PRESEASON PRIME: 15-11

15. Joey Donati

Terra Nova - catcher - senior

The Skinny: There’s something charming, almost unheard of these days, about a kid who doesn’t pick up his baseball glove until the dead of winter. That’s the way life use to be, when athletes played a sport all three seasons and there was some variety to the competition. Joey Donati is a throwback. He spends his summers getting ready for football while playing football each Friday night in the fall. “I’ve found that taking some time off until after Thanksgiving break and then having December and January to work on baseball and lifting is what works best for me,” said Donati, Terra Nova’s on-field leaders and one of the handful of exceptional catchers on the Peninsula this year. Donati eased into baseball training and is ready for a new season, where the Tigers might be the favorites to capture the PAL-Ocean Division crown. Terra Nova took second place in the league and hosted a CCS-Division IV game with a team that featured four sophomores in the starting lineup. Now there’s an expectation to build on that this year. “Our whole team knows what’s expected of us,” he said. “We now we can make a run and maybe win a league or CCS title, but it comes down to everyone doing their jobs.” Having a solid catcher is a good building block. Donati is strong defensively and has grown into a run-producing force in the middle of the Tigers’ lineup.

He Said it: “Some coaches may not like this, but my approach is to get up there and swing at the first good pitch you get because that’s the only good pitch you may get.”

The Numbers Tell the Story: Donati hit .368 with 32 hits, 15 runs scored and 24 RBI. He also had two home runs.

Eye-Popping Stat: Donati put the ball in play, striking out just six times in 102 plate appearances.

14. Cruz Torres

Woodside - outfield - senior

The Skinny: No player on the Peninsula flies below the radar like Cruz Torres. Maybe it’s the seclusion of Woodside or the reality that the Wildcats are a pack that quietly goes about their business. Whatever the reason, Torres might be the best hitter no one ever talks about. And that’s OK with him – as long as they notice him at the finish line. Last year, he won the PAL Ocean Division batting title and player of the year honors, and the mission is to repeat both of those feats in his senior season. “That's my goal again,” he said. “Just to try to get that again, because I know there's a couple good dudes in our league now that can fight for that with me. It'll be interesting.” Torres will play at Canada College in the fall, a place he is familiar with. It’s where he learned to play baseball, he says. “That’s where I’ve always trained,” he said. “I hit with the coach (Tony Lucca) since I was 9 years old. Being there feels like home.” Landing Torres is a good get for Canada. The senior outfielder is a top-of-the-lineup hitter with speed who is beginning to show the ability to turn on a pitch and drive it although he admitted to getting into trouble over the summer by wanting to pull everything in big-game environments in places like Georgia, Arizona and Southern California. “It's stressful when you're out there with coaches everywhere and you want to do good,” he said.

He Said it: “My approach is to just stay up the middle. I got away from that over the summer. I struggled for a little bit, but shortened up, and just tried to pepper it back up the middle. That’s my game.”

The Numbers Tell the Story: Torres compiled a .443 batting average with 2 homers and 28 RBI. He collected 39 hits and scored 26 runs while collecting 11 extra-base hits – eight of them doubles.

Eye-Popping Stat: Torres had an OPS 1.100 – a .475 on-base percentage to go along with a .625 slugging percentage.

13. Beau Musser

Los Gatos - shortstop - senior

The Skinny: If Beau Musser is healthy, he’s the best player in the SCVAL-De Anza Division. The senior shortstop missed out on winning league MVP by a single vote last year, but broke his left ankle in June, forcing him to miss all of the summer and the all-important – at least where college scouting is concerned – Area Code Games. He played football in the fall and now with the start of his final season of high school baseball, has been given medical clearance. “It’s a great time to be back out there with the weather picking up,” he said. The Wildcats are coming off a strong season that saw them win the De Anza Division and get to the semifinals of both the CCS-Division I and NorCal-Division I tournaments. His goals this season are simple, at least in theory: “I want to win league MVP and CCS.” It’s not unthinkable. Take a look at Musser’s highlight tape and his athleticism is on full display, particularly defensively where he has the quick feet, soft hands and strong arm to handle the rigors of the shortstop position. Offensively, he bats at the top of the order and has a knack for being a run producer. “I look for fastballs away and see it deep,” he said. “I work the count and see as many pitches as possible and try not to miss a fastball.”

He Said it: "The goal is always to go as far as we can, but the first step is practice and getting ready for that first game.”

The Numbers Tell the Story: Musser hit .379 with 36 hits and 27 runs scored and 18 stolen bases. He struck out just five times in 110 plate appearances.

Eye-Popping Stat: He made just three errors in 111 chances and was involved in 15 double plays.

12. Ryder Kelly

Menlo-Atherton - second base - senior

The Skinny: Ryder Kelly is a gamer. There’s an old-school grittiness to the UC-Davis signee that translates to doing the little things, those things on the baseball diamond that don’t always get noticed – or rewarded in the scorebook. None of that matters Kelly, who only wants to win. It’s a lot like the attitude Evan Bradshaw brought to the Serra Padres last year in their push to a CCS-Division I championship. And now that he’s a senior, he wants to lead his younger teammates with his words and by his examples. “I will always be an open book for any young guys to come talk to me, while also showing them the standard I hold myself to,” he said. Kelly is one of the few seniors remaining on a Bears squad that won the PAL-Bay Division in wire-to-wire fashion. But he’s not content. The goal this year is to do it again. “We’re ready for another dominant year,” he said. After a summer of travel baseball, he spent the fall in the weightroom, working on his strength and speed. As a sophomore, he could run 60 yards in 7.2 seconds. He has worked hard and can now do it int 6.7 seconds. “I would spend two days a week on sprints and explosive leg exercises during my leg days.” That improvement allows him to excel out of the batter's box and turn a single into possibly more. That fits well with his approach to drive the ball to right-center field. “I like to stick with what’s been working,” he said. The same approach has worked for the past two years. There’s no need to switch it up now.”

He Said It: “My goal is to play to the best of my abilities. The stats will take care of themselves as the season goes on. I just have to trust in my training.”

The Numbers Tell the Story: Kelly hit .363 with 33 hits, 29 runs scored and 19 RBI.

Eye-Popping Stat: Of his 33 hits, 16 went for extra bases, including a Bay Division-leading 12 doubles.

11. Chase Gordon

St. Ignatius Prep - pitcher, first base - senior

The Skinny: Chase Gordon had his moments as a junior. Shutting out Granada, the defending NorCal-Division I champion on the road over five innings in the season opener was huge. So was the bases-loaded double at Oracle Park that beat rival Sacred Heart Cathedral in March. “Those are moments I will never forget,” he said. “It was great beating Granada. … that win really set the tone, and if you told 5-year-old me that I would get the chance to step foot on (Oracle), he would be so excited. … That win was special.” Now Gordon steps onto the field as a polished senior, a team captain and leader who will rotate between first base and the mound. “I’m really looking forward to playing with the guys for one last time and I want to have some fun. I want to make this year with the guys the best one yet.” The Wildcats have a core group that will put them right in the thick of the WCAL race as well as s contender for a CCS title. “By having fun and going about things the right way, we would love to play for as long as we could. I also hope to grow a lot more as a leader and a player this season.”

He Said It: “If I do get the opportunity to pitch against a good team, I’ll be ready to compete to give us the best chance of winning.”

The Numbers Tell the Story: Gordon went 4-3 with a 2.07 earned-run average. He struck out 44 batters in 54 innings. At the plate, he his .242 with 15 hits, including four doubles and nine RBI.

Eye-Popping Stat: Despite the .242 batting average, Gordon walked 19 times and had an on-base percentage of .420.