The National High School Invitational will take place Wednesday through Friday at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, and the Southern California region will be well-represented.
Dana Hills, Huntington Beach, Orange Lutheran and South Hills will be four of just 16 teams invited to participate in the tournament — 16 of the top prep teams from across the nation.
“It’s a huge honor,” South Hills head coach Darren Murphy told Prep2Prep. “Something that every big program strives for. You hope to carry it on at least once in your career. It’s a big honor for the school and for the program.”
Murphy’s team, ranked seventh in California by MaxPreps, will be making its first ever appearance in the invitational, and will look to ride on its strong pitching rotation when it opens against Brother Rice. Brandon Dieter, Zack Bromstead and Karlos Morales have formed a three-pronged monster this season, contributing to a pitching staff that boasts a 1.01 ERA and holding opposing teams to a .165 batting average. Shortstop Jacob Amaya, batting .429, anchors the team on defense at the plate.
Murphy said officials from USA Baseball followed South Hills last season, eyeing them for a potential spot in this year’s tournament. He believes finishing as Division II state champions and having a number of returning players helped secure a bid.
The SoCal team with the experience, though, is Huntington Beach, which is making its third straight appearance in the invitational after winning the tournament last season.
“It’s huge,” head coach Benjamin Medure said. “This is the most prestigious tournament in the country. To be invited back for the third time in a row really puts our program on the map nationally.”
Huntington Beach, which plays Winder-Barrow to being tournament action, boasts two stellar all-around players in Hagen Danner and Nick Pratto, who lead the team at the plate and on the mound. They also have seven returnees who played significant innings in last year’s tournament.
“The experience is going to help us, having guys who were there last year,” Medure said.” Just be relaxed. A lot of teams will come in and press to win it all. The key is to play relaxed and play the baseball you’re used to playing. Our experience is going to help us do that. The veterans will talk to younger guys. It’s not going to change us in any way, shape, or form.”
Orange Lutheran and Dana Hills round out the SoCal field. Both teams boast strong pitching staffs, with Orange Lutheran holding opponents to a .190 batting average, while Dana Hills has ridden its starting rotation and defense to win five of its last six games heading into the tournament after beginning the season 0-4.
“Our students have looked forward to competing in this tournament and making the trip to North Carolina for this tournament,” Orange Lutheran athletic director Paul Jones said in an email to Prep2Prep. “We are looking forward to competing against the great talent that will be present from across the nation and we thank USA Baseball for inviting us to come out and play.”
Orange Lutheran will face off against Merritt Island, while Dana Hills will take on Coleman on Wednesday.
All four Southern California teams are among the best in the state and the nation, something that coaches take great pride in.
“You know you’re going to face future pro and college players,” Medure said. “At the same time, the best baseball comes from California, especially Southern California. We see the best baseball daily when we play here, so it’s not a gigantic change. There are top of the line pitchers and the quality of baseball is similar.”
Murphy agreed: “It’s going to be a great test. You’re going to find out right away if you belong.”
