Prep baseball rankings: Woodcreek takes key win over Granite Bay; Del Oro enters rankings

When the game was over, Lucas Conn smiled at his team.

The Woodcreek High School baseball coach was pleased for good reason. The second-ranked Timberwolves beat No. 3 Granite Bay 4-2 last Thursday in Roseville. Riley Tagert drove in a pair of runs and Zack Malone and Ethan Louie each had an RBI.

Woodcreek senior Jadon Groves came into the game in a pressure situation and struck out four in two innings, including the final batter when the Grizzlies had runners at second and third with two outs. He earned the save.

There hasn’t been a baseball postseason in two years. Hence the reason teams are so excited to win a big game, even in March. Woodcreek played a close game with Rocklin earlier this season that also provided the same fireworks.

“Rocklin and Granite Bay are playoff-caliber teams and atmospheres,” Conn said. “Everyone is champing at the bit to get a sense of normality and get back into the swing of things. It’s huge for us because we want to make noise early.”

He added, “These guys know what we are playing for. We have high goals and expectations for our guys this year with how much talent we have and how deep we are. These guys have bought in that it’s not just one guy — it’s eight or nine. They have bought into the ‘We not I’ mentally.”

Woodcreek senior Braeden Sloan got the start and struck out six in five innings. Sloan is getting attention from Major League Baseball teams. About a dozen scouts were there to watch him pitch against Granite Bay.

“Phenomenal, he’s nails,” Conn said about Sloan. “In our first game against Rocklin, it seemed like there were 30 radar guns. The fact that he came out and threw (the way he did) under pressure in a big game in a big spot with eyes on him — that’s a testament to the type of kid and player he is.”

Conn is in his first season as head coach at Woodcreek after previous coach Joel Manfredi resigned before the season started. Conn was an assistant coach on the staff last season.

“It’s been a blast,” Conn said. “That was always the goal. Our coaching staff has been phenomenal. … Transitions can be tough, (I’m) just trying to steer the ship straight with this group.”

The Timberwolves arguably have their best roster in school history. It is filled with Division l-bound college players. That includes Caden Thompson and Austin Nye. Thompson, who signed with Santa Clara, will miss the first few weeks of the season due to offseason surgery. Nye is a transfer from Roseville who committed to one of the top baseball schools in the country earlier this season in Vanderbilt. He will have to sit out the first 30 days of the season due to the section transfer rule.

Another player on Woodcreek’s roster that is already committed to a college is junior Isaac Hawthrone. He won’t be able to play this season because of a section rule. Hawthrone started his prep career at Woodcreek then transferred to Alpha Charter. He then transferred back to Woodcreek last fall.

“Even more depth than we have and we have incredible depth,” Conn said. “It’s pretty scary to think about. (Caden) is our field general and he’s the loudest guy in the dugout. I view him as another coach because he knows the game so well. I feel for the guys who aren’t able to play right now, but the fact they’re still out here is a testament to their character. They’re here at every practice and every game. These guys are best friends and they’re all in this together.”

Around the horn

▪ Del Oro enters the rankings for the first time this season at No. 14 after a 7-0 start to the season. The Golden Eagles went 7-20 during the spring and already have wins over Antelope, Roseville and Placer.

▪ Roseville upset No. 7 Rocklin 4-3 behind an Ethan Lablue walk-off single in extra innings. Parker Hellekson hit a two-run home run and David Centeno pitched a complete game.

▪ Vanden jumped into the top 10 and is ranked No. 8 after starting the season 6-0. The Vikings have wins over River City, Del Campo and Pleasant Grove. Senior Tyler James leads his team in hits, RBIs and doubles.

▪ The Bee’s reigning player of the year, Malcolm Moore, is off to a hot start to the season and has three home runs already in six games. McClatchy is 6-0 in those games.

▪ In a matchup of top 5 teams, Granite Bay beat Franklin 7-6 after trailing by five runs after four innings. Preston Fondren and J.P. Smith both had multiple RBIs and Avery Isola drove in another run.

▪ Rocklin made a statement with a 24-5 win over Oakmont, which included a 16-run third inning. Brandon Larson, Jaden Clifford, Colin Huston, Jack Hyde, Jake Schaack, Jack Peterson and Aiden Frost all drove in multiple runs.

▪ Whitney’s Jace Gillmore is off to a strong start to the season. The junior has struck out 15 in 12.2 innings and is 2-0 in his starts. His team is 4-1.

▪ Del Campo had a 7-6 walk-off victory over Oakmont to improve to 4-1. Thomas Martinez pitched five scoreless innings in relief and Hayden Hughes, Anthony Martinez and Luke McCord had standout performances at the plate.

▪ After losing the season opener to Del Campo, Vacaville has won five straight games, including wins over Davis, Whitney and Yuba City. Rocky Vidal, Andrew Lammon and Bennie Dyer all lead their team in hits with seven.

▪ The Bee’s top-ranked team, Elk Grove, earned a hard-fought 1-0 win over St. Mary’s of Stockton behind a complete game shutout by Kade Brown. Brown allowed only three hits and struck out 10.

The Bee’s Top 25

1. Elk Grove 3-2

2. Woodcreek 2-1

3. Granite Bay 2-3

4. Franklin 5-1

5. McClatchy 6-0

6. Vista del Lago 5-1

7. Rocklin 3-4

8. Vanden 6-0

9. Del Campo 4-1

10. Vacaville 5-1

11. Oak Ridge 2-3

12. Folsom 3-1

13. Ponderosa 4-2

14. Del Oro 7-0

15. Roseville 3-3

16. Rio Americano 2-2

17. Whitney 4-1

18. Jesuit 1-4

19. Pleasant Grove 2-3

20. Placer 1-2

21. Laguna Creek 1-3

22. Davis 0-4

23. Bella Vista 2-2

24. Oakmont 1-3

25. River City 6-3

Bubble teams: Bradshaw Christian (0-2), Christian Brothers (1-3), Colfax (3-4), Cosumnes Oaks (1-3), Cordova (1-4), Lincoln (1-3) Marysville (4-2), Nevada Union (4-1), Pioneer (3-1), Sutter (3-1), West Campus (0-0)

This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 7:28 AM.