Prep Baseball Report

2025 High School Previews: Mater Dei Monarchs


Steven Hardesty
Assistant Scouting Director

 

  

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The 2025 California high school baseball season is quickly approaching and, as usual, excitement is abound throughout the state. Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across California.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in their respective CIF Section Championship Game, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes reality. We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams across the state as we preview these individual programs across California. We will take you right up to first pitch this season with these team previews, eventually releasing our Preseason Power 25 rankings.

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across California. Each week we will be releasing our Power 25, Players of the Week, Diamond Notes, podcasts, and much more.

Our 2025 preseason coverage continues today with a preview of the Mater Dei Monarchs.


2025 TEAM OUTLOOK

High School: Mater Dei Monarchs
Head Coach: Ricardo Mercado
CIF Section: Southern Section
Division: Division 1 (2024)
2024 Record (Playoff Finish): 17-13 (CIFSS-D1 Second Round)
Key Players Lost: Brody Connors / Johnny Elliott / Antonio Ganem / Wylan Moss

+ No. Returning Positional Players: 4
+ No. Returning Pitchers: 6
+ Team Strengths: Pitching staff has a lot of experience

+ Key Players:

Seniors:

+ '25 INF/RHP Brandon Thomas

+ '25 SS/2B Dylan Wetzel

+ '25 RHP Landon Gordon

+ '25 RHP Jayden Vazquez

+ '25 C Lawson Olmstead Cal Commit

+ '25 Bradley Beaudreau Fordham Commit

Juniors:

+ '26 RHP Kai Bratton Tennessee Commit

+ '26 RHP/OF  Jackson Campbell Notre Dame Commit 


+ '26 OF Ezekiel Lara Georgia Tech Commit

+ '26 RHP Owen Shannon

+ Projected Starters: Brandon Thomas / Kai Bratton / Jackson Campbell / Landon Gordon
+ Projected Relievers: Owen Shannon / Jayden Vazquez / Mason Mejias / Owen McLarand

IMPACT UNDERCLASSMEN 

+ '27 SS/2B  Sebastian Navarro

+ '27 SS/2B Brady Guth

+ '27 Siah White

+ '27 C Austin Gerken

+ '27 INF/RP Aaron Garcia

+ '27 Logan Miller

BOTTOM LINE

"We put together a pretty good 2024 campaign and pushed the eventual CIF-SS D1 champions Corona during the playoffs, but came up just short. We lost some good players off that squad, but the 2025 squad boasts an intriguing pitching staff which has talent and experience to led us into the spring. How well we can hit and perform on the offensive side will be paramount to our succes, but our staff is going to keep us in the game pretty much every time out." - Coach Mercado

PREP BASEBALL CA STAFF’S TAKE

"After a somewhat surprising run in 2024 that saw the Monarchs not only compete, but win their fair share of games and earn a trip to the postseason, Mater Dei looks primed to continue that upward momentum in the spring. With several of returning players, the Monarchs will rely on veteran leadership along with some very talented underclassmen as they attack what will once again be a very difficult schedule. The arms are veteran and aplenty for Mater Dei. Pitching should be a team strength and a component of the team that will not only keep them in games, but win a lot of them too. The offensive lineup is deep, and in many cases, a proven commodity. Offensive consistency will likely dictate how far the Monarchs will go, but if the talented young players can get up to speed early, the Mater Dei will once again be primed for another breakout season to back up their 2024 campaign." - Les Lukach

Learn more about California’s 2025 spring season below:

+ Follow Mater Dei on X: @mdhs_baseball
+ Find more team previews on the Prep Baseball California Season Previews homepage

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MORE 2025 TEAM PREVIEWS

Upcoming Events

Showcase State Date Location
East Bay Preseason ID CA 02/01/25 Pittsburg High School
Sacramento Preseason ID CA 02/09/25 McBean Park
Orange County Rising Stars ID CA 03/02/25 Mater Dei High School
Inland Empire Rising Stars ID CA 03/30/25 Corona High School
Los Angeles Rising Stars ID CA 04/27/25 O'Malley Field

MORE PREP BASEBALL NEWS