2018 Season Preview: Vista Murrieta Broncos
January 29, 2018
With the 2018 high school baseball season just around the corner in California, we will begin rolling out team previews from around the state.
In this edition we take a closer look at the Vista Murrieta Broncos (Murrieta, Ca.) a team loaded with frontline pitching looking to get over the postseason hump of recent years and make a deep run in the always difficult CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs.
Team: Vista Murrieta
Nickname: Broncos
Section: Southern Section, Division I
League: Southwestern League
Head Coach: Matt Mosiello (@MattMosiello)
Years as Head Coach at School: 6
Team Twitter Handle: @vmhsbaseball
2017 Overall Record: 22-9
2017 Postseason Finish: Lost in second round
Team Website: Vista Murrieta Broncos
Number of Returning Starters: 3
Number of Returning Pitchers: 4
TOP RETURNING PLAYERS:
Jake Moberg - SR/RHP-SS - Four year starter who is considered an MLB Draft prospect this season, UCLA commit.
Andrew Mosiello - JR/RHP - Quality pitcher coming off a very strong summer/fall season, Oregon commit.
Steven Riddle - JR/OF - Athletic, toolsy outfielder that covers a lot of ground, Nevada commit.
Anthony Tulimero - JR/C-INF - will take over catching duties this year; Very good defender with a consistent bat, Kansas commit.
OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Zack Rodriguez - SOPH/INF-RHP - Athletic, toolsy infielder who will get innings on the mound too.
Cayden Castellanos - SOPH/RHP - Physical sophomore that will get plenty of innings.
SEASON OUTLOOK:
Entering his sixth season as head coach at Vista Murrieta, Matt Mosiello has created a culture of winning and success. The Broncos are reigning Southwestern League Champions, their second under Mosiello, and return the pitching that should help them compete for another title in 2018.
The road to that championship will be tough as once again the Broncos will play one of the toughest schedules in the Southern Section. Vista Murrieta opens with a double header against Palm Desert before taking on Ayala in the opening round of the Loara tournament. After an initial run against league opponents and games against Santiago (Corona) and Corona, the Broncos will once again head into the Boras Classic where they'll face more elite competition.
If there's reason for optimism for the Broncos this season, it's their pitching depth.
"We should pitch very well," said Mosiello who has a pair of Division I arms at the top of the rotation.
At the top of the rotation is Moberg, the third Moberg brother to come out of the program that has signed to play Division I baseball. The UCLA signee is also a very good shortstop that is expected to be drafted in the upcoming MLB Draft. The right handed pitcher features an 89-91 mph fastball that he commands very well, he also possesses a very good bat offensively.
Behind Moberg is Andrew Mosiello. The younger Mosiello is 6-foot-2 and beginning to round into the form that projects front-line stuff. The Oregon commit is an upper-80's fastball guy with feel for secondary pitches and the ability to throw them all for strikes.
Sophomores Castellanos and Rodriguez will fill out the rotation.
Castellanos got plenty of experience on the mound as a freshman last season and has taken a big jump over the summer and fall. A physical 6-footer, Castellanos has the tool set that college coaches covet.
Rodriguez will play both ways for the Broncos. When not pitching he'll start at second base and play shortstop when Moberg pitches. At 6-foot, 165 pounds, Rodriguez projects physically and with his tools as another Division I player for the Broncos.
Both Castellanos and Rodriguez have not only caught the attention of recruiters, but their current coaching staff as well.
"Both will pitch and start and hit in the top 6 (of the order)," said Mosiello who will rely heavily on his pitching staff this season.
If there's an area for improvement for the Broncos it is the offense. The top six hitters should be fine, the bottom third of the lineup is an area coaches are working to get prepared for what is going to be a grind of a schedule.
"If they (bottom third of the order) can be productive, have quality at-bats, and find a way to get on base for Moberg, we will be tough," said Mosiello.
While the production from the bottom third of the order remains to prove itself, one this is for sure, the Vista Murrieta Broncos are out to prove that they're the team to beat in the Southwestern League once again.
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California high school coaches can request a 2019 preseason questionnaire from Northern California Director of Scouting Blaine Clemmens at [email protected] or California State Director of Scouting Les Lukach at [email protected].
Note: The completion of a questionnaire does not guarantee we will be able to get it posted before the start of the season.