With two weeks left in the regular season, the Class 5A Southern Region baseball playoff picture is starting to come into focus. No spots have been clinched yet, but several teams are positioning themselves for a strong postseason run.
Bishop Gorman (18-4, 5-0 5A Mountain League) remains atop the Review-Journal’s 5A rankings. The Gaels have been clicking in all phases, according to second-year coach Matt Stoner.
“We’re really having good offensive approaches towards the second half of the year. Our pitching has been good. They’ve kept us in every game this year. It’s been great to pitch and play defense behind this group. On the offensive side, we’re starting to figure it out a little bit, which helps. If we can do all three facets, we’ll be tough.”
Faith Lutheran (12-9, 6-0) is also undefeated in Mountain League play. The two teams will meet in the final week of the regular season on April 21 and 23. This week, Faith Lutheran faces Palo Verde (16-6, 2-2) in a critical two-game set Monday and Wednesday.
Gorman edged Palo Verde twice in March. Palo Verde’s only local losses have come against Gorman and Arbor View. Stoner praised both opponents: “Palo Verde was good. They were just scrappy, a very good baseball team. (Palo Verde coach Tommy Krier) has done a really good job with those kids. Faith Lutheran, they’re a really good team too. It’s going to be a dogfight.”
Offensively, Gorman is powered by a strong junior core: Oregon commit Connor Long (.415), Justin Rodrigues (.446), and Logan Grubbs (.365). Senior DaMari Hall (.419), a Washington State football commit, has provided a spark after joining the team from football. “He’s a really good athlete, really good center fielder, probably one of the best outfielders in town on the defensive side,” Stoner said.
The 5A Southern Region playoffs have expanded from eight to 12 teams this year. The postseason begins April 29 and runs two weeks, with two teams advancing to the state tournament starting May 14 at Las Vegas High. The top four teams from each of the three 5A leagues qualify. The three division winners and the Sky League’s second-place team receive first-round byes.
Basic aims to regain form
Defending 5A state champion Basic (12-7, 6-0 5A Desert League) is looking for offensive consistency. “We got to start hitting. That’s the bottom line,” coach Gino DiMaria said. “We just have to find our bats. Once we find our bats, we’ll be OK. We all know that we have a good lineup that can hit. It’s just, we just got to find ourselves again and get back into that rhythm.”
The Wolves are led by Oregon commit Andruw Giles (.473) and Texas A&M commit Matthew Kelley (.458). Senior pitchers Lincoln Evans (5-2, 2.70 ERA), Johnny Villarreal (4-0, 2.02), and Noah Sebastian (3-1, 2.80) have anchored the staff. Basic faces second-place Liberty (12-12, 4-2) on Monday and Wednesday. The Wolves’ only loss to local competition was a 3-2 defeat to Gorman on March 5.
The Desert League race also involves Desert Oasis (17-8-1, 3-3) and Green Valley (18-7, 1-5) playing twice this week, along with Coronado (12-11, 2-4) and Foothill (16-10, 2-4).
Sky League wide open
Legacy (13-8, 4-0) leads the 5A Sky League after moving up from 4A. The Longhorns face Arbor View (21-5, 2-1) twice this week and close league play against Centennial (19-9, 5-1) on April 21 and 23. Arbor View and Centennial split their league matchups, with Centennial winning both tournament meetings. Shadow Ridge (8-13, 0-5) and Las Vegas High (7-11-1, 0-4) play Monday and Wednesday, likely determining the final playoff spot.
4A update
Silverado (13-8-1, 6-0 4A Desert League), a two-time runner-up, appears to be the 4A favorite. The Skyhawks face SECTA (10-13, 4-0) for first place. TCU commit Giovanni Guariglia leads the state with 11 home runs, and BYU commit Hogan Hawkins is batting .462.
Spring Valley (11-10-1, 8-0) and Clark (16-6, 7-0) are tied atop the 4A Mountain League and play each other twice this week. Mater East (18-4, 8-0) leads the 4A Sky League and has not lost to a 4A opponent this season.
