Bee’s Best: Top Sacramento-area high school baseball players so far in 2025
As the high school baseball league championship races heat up with the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section baseball playoffs schedule to begin May 7, it’s not just the teams who offer intrigue, be it from Elk Grove, Rocklin, Placer County, Yolo County and beyond.
Who are some of the Sacramento area’s top players? Who’s swinging the bat for extra-base hits? Who’s throwing gas on the mound? Who’s doing a bit of both?
Below: 20 players of note as the meaty part of the season approaches like a fastball down the middle. The Sacramento Bee will run its All-Metro baseball teams after the CIF Northern California rounds are completed (there are no CIF State championships in baseball and softball). The Bee will name an overall All-Metro MVP and players of the year from small-enrollment schools to medium-sized schools to the Division I large-school programs, and each of these players is in the running.
Each of these players listed has to keep the momentum rolling the rest of the regular season — and then up their game in the postseason, when it all really matters. One of the players listed has tossed three no-hitters and has crushed 12 home runs, tied for the second most this season nationally, and another ace has touched 96 mph on the radar gun.
Jayden Badhesha, Woodland Christian
The junior left-hander is 4-0 on the mound with 48 strikeouts in 31.1 innings, and he’s .478 with 34 RBI, 27 runs and four home runs for the Cardinals, who are closing in on the Sierra Delta League championship.
Woodland Christian won small-school section and CIF NorCal championships last season.
Mason Belding, Del Oro
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior catcher and team captain leads the Golden Eagles of Loomis in hitting (.431), home runs (five), doubles (eight) and RBIs (22).
Del Oro is in the CIF playoff hunt.
Eli Burnham, Davis
A highly touted 6-foot-3, 210-pound catcher, Burnham has done his part to keep the tradition-rich Blue Devils in the hunt for the Sierra Foothill League championship.
The senior leads Davis in hitting (.457), home runs (two), fielding percentage (1.000), hits (32) and doubles (seven).
Alex Crosno, Bradshaw Christian
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound senior has crushed the baseball, leading the powerhouse small-school Pride in batting average (.523), on-base percentage (.645), hits (23), slugging percentage (.773) and triples (four).
Oh, and Crosno is 5-0 with 42 strikeouts in 24 innings with an 0.00 ERA. He also has star teammates along for the ride in Ethan Rickert, David Wiser, Landon Carter and others from a defending small-school section and CIF NorCal championship program.
Ayden Deome, West Park
The junior slugger has two home runs, 34 hits, 37 RBIs, 35 runs scored, 15 doubles and an .819 slugging percentage.
The newer-school Panthers of Roseville are in the hunt for the Metro League championship.
Ayden Dringenberg, Oakmont
The 6-foot-2 senior third baseman/pitcher for the powerhouse Vikings of Roseville is 4-2 on the mound with a 1.73 ERA, and he’s surrounded by stars and leadership as the program seeks another section and CIF NorCal crown.
The support crew includes Beau Ogles and Cooper Kunis.
Sammy Kane, Jesuit
The LSU-committed junior shortstop/pitcher leads the playoff-seeking Marauders with a .404 batting average, a .507 on-base percentage, home runs (three), hits (23), RBI (12), slugging percentage (.684) — and an ERA of 0.58.
Jesuit Big Red has fielded bus loads of terrific talents over the decades. Kane fits right in.
Dre Lee, Christian Brothers
The senior outfielder/pitcher has helped the Falcons, a baseball force since the 1940s, remain in the playoff hunt and the Capital Valley Conference race.
Lee boasts a 7-0 record on the mound with a 1.56 ERA
Joey Lorenzini, Rocklin
The Arkansas-bound senior ace has performed before a sea of radar guns in the hands of Major League Baseball scouts for Sierra Foothill League powerhouse and Bee No. 1-ranked Rocklin.
He has teammates of similar impact, including first baseman Dylan Nusz and pitcher Troy Ueltzen, who entered Friday at 4-0 with a 1.40 ERA.
Brent Martin, Elk Grove
The senior third baseman/pitcher has done his share as the storied Thundering Herd compete for another Delta League championship.
He leads Elk Grove with 15 RBIs, and he’s 5-0 on the mound.
Dylan Minnatee, Franklin
The LSU-committed junior first baseman star leads the powerhouse Wildcats of Elk Grove in batting (.456), on base percentage (.536), fielding percentage (.989), RBIs (19), slugging percentage (.825), doubles (nine) and triples (six).
He has top-tier teammates, too, including infielder star Jason Harris and pitchers Kyle Pott and Dylan Wood.
Vance Moe, Liberty Ranch
The senior team captain is batting .389 to go along with two homers and two triples, a .971 fielding percentage and a .648 slugging percentage.
But get a load of what he’s done on the mound. Moe has an 0.39 ERA, throwing gas as he’s struck out 80 in 53.1 innings for the Hawks of Galt, who are in the thick of the Sierra Valley Conference championship race.
Jonny Munger, Sutter
The senior outfielder/left-handed pitcher has helped power his storied small-school Huskies to the cusp of the Golden Empire League championship.
Munger is batting .380, has scored 23 runs — and he’s 6-0 on the mound with a 1.50 ERA.
Levi Nyberg, Cordova
The next great Lancers star is a third-year varsity starter for one of the storied programs in the state. The junior infielder/pitcher leads Big Red in average (.517), on base percentage (.623), stolen bases (22), fielding percentage (1.000), hits (31), runs (23) and slugging percentage (.817).
And as the team’s ace, he has a 1.43 ERA.
Kaden Nichols, Bear River
The junior first baseman/pitcher committed to Cal Poly is already one of the greatest players in the history of the Grass Valley/Lake of the Pines school, which opened in 1986. Nichols is a good hitter, leading the team with 18 RBI and a .479 slugging percentage, and he’s especially good on the mound, where he is 6-2 with a 1.19 ERA.
Nichols went 6-2 on the mound as a freshman on varsity and 10-1 last season with an 0.19 ERA. He has a 15-strikeout effort in a 3-0 win over Lincoln and 74 total strikeouts this season in 41.1 innings.
Gavin Otis, Placer
Just a sophomore, the pitcher/outfielder is a player for now and the coming seasons for a Hillmen squad that is in the playoff chase.
Otis leads the team in batting (.375), home runs (two), RBI (19), slugging percentage (.563), in ERA (1.73) and in victories on the mound (6-1).
Brandon Pelechowicz,Yuba City
The senior outfielder/pitcher has led the charge for the Honkers, who have produced stellar teams since the 1940s.
Pelechowicz He leads the club in batting (.493), on base percentage (.581), home runs (five), stolen bases (13), hits (33), RBI (25), runs (22), slugging percentage (.806) — and in ERA (0.38) as he sports a 5-1 record on the mound with 50 strikeouts in 36 innings.
Landyn Plaut, Lincoln
Behold the power of Plaut. The senior first baseman and left-handed ace isn’t just wowing people on the diamond, he’s doing so in the classroom, too. He’s the student body president who sports a 4.15 grade-point average.
More impact: Plaut has pitched three no-hitters, including a perfect game, and he has 12 home runs, tied for second-most nationally.
He’s batting .485, has 37 RBI, a 1.106 slugging percentage, and he has a 6-1 pitching record with an 0.75 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 46.2 innings for a Zebras team in the running for the Pioneer Valley League crown.
Ari Silva, McClatchy
The junior first baseman/pitcher is the next Lions star for the crown jewel program of the Sacramento City Unified School District that seeks another Metro League crown.
Silva is batting .414, leads the team with 24 hits, 27 RBI, seven doubles and a .680 slugging percentage, and he’s 5-1 on the mound with a 1.17 ERA.
Dylan Wood, Franklin
He’s got game and he’s got personality, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound Arizona-bound senior with Major League Baseball draft interest showcasing his athletic skills, a fastball that’s reached 96 mph this season, his good curve and change-up — and the smile.
Wood is 4-0 on the mound with a 1.66 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 38 innings.
▪ Who’d we miss? Is there a player doing big things for his varsity baseball team? Email insight to jdavidson@sacbee.com
This story was originally published April 19, 2025 at 5:00 AM.