Sophomore Tyler George of Santa Margarita is strike machine
It’s midseason in high school baseball, so let’s look at players who are producing results at a high level. Forget about rankings, radar guns or who has scholarship offers. These are the players making an impact.
No one has been better than sophomore pitcher Tyler George of Santa Margarita. With a 7-0 record, 0.85 ERA and just two walks in 41 1/3 innings, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound 16-year-old has shown what a top pitcher is supposed to look like.
Few saw this coming — except for his freshman coach last season, Mike Hiserman, who said, “He was the most fundamentally sound all-around freshman baseball player I’ve ever coached. Was good at everything yet still immensely coachable. You tell him something once and he does it.”
George said he has focused on mixing up his pitches — fastball, curveball, slider, change-up.
“Just not overthrowing the ball, not throwing as hard as I can but hitting the spots and having a feel for my off-speed pitches,” he said.
He threw all nine innings during a 1-0 win over Mater Dei that was full of drama.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “The adrenaline was running. It was cool.”
His brother, Hayden, is a freshman pitcher at UCLA, and he said Bruins coach John Savage has been asking Hayden about him, which is a good sign when he becomes available to talk to recruiters in the summer.
Royal pitcher Dustin Dunwoody is 7-0 with an 0.18 ERA.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
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Dustin Dunwoody, Royal: Armed with an overpowering fastball, Dunwoody is 7-0, has an 0.18 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings.
Catcher Brady Murrietta of Orange Lutheran makes the tag at home plate against St. John Bosco.
(Nick Koza)
- Brady Murrietta, Orange Lutheran: The senior catcher keeps throwing out baserunners trying to challenge him. He’s also terrific on throws to the plate, picking up the hop and making the tag. And don’t forget his clutch hitting. He leads the team in RBIs with 12.
- Troy Randall, Corona Santiago: The junior third baseman is hitting .460 with 29 hits and also has given up just two hits in 12 innings in a relief pitching role.
- Jake Kim, Harvard-Westlake: The junior has displayed power and consistency, making him one of the toughest outs in the Wolverines’ lineup. He has 22 hits, a .500 batting average and four home runs.
- Malakye Matsumoto, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame: With 22 hits and 17 RBIs, the senior third baseman has been delivering for 14-3 Notre Dame.
- Tate Belfanti, Cypress: The junior left-hander has 53 strikeouts in 28 innings while going 5-0.
- Jake Ange, Thousand Oaks: The junior was a starter for the basketball team and has come out and hit seven home runs, including a game in which he hit two grand slams.
- Dylan Seward, Norco: The junior shortstop has been producing since he was a starter as a freshman. He has 26 hits, 16 RBIs and makes the plays when the ball is hit in his direction.
- James Tronstein, Harvard-Westlake: The senior shortstop has 26 hits, including four home runs, as the Wolverines’ leadoff hitter.
- Gary Morse, Orange Lutheran: The 6-foot-8 pitcher is 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 30 innings for the No. 1 team in Southern California.
- Caleb Trugman, Ayala: The two-way player has 23 hits and is 6-0 pitchers and an 0.76 ERA.
- Xavier Cadena, El Dorado: The outfielder has hit five home runs, driven in 19 runs and is batting .373.
- Carson Sheffer, Oaks Christian: The senior catcher continues to be stellar behind the plate while also contributing 22 hits, including seven doubles.
- Landon Hovermale, Norco: A model of consistency, the left-handed Hovermale is 6-0 with an 0.95 ERA and has walked just four batters in 36 2/3 innings.
- Jackson Sellz, El Camino Real: The junior keeps throwing complete games for the defending City Section champs. He’s 6-0 with a 1.20 ERA and five complete games.
- Jayden Rojas, Bell: The senior third baseman is batting .466 with 27 hits for 17-2 Bell. As a pitcher, he’s 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA.
