season. There will be plenty of eyes on freshman first baseman and pitcher Striker Pence, who is the nephew of former major league All-Star Hunter Pence. Cooper Berger (Saint Mary’s commit), a transfer from University High in Irvine, adds depth to a pitching staff that returns senior Ethan Morton and sophomores Ben Lewis and Evan Padilla.

Summit (24-6): The SkyHawks are the defending champions of the Sunkist League. Dylan Harrison (Clemson commit) is a two-way star who batted .409 with 21 RBIs while going 7-0 with a 1.86 ERA on the mound. He will be joined in the rotation by seniors Kody Smathers (4-3, California Baptist).and Ryan Oaks (5-0). Smathers (.375), senior Sammy Lopez (.376, California Baptist) and junior Evan Spencer (.388) are other key hitters in the lineup.

Temecula Valley (16-11-1): The Golden Bears finished second in the Southwestern League last season. Junior Taden Krogsgaard returns to lead the rotation after going 6-1 with a 0.97 ERA last season. He also is a key hitter in the lineup. Other top bats include juniors Will Bandel (.329), Rocco Pugliese (.304) and Chase Hilt (.275).

Vista Murrieta (20-9): The Broncos are the three-time defending champions of the Southwestern League. Oklahoma-bound Vaughan Neckar went 8-2 with a 1.74 ERA last season and knocked in 25 runs. He will be joined in the rotation by senior Gavin Kramer. Other key hitters for the Broncos include seniors RJ Holmes (.493, Duke commit), Brady Luyben (.358, San Francisco) and Ryland Duson (,326) and junior Taytum Reeves (.328).

Yucaipa (16-11-1): The Thunderbirds finished second in the Citrus Belt League last season and start a new chapter this season with PJ Jimenez taking the coaching reins from Ralph Grajeda. The lineup returns several important hitters, including seniors Evan Heaton and Connor White and sophomore Damien Cordero. The pitching staff will be led by juniors Logan Pashman and Landyn Van Kaenel and sophomore Zach Scribner.