2014 Championship Series Preview

ORANGE COAST

(33-9, co-champions of the Orange Empire Conference, No. 1 overall seed in Southern California) – With high expectations heading into 2014, the Pirates did not disappoint. After an eight-game win streak closed out nonconference play, OCC saved its best baseball down the stretch, winning 12 straight to earn the school's fourth State Final Four appearance since 2005. Coast swept past El Camino (7-4, 8-2), Allan Hancock (9-3, 8-6) and Southwestern (5-4, 8-0) in the playoffs and the Pirates have been led by a number of different players. Sophomore starters (and twin brothers) David Hill (10-1, 1.61 ERA, 102 strikeouts in 106 innings) and Jacob Hill (10-0, 1.29 ERA, 57 strikeouts in 63 innings) carried the Pirates to the playoffs, but it's been freshman lefty Art Vidro (7-3, 2.32 ERA, 49 strikeouts in 66 innings) who has been the star hurler in the postseason, winning all three games he pitched and allowing just one earned run over 19 2/3 innings. Sophomore shortstop Cody Nulph (.409, 70 hits, 17 doubles, 30 RBI) enters the State Final Four with a 26-game hit streak and his 70 hits is tied for the state lead with San Bernardino Valley's Jason Wilcoxson. Sophomore slugger Chris Iriart leads the state with nine home runs and is tied for second in the state with 43 RBI. Adding power in the middle of the lineup is freshman right-fielder Tommy Bell, who enters the tournament with a .397 batting average, five home runs and 34 RBI. Leadoff hitter Cody Bruder (.368, four home runs, state-best eight triples, 31 RBI) has 23 multi-hit games collected nine hits, six runs and nine RBI in OCC's six playoff games. With eight players already committed to Division I baseball next year, the Pirates are looking for their fifth state baseball title in school history (1956, 1960, 1980, 2009).

OXNARD

(33-10, champions of the Western State Conference's North Division, No. 2 overall seed in Southern California) – With seven Division-I players up and down the lineup, the Condors come to Fresno looking for their first-ever state baseball title, returning to the Final Four for the first time in over 25 years. After winning the WSC North, Oxnard has battled through three tough matchups. OC escaped the first round by beating East Los Angeles in a tough three-game series (4-3, 1-2, 2-0) before sweeping past L.A. Pierce (9-1, 6-5) and Santa Barbara (2-1, 3-2). With a team ERA of 2.03, Oxnard has been led by sophomore Luke Eubank, who is 12-0 with one save and a 0.69 ERA, striking out a state-best 126 batters in 117 1/3 innings. Sophomore Patrick Weigel, who has hit triple digits on several scouts' radar guns in 2014, is 5-2 with 80 strikeouts in just 57 innings. OC's third starter – Austin Kamel – is 5-3 with a 1.48 ERA and 61 Ks in 67 innings. Leading the Condors' bullpen is freshman Blake Redman, who has pitched in 24 games and is 6-1 with nine saves and 1.02 ERA. The OC offense enters the tournament with a .289 team batting average and is led by sophomore Julian Ramon (.371, 53 hits, 13 extra-base hits, 28 RBI), freshman Dustyn Cook (.310, 48 hits, 21 RBI, 30 runs scored) and sophomore Ryan Webberly (.298, 4 hits, 17 doubles, 25 RBI). The Condor offense will be hampered a bit with the uncertain status of sophomore Ryan Tinkham (.360, 49 hits, 28 runs, four home runs 29 RBI), who has missed the last six playoff games due to injury.

SAN JOAQUIN DELTA

(33-9, champions of the Big 8 Conference, No. 2 overall seed in Northern California) – The Stockton-based Mustangs, two-time state champions (1959, 2011) and state runners-up in 2009, edged out Santa Rosa to win the Big 8 Conference title. Then, following playoff wins over Fresno City (6-3, 6-2) and Marin (3-2, 14-2), Delta once again edged out SRJC (2-0, 5-1) to advance to the State Final Four.  Sophomore outfielder Wyatt Castro (.404, 61 hits, 18 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 35 RBI) leads a Delta offense that enters this weekend with a .289 team batting average. Sophomore C.J. Owens is close behind Castro with a .315 average, 47 hits, 23 runs, 10 doubles, 32 RBI, while Phillip Clark (.267, 44 hits, 20 RBI) leads the team with 17 stolen bases. On the mound, the Mustangs are led by a pair of inning-eating sophomores, lefty Matt Valencia and righty Sean Bennetts. Valencia is 10-2 with a 2.11 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 89 2/3 innings, while Bennetts is 9-2 with a 2.51 ERA, with four complete games and 48 strikeouts in 86 innings. Sophomore Sam Held is Delta's No. 3 starter after going 6-2 with a 2.56 ERA, striking out 41 batters over 59 2/3 innings. That trio started 37 of Delta's 42 games in 2014. Relievers Alex Lott (3-2, 1.38 ERA) and Eric Sandness (0-0, 2.53 ERA) have combined for nine of Delta's 10 saves this year.

SEQUOIAS

(33-11, champions of the Central Valley Conference, No. 5 overall seed in Northern California) – After claiming their first CVC title since 2001, the Giants took care of business in the opening round of the playoffs with a pair of 4-1 wins over Diablo Valley. From there, fifth-seeded Sequoias has played the role of spoiler, topping No. 4 Sierra in the Super Regional (4-2, 4-6, 5-4) and top-seeded Chabot (13-8, 1-11, 6-3) to reach the State Final Four for the first time since 1997. Sophomore Ross Feeley (.376, 59 hits, 34 runs, 16 RBI) leads a balanced Giants' offense that comes in hitting .307 for the year. Others to look out for in the Sequoias' lineup include freshman Kelley Dillon (.368, 56 hits, 11 doubles, 27 runs, 41 RBI), Nick Stoll (.352, 62 hits, 39 runs, 19 RBI) and Wyatt Champlin (.329, 47 hits, 24 runs, 26 RBI).  Sophomore lefty Dylan Lee helped carry the Giants into the postseason with a state-best 13-0 record and a 2.35 ERA with 61 strikeouts over 95 2/3 innings. The questions lie in the remaining starters on a Giants' staff that enters with the highest ERA among the four remaining teams (4.09). Tyler Beardlsey is 5-4 with a 3.61 ERA, while Cole Compton is 2-6 in 15 starts with a 5.71 ERA. Reliever Gene Cachu has been outstanding for the Giants, posting an 8-1 record in 22 appearances (two starts) with a 4.44 ERA. But Giants' leader out of the bullpen has been freshman Blake Edmonson, who has locked down a state-best 16 saves and a 1.32 ERA in 24 appearances.