Follow @PrepBaseballCA Follow @LesLukach Follow @PBRmonkFollow @hardy03bsblFollow @HankLoForte

At The Yard Podcast: New Episode LIVE now!

FREMONT, CA. - With the new year fully underway and the CIF High School baseball season rapidly approaching the world of baseball never really stops in the Golden State and the Prep Baseball California staff was in full force this past weekend. For the 7th year in a row, the Preseason All-State Event platform went off throughout Southern/Central California to showcase some of the top talent from around the state. This year Prep Baseball California ran 4 versions of the Preseason All-State to cover the state and bring 200+ players together across these events. Our final event of the Preseason All State series was held this past Sunday, January 26th in Northern California on the campus of Ohlone College. 

Players attending the Northern California Event underwent a Pro-Style workout  beginning with official measurements for their height, weight and grip strength. From there they were run through athletic testing on the VALD platforms (60 yard dash and Jump testing). As well, all position players underwent a defensive workout/evaluation (OF/Corner INF/Middle INF/1B/Catcher) to showcase their defensive actions with video and arm strength recorded. The workout concluded with On-Field Batting Practice with Trackman Technologies and Blast Motion providing data feedback on the player's offensive tools with video. As well, all pitchers who took the mound were on Trackman Technologies to gather data on their pitches from velocity, spin rates, movement patterns and more. 

The weather for the event featured blustery winds and colder temperatures early in the day that made for a unique testing environment for this group to compete within. Today, we take a look at some of the top players from the Northern California Preseason All State event held at Ohlone College in Fremont, CA.

For all information on the players in attendance please click here: Northern California Preseason All State

Northern California Preseason All State - Quick Hits:

Pitchers:

Jack Tews RHP / OF / Del Oro High, CA / 2025 Rankings  StateRank: 200 / POS: 66 Tews is a 25' RHP from Del Oro High School, he isn't in football mode anymore so he can focus on baseball full time now. Standing at 5'11" and weighing in at 194.2lbs, Jack has a lot of upside for athleticsm on the mound. His FB was the 3rd best of the event at 87.9 MPH sitting in the range of 84.9-87.8 MPH. Jack's FB had a Hop+ score of 95 which will play at the next level up in the zone. The 88 looks a lot more firm when standing in the box. The SL sits in the 72-74 MPH with a max spin rate of 2,059 RPM. CH is 78-80 MPH thrown with 94% spin efficiency. The 4th pitch of Jack's arsenal includes a Cutter topping out at 81.1 MPH with a 2,052 RPM. Jack should be one of Del Oro's top arms this year in the SFL.

Braden Ford RHP / 1B / Livermore High, CA / 2026 The last time I saw Braden was in the fall at the NorCal Uncommitted games at Cosumnes River College in October. Braden has a very good lower half which helps him on the mound. His FB Max on the day was 86.8 MPH and was sitting between 85.1-86.4 MPH. The CB is sharp and has some bite to it, 70.5-71.6 MPH with a spin rate of 2191 RPM. This is Braden's best off speed pitch, along with a 80% spin efficiency with the CH. (IVB avg 12.3, HM Max 12.9). Ford is set out to be the ace of Livermore HS, with a little more polish before the season starts, Braden is going to have a great year on the mound, especially with more innings under his belt.

Cooper Benjamin LHP / OF / Marin Catholic, CA / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 170 / POS: 11 Cooper is the #11 ranked LHP in the 27' Class in the state. Benjamin is a very interesting pitcher, I think hes got a shot to be pretty good. Cooper flashes a 4 pitch mix, has feel for all of them. The FB sits between 81.7-83.4 MPH and he topped out at 84.1 MPH. I really like the CB, 2200-2300 RPM sitting 69.2-71.3 MPH. SL 72.6-75.4 MPH with max spin of 2329 RPM. With these two pitches along with the FB, he can have a dangerous arsenal. The CH does need some work but it has potential to develop into that 4th pitch for him. the max velo was at 75.8 MPH with a max spin rate of 1583. Cooper knows how to pitch, the velocity will come over time and if he sticks to painting the corners and staying ahead he will be in for a solid year.

For all information on the players in attendance please click here: Northern California Preseason All State

Two-Way Players:

Mariano Gonzalez LHP / OF / Fairfield , CA / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 9 / POS: 3 OverallRank: 55 / POS: 8 Mariano comes to Ohlone College from Vanden High School out of Fairfield, CA. The highly touted 27' attended his first Prep Baseball event and safe to say he opened a lot of eyes. The frame is solid at 6'0" 185lbs, athetlic body. Gonzalez is ranked the #55 overall player in country for the class of 2027 and ranked the #8 LHP in the land. Grip strength was 165.3 (R) & 148.9 (L). On the pitching side his FB was an event best at 90.4 MPH and sitting between 87.1-89.5 MPH, the spin on his FB was at 2444 RPM. The CB is nasty, 77.2-74.4 MPH with over 2800 RPM (2750 avg). His last pitch was the CH 72.1-75.5 MPH with a max spin of 1738 RPM. Very impressed with the southpaw. On the hitting side of things Mariano had a max EV of 98.4 MPH with an avg EV of 90.6 MPH. The two-way potential is there, but I see Gonzalez developing into a STUD on the bump. Expect to see a lot more of Mo on the summer circuit.

Colton Hadfield SS / RHP / Valley Christian San Jose, CA / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 81 / POS: 22 This was another guy who I haven't been able to see until this event, Colton showed out on both sides. I noticed during the defensive workout how quick Colton moves around the infield, and the he follows it up with a cannon for an arm. With the cold conditions Colt still managed to run a 7.11 60 yd dash with a max run speed of 19.2 MPH. Hadfield was driving balls to the gaps and managed to sting a 91 MPH EV and an avg of 87.4 EV. He's got very quick hands as his max hand speed was 23.4 and his avg was 22 MPH. With the 2nd best FB of the event at 89.5 MPH, he had an impressive avg FB Velo of 88.6 MPH. The fact that he;'s only a 27' is the great part. The CB is nasty, avg velo of 73.5 MPH and 2261 spin.  CH sits around 78-79 with good movement and the Sinker is a pitch that can be a weapon. Hadfield plays on a very talented Valley Christian team, he will be able to contriubute forsure.

Quinton Hill OF / RHP / Berkeley, CA / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 52 / POS: 12 Quinton is another guy in the 27' class that I'm a fan off, whether he's on the mound or in the OF. I think his biggest assets are his raw athleticism and his swing. Hes got a violent hack that looks a little unorthodox, but it plays and that ball comes off his bat HOT. Highest EV was 97.4 MPH with an avg EV of 90.5, showing the ability to find barrels. Lots of hard hit groundballs and line drives, which was a majority of his BP rounds. (54.5 % GB & 36.4% LD). Max hand speed was 22.6 MPH, avg hand speed was 21.6 MPH, Max bat speed 72.6 MPH and an avg bat speed of 69.8 MPH. Quinton didn't pitch this event but overall in his class he's one of the better two ways.

Kael Lumbert 3B / OF / Del Oro High, CA / 2025 The first thing I notice about Kael is his size at 6'2" 202.2 lbs.  Looks bigger than the last time the staff saw him at the NorCal UC Games in October. His grip strength was top 3 for the whole event, 155.8 (R) and 162.8 (L). He's a real strong kid and I can see him staying on the left side because the arm plays. He's got good instincts in the INF, I think he's more of a 3B. Kael's max EV was a solid 97.3 MPH and had a max distance of 371 FT. Lots of hard hit balls with a hard hit % of 50. I think Lumbert has got a real good chance to be a good pitcher in the future. The FB was sitting at 85.3 MPH and topped out at 86 MPH. The CH has got some nasty fade to it, but I like the SL more. 1932 RPM on the SL with an avg of 14.8 in of movement. Kael is one of the top uncommitted 25's in NorCal.

Tomas Bilvado RHP / 3B / San Marino, CA / 2025 Rankings  StateRank: 109 / POS: 35 Tomas is coming up here from SoCal, which is where I saw him first at the 24' State Games at Fullerton JC in August. The Prep Baseball staff is a big fan of Bilvado everytime he steps on the field because he such a reliable player. Whether he is on the dirt fielding GB's, hes  very smooth and fluid in the INF, having quick transfers and fast footwork. Transitioning to hitting, Bilvado had a max EV of 95.6 MPH and a max distance of 338 FT. A lot of his rounds were hard line drives or GBs with backspin, another guy who doesn't try to do to much at the plate. On the mound Tomas was 84-85 MPH T86.1 MPH, comes out of his hand firm. Plus SL at 75.9 MPH and spin of 2509 RPM. The CH and SPL are two other pitches Tomas can throw for strikes and use it as chase pitches. I hope he has a great 25' season and picks up a school that fits the best.

Kaden Nicholls LHP / 1B / Bear River, CA / 2026 / Cal Poly SLO commit Rankings  StateRank: 78 / POS: 3 It was nice to see a fully healthy Kaden Nicholls after not being abkle to see him this past summer. Definetley has added on some strength and is filling into his body. At first glance you can tell he's got a second gear. Nicholls is the #3 ranked LHP in the 26' class and #78 overall player in CA. He had the highest vertical of the day at 27.8in and had good grip strength numbers with a 167 (R) & 143.2 (L). Kaden was getting ahold of some balls with a max EV of 96.5 MPH, his Blast numbers were pretty impressive as the max hand speed was at 24.5 MPH and a max bat speed of 75 MPH. On the mound, his FB sat at 85 MPH and topped out at 85.6 MPH. Lots of total movement at 24 in. There is more in the tank but the conditions weren't helping at all. The CH shows good fade and I like the SL/SPL mix, with those 4 pitches he can really keep hitters off balance. I'm looking forward to see Kaden during the high school season when I take a trip up to Bear River. A top 26' in all of NorCal and will continue to make some noise.

Siale Kafoa Tulua 1B / RHP / ST FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL, CA / 2028 You look at Siale and you wouldn't think he's a freshman in HS, he looks the part at 6'0" 212.1lbs. He definetly backed it up with a max EV of 96.7 MPH and an avg of 87.7 MPH. The kid swings hard and with intent! Advanced approach for sucha  young hitter, really knows his swing. I personally saw him hit his farthest ball of 366 FT smoked into the RF gap over the wall. Hand speed of 23.5 MPH and a max bat speed of 73.9 MPH. (80% hard hit, 60% sweet spot). When he switched to go pitch he topped out at 81.7 MPh and was sitting at 77.6-81.3 MPH. Avg 1899 spin with 22.7in total movement. Just wait in couple years and see what Siale is doing on the bump. The SPL is nasty, once he gets the SL polished he will have a legit 3 pitches. Keep an eye out on his twin brother Sione who is a stud C, both of them will be playing at St. Francis High School this year.

For all information on the players in attendance please click here: Northern California Preseason All State

Catchers:

Masen Belding C / 1B / Del Oro, CA / 2026 / LSU commit Rankings  StateRank: 25 / POS: 3 OverallRank: 142 / POS: 9 Remember the name Masen Belding out of Del Oro High School. The 6'1" 226lb Left- handed hitting catcher didn't disappoint. The pop time was 2.03-2.07 with a max C velo of 79 MPH. Displayed lots of athleticism behind the plate along with strong/accurate throws. Mase had the highest grip strength test of the event at 187.6 (L) & 206.3 (R). Hitting numbers were off the charts with a Max EV of 101.1 MPH, 90. 3 avg EV, 365ft max distance, 85.7% hard hit, and a max bat speed of 74.3 MPH. Belding is ranked #3 C in the State of CA and the #9 C in the country for the 26' Class. Nothing but good things to say about this stud.

Brandon Williams C / Franklin High, CA / 2028 Rankings  StateRank: 10 / POS: 1 OverallRank: 62 / POS: 4 Brandon walked in the field at true 6'3 196lbs and again, its hard to believe this kid is a only a 28' and just turned 15. Williams is the #1 Ranked C in CA for the class of 2028 and hes ranked the #4 C in the country. Pop times were 2.19-2.25 with a C velo of 73 MPH. Max EV at the dish was 94.6 MPH with an avg EV of 77.8 MPH. Brandon managed to fond the sweet spot 78.6% of the time had a max bat speed of 71.1 MPH. You can see theres tons of potential in Brandon, going to be very exciting to see him in the future. He plays for a very talented Franklin High School and will have a chance to catch some very talented arms in a strong league.

Hudson Flora C / SS / Foothill High, CA / 2026/ UCSB commit Rankings  StateRank: 60 / POS: 9 OverallRank: 483 / POS: 49 Flora is a guy who is super athletic and I've seen him all pover the field whether it was in the OF, INF, or C. He seems to be able to do it all. 6'2" 173.9 with a lot of room to fill, I think Hudson has a chance to play for a while. His max EV of the day was 94.6 MPH and had an avg of 87.1 MPH. Flora was staying low with a 54.5% GB rate. His bat stays through the zone well giving hime a chance to find consistent barrel. Hudson ran a 7.40 60yd dash with a max run speed of 18.9 MPH. Hudson is the #9 ranked C in CA and a top 500 rank in the country.

Cruz Garcia C / 2B / Brent International School, CA / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 50 / POS: 7 Cruz actually flew back to the Phillipines the next day after the workout, it was nice being able to see him since summer time.  Garcia is only a 27' and has filled out a lot since I've last seen him play. 5'10" 202.2lbs, the frame is there and the bat came to play. The farthest ball Cruz hit of the day was 372ft and has a max EV of 97.2 MPH. He has the ability to drive the baseball to the middle of the field along with a 53.8% hard hit rate. Line drives are his game. His arm will continue to get stronger and Cruz will develop into a RHH C that can rake. Very humble kid too, sucks we won't get to see him until after the HS season.

For all information on the players in attendance please click here: Northern California Preseason All State

Infielders:

Tino Vasell SS / 2B / College Park, CA / 2025 / USF commit Rankings  StateRank: 289 / POS: 61 Tino by far had one of the best workouts of the day, a very talented 25' SS out of College Park High School. I noticed in the INF workout how quiet his footwork is and how hes not afraid to go and get the ball, showing athleticism. Transfers were smooth and followed with a strong arm. Tino hit the farthest ball of the day at 388 FT, max hand speed was 23.5 MPH and a max bat speed of 74.4 MPH. Tino continued to hit the ball hard (90% hard hit). The hands are fast and direct to the baseball, hes going to be an elite hitter at next level. I can't wait to watch Tino in the spring and see him dominate on the dirt and at the plate.

Noah Paek SS / RHP / Washington, CA / 2027 Noah turned some heads during the infield workout, he flies around the infield, his first step is really good. His reads are fast and hes able to get rid of the ball. Can throw from multiple arm angles, not the biggest guy but his arm plays big. Had an INF velo of 82 MPH and it had a lot of carry across the INF. His actions are cleaner than most kids in the 27' class. The bat will come with some maturity and once he puts on some more muscle. A sleeper in the bay area in my opinion, I'm going to keep an eye out for Noah because he's got a lot more to offer than what we saw this past weekend. Kid is a gamer.

Ayden Deome 3B / SS / West Park , CA / 2026 / U of Arizona commit Rankings  StateRank: 16 / POS: 2 OverallRank: 97 / POS: 7 Ayden stands at 6'1" 195.6lbs and his grip strength was 119.8 (R) & 126.9 (L). Deome has a prototypical 3B body with a accurate/strong arm when throwing across. Stays pretty low and through the ball, needs to play more free in the INF. The stick has always been there for Ayden. His max EV of the day was 92.7 MPH with and avg of 88.7 MPH. Found the sweet spot 77.8 % of the time whcih resulted in tons of line drives. Deome is even more impressive in game off of velo. His 60 yd dash was a 7.18 with a max speed of 19.3 MPH. I'll be seeing Ayden this season as he will try to lead West Park HS to a league title. Deome is the #7 ranked 3B in the class of 26' in the country and #97 ranked player overall in the country.

Devin Simonton SS / 2B / Pittsburg Senior High, CA / 2026 / USD commit Rankings  StateRank: 109 / POS: 28 Dev is smooth on the INF showing the ability to play one handed and attack the baseball, doesn't stay flat footed. Very quick when moving arounf the INF, his 7.17 60yd Dash showed that, with a mac run speed of 19.9 MPH. His arm will allow him the ability to play in the left side. Simonton is a gap to gap hitter, and thats when he plays his best. Max EV on the day was 92.3 MPH with an avg EV of 85.2 MPH. Dev plays on a talented Pittsburg HS team so he will find a way to contribute whether hes pitching or somehwere on the infield, fun player to follow.

Thomas Glenn 2B / SS / Mission College Prep, CA / 2026 / SDSU commit Rankings  StateRank: 62 / POS: 2 Thomas is the #2 ranked 2B in the class of 26 in CA and showed the Prep Baseball staff why. During infield Glenn was a vaccum, going all over the INF to snag the ball, it was very exciting to watch him field. The arm strength is there but can get stronger, I like his multiple arm slots. Thomas isn't one of those guys who is going to blow you away on paper but you've got to watch him play in game, hes a ballplayer. Does the little things right and plays scrappy. His max EV was 92.7 MPH with an avg of 92.7 MPH. Thomas was able to find the barrel all day long, wearing the middle of the field out.

For all information on the players in attendance please click here: Northern California Preseason All State

Outfielders:

Colby Cobb OF / 2B / Rocklin, CA / 2027 Rankings  StateRank: 127 / POS: 27 Colby returns from the CA All-State games that were held in August. Cobb has the 2nd highest verticle of the event at 26.6in and ran a 7.36 60yd dash. The highest EV was 91.2 MPH and had an avg EV of 85.7 MPH. Managed to find the sweet spot 63.6% of the time and hit hard ground balls at 45.5%. All his Blast numbers were above average, max bat speed 23.2 MPH, avg hand speed 21.9 MPH, max bat speed 71.8 MPH and had an avg bat speed of 69.2 MPH. Colby plays on a loaded SFL league and on a really talented Rocklin HS. Cobb is the #27 ranked OF in the class of 27' for CA.

Kona Bainum OF / RHP / Mission Viejo High, CA / 2027 Kona comes to Fremont all the way from Mission Viejo, CA. He's participated in a number of Prep Baseeball events. He seems to flash his athleticism at every event, but its his progression that is exciting. We've seen his arm strength when it wasn't howling 40 MPH winds. Kona actuallt tested very well in the Vizual Edge testing and scored a 80.78 which was the top score for the whole event.  His max EV on the day was 91.2 MPH with an avg launch angle of 32.3. Staying out of the air on that day was key. Goodluck to Kona and his team down south during the HS year.

Jetner Welch OF / 1B / Santa Barbara High School, CA / 2026 Rankings  StateRank: 49 / POS: 7 OverallRank: 363 / POS: 62 Jetner came up from Santa Barbara HS and was measured at 6'3" 185.4lbs. There's a lot to like about the frame of Welch, I like that he a L/L with room to grow. I saw Jetner down in SoCal at an event and he impressed me from the jump. The arm will continue to get stronger but his bat skills are fun to watch. Had a max EV of 98.8 MPH and an avg EV 90.7 MPH. Max distance was 355 FT, didn't have any problem finding barrels during his BP session. Jetner actually ran a good 60 despite coditions at a 7.06 which was one of the lowest of the event. Once Jetner puts all of his abilities together I think hes going to be a very talented LHH OF who will be asset to any team.

Cyrus Nabavi OF / OF / Del Oro High, CA / 2025 Cyrus comes in at 5'9" 203lbs, he is a strong kid, built like he plays football but dont let that fool you, his lowest 60 was a sub 6.8. Cy's grip strength was in the top 5 with a 153.1 (R) and 166.6 (L). Cy continued to improve his numbers and have a max EV of 98 MPH and an avg EV of 94.8 MPH which was one of the highest of the event. Max distance was 354 FT. His sweet spot % was at 75 and hard hit was at 83.3% proving to hit the ball hard a lot of his rounds. The arm needs to improve if he wants to stay in CF/RF but has the speed and bat to do it. Cy plays for Del Oro High School and is looking to have a breakout senior season.

For all information on the players in attendance please click here: Northern California Preseason All State

Upcoming Events

Showcase	State	Date	Location
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