OC well represented in NCAA baseball tourney; full list of players participating

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Former Servite standout Roman Martin leads UCLA in the Los Angeles Regional. (Photo courtesy UCLA Athletic Communications).

The NCAA baseball tournament kicks off this weekend with 64 teams competing for the chance to go to Omaha to play in the College World Series. Scattered across these rosters are a plethora of former Orange County high school baseball stars, many of whom stayed in state to play for local college baseball powers. 

OC Sports Zone counted almost 70 Orange County natives on the rosters of NCAA tournament squads – enough to fill two entire teams in the field. 

To see additional photos, click on the first picture:

Orange Lutheran leads all high schools with 10 former players in the field, while UC Irvine has the most OC players on its roster with 16.

Here’s the full list of 68 players organized by regionals with the most Orange County players in descending order. 

LOS ANGELES REGIONAL

UC Irvine (16 Players):

• Jack Ross (Jr. RHP) Edison High School
• Ryder Brooks (R. So. LHP) Fountain Valley High School
• Tim Grack (So. RHP) Fountain Valley High School
• Blake Penso (Sr. C) Huntington Beach High School
• Davis D’Errico (Fr. OF) Los Alamitos High School
• Jaxton Andeel (Jr. LHP) Orange Lutheran High School
• Zach Doyle (Fr. OF) San Juan Hills High School
• Dane Grant (Fr. LHP) San Juan Hills High School
• Zach Crandall (R. Jr. C) Santa Margarita Catholic High School
• Zach Fjelstad (So. IF) Santa Margarita Catholic High School
• Auggie Gutierrez (Jr. IF) Servite High School
• Danny Suarez (R. Jr. RHP) Trabuco Hills High School
• Riley Kelly (R. So. RHP) Tustin High School
• Andrew Grove (R. Fr. RHP) Villa Park High School
• Brandon Luu (So. LHP) Villa Park High School
• Aiden Alvarez (Fr. RHP) Yorba Linda High School

UCLA (8 players):

• Ian May (R. Jr. LHP) Dana Hills High School
• Aidan Espinoza (R. Fr. OF) Huntington Beach High School
• Wylan Moss (Fr. RHP) Mater Dei High School
• Mulivai Levu (So. IF) Ocean View High School
• Blake Balsz (So. C) Santa Margarita Catholic High School
• Chris Grothues (R. So. LHP) Servite High School
• Jarrod Hocking (Jr. OF) Servite High School
• Roman Martin (So. IF) Servite High School

Arizona State:

• Ben Jacobs (Jr. LHP) Huntington Beach High School

Fresno State:

• Owen Faust (Fr. IF) Tesoro High School

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Blake Penso (UCI, senior catcher, Huntington Beach) 

Penso helped lead Huntington Beach to three Sunset League championships and received all-league honors twice as an Oiler. In his senior season at UCI, he served as a crucial piece to the Anteaters’ first-place finish in the Big West regular season standings. With a .302 batting average and .914 OPS, he was named to the All-Big West First Team.

Riley Kelly (UCI, R. So. right-handed pitcher, Tustin)

Kelly, a two-time Male Athlete of the Year at Tustin, landed on the All-Empire League first team twice and made the All-CIF Division V first team once. He finished with a 1.85 ERA and 48 strikeouts in his senior campaign with the Tillers. Kelly’s 3.92 ERA and 66 strikeouts propelled him onto the All-Big West second team this year. 

Mulivai Levu (UCLA, So. infielder, Ocean View) 

Levu led Ocean View to three Golden West League titles in his four years as a Seahawk. In his sophomore season as a Bruin, he collected a team-leading 74 RBI and registered a .316 batting average, earning him a spot on the All-Big Ten second team.

Roman Martin (UCLA, sophomore infielder, Servite)

As a three-time member of the first team All-Trinity League, many organizations recognized Martin as the No. 1 player in the 2023 class out of high school. In his junior year at Servite, he received the honor of Co-MVP of the Trinity League after slashing for an impressive .473 batting average. At UCLA this season, he made the All-Big Ten Second Team, recording a .447 on-base percentage. 

Wylan Moss (UCLA, freshman right-handed pitcher, Mater Dei) 

Moss, a standout pitcher at Mater Dei, finished with a stellar 0.82 ERA in his senior season with the Monarchs en route to being named to the All-Trinity League first team. This spring, he earned All-Big Ten freshman team honors, posting a 2.43 ERA, while racking up 42 strikeouts in his first season with the Bruins.

Ben Jacobs (ASU, junior left-handed pitcher, Huntington Beach)

Jacobs set the single-season strikeout record at Huntington Beach High School with 99 in his senior season. In his final year with the Oilers, he helped lead his team to a Southern California Regional Championship (2022). He also received All-CIF Southern Section first team and Surf League MVP honors. After serving as the Sun Devils ace in 2025, Jacobs was named to the All-Big 12 second team. This season finished ninth among all pitchers nationally in strikeouts with 114 punch-outs.

CORVALLIS REGIONAL

USC (10 players):

• Andrew Johnson (Fr. RHP) Capistrano Valley Christian High School
• Abbrie Covarrubias (So. IF) Cypress High School
• Andrew Harbour (So. RHP) Foothill High School
• Caden Aoki (Sr. RHP) Huntington Beach High School
• Dean Carpentier (So. IF) Huntington Beach High School
• Andrew Lamb (So. C/1B/OF) JSerra Catholic High School
• Brodie Purcell (So. RHP) JSerra Catholic High School
• John Elliot (Fr. C/OF) Mater Dei High School
• Ethan Hedges (Jr. IF/RHP) Mater Dei High School
• Richard Tejada (So. C) Orange Lutheran High School

Texas Christian University (4 players): 

• Isaac Cadena (So. utility) El Dorado High School
• Karson Bowen (Jr. C) Orange Lutheran High School
•  Louis Rodriguez (Jr. RHP) Orange Lutheran High School 
• Chase Brunson (So. OF) San Clemente High School

Oregon State (2 players):

• Matthew Morrell (So. RHP) Cypress High School 
• Trent Caraway (So. IF) JSerra Catholic High School

Saint Mary’s (2 players):

• Aiden Taurek (R. So. utility) Foothill High School
• Lukas Sarantos (Fr. RHP) San Juan Hills High School

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Caden Aoki (USC, senior right-handed pitcher, Huntington Beach)

Aoki put together a stellar senior season for the Oilers, sustaining a 0.93 ERA and a 9-0 record, while also mashing for a .378 batting average and tallying 25 RBI. Aoki, the Trojans’ ace in 2025, led the Big Ten in walks per nine innings at 1.34, receiving All-Big Ten third team honors. 

Ethan Hedges (USC, junior infielder/right-handed pitcher, Mater Dei)

Hedges led the Trojans in nearly every offensive statistical category this season, including batting average (.343), RBI (55), home runs (12) and runs (54). He also played the role of closer for USC, maintaining a 2.40 ERA. This impressive statline landed Hedges on the All-Big Ten first team. At Mater Dei, Hedges served as a team captain and earned team-MVP honors in his senior year. He also made an All-Trinity League first team and slashed for a .357 batting average in his junior season.

Karson Bowen (TCU, junior catcher, Orange Lutheran)

As an elite defensive player at Orange Lutheran, Bowen received a Rawlings Golden Glove and was named Trinity League Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, in his senior season, he was named to the All-Trinity League first team. In his third year with the Horn Frogs, Bowen made the All-Big 12 second team and finished with the squad’s second-highest batting average at .333. 

Trent Caraway (OSU, sophomore infielder, JSerra Catholic)

As a senior, Caraway led JSerra to a CIF title and earned the honor of CIF Division I Southern Section Player of the Year, along with Gatorade State Player of the Year. He also broke the single-season school record for hits with 49 in his senior campaign. This season, Caraway tallied more at-bats than any other Oregon State player (208) and hit for a .255 batting average. 

EUGENE REGIONAL

Cal Poly (2 players): 

• Griffin Naess (So. RHP) Laguna Beach High School
• Jack Collins (Jr. C) Santa Margarita Catholic High School

Utah Valley (2 players):

• Jimmy De Anda (Jr. OF) Mater Dei High School
• Alan Huerta (Sr. RHP) Sonora High School

Oregon:

• Collin Clarke (So. RHP) Santa Margarita Catholic High School

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Collin Clarke (Oregon, right-handed pitcher, Santa Margarita Catholic)

In his three years as a varsity starter at Santa Margarita Catholic, Clarke held a 2.08 career ERA and amassed 130 strikeouts. As a senior, Clarke earned the title of Trinity League Pitcher of the year, making the All-Trinity League and All-CIF Division I first teams. This season, Clarke registered a 4.59 ERA and accumulated 60 strikeouts for the Ducks.

Griffin Naess (Cal Poly, right-handed pitcher, Laguna Beach)

Naess put together a dominant senior season for Laguna Beach, maintaining a 0.16 ERA and racking up 55 strikeouts across 44 innings pitched. This landed him on the first team All-Sunset League in his final year as a Breaker. Naess headed the Cal Poly pitching staff with a team-leading 3.38 ERA. The Mustangs’ ace also earned All-Big West first team honors. 

OXFORD REGIONAL:

Western Kentucky (2 players):

• Drew Barragan (Jr. IF) Crean Lutheran High School
• Austin Haller (Sr. IF) Sonora High School

Ole Miss:

• Cade Townsend (Fr. RHP) Santa Margarita Catholic High School

Georgia Tech:

• Nathan Waugh (Gr. C) Yorba Linda High School

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Austin Haller (Western Kentucky, senior infielder, Sonora)

Haller helped lead Sonora to two Freeway League titles and a CIF Division IV championship game appearance in 2019. The senior sustained a .470 on-base percentage and hit for a .328 batting average with the Hilltoppers this season.

OTHER REGIONALS

Arkansas (3 players):

• Rocco Peppi (R. Sr. IF/OF) Marina High School
• Tyler Holland (Fr. IF/RHP) Mission Viejo High School
• Gabe Fraser (Fr. IF) Orange Lutheran High School

Columbia (2 players):

• Skye Selinksy (Sr. OF) Mater Dei High School
• AJ Valle (Sr. RHP) Mater Dei High School

Texas: 

• Casey Borba (So. IF) Orange Lutheran High School

Kansas State:

• Tanner Duke (R. So. RHP) San Juan Hills High School

Vanderbilt:

• Brennan Seiber (So. RHP) Mater Dei High School

NC State:

• Justin DeCriscio (Sr. IF) Orange Lutheran High School

Holy Cross:

• Andrew Nesson (So. RHP) Dana Hills High School

LSU:

• Derek Curiel (Fr. OF) Orange Lutheran High School

Dallas Baptist University (DBU):

• Nick Bonn (Jr. RHP) Laguna Beach High School

Little Rock:

• Reef Danner (Jr. IF) Los Alamitos High School

Oklahoma State:

• Ben Reiland (Fr. IF/OF) Orange Lutheran High School

Coastal Carolina:

• Chad Born (R. Sr. OF) Orange Lutheran High School

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Derek Curiel (LSU, freshman outfielder, Orange Lutheran)

At Orange Lutheran, Curiel built up a reputation as one of the top players in his graduating class with a strong blend of speed and power. He racked up 19 steals and 33 hits to accumulate a .314 batting average during his final season with the Lancers. Curiel started in all 57 of LSU’s games in 2025, batting for a .336 average and garnering a .455 on-base percentage. His superb first year with the Tigers landed him on the All-SEC freshman and second teams.

Justin DeCriscio (NC State, senior infielder, Orange Lutheran)

DeCriscio played a key role in helping the Monarchs win back-to-back Trinity League titles in 2018 and 2019. In his senior year, he won a Trinity League Gold Glove and made the All-CIF Division I team. After transferring to NC State this past season, DeCriscio garnered a .290 batting average and added 42 RBI.

Sources include: UC Irvine athletics, UCLA athletics, Arizona State University athletics, Fresno State University athletics, USC athletics, TCU athletics, Oregon State University athletics, Saint Mary’s College athletics, University of Oregon athletics, Cal Poly University athletics, Utah Valley University athletics, University of Mississippi athletics, Georgia Tech athletics, Western Kentucky University athletics, University of Texas athletics, Kansas State University athletics, Vanderbilt University athletics, University of Arksansas athletics, NC State University athletics, Holy Cross athletics, LSU athletics, DBU athletics, Little Rock athletics, Oklahoma State University athletics, Coastal Carolina University athletics, Columbia University athletics, MaxPreps, Cal-Hi Sports, Big Ten Conference, Big West Conference, Big 12 Conference, Southeastern Conference.

Additions: please email timburt@ocsportszone.com