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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 Whitney Wildcats.

2025 TEAM OUTLOOK

High School: Whitney Wildcats
Head Coach: Jackson Watt
CIF Section: Sac-Joaquin Section
Division: 1 (2024) 
2024 Record (Playoff Finish): 21-12 (We lost in the Section Semifinals to Elk Grove)
Key Players Lost: Jax Gimenez (Oregon), Luke Oyler (Sac State), Trajan Rogowski (Folsom Lake College)

+ No. Returning Positional Starters: 6 returning starters
+ No. Returning Pitchers: 7 (All 3 starters & our top 4 in terms of innings pitched.)
+ Team Strengths: Our Pitching, Defense & Team Speed will guide this years squad.

ROSTER PREVIEW

+ Key Players:

Seniors:

+ '25 RHP/1B Corden Pettey Cal Poly Commit

+ '25 LHP/OF Brady Estes Cal Poly Commit

+ '25 OF/P Noah Warner

+ '25 C/OF Josh Mendoza  

Juniors:

+ '26 OF Hudson Osterhout 

+ Projected Starters: Corden Pettey (2025), Brady Estes (2025), Noah Warner (2025)
+ Projected Relievers: Chase Cotton (2028), Braeden Jenest (2025), Mason Harris (2028)

IMPACT UNDERCLASSMEN

+ '28 RHP/INF Chase Cotton

+ '28 RHP Mason Harris

+ '27 INF/RHP Bryce Farris

+ '27 C/INF Gavyn Dulaney 

BOTTOM LINE

We return an outstanding pitching staff from 2024 with our top 3 starters and the arms who threw the 4 most innings, but have added depth with quality arms behind them, as well. On the position player side we did lose our best offensive piece from 2024, but with a strong defensive group and plenty of speed to go with the experience of 6 returning starters I like what we bring on that side of the game. - Coach Watt

PREP BASEBALL CA STAFF’S TAKE

Whitney is amongst a group of teams in the NorCal area who stand as the pre-eminent programs heading into the 2025 season. They feature a pair of Cal Poly SLO commits in their rotation in Petty and Estes who both can dominate a lineup with their stuff/feel to pitch. They have a younger group on the infield dirt, but I'm a fan of the way they play the game and are very talented. Not to mention the addition of the #1 ranked '28 in Prep  Baseball California Chase Cotton the depth of this program ranges from the Senior class all the way down to the Freshmen. They play in a very tough league where anything can happen because of the quality of the teams within it, but I know Whitney has their eyes on not only a League title run, but also a run at the Section championship. - Hank LoForte NorCal Scouting Director

Learn more about California’s 2025 spring season below:

+ Follow Whitney on X: @BaseballWhitney
+ 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