OEC LOCKED AND LOADED FOR ANOTHER CONFERENCE DOGFIGHT

Six teams ranked in the top-25 in hitting reside in the Orange Empire Conference. Four teams ranked in the top-25 in pitching reside in the Orange Empire Conference. Over the past 10 years, the state champion has come from the Orange Empire Conference SIX times.

Yep, it's the best baseball conference in the state and to win the OEC title, it's a 21-game dogfight where the best teams and the worst teams are within an arm's length of one another.

Seven of the eight teams in the OEC have a .500 record or better. Six of the eight teams have lost six-or-fewer games through the nonconference portion of their schedule. 

Now the true test begins as Orange Empire Conference play kicks off on Tuesday. In order of nonconference records, here as a team-by-team capsule of each squad.

SANTA ANA (14-2-1, SoCal Rank #1) – Apparently heavy is NOT the head who wears the crown as the 2024 Santa Ana College Dons – defending 3C2A state champions – have picked up where they left off from dog-piling on the mound at Folsom Lake College on the last day of the 2023 season.

Ranked No. 4 in hitting (.309 team average) and No. 2 in pitching (3.55 team ERA), the Dons can beat you any way you want to play. After an early loss and a tie, SAC is rolling with wins in 13 of its last 14 games. 

Sophomore Jimmy De Anda spearheads this deep and talented lineup with a .371 average, leading the squad in hits (26), runs (23), triples (2), home runs (4) and RBI (30, 4th in the state) through the first 17 games played. Fellow sophomores Michael Rocha (.368, 25 hits, 19 runs, 2 HR, 19 RBI) and Matthew Dobson (.355), 22 hits, 13 runs, 2 HR, 19 RBI) highlight a lineup that shows six starters carrying an above .300 batting average.

Freshman pitcher Brady Schrank is 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 19 1/3 innings, with sophomore Jaxton Andeel (3-1, 3.42 ERA, 29 Ks/26 1/3 IP) and Jack Meek (2-0, 4.01 ERA, 24 Ks/24 2/3 IP) anchoring the starting rotation. You better jump on the Dons early, but the bullpen duo of C.J. Brown (2-0, 0.47 ERA and Joey Iglesias (2-0, 1 save, 3.06 ERA) are lights out on the back end.

CYPRESS (13-3, SoCal Rank #2) – The 2024 Chargers bring plenty of firepower to the lineup and have enough arms to give your lineup a headache at the end of any game.

Entering OEC play with the second-best team batting average in the STATE at a whopping .368 and have scores like 29-5, 16-3, 15-1, 13-2 and 24-6 on their nonconference resume.

Leading the way with all that firepower is freshman standout Evan Rolbiecki, who is second in the STATE with a .508 batting average to go along with 33 hits (2nd in the state), a .556 on-base percentage and 26 runs scored). Sophomore Jack Burke is among the state leaders with a .386 batting average, 22 hits, 13 extra-base hits, 8 HR and 17 RBI), while fellow sluggers Ryan Skjonsby (.393, 22 hits, 4 HR, 24 RBI) and Albert De La Rosa (.400, 22 hits, nine doubles 3 HR, 27 RBI) bring a bit of "Murderer's Row" feel to the Charger lineup.

Sophomore Jack Pavlovsky (3-0, 3.24 ERA, 32Ks/25 IP) and Hunter Drake (3-1, 4.26 ERA, 16Ks/19 IP) give the Chargers a solid 1-2 punch in the weekly rotation, while Relievers Luke Matlock, Ian Van Hole. Andrew Frausto, Douglas Crystal and Matt Wurmlinger have allowed just seven earned runs combined over 29 2/3 innings of relief with 32 strikeouts.

RIVERSIDE (14-4, SoCal Rank #3) – State champs from two years ago, the Tigers continue to show they are definitely one of the top teams in the state. A 1-2 start to 2024 has been followed up with wins in 13 of their last 15.

Freshman catcher Richard Tejeda has been a weapon, both offensively and defensively for the Tigers, batting .375 with a team-best 24 hits, a team-best 4 home runs and 15 RBI. Sophomore Gage Gonzales is close behind Tejeda, batting .344 with 22 hits and 14 RBI, while freshman Parker Sabiesiak leads RCC in both runs scored (16) and RBI (16).

But the strength of this Tiger ball club is the pitching. With no less than TWELVE RCC pitchers carrying a sub-4 ERA, the sky is the limit in this hitter-friendly era of community college baseball. Starters Dylan Plutner (3-0, 1.03 ERA, 23Ks/26 1/3 IP), Alex Navarrete (3-1, 1.78 ERA, 23Ks/35 1/3 IP) and Julian Cazares (4-0, 2.25 ERA, 29Ks/29 IP) will keep the Tigers in every ballgame this year. With state's best team ERA of 2.12, coach Rudy Arguelles will have PLENTY of ways to get the job done.

GOLDEN WEST (12-5, SoCal Rank #9) – Yet another team with a solid blend of pitching AND hitting in the OEC is the Golden West College Rustlers. Winners of 5-out-of-6 and 9-of-11 entering Tuesday's conference play, GWC has five players in the every-day lineup with multi-HR numbers, including sophomore Ayden Garcia, who leads the Rustlers with 24 hits and a .381 average to along with 3 HR and 15 RBI. Slugger Zech Samayoa is tied with teammate Dylan Lina with 5 HR each, while Samayoa leads the team with 21 RBI, while Lina close behind with 17.

GWC starting pitcher Dante Jackson is 3-0 with a 3.34 ERA, striking out 20 in 24 innings of work., but the story of the GWC arms lies in the bullpen, where sophomore Alex Ramos is putting up video-game numbers that include a 3-0 record, 3 saves and no earned runs allowed in 26 2/3 innings with 43 strikeouts.

FULLERTON (12-6, SoCal Rank #15) – Much like the rest of the OEC, Coach Chad Baum's Hornets are coming into conference play on the right vibe, winning 9 of their last 11 games. 

The 1-2 punch of sophomore Britton Beeson and Trevor Schmidt have been the catalysts of the Hornet lineup. Beeson is batting .390 with 30 hits, 29 runs, five HR and 33 RBI, while Schmidt bats .360 with 27 hits, 21 runs, 6 HR and 35 RBI all of those numbers are in just 18 games played, by the way. Fullerton is +78 in runs this year, outscoring the opposition 198-120, averaging over 10 runs per game.

Freshman starter Vincent Segovia is 2-0 with a 3.41 ERA, with 27 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched, with Matt Romero (1-0, 3.86 ERA) close behind. Lefty closer Ryan Franson has a 1.59 ERA and three saves to go along with 18 strikeouts over 17 innings.

SADDLEBACK (10-5, SoCal Rank #6) – Coach Sommer McCartney's back-to-back OEC champs will be right in the mix again for the top spot in conference for a third year in a row. 

A .325 team batting average shows the Bobcats do not have any easy outs in their lineup. The sophomore trio of Andrew Nykoluk (.440, 22 hits, 13 RBI), Makani Tanaka (.435, 27 hits, 3 HR, 21 RBI) and Ben Castelli (.344, 21 hits, 17 runs scored) help set the table for slugger J.C. Allen and his .333 average, 22 hits, 15 extra-base hits, a state-best 9 HR and 33 RBI).

Starters Damon Anderson Wolf (3-0, 3.93 ERA, 11 Ks/18 1/3 IP) and Tyler Byrns (1-0, 4.39 ERA, 25Ks/26 2/3 IP) have been the steady arms atop the roster, while reliever Zachary Allegro has been lights out with a 2-0 record, three saves, a 1.80 ERA and 9Ks over 15 innings.

IRVINE VALLEY (8-8) – It's been an up-and-down start to the 2024 season for Kent Madole and his IVC Lasers. After a 5-2 start to the season, the Lasers have gone 3-6 since, but, a 9-6 win over L.A. Mission on Friday brings some positive mojo into the conference opener.

The Lasers have a steady offensive lineup that will drive opposing pitchers nuts with their ability to get the ball in play and force you into making outs. Seven different IVC players have 15-or-more hits, including Jackson Snitko, who leads the way with a .375 average, 18 hits and six doubles. Slugger Shane Stafford carries a .291 average with 4 HR and 14 RBI into OEC play.

Innings eater for the Lasers has been sophomore Caiden Byers, who is 3-1 with a 2.27 ERA and 26 strikeouts over his 31 2/3 innings on the mound. Freshman A.J. Roettger has held the opposition to just two earned runs over 16 innings (1.13 ERA).

ORANGE COAST (5-12) – It's been a rough start to the 2024 season for the usually-strong OCC Pirates. The combination of a lack of pitching depth and a collection of injuries and setbacks have stalled a very strong offensive-hitting squad.

But, like the old saying goes … "On Tuesday, everyone is 0-0."

Leadoff hitter Owen Wessel has been a steady force atop the Pirate lineup, batting .362 with 21 hits, 16 runs and 19 RBI … all team bests. Sophomore Zach Leite (.370, 17 hits, five HR, 19 RBI and C/OF J.T. Crabbe (.373, 19 hits, 11 runs) join several other Pirate hitters putting up impressive numbers.

On the mound, the Pirates are looking for answers, but sophomore starter Jack Ross (1-0, 2.12 ERA) and reliever Jackson Gilles (two saves, 2.31 ERA) have shown success when given the opportunity.

Release by Tony Altobelli