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Boras Classic First Round Matchups

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The opening round games for the 2nd annual Boras Classic baseball tournament have been announced and they feature some potential big time matchups.

JSerra and Mater Dei will once again co-host the southern California bracket that includes teams from Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties.

“(We’re) super excited about this years group,” said Brett Kay of JSerra High School who, along with Burt Call of Mater Dei, serves as co-tournament organizer. “Burt and I went over and over on how to bracket this, and really, there was no way to go wrong. The addition of the two San Diego programs is big for us, they are big time programs.”

The event kicks off Saturday, March 29th at 9:00am at Mater Dei. Games will follow at noon, 3:00pm, and 6:00pm. JSerra will host games at noon, 3:00pm, and 6:00pm the same day. The format of the event is a little different this year compared to last and Kay feels that’s to the benefit of the teams and the event.

“You may be able to throw your top 2-4 guys on the mound versus your basic four-day tourney,” said Kay. “The matchups are top notch all the way around.”

The talent level of the event is certain to draw the top colleges and pro scouts once again. Last years event featured some players taken in the MLB draft along with several players that moved on to play collegiately. This year is no different.

“The south (bracket) itself has over 50 Division 1 commits,” said Kay.

(All games listed below will be played Saturday, March 29th unless noted)

The tournament will get started with what is certain to be the pitching matchup of the event. Great Oak (Temecula), which features ace pitcher Brad Wegman (USC), faces Chino Hills, and their ace, Aaron Dominguez (Mississippi St.), in the 9:00am game at Mater Dei. 

The noon game at Mater Dei will be a rematch of the CIF SS Division 2 championship game from a year ago which saw Cypress defeat Temecula Valley 5-0 at Dodger Stadium. While the stakes wont be as high this time around, this should be a great matchup.  Temecula Valley returns both starting pitchers and all eight position players from last year.

The 3:00pm game at Mater Dei will pit Valencia of Valencia against defending CIF San Diego Section Division 1 champion, Grossmont, which returns a good portion of their lineup from last season.

The final game of day one at Mater Dei will see the host Monarchs take on Gardena Serra, the reigning CIF SS Division 3 champions. Both teams are replacing a lot of key parts but both have plenty of talent on their rosters.

Over at JSerra, Vista Murrieta will face Bishop Amat in the first game of the day at Noon. Vista Murrieta has to replace some key pieces, namely pitching,  while Bishop Amat has the talent to make a deep run this season.

In the 3:00pm game, Glendora will face Granite Hills of San Diego. Expectations are high for Glendora and their talented roster, while Granite Hills made it to the finals of the Open Division playoffs in San Diego last season.

The final game of day one will see host JSerra face off against defending City Section Champions, San Fernando, at 6:00pm. JSerra features 8 Division 1 players on their roster and are primed for a deep run in the postseason in 2014. San Fernando sported a 33-3 record last year en route to the title and returns a great portion of their lineup.

On Monday, March 31st, Aliso Niguel will play San Dimas to conclude the first round of the Boras Classic.

San Dimas finished with a 26-7 record last season and lost to eventual CIF Division 4 champion Oaks Christian. The Saints return their top four hitters and three pitchers that had ERA’s below 2.45. Aliso Niguel will play this game after arriving from North Carolina the night before after playing in the National High School Invitational. The Wolverines feature Kyle Molnar (UCLA), who many believe will be a 1st round pick in 2015, along with Blake Sabol, Domenic Colacchio, Anthony Sommer, and Brett Sebade who all have a chance to play Division 1 baseball.

Be sure to check http://www.borasclassic.com/ for more information and updated schedules.

-Les Lukach



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