POSTSEASON PRIME: 25-21

25. Rallin Covey

Sacred Heart Prep - senior - pitcher

The Skinny: For Rallin Covey, baseball – as it should be – was fun again. You could see it in the way he carried himself this spring, the way he sprang off the mound or out of the dugout to greet teammates at the end of innings. More telling was his smile. "It was a great combination of staying focused on winning while always having a good time," he said. "That led to this team being the closest group in my four years here. It was an awesome way to close out my high school career." A PAL-Ocean Division championship was a bonus, as was him walking away with a share of the pitcher of the year honors in the Ocean. Covey put aside the woes of a sub-par junior season by answering the bell every week and dominating the opposition with overpowering stuff that earned him a scholarship to Southern California. He didn't change anything in his approach, he says. "No matter the outcome, I have and will always have confidence in my routines and carry the mindset of attacking hitters and pounding the zone."

Season Highlight: In a season filled with highlights – from winning 20 games to winning a game at Stanford Stadium – one that stands out is the Gators' 1-0 victory in 11 innings over San Mateo's Christian Louie on April 28. Covey allowed two hits and struck out 12 in 8 2/3 innings. "That's probably my best outing and is definitely my longest," he said. "The fact that it was in the heat of the race for league made it more special."

"I just tried to take nothing for granted. Even though I'll be continuing my career, there's nothing like high school ball. Even on the days that I wasn't pitching, I was excited to come to the field, be with the boys and try to contribute to a win any way I could."

The Numbers Tell the Story: Opponents hit .176 against him while he struck out 95 batters in 75 1.3 innings.

Eye-popping Stat: Another four-year varsity pitcher who was a strikeout master. Covey finished his career with 254 strikeouts in 226 1/3 innings.

24. Gabe Felix

Valley Christian - senior - pitcher

The Skinny: On paper, it's impressive. In real life – in real time – what Valley Christian did over its last five games goes beyond that. Its pitching staff, led by senior Gabe Felix didn't allow a run over its final 38 innings in breezing to CCS-Division I and NorCal-Division I championships. "I have been a part of runs like that before," said Felix, the burly senior southpaw. "But to do it with this group of guys means a lot to me, especially with some of my teammates who I have been playing with since I was 8." It was a storybook ending to high school season and a high school career that featured the limelight for just a few months. Felix made the most of it and seemed to shine brightest when Valley Christian needed him the most. The scoreless streak aside, his focus was more on the task at hand. "I really didn't think about it when I was pitching," he said. "I would just think about getting the next out to give my team the best opportunity to win. I really didn't care about (the streak) until after we won those games." For now, Felix is unsigned but weighing his options of where he will be studying – and pitching – in the fall. "I don't have my mind made up yet," he said. "I am talking to a few schools but don't know which one I will be attending. ... There's no anxiety. I know that wherever me and my family choose will be a good fit, something I will like."

Season Highlight: In his final start of the season – of his high school career – Felix threw 6 1/3 innings of shutout baseball in a 3-0 victory over De La Salle, the defending NorCal champion. "They are a great team and to be able to shut them out in a playoff game at their place in my last high school start meant a lot," Felix said.

"My game is all about control. To be able to hit my spots, to put it in the right place was good," he said. "To get soft contact and an early out in the at-bat or to put the ball in the right spot for a strikeout."

The Numbers Tell the Story: Struck out 87 batters in 74 innings while holding the opposition to a .181 batting average.

Eye-Popping Stat: In his 74 innings of work, Felix threw 1,093 pitches. Meanwhile, he allowed just 10 earned runs.

23. Nico Pollioni

Sacred Heart Prep - senior - catcher

The Skinny: After two straight rough seasons, Nico Pollioni said it wasn't going to happen for a third consecutive year – not in his senior year at Sacred Heart Prep. "We sat down as a team before the season," he said. "We knew we had the talent, but we knew it would be a good season when everyone had the same goal to win league. We took weightlifting seriously in the preseason and we practiced correctly. I could tell we were better." After losing their first two games of the Battle for Atherton, the Gators bounced back on the final day with a victory over rival – and neighbor – Menlo School. Pollioni, normally behind the plate, pitched that day and shut down a potent Knights' offense. Everything kind of clicked after that," said the Santa Clara University signee. "This team was different. We didn't let the previous years define us and we carried that win into the rest of the season. Everyone flipped a switch after that." Pollioni was the Gators' lynchpin. He played catcher, served as the team's closer and batted leadoff, all of which explained how he was voted the PAL-Ocean Division's player of the year. His contributions were across the board. A shutout of Menlo one game, a leadoff home run against South San Francisco in another and two back-pick throws to first base to nail sleeping baserunners creeping off too far. He did it all for Sacred Heart Prep.

Season Highlight: That leadoff home run against South City in the Gators' Ocean Division opener stands out. "It has to be that game," he said, noting he also had two hits, a stolen base, two runners picked off first base and a save. "That was my first high school home run, and it definitely started my run to (become) MVP of the Ocean Division."

"I came into this year with high expectations of myself after two average years of varsity baseball. This year, I tried to be the leader at the plate and just be the toughest out. My approach was to focus on the first good pitch I saw. Typically, that was a fastball over the plate. Most of my hits, believe it or not, were in my first at bat of the game."

The Numbers Tell the Story: Pollioni had a .542 on-base percentage to go with a .593 slugging percentage. His 1.135 OPS, like just about every other offensive stat, led the team and was among the Ocean Division leaders.

Eye-Popping Stat: He pitched 22 1/3 innings and accounted for two wins and three saves. His 0.63 earned-run average was the best on the team, topping both Rallin Covey and Kyle Sweeney, the starting tandem regarded as the PAL's best.

22. Beau Musser

Los Gatos - senior - shortstop

The Skinny: The ankle that caused so much consternation last summer proved to be a nonfactor for Beau Musser, who completed his senior season at Los Gatos by playing football and shortstop for the Wildcats, who made deep postseason runs in each sport. Next stop for Musser after spending this summer playing in a collegiate league in Canada, is the University of Hawaii. Going into the spring, Musser was unsure where he might be playing in the fall. "I was talking to a couple of schools," he said. "When Hawaii came around, I knew it was the right choice for me." The Rainbow Warriors have a respected program that has drawn national attention in recent year and placed a handful of players into the Big Leagues. "I like the coaches there and the confidence they have in me." The plan for the summer in British Columbia is to get a steady diet of both infield and outfield play to make himself more versatile at the next level. Now that the ankle injury is a thing of the past, he can focus on nothing but his studies and baseball. "I worked hard on my physical therapy to make sure of that," he said.

Season Highlight: There was no one shining moment for Musser, he says. Instead, it came in being out on the field every day. "My personal highlight was probably just practicing each day," he said. "I have played with all those guys since I was born so just being out there with them was special."

"This season was a culmination of all the work and fun I've put into baseball. Playing with my buddies one last time was awesome."

The Numbers Tell the Story: It's a leadoff man's job to get on base and get into scoring position. Musser had a .458 on-base percentage, thanks to 21 walks and 32 hits.

Eye-Popping Stat: Musser struck out just nine times in 121 plate appearances. Defensively, he committed just five errors in 109 total chances at shortstop and was the pivot in seven double plays.

21. Landon King

Saint Francis - sophomore - shortstop

The Skinny: A year ago, Landon King was a 14-year-old freshman playing varsity baseball, the leadoff hitter and second baseman for one of the best teams on the Peninsula. And while he admits there were times when he struggled, he was never overwhelmed, never overmatched. Last years' experience paid huge for King, who moved to shortstop and was one of the table setters on the Lancers, who steamrolled their way to a WCAL title. "Last year helped me," he said. "The more experience you have, the better you're going to be. ... It helped me to learn the WCAL pitchers and teams, and what it takes to win and be successful in the league." King and teammate Jack Leeper were given a virtual green light – there were times when the brakes were applied – when they were on the basepaths and it turned Saint Francis into a team that ran with reckless abandoned. "The best part is that we knew teams would practice trying to stop it, but we kept finding ways to take another bag," he said. "All it did was make our offense way better and increase our chance of winning – and winning is really fun."

Season Highlight: The San Mateo native had a key double against Serra in the CCS-Division I quarterfinal victory. With the game scoreless in the fourth inning, King launched one up the left-centerfield gap to chase home the first two runs of the game. "It was a huge game, and it was a pretty important part of the game," he said. "It definitely fired me up, especially since I know a lot of those guys since I live so close to Serra."

"I've learned throughout my career that I hit better when I'm thinking less. I just try to see the ball early and trust my hands. I don't think many people can beat me straight up, so I just have to let them come to me and not beat myself."

The Numbers Tell the Story: If the job of a leadoff man is to get on base and into scoring position, King accomplished his task – and then some. His .454 on-base percentage was third-best on the team behind Leeper and Tanner Wall and no one scored more runs than his 27.

Eye-Popping Stat: King had 12 doubles and two triples, giving him a team-leading 14 extra-base hits.