2025 High School Previews: San Marcos Royals
January 24, 2025
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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 San Marcos Royals.
2025 TEAM OUTLOOK
High School: San Marcos Royals
Head Coach: Wes Ghan-Gibson
CIF Section: Southern Section
Division: Division 2 (2024)
2024 Record (Playoff Finish): 14-13-1 Overall 9-4-1 Channel League (CIF-SS D2 Playoffs)
Key Players Lost: Erick Perez, Dayne Dreste, Steven Bradley, Logan Stevenson
+ No. Returning Positional Players: 10
+ No. Returning Pitchers: 6
+ Team Strengths: We are a competitive group who loves to get after it from the mound to the dish and all over the field we compete.
ROSTER PREVIEW
+ Key Players:
Seniors:
+ '25 LHP Ethan Stokhaug
+ '25 OF Nate Jones
Juniors:
⬆️⬆️ on ‘26 1B/LHP Landon Johnson of San Marcos
— Steven Hardesty (@hardy03bsbl) January 20, 2025
LH bat w/present bat spd. LVG in path
Shows impact to pull side
Can drive ball to oppo gap
Can still polish but like foundation
Really solid at 1B
Athletic build@PrepBaseballCA pic.twitter.com/HGRcYZazuy
Really good 2 game 👀 at ‘26 SS Miles Herbert of San Marcos
— Steven Hardesty (@hardy03bsbl) January 20, 2025
Wiry ath. build w/athletic actions
bat to ball w/sneaky pop
2 1Bs pull side
2B LCF on 92 MPH FB
Can pick at SS / glove-feet-range / arm is acc. w-room to add strength
⬆️up for me@PrepBaseballCA / @MilesHerbert6 pic.twitter.com/ykrf8VeNXm
+ '26 SS/2B Grant Hoover
+ Projected Starters: Alexi Stegner, Ethan Stokhaug
+ Projected Relievers: Mason Crang, Landon Johnson, David Burkholder and still to be determined
IMPACT UNDERCLASSMEN
BOTTOM LINE
We have to replace the quality innings the Perez gave us on the mound in 2024, but the mixture of our staff is very solid especially if Stegner can repeat or improve his 2024 and Stokhaug can build on a strong 2024 campaign. Our offense will be paced by Crang again with 3-sport athlete Nate Jones bring athleticism while Babai, Foster, Hoover, and Herbert looking to take steps forward in 2025. Our goal is play one game at a time and try to go 1-0 each time we take the field and put ourselves in the best position we can to reclaim the Channel League crown after finishing second in 2024. If we can do that we like our chances to make some noise in the playoffs. - Coach Ghan-Gibson
PREP BASEBALL CA STAFF’S TAKE
San Marcos has been the class of the Channel League since CIF-SS baseball restarted with regularityh post covid. That includes talent that went on to play at the college level producing a 4th rounder in 2023, multiple D1 arms, a D1 bat, and several other talented players currenlty playing at the JUCO/D2/D3 or NAIA levels. As well, Head Coach Wes Ghan-Gibson took over the program in 2021 and immediately started a 3-peat of Channel League titles from 2021-2023 including a run to the 2023 CIF-SS D3 title game before falling to Aliso Niguel. The 2024 squad featured a large contigent of new faces who did not play key roles on the 2023 runner up squad, but after getting acclimated to full time varsity roles this group competed there way up the rankings of the Channel League to finish in second place and set the stage for a 2025 season where they have their eyes on trying to reclaim their spot atop the league. To get there the Royals are going to need strong season on the mound from Stegner and Stokhaug leading the way while top offensive piece Mason Crang will be expected to front the offense again in 2025 while adding his talented RHP profile to the staffs depth. If some of the younger pieces who got their first varsity experience in 2025 can take the steps forward with their development/performance I would not be suprised at all to see San Marcos right in the mix for a 4th Channel League title in 5 years come May. - Assistant Scouting Director Steven Hardesty
Learn more about California’s 2025 spring season below:
+ Follow San Marcos on Instagram: @smroyalsbaseball
+ Find more team previews on the Prep Baseball California Season Previews homepage
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+ Prep Baseball California on X
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MORE 2025 TEAM PREVIEWS
Upcoming Events
Showcase | State | Date | Location |
North Bay Preseason ID | CA | 01/25/25 | Novato High School |
Inland Empire Preseason ID | CA | 01/26/25 | Ganesha High School |
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
- CA Central California Preseason ID: Outfielder Analysis 2/10/25
- CA Sacramento Preseason ID: Statistical Analysis 2/10/25
- CA 2025 High School Previews: Novato Hornets 2/09/25
- CA 2025 High School Previews: Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) Knights 2/09/25
- CA 2025 High School Previews: Rocklin Thunder 2/08/25
- CA 2025 High School Previews: Harvard Westlake Wolverines 2/08/25
- CA Central California Preseason ID: Infielder Analysis 2/07/25
- CA Central California Preseason ID: Catcher Analysis 2/07/25
- CA 2025 High School Previews: Villa Park Spartans 2/07/25
- CA 2025 High School Previews: Franklin Wildcats 2/07/25