15 San Diego Section baseball players who had breakout seasons in 2022

With the 2022 San Diego Section high school baseball season in the rear view mirror, we're continuing to look at some of the Section's top players from this past year. Here's a closer look at 15 baseball players in the CIF-SDS who had breakout seasons in 2022. The list is in alphabetical order.

15 BREAKOUT BASEBALL PLAYERS IN SAN DIEGO SECTION

Grayson Bonanno – Torrey Pines RHP – Junior

Bonanno sat out the beginning of the season as a transfer before making his debut with the Falcons against Carlsbad in early April. He allowed one hit over five shutout inning during his first game and tossed a complete game against Granite Hills in his second outing. After Tuesday's complete game shutout against Palo Verdes, Bonanno finished his junior season with a 1.10 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched.

Victor Castaneda – Bonita Vista INF – Junior

In his first season with the Barons, Castaneda made his presence felt early with four hits and five runs batted in against Granite Hills in the third game of the season. He finished the year with a .467 average, seven home runs and had at least one hit in 25 of the 27 games.

River Diaz De Leon – Grossmont OF – Junior

Diaz De Leon started quickly in his varsity debut, hitting .304 with nine doubles and eight home runs for the Foothillers.

Chris DiPrima – Del Norte RHP/SS – Junior

DiPrima raised his batting average from .258 as a sophomore to .430 this season. He led the Nighthawks with 40 hits and 14 doubles. On the mound, he tossed 65 innings, finishing with a 9-2 record, a 1.62 ERA and 80 strikeouts.

Talin Gardini – Patrick Henry LHP/1B – Sophomore

Gardini followed up his solid freshman season with big numbers this year. In 60.1 innings pitched, he struck out 96 batters and ended the year with a 1.39 ERA. Gardini also hit .305 with five doubles and two home runs.

Branden Jackel – Steele Canyon LHP – Junior

Jackel threw 11 innings as a sophomore and increased that total to 50.1 this season. He struck out 50 batters this season while finishing with a 2.78 ERA down almost a full run from a year ago.

AJ Klubeck – Westview UTIL – Junior

Klubeck heated up for the Wolverines down the stretch in his first full varsity season. He hit .391 with a team-leading ten doubles and tied for the team lead in hits and home runs.

Jordan Mahan – Mar Vista OF/RHP – Senior

Mahan was limited to only five games during his junior season. In 35 games this year, he hit .392 with 11 doubles and ten home runs. He also pitched in 19 games for the Mariners, striking out 47 batters in 43.1 innings and finishing with a 2.91 ERA.

Tommy Molina – Steele Canyon C – Junior

Molina took a big step forward this season, increasing his batting average 160 points up to .430 from a season ago. He also hit nine doubles, seven home runs and showed patience at the plate, finishing the year with a .566 on-base percentage.

Nico Newhan – Maranatha Christian SS – Junior

Newhan finished the season with a section-leading 61 hits, becoming only the tenth player in San Diego history to collect 60 or more hits in a season. He also led the section with 54 runs batted in and tied for the lead with 12 home runs all while hitting .530, up from his .341 average as a sophomore.

Nevan Noonan – Francis Parker INF/RHP – Senior

Noonan raised his batting average to .375 this past season while collecting 14 doubles, five home runs and two triples. He also waked 23 times, finishing the year with a .500 on-base percentage. Noonan also pitched 13 times in relief for the Lancers, collecting four saves.

Jordan Otjen – Point Loma OF – Junior

Otjen hit .167 last year as a sophomore and raised his average all the way up to .451 this year. He hit three home runs and three doubles for the Pointers and also stole seven bases.

Anthony Pacino – San Marcos OF/INF – Senior

Pacino hit .256 for the Knights as a junior and raised that over 100 points up to .375 as a senior. He finished the year with eight doubles, two home runs, nine stole bases and an on-base percentage of .518. Pacino committed to Cal State San Marcos in early May.

Sage Sturgeon – Santa Fe Christian LHP – Junior

Sturgeon only threw 1.1 innings for the Eagles as a sophomore. This season he tossed 47.2 innings, striking out 59 batters. He finished the year with a 5-1 record, a 1.47 ERA and recorded double digit strikeout games in wins over Mission Hills and Francis Parker.

Jackson Waller – Mission Hills INF – Senior

Waller hit a combined .268 over his first three varsity seasons with the Grizzlies. In his final year, he hit .495 with 13 doubles, four triples and two home runs. In 367 career plate appearances, Waller struck out only 27 times. He committed to Nevada in March.