By Rick Assad
When the cold winter chill turns to warmer weather and it’s spring, it’s a clear sign that baseball is just around the corner.
Of the three local high school teams, two qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs.
This season, there’s a real possibility all three will be playing in the postseason as Burroughs, Burbank and Providence have the talent, experience and desire to be among the better teams.
The Bears, who went 19-7 and 11-3 in the Pacific League for third place in 2024 and the Bulldogs, who finished 8-15 and 7-7 in league for fourth place, were in the playoffs while the Pioneers, who carved out a 4-16 mark and 4-8 in the Prep League for fourth place, had an off year.
There are nineteen players on the Bears’ team including six seniors and they are pitcher Kenny Montgomery, first baseman/outfielder Elvis Martinez, pitcher/outfielder Kyle Smith, utility Zach Byars, left fielder Andrew Cosio and Chase Robinson.
Ten comprise the junior class and they are shortstop Logan Drossin, Jack Guest, designated hitter/first baseman Devin Whittekiend, catcher Jack Smith, Zack Guevara, Isaiah Magana, Mason Fournier, Nathan Bartolo, pitcher Ryan Walsh and Thomas Martin.
Three sophomores dot the lineup and include second baseman Elliott Ross, third baseman Slater Mersola and center fielder Jake Rauenswinder.
Matt Magallon is the Burroughs coach and thinks the Bears are going to do well this season after losing to Ontario Christian 8-0 in the opening round of the Division IV playoffs.
“I’m excited for our young team to compete with some really tough teams,” he said. “I’m excited to see our growth throughout the season. It will be fun to be a part of it.”
The Bulldogs, who fell to Corona del Mar 6-0 in the first round of the Division III playoffs, have fourteen players on the squad.
There are six seniors and most have varsity experience and include pitcher/first baseman/shortstop Robert Snyder, pitcher/catcher/infielder Colby Bette, pitcher/first baseman/third baseman Adrian Vasquez, third baseman/outfielder Michael Bui, pitcher/infielder/center fielder Taylor Pryor and pitcher/outfielder Orion Bell.
There are seven juniors, and they are first baseman/catcher Jeremy Lee, pitcher/outfielder Sebastian Aguirre, first baseman/center fielder Tomas Angel, right fielder Brandon Hernandez, pitcher/first baseman Ryland Le Clair, second baseman/outfielder Andru Machado and pitcher/shortstop Julian Recinos.
Bob Hart is the longtime Burbank coach and believes his team will do well.
“I’m excited and looking forward to the opening of our season,” he said. “We have a tremendous group of young men, and we expect it to be a great ride.”
Fourteen players comprise the Providence team and there are four seniors.
They are pitcher/shortstop Adrian Contreras, pitcher/first baseman Trevor Provencio, catcher/outfielder Eric Chuchvara and outfielder/designated hitter Eric Flores, and all will be asked to lead the team.
The Pioneers have eight are juniors on the team.
They are infielder Luc Rode, infielder Nicholas Delger, pitcher/infielder Asa Langlois, pitcher/outfielder Jason Carrillo, pitcher/outfielder Roman Mastandrea, pitcher/infielder Kiran Kostecka, outfielder/designated hitter Hudson West and infielder Dylan Sarkisian.
Sophomore pitcher Cade Mackenzie and freshman catcher/outfielder Nathaniel Palmer are also on the team.
“The Prep League is up for grabs this year. I appreciate the competition in the Prep League,” said Providence coach Mando Contreras, who began his reign in 2018. “They bring a nice product every year since I’ve been in the league.”
Contreras added: “No disrespect to anyone in the league but we want to be on top of the league this year. We have good pitching, good hitting and a team that has been working hard to be ready for the 2025 season,” he said. “It’s going to be fun at the ballpark every game. I hope we’re able to represent our school well and play the game right.”
