Prep all-stars end spring CIF baseball season

The San Diego Padres eighth annual High School All-Stars Night took place June 28 following the Friars’ regularly scheduled game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Petco Park. Forty-eight of the county’s top baseball players were selected to compete in the East-West format contest (24 on each team).

The West won 3-2 in a tight go-around by plating two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and later tacked on an insurance run for a 3-0 lead before holding off a late East rally to post the one-run victory.

The full nine-inning game followed the home run derby contest featuring eight players. La Jolla Country Day junior Mitch Circuit won the battle of the long ball over Rancho Bernardo senior Owen Glick by a final score of 29-27.

Circuit racked up seven home runs and 23 points to take the early lead in the opening round.

Open Division champion Patrick Henry placed four players on the East team roster: senior pitchers Brady and Jimmy Gunn, senior outfielder Alex Mestman and senior outfielder/pitcher Tyson Bobo.

Jimmy Gunn pitched the opening inning for the East squad, allowing one hit. He hit four balls out of the park for 17 points in the opening round of the pregame home run derby.

Grossmont Hills League co-champion Granite Hills placed three players on the East roster: senior catcher Jake Ervin, senior infielder Anthony Miotti senior and outfielder Preston Hendry.

Grossmont Hills League co-champion Helix placed two players on the East roster: junior third baseman Ben Williams and junior outfielder/infielder Kie Smith.

Other East County standouts selected to the East roster included Christian senior infielder Benji Molina and El Capitan senior outfielder Matthew Eckis.

Open Division runner-up Eastlake had two players named to the East roster: senior pitcher Max Tello (Mesa League Pitcher of the Year) and senior infielder/utility Hamza Hatahet (Mesa League Field Player of the Year).

Westview junior pitcher Jacob Kuy struck out the East side in the third inning. In fact, West pitchers retired the first 11 East batters they faced to make an early statement.

Montgomery senior outfielder Marco Reyes, the Metro-South Bay League Field Player of the Year, doubled in the first run of the game to score Del Norte senior second baseman/catcher Richie Moore, who had singled and stole second base. Del Norte junior infielder Aiden Sun made it 2-0 on a RBI ground-out.

Southwest El Centro junior Jose Salcido opened the ninth inning with a double. Ervin followed with a walk before Salcido scored the first East run on an error. Helix’s Williams followed with a walk and El Cap’s Eckis drove in tge East’s second run with a RBI single.

But the West recorded the final two outs to negate the potential tying run in scoring position.

Patrick Henry coach Sheldon Watkins served as East manager while Mt. Carmel coach Keith Johnson served as West manager.

By the numbers
Circuit hit nine home runs during the 2026 season with 26 RBI to go with a 0.302 hitting average.

Glick hit 10 home runs during the season with 34 RBI and a 0.295 hitting average.

Mestman hit 0.414 with 35 runs scored and 14 RBI for the Patriots (24-10) while Brady Gunn, the City Conference Eastern League Pitcher of the Year, posted a 7-1 pitching record, 0.46 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 46 innings. Jimmy Gunn was was 4-4 on the mound with a 2.17 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 51.2 innings. Bobo was a big contributor with a 7-3 record, 3.02 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 55.2 innings.

Miotti batted 0.384 with 29 RBI, 11 doubles, 36 runs scored and four home runs while Ervin (0.368) logged 27 RBI, 26 runs scored, six doubles and five homers as the Grossmont Hills League Player of the Year. Hendry batted 0.371 with 34 runs scored for the Eagles (21-7). 

During Helix’s Division II championship season, Smith hit 0.418 with 39 runs scored, 29 RBI and 15 doubles while Williams batted 0.379 with 35 runs scored, 30 RBI, 17 doubles and six home runs as the Scotties finished 22-12 overall.

Molina hit 0.406 with 29 runs scored, 24 RBI, 15 doubles and three home runs to go with a 0.683 slugging percentage for the Division II runner-up Christian Patriots (21-10-1).

Eckis hit 0.391 with 23 runs scored, 29 RBI and six home runs.

For Eastlake (24-8), Hatahet hit 0.413 with 42 runs scored, 28 RBI and eight home runs while Tello went 5-0 on the hill with a 1.66 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 63.1 innings.

Reyes led the Metro-South Bay League champion Aztecs (15-12) with a 0.519 hitting average, 31 runs scored and 13 RBI.

Kuy (7-0) posted a 1.41 ERA with 90 strikeouts in 64.1 innings for the Wolverines (27-7) while batting 0.413 with 27 runs scored and 28 RBI to help his own cause.

Metro Conference Spring All-League Teams

MESA LEAGUE BASEBALL

First Team
Hamza Hatahet (Eastlake), 12
Max Tello (Eastlake), 12
Eric Villeda (Eastlake), 11
Caleb Foss (Eastlake), 11
Joel Vargas (Eastlake), 10
Kenson Johnson (Bonita Vista), 10
Adrian Figueroa (Bonita Vista), 11
Johnathan Sanchez (Otay Ranch), 10
Ethan Orozco (Eastlake), 9E
Antonio Orozco (Bonita Vista), 12
Carlos Orozco (San Ysidro), 12

Second Team
Manny Torres (San Ysidro), 11
Alex Abdala (San Ysidro), 10
Carlos Martinez (Otay Ranch), 12
Efrain Santos III (Otay Ranch), 12
Jackson Hernandez (Bonita Vista), 11
Marc Osorio (Bonita Vista), 12
Zowen Watson (Eastlake), 11
Gavin Ware (Eastlake), 9
Lucas Yriqui (Bonita Vista), 10

Field Player of the Year
Hamza Hatahet (Bonita Vista)

Pitcher of the Year
Max Tello (Eastlake)

Coach of the Year
Ramon Orozco (Eastlake)

Championship Team
Eastlake High School

SOUTH BAY LEAGUE BASEBALL

First Team
Marco Reyes (Montgomery)
Julian Martinez (Montgomery)
Isaac Perez (Montgomery)
Noah Flores (Montgomery)
Noah Cook (Mater Dei Catholic)
Gael Perez (Mater Dei Catholic)
Omar Santos (Mater Dei Catholic)
Sebastian Luevano (Hilltop)
Jared Aguirre (Hilltop)
Aaron Gonzalez (Olympian)
Esteban Diaz (Olympian)

Second Team
Juan Luis Garcia (Montgomery), 10
Cesar Abdul (Montgomery), 12
Victor Moreno (Hilltop), 12
Ricardo De La Torre (Hilltop), 12
Luke Hill (Olympian), 12
Nicolas Cintron (Olympian), 12
Ian Dougherty (Mater Dei Catholic), 11
Ashton Roehm (Mater Dei Catholic), 10
Marc Moran (Mater Dei Catholic), 12

Field Player of the Year
Marco Reyes (Montgomery)

Pitcher of the Year
Julian Martinez (Montgomery)

Championship Team
Montgomery High School

PACIFIC LEAGUE BASEBALL

First Team
Jacob Abbruscato (Mar Vista), 11
Michael Mercado (Mar Vista), 9
Anthony Sanchez (Mar Vista), 10
Aldo Leon (Castle Park), 11
Jose De La Cruz (Chula Vista), 12
Cesar Castro (Chula Vista), 9
Isaiah Martinez (Chula Vista), 12
Dario Zepeda (Southwest), 12
Elijah Lewis (Southwest), 11
Luis Castro (Sweetwater), 12
Jayden Rodriguez (Sweetwater), 10

Second Team
Lawrence Nellis (Caste Park), 11
Landen Aguon (Castle Park), 12
Brandon Lucero (Chula Vista), 11
Julian Martinez (Chula Vista), 12
Jake Leslie (Mar Vista), 11
Tanner Kavanagh (Mar Vista), 12
Cobry Ortiz (Sweetwater), 10
Aaron Diaz (Southwest), 11
Aquiles Lugo (Southwest), 11

Field Player of the Year
acob Abbruscato (Mar Vista)

Pitcher of the Year
Michael Mercado (Mar Vista)

Coach of the Year
Bobby Rector (Mar Vista)

League Champions
Mar Vista High School