PRESEASON PRIME: 10-8

10. Riley Jackson

Half Moon Bay - shortstop - senior

The Skinny: The stress of picking a college is done for the junior shortstop. Santa Clara University is his choice. “That’s the place I always wanted to go,” he said. “That was always my No. 1. It’s close to home, close to my family. Once they offered me, I didn’t hesitate.” Now, Jackson, can relax and think about the second half of his high school career. If it’s anything like the first half, Half Moon Bay fans should pay attention. Jackson can become the best player ever to play for the Cougars. Jackson brings a 6-foot-2 frame and a left-handed power swing to the middle of the Half Moon Bay lineup. Unfortunately, the opposition found that walking him was better than letting him swing. He walked 26 times last year. “I like hitting the ball. I want to barrel up the ball, but I’ve always had the idea that getting on base with a walk is the same thing as a 105 (mph) shot up the middle for a single.” He’s a kid who can do damage to an inside fastball and might see one of them each game. Instead, he finds himself getting mostly outside stuff, which has forced him to change his approach at the plate. “I have to be thinking outside,” he said. “I’m still quick enough to turn on something on the inside, but just about everything is on the outside.”

He said It: “I’ve been excited to start every year. There’s a different vibe this year. There’s a lot of optimism this year. We’ve got tons of juniors up on varsity, the guys I’ve been playing with all my life. Now, we’re up on the varsity together, my best friends, and we’re ready to win.”

The Numbers Tell the Story: Jackson hit .354 with 23 hits, 21 runs scored and three home runs.

Eye-Popping Stat: His .535 on-base percentage, thanks largely to the 26 walks, led the Cougars, as did his 1.166 OPS.

9. Nate Hui

Serra - shortstop, pitcher - senior

The Skinny: The lasting image of Nate Hui came in the seventh inning of last year’s CCS-Division I championship game. With runners at first and third, one out and the Padres clinging to a 3-2 lead, Valley Christian’s Christian Navarez dropped a bunt the Hui fielder to his left and flipped home to Jack Armstrong to nail Ethan Flynn for the second out. After balking runners to second and third, he caught Quinten Marsh looking at a curveball for the third strike that gave Serra its first CCS crown in 16 years. “Kep (coach Mat Keplinger) made us practice that squeeze play for a whole week because somehow, he just knew it was going to come up in the biggest game of season, and then it did. He lays it out for us, and we just have to follow through. We just have to execute.” In high school baseball, executing is half the battle and if we learned nothing else about Hui in that seventh inning, it’s that no moment is too big for him. On a team loaded with seniors, Hui made himself indispensable by stepping in wherever Keplinger needed him. In addition to pitching, he played both corner outfield positions, and all four infield positions. Now he looks to be the heir apparent to the shortstop position vacated by Ian Josephson, who is now at Saint Mary’s College after setting a single-season school record for hits and earning PeninsulaPrepBaseball.com’s Prime 31 player of the year. “I’ll play wherever I’m needed,” he said. “My goal is definitely to assume a leadership role like Ian did last year.”

He Said it: “Last year, I had to do whatever I could to get in the lineup, like play new positions. This year as a senior, I hope that I can solidify my role as a shortstop, as a leader in the infield, and just be like a good mentor to the juniors and sophomores.”

The Numbers Tell the Story:  Hui hit .259 but collected 21 hits, drove in 12 runs and scored 14 runs while stealing 14 bases. On the mound, he was 2-0 with a 1.17 earned-run average, while saving a school-record seven games.

Eye-Popping Stat: No other player in the WCAL played seven defensive positions last year, as Hui did.

8. Morgan Winfield

Sequoia - first base and pitcher - senior

The Skinny: Morgan Winfield felt the pop. It was last summer at Chabot College, and he was sliding into second base. “It was a bang-bang play and my knee twisted,” he said of the torn meniscus that turned his summer of honing his skillset – his power swing at the plate and locating his pitches while on the mound – turned into a fall dominated by rehabilitating from the surgery. “That’s been the last five months for me,” he said. “Rehab is really hard, not just on the physical side. It hurt for the first couple months, and then it was just mental. Like, some days it feels good, some days it doesn't.” Winfield will be medically cleared to play in the Ravens’ opener, but the Saint Mary’s College signee now goes into his senior year with a goal of not getting hurt again. “I want to stay healthy, and I want to help this team win.” Sequoia might be considered a dark horse in the PAL Bay Division, thanks to Winfield, who is the league’s best dual-threat player. He brings to the Ravens a power stroke that allowed him to hit six home runs last year. His 87-mph fastball isn’t off the charts, but his ability to get outs and last deep into games by throwing strikes makes him effective – and someone who wants to be a two-way player at the next level.

He Said It: “I've always been on varsity, all four years, and I don't think my role has ever changed. I just trying to do my part in everything that I do help the team win.”

The Numbers Tell the Story: Winfield collected 30 hits and had an on-base percentage of .510. He had a slugging percentage of .709 and an OPS of 1.219. Amazingly, he struck out just 10 times in more than 100 plate appearances.

Eye-Popping Stat: On the mound, he went 6-0 with a 1.67 earned-run average and 68 strikeouts.