It is almost time for high school baseball teams in the Santa Clarita Valley to commence their last few weeks of play before the season comes to its close. 

As always, league play has started to become heated as SCV teams in both the Foothill and Heritage leagues attempt to reach the top of the charts.

West Ranch (14-5-1, 7-1)

The Wildcats occupy first place after triumphing over all but Valencia in the Foothill League. 

In this 2-3 loss to the Vikings, juniors Hunter Manning and Miles Topping had batting averages (BA) of 1.000. 

When it comes to overall stats, senior Aidan Buntich leads West Ranch with an on-base percentage (OBP) of 0.480, 1 home run and four stolen bases.

Junior Landon Hu has also contributed with 12 runs, 17 hits, a 0.577 slugging percentage (SLG), seven doubles and one triple. 

The Wildcats are expected to face off against Hart and Golden Valley later in the month.

Their last match against Mira Costa (12-8-1, 3-1) resulted in a defeat for the Wildcats with a score of 1-0 on Thursday. 

West Ranch is expected to host Simi Valley (8-8-2, 2-4-1) in their upcoming non league match next Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

Hart (15-5, 4-2)

In second place are the Indians, who have only lost to Saugus in league play so far. 

After falling to the Centurions in a 2-1 loss on Tuesday and a 5-1 defeat on Thursday, the Indians are looking to redeem themselves against Castaic next Wednesday in an away game at 3:30 p.m.

As far as team leaders go, juniors Jayden Chathle and Zachary Rogozik both have BAs of 0.500. 

Hart was titled the Foothill League Champions during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, so there is no doubt that they are looking to reclaim victory this year. 

Saugus (7-11, 5-3)

The Centurions settle into third place after losing to West Ranch twice and Valencia once.

Their last match on Wednesday was a 5-0 loss against Sierra Canyon (11-6-2, 4-4-2). 

Saugus is scheduled to travel up to Santa Barbara (14-3, 7-1) on Friday to take on the Santa Barbara Dons in a non league match at 3:30 p.m.

Junior James Frias leads the Centurions with a 0.545 BA, 0.590 OBP, two home runs, nine stolen bases, 18 hits, 0.939 slugging percentage and two triples. 

Senior Wesley Yim possesses an earned run average of 2.07 and senior Matthew Montiel has a 1.000 fielding percentage (FP). 

Finally, Senior Dominick Zambrano has contributed to the Centurions’ stats with eight runs and four doubles. 

For their next league game, Saugus is expected to face off against Golden Valley next Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

Castaic (11-7, 3-3)

Castaic has lost to West Ranch twice this season and once to Valencia, putting them in fourth place.

The Coyotes come into the week after defeating Santa Clara (0-13) 20-0 last Wednesday in a non league match. 

Senior Jack Teoli tops the Castaic charts with a 0.421 BA, 1.000 FP, eight hits and two doubles.

Junior Giovanni Foster has an OBP of 0.538 — junior Chris Cailotto has hit two home runs so far and also possesses a 0.684 SLG. 

Senior Jacob De La Cruz has five stolen bases and seven runs and senior Tyler Hawn has an ERA of 1.08. 

The Coyotes are scheduled to host Hart next Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. to continue league play. 

Valencia (7-10, 3-5)

Despite standing in fifth place, the Vikings dealt West Ranch their only league loss last Tuesday with a score of 3-2. 

Junior Noah Jacquez batted 0.667 during the match — he had an FP of 1.000, along with junior Lincoln Hunt and seniors Jeremy Linow, Michael Mair, Matthew Moffitt and Aiden Voyles.

As for overall leaders, senior Reid Farrell has a 0.423 OBP, eight stolen bases, nine runs and 15 hits. 

Seniors Chad Stanchfield, Will Verlaque and Jacquez all have one home run this season. 

The Vikings’ next match is an away game at Birmingham High School (9-5-1, 4-0) on Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Following that, they are expected to meet with Canyon next Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. to continue league play. 

Canyon (7-12, 1-5)

The Cowboys find themselves in sixth place after clinching their first league win of the season against Golden Valley last Thursday with a score of 5-4. 

During that match, senior Tsukasa Ozaki batted 1.000 followed by sophomore Brody Bayliss with 0.750. 

For season stats, Ozaki leads with a 0.638 OBP, 17 stolen bases, 24 hits, a 0.702 SLG, five doubles and two triples.

Ozaki and junior Benny Santos are tied for runs, with both of them at 20. 

Next up, the Cowboys are scheduled for an away game against Viewpoint (9-6, 3-4) at 6:30 p.m. next Tuesday. 

After that, league play is expected to continue against Valencia next Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

Golden Valley (8-8-1, 1-5)

Lastly, the Grizzlies sit at the bottom of the table despite having the same record as Canyon. 

They beat Canyon to earn their first league win last Tuesday with a score of 7-4. 

On Wednesday, the Grizzlies also defeated St. Bonaventure Catholic High School (6-8-1, 2-0) 11-2 in a non league match. 

Senior Brayden Brewer leads Golden Valley with a 0.413 BA, 0.557 OBP, eight stolen bases, 13 runs and 19 hits.

Freshman Ayden Renstrom contributes to the team stats with an ERA of 1.97 and one triple. 

The Grizzlies are expected to host Glendale High School (6-12, 2-6) on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.

Then, they are scheduled to play against Saugus next Wednesday in an away game at 3:30 p.m.

Trinity Classical Academy (13-0, 6-0)

At the top of the charts in the Heritage League are the Knights, with a flawless record. 

As the defending champions for the past two years, Trinity seeks to earn their third title in a row this season. 

Last Thursday, the Knights defeated Faith Baptist (1-5, 1-5) 7-0 to remain in first place. 

Their team is mostly dominated by juniors, with Jordan Lovelace at the top of many stats — 0.485 BA, 0.558 OBP, 15 stolen bases, 18 runs, 16 hits and two doubles. 

Luke Backes has hit two home runs and also possesses a 0.760 SLG. 

John Carlson has an ERA of 0.19 and Noah Visconti has a 1.000 FP. 

Finally, Backes and freshman Andrew Carlson have 12 runs batted in and both have one triple. 

The Knights are expected to face off against Santa Clarita Christian School in an away match next Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

Santa Clarita Christian School (6-6, 4-3)

The Cardinals are ranked fourth in the Heritage League after defeating Faith Baptist and Valley Torah (0-6, 0-6) twice each. 

Sophomore Zane Stauffer has a 0.571 BA, 0.684 OBP, one home run, 13 stolen bases, a 3.12 ERA, 10 RBI and a 0.750 SLG.

Junior Wyatt Waldron possesses a 0.934 FP, 15 runs, four doubles, one triple and shares 16 hits with Stauffer. 

SCCS is expected to host Trinity next Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. 

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