at home against Los Osos as the top-ranked high school team in the nation by both MaxPreps and Perfect Game USA.

Balancing the uncharted waters of having three potential first-round draft picks and others who could also be drafted, and attempting to defend a CIF-SS title, Corona coach Andy Wise is treading carefully with his players.

“This is a career for these boys,” Wise said. “There’s a fine line, but I’m going to err on the side of caution.”

Corona’s biggest competitive hurdle, in the eyes of Wise, will come from travel following two of the nation’s most prestigious high school baseball tournaments; the Boras Classic in Orange County from March 26-28, and the National High School Invitational (NHSI) in North Carolina from April 9-12.

“Coming back from (NHSI) will be tough,” Wise said. “Last year we had to roll in early morning and drive from LAX in the rain on Sunday and play Monday and Tuesday against Centennial. This year it’s Santiago.

“Our league is pretty cutthroat. ... They’re all good.”

While the big three of Fernandez, Carlson and Ebel will garner the most attention, Corona’s roster is filled with next-level players, with 12 returners from the CIF-SS title-winning team, and four notable transfers.

Senior right-handed pitcher and outfielder Ethin Bingamin — a transfer from Arrowhead Christian Academy — is ranked the 90th best 2025 high school draft prospect by Baseball America for both his pitching and hitting traits. He is considered a third-to-fifth round draft prospect with potential to rise higher.

“He’s such an outstanding athlete and it might get overlooked because he’s such a good pitcher,” Wise said. “The exit velocities and distance on balls he hits are as far and hard as anybody.”

Fellow senior transfers Gavin Flores (JSerra) and Jason Gerfers (Aquinas) are Division I college commits. Flores, a first baseman, is committed to Creighton. Gerfers, a right-handed pitcher, is committed to Arizona State.

Gerfers will join Fernandez and Bingamin in the Panthers’ pitching rotation, along with sophomore left-hander Mason Sims, who pitched to a 1.73 ERA over 24 1/3 innings as a freshman last season.

Junior outfielder Anthony Murphy ranks 55th by Baseball America among prep players for the 2026 MLB draft. The LSU commit has led off and played center field in every game for Corona for two years, with no change anticipated.

“I’ve never had a better defensive center fielder,” Wise said. “He’s a dog in the yard. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining or sunny; you throw the ball out there and he’s fetching it at the best of his ability.”

Junior Trey Ebel, the younger brother of Brady, is a touted infielder committed to Texas A&M with attention from professional scouts.

Replacing four-year catcher Josh Springer — who was drafted and signed by the Texas Rangers after graduating in 2024 — will be an impossible task, though Wise is confident in Yucaipa transfer Jesiah Andrade, who is expected to catch in bulk for the Panthers.

Senior Joshua Sur, a Vanguard commit who will play left field, rounds out the lineup.

With a current roster filled with future Division I and professional ballplayers, the program has already seen talent come and go.

Three graduates from 2024 went on to play collegiately. Two others reached professional baseball: Springer and left-handed pitcher Ethan Schiefelbein, who was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the second round and signed for a $1.8 million bonus.

On paper, one could project seven or more professional baseball players from one program in the span of three years, an unmatched number in MLB history and potential for claiming the title of greatest high school baseball team ever.

“I’ve been asking myself for a year now which other high school teams have been as loaded as this Corona club,” said Baseball America’s lead draft analyst Carlos Collazo. “They have a chance to be a historic group, and as of right now, they are probably the most talent-rich team seen on a single high school roster.”