SBLive's All-Southern Section high school baseball teams: JSerra, Santa Margarita lead with three selections each

With the spring 2023 California high school baseball season in the books, it’s time to hand out some awards.

Here are SBLive's 2023 All-Southern Section high school baseball teams. The Section-wide team features 40 players split between a first and a second team. The players were selected by SBLive reporter Bodie DeSilva.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Trent Caraway – JSerra – Senior

Caraway had a huge final season for a JSerra team that finished the season ranked No. 5 nationally in SBLive's Power 25. The Oregon State-signee hit .467 with seven home runs and finished with an OPS of 1.213.

Caraway, who broke Royce Lewis' school record with 49 hits in a single season, had four hits and was a triple shy of the cycle in JSerra's 6-0 semifinal win at Corona.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR

Justin Lee – Sherman Oaks Notre Dame – Senior

Lee was the ace pitcher for a Notre Dame team that spent much of the 2023 season as California's top ranked team. The UCLA-signee tossed 30 innings more this season than he did as a junior while allowing 12 less earned runs. He struck out 102 batters, up from the 33 that he struck out in 2022.

Lee's best outing of the season came against Loyola in Mission League play. He tossed a one-hit shutout against the Cubs, striking out 13 batters.

ALL-SOUTHERN SECTION FIRST TEAM

PITCHERS

Ethan Schiefelbein – Corona – Junior

Schiefelbein held his opponents scoreless in eight of his 11 appearances this season. He struck out 94 batters while walking only 15 batters and finished the season 7-1 with a 0.64 ERA.

Matthew Champion – JSerra – Junior

Champion, an LSU commit, played a huge role in JSerra's second straight Southern Section championship run. He pitched in three of the five playoff games, delivering 16 shutout innings while striking out 17 batters.

Collin Clarke – Santa Margarita – Senior

Clarke had a huge season, showcasing himself as one of Southern California's top uncommitted players. He committed to Oregon shortly after the season and allowed just one earned run over his final 21.2 innings in the playoffs.

Brandon Luu – Villa Park – Senior

Luu nearly replicated his junior campaign, finishing with a 1.24 ERA for the second straight season. The UC Irvine-signee struck out 88 batters while walking only 18.

Eric Jeon – La Mirada – Senior

Jeon had a 7-2 record and a 1.40 ERA over 55 innings this season, striking out 54 batters. The Columbia-signee, who also hit .333 with three home runs, tossed a no-hitter against Warren and didn't allow a run until his sixth appearance of the season.

Sterling Patick – South Hills – Senior

Patick surpassed 62 innings on the mound for the third straight season, finishing his senior season with 76.1. In 14 appearances, the UCSB-signee finished 10-1 with a 0.37 ERA and struck out 113 batters.

Justin Santiago – Bonita – Senior

Santiago improved across the board as a senior, finishing the season 8-1 with a 1.34 ERA. He opened the season with an 11 strikeout no-hitter against Northview and finished the year with 92 strikeouts.

CATCHERS

Ralphy Velazquez – Huntington Beach – Senior

Velazquez lived up to the hype in his final high school season. In 30 games, the Arizona State-signee hit .402 with six home runs, eight doubles and a triple. He walked 23 times, posting a .525 on-base percentage and struck out just 12 times.

Dylan Fien – Great Oak – Junior

Fien hit over .400 for the second straight season, finishing with a .487 average and 11 extra-base hits this year. The UCLA commit has struck out just 11 times in 150 career plate appearances.

INFIELDERS

Bryce Rainer – Harvard-Westlake – Junior

Rainer hit .436 this season with nine doubles and three home runs. The Texas commit showcased his two-way ability, returning to the mound this season after a shoulder injury prevented him from pitching last season.

Gavin Grahovac – Villa Park – Senior

Grahovac hit .350 this season and walked more than he struck out for the third straight season, finishing with a .466 on-base percentage over 103 career games. He had nine doubles and five home runs this year, closing out his career with 64 extra-base hits.

Brandon Winokur – Edison – Senior

Winokur has seen his stock continue to rise throughout the Spring. The UCLA-signee hit nine home runs this season and dominated opponents while on the mound at the end of games.

Brady Ebel – Etiwanda – Sophomore

Ebel hit .367 this season and posted a .510 on-base percentage after walking more than he struck out. He has nine doubles, two home runs, a triple and posted a 5-0 record during his 33 innings on the mound.

Dominic Smaldino – JSerra – Senior

Smaldino had at least one hit in 17 of his final 18 games this season. The Cal-signee crushed a two-run home run in JSerra's 6-1 playoff win against Etiwanda.

OUTFIELDERS

Aidan Espinoza – Huntington Beach – Senior

Espinoza, one of Southern California's best defenders, hit .363 this year. The UCLA-signee had five home runs, four doubles, a triple and completed the season with a .414 on-base percentage.

Jackson Freeman – Tesoro – Senior

Freeman led the Southern Section with 12 home runs this season and drove in 32 runs for the Titans. He's signed with Northwestern.

Derek Curiel – Orange Lutheran – Junior

Curiel raised his batting average over 80 points this season, finishing at .358. He had a home run, eight doubles and stole double digit bases for the third straight year.

Chase Brunson – San Clemente – Senior

Brunson made huge strides at the plate this season, raising his average from .353 as a junior to .429 as a senior. The Loyola Marymount-signee had eight home runs, eight doubles, three triples and walked 21 times.

ALL-SOUTHERN SECTION SECOND TEAM

PITCHERS

Hunter Long – Capistrano Valley Christian – Senior

Long struck out 60 batters as a junior and followed it up with 118 strikeouts this season. In 14 appearances, he went 8-2 with a 1.03 ERA.

Trevor Hansen – Royal – Senior

Hansen finished up an excellent three-year run, pitching 60 innings or more for the third time. He went 5-2 in 11 appearances and struck out 90 batters while finishing with a 1.56 ERA.

Moises Escobedo – Bishop Amat – Senior

Escobedo dominated the competition this season while more than doubling his workload from last year. In 54 innings, he struck out 56 batters, walked eight, and finished with an ERA of 0.78.

Tommy Bridges – Harvard-Westlake – Junior

Bridges committed to TCU following his sophomore season and broke a Harvard-Westlake single season record, finishing with a 0.59 ERA this year. In April's win over Crespi, Bridges struck out 12 while shutting out the Celts.

Chad Gurnea – Pacifica – Senior

Gurnea posted video game-like numbers during his final high school season. The Cal State Fullerton-signee had a 0.29 ERA over 72 innings while striking out 107 batters and walking 11.

Sammy Cova – Santa Margarita – Senior

Cova paired next to Clarke to give the Eagles a top duo that lead to Santa Margarita winning the Trinity League by five games. In four playoff appearances, Cova struck out 17 batters while allowing one run for the Southern California regional champions.

Angel Cervantes – Warren – Sophomore

Cervantes threw 62 innings this season while showcasing a fastball in the low 90's. The UCLA commit had a 1.56 ERA and 76 strikeouts.

Garren Rizzo - Palos Verdes - Senior

Rizzo posted an ERA of less than one for the second straight season. In 56.2 innings, the USC-signee struck out 75 batters while finishing out with a 0.86 ERA.

CATCHERS

Luke Scherrer – Yucaipa – Senior

Scherrer, a Cal Poly-signee, was named MVP of the Citrus Belt League. He hit .350 this season with 16 doubles and a home run.

Cider Canon – Maranatha – Senior

Canon, who's headed to Davidson, was named MVP of the Olympic League. He had a three home run game in a win over Whittier Christian and finished that week with five home runs in four games.

INFIELDERS

Luke Lavin – Santa Margarita – Senior

Lavin hit .327 with four home runs while helping the Eagles capture their first Southern California regional title. In 15 Trinity League games, Lavin had an OPS of 1.004.

Diego Velazquez – Crespi – Sophomore

Velazquez had a huge season as a two-way player, finishing with a .354 average and .492 on-base percentage. He had eight doubles, two home runs, two triples and a 1.39 ERA over 50.1 innings on the mound.

Nick Montgomery – Cypress – Junior

Montgomery, a six-foot-four Arizona State commit, had a four game stretch where he totaled 10 hits during April.

Kasen Khansarinia – San Dimas – Junior

Khansarinia combined to hit seven doubles over each of his first two varsity seasons before exploding for 15 doubles this season. The UCLA commit hit .351 and had a .411 on-base percentage.

Mateo Rickman – Torrance – Sophomore

Rickman hit .400 this season with three home runs and 32 runs batted in. He was named Pioneer League MVP after also going 3-0 on the mound.

Cameron Kim – Norco – Senior

Kim hit .354 this season, finishing his career at Norco with 126 hits over 95 games. The UCLA-signee had 12 doubles and a triple this year and finished his career with a .459 on-base percentage.

OUTFIELDERS

Anthony Murphy – Corona – Freshman

Murphy made his mark as a freshman, hitting .342 with six home runs, five doubles and a triple. In April's 11-2 win over Etiwanda, Murphy hit a double, two home runs and drove in five runs.

Conor Sunderland – Fullerton – Senior

Sunderland punished baseballs throughout his senior season, finishing with a .466 batting average and 20 extra-base hits. He was among the Southern Section leaders with seven home runs and walked more than he struck out leading to a .551 on-base percentage.

Dean West – Sherman Oaks Notre Dame – Senior

West showcased his elite plate discipline once again this season. He hit .333 with two home runs and six doubles while stealing 20 bases. The UCLA-signee drew 35 walks, earning a .540 on-base percentage, while striking out just six times in 126 plate appearances.

Ezekiel Lara – Mater Dei – Freshman 

Lara made his mark as one of California's top players in the 2026 class during his first season. In 15 Trinity League games, he hit .423 and had an on-base percentage of .483.