Prep Baseball Report

2025 High School Previews: Ventura Cougars


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 Ventura Cougars.


2025 TEAM OUTLOOK

High School: Ventura Cougars
Head Coach: Anthony Espitia
CIF Section: Southern Section
Division: 5 (2024) 
2024 Record (Playoff Finish):  12-15 
Key Players Lost: Dash Lopez, Jon Gurrola, John Marshall

+ No. Returning Positional Starters: 9
+ No. Returning Pitchers: 7
+ Team Strengths: Experience, pitching talent/depth, physicality/impact in lineup

ROSTER PREVIEW

+ Key Players:

Seniors:

+ '25 INF/RHP Wylan Nelson University of San Diego Commit

+ '25 INF/RHP Josh Woodworth


+ '25 INF/RHP Caleb Sebek

+ '25 RHP/1B Cooper Tinkey

+ '25 INF/C Carter Kimble

+ '25 C Ethan Miller

Juniors:

+ '26 INF Luis Jungo

+ Projected Starters: Wylan Nelson, Josh Woodworth, Cooper Tinkey, Caleb Sebek
+ Projected Relievers: Still to be determined

IMPACT UNDERCLASSMEN

+ '27 OF Liam Spahr

BOTTOM LINE

The Cougars feature a very talented Senior class of players who are entering their 3rd or 4th year on the varsity level having seen the ups and downs of success on the varsity level. They boast an impressive pitching staff with 4 very talented Senior arms who will take prominent roles on the staff while being backed up by a solid bullpen with depth. Their lineup has top end impact with some intriguing bats that can drive the baseball with authority. How well they play defense behind their talented arms and offense that can produce runs will likely be a key factor in where the Cougars finish in the Channel League in 2025.

PREP BASEBALL CA STAFF’S TAKE

The Cougars were right in the mix at the top of the Channel League heading into the last few weeks of the 2024 CIF High School baseball season and the injuries decimated the Cougars pitching staff and lineup resulting in them sliding out of the playoffs. But, now the Cougars are healthy and very talented heading into the 2025 season. Fronted by University of San Diego commit Wylan Nelson the Cougars pitching staff is loaded with experienced varsity arms including Team USA 15U National Team alum and one of the top uncommitted '25s in California Josh Woodworth while SR. righthanders Caleb Sebek and Cooper Tinkey give the Cougars 4 legitimate starters with the ability to stymie opposing offenses. All 4 of those arms are also two-way talentes who make up a good chunk of the Cougars top part of the lineup and can play all over the INF with the very good LH bats of Carter Kimble and Luis Jungo lengthening the depth of the lineup. Keep eyes on rising '27 Liam Spahr to breakout this year as he is likely to man CF and turn the Cougars lineup over at the bottom end. The Channel League is very talented this year, but the Cougars have the experience and talent that gives them every chance to be the team on top when the season ends in May - Steven Hardesty Assistant Scouting Director

Learn more about California’s 2025 spring season below:

+ Follow Ventura on X: @vhscougarbaseb1
+ Find more team previews on the Prep Baseball California Power 25 homepage

FOLLOW US THROUGHOUT THE SPRING

+ Prep Baseball California on X
+ Prep Baseball California on Instagram
+ Prep Baseball California on Facebook
+ Prep Baseball California on YouTube

MORE 2025 TEAM PREVIEWS

Upcoming Events

Showcase State Date Location
Central California Preseason ID CA 01/12/25 Ventura College
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