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.