CBL Baseball Opens March 31 with REV Defending Title

Redlands East Valley High’s baseball team begins defense of its 2025 Citrus Belt League title on Tuesday, March 31, led by a new coach with a familiar name and adjusting to the departure of 11 seniors from last year’s title squad.

Citrus Valley High, the 2025 CBL runner-up, and Redlands High also begin league play the same day under a new format for the league. Each week, CBL members play a three-game, home-and-away series against each other.

On opening day, REV plays at Citrus Valley, Yucaipa hosts Beaumont, and Cajon hosts Yucaipa. The host teams travel for the next two games on April 2 and April 4.

REDLANDS EAST VALLEY

Brandon Ford, long-time baseball and softball coach in the Redlands district, takes over the Wildcats team that produced a 20-9 record, 13-2 in the CBL last season. Chris Paterson, who coached REV for four seasons, left to be an assistant coach at University of Redlands.

Among the 11 seniors who graduated in 2025 were Azel Hernandez (.409 batting average, 18 RBI), Griffin Cunningham (.396 BA, 20 steals), Ty Whittle (.310 BA, 16 RBI), Connor Towns (18 RBI), Andre McCartin (19 RBI), and pitcher Cash Dabbs (9-4, 1.77 ERA, 115 strikeouts in 75 innings).

Caleb Jamroz, a senior, returns to lead the pitching staff. Jamroz was 7-1 last season with a 2.04 earned run average in 13 appearances. Joining him are freshman Caleb Davis and junior Ethan Snellings (3.32 ERA).

Top position players include senior Aiden Torres, who played in 19 games last year, and Gio Gonzales, a senior utility player who can pitch.

So far in 2026, Bo Almanza is the leading hitter at .409, while Connor Flanigan is hitting .400 and Gonzales is at .389. Davis has a 2.29 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 18 innings. Snellings has 22 strikeouts in 14 innings and scored 11 runs with three triples and seven steals. Jamroz is 2-3 on the mound with a 2.42 ERA.

The Wildcats are 5-5 through 10 games, with their final pre-league game coming against Kaiser of Fontana on Thursday, March 27.

CITRUS VALLEY

The Blackhawks are coming off a 16-13 season and a second-place finish in the CBL at 10-5 under head coach Jon Austin, who is beginning his eighth season with a record at CVHS of 110-66-1.

Citrus Valley lost eight seniors, including four key contributors in 2025 — Cole West (.387 BA, 5 homers, 22 runs scored, 27 RBI), Matthew Bline (4-2 record, 2.12 ERA, 40 strikeouts in 39 innings, 17 stolen bases, 35 runs scored), and Adrian Candelaria (.361 BA, .477 on-base percentage).

Top returners include Nathan Castillo (.365 BA, 26 runs, 21 RBI), Nathan Stamper (.323 BA, 10 RBI), and pitchers Nolan Tornberg (6-2, 3.29 ERA in 12 appearances, 28 strikeouts) and Jake Clark (3-1, 2.84 ERA, 38 strikeouts in 32 innings).

So far this season, freshman Aaron Rossi has surprised by hitting .389 through nine games. Nathan Castillo has a .480 on-base percentage, and Adam Hines leads the pitching staff with a 1.88 ERA.

The Blackhawks are off to a 2-7 start to the 2026 season, with games this week against West Linn, Oregon, and Douglas High of Minden, Nevada, to complete their pre-league schedule.

REDLANDS HIGH

Head Coach Greg Brock has the Terriers off to one of their best starts to a season in years, with an 8-3 record in pre-league games, with the final pre-league game against Carter High of Rialto on Thursday, March 26.

RHS has had a rough time in CBL play the last five seasons, having won only 16 games and lost 59. The Terriers are coming off a 3-12 league record in 2025.

Seven seniors and a junior are the top returning players for RHS.

Senior Nate Jimenez is the ace of the pitching staff and is off to a 4-1 start with a 1.75 ERA in 2026, with 26 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. Senior Andrew Vasquez is 1-0 in 19 innings with a 1.84 earned run average thus far. Sophomore Noah Lopez is 1-1 with a 0.47 ERA in 15 innings with 11 strikeouts.

Diego Uribe is wielding a hot bat, hitting .471 through 11 games with 14 RBI and an .821 slugging percentage. Jayden Rose is batting .467.

Donovan Hayhurst is hitting .393, and Brodie Nieto is hitting .381 to help the team’s batting average of .337 entering this week.

YUCAIPA HIGH

The Thunderbirds are off to a 6-6 start to the 2026 season, having lost three of their top players from 2025 to graduation. Evan Heaton was the go-to man for Yucaipa last season, batting .467 with three homers, 21 runs scored, 42 hits, 24 RBI, and a slugging percentage of .744. Connor White batted .381 with 32 hits and 19 RBI.

Damien Cordero, who batted .326 as a sophomore in 2025 with 21 runs scored, 28 hits, 12 RBI, and eight doubles, is not on the 2026 roster.

Top returners for Yucaipa include a strong pitching staff. Zach Scribner was 5-0 in 2025 with a 3.07 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 45 innings. Logan Pashman was 3-1 in 11 appearances with a 2.01 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 59 innings. Xavier Romero had a 1.89 ERA in nine appearances with 28 strikeouts in 29 innings. Landyn Von Kaenel posted a 2.80 ERA in 10 appearances.

The T-Birds won their last two pre-league games 9-5 over San Dimas and 14-0 over Palm Desert to enter CBL play on a positive note.

The hitters in 2026 are led by Jason Franco (.337 average, 30 hits, six doubles, 13 runs scored, and 20 RBI in 2025) and Andrew Zarate (.309 average with 13 runs scored and 10 RBI).

BEAUMONT HIGH

The Beaumont Cougars appear intent on improving their play in 2026, coming off a disappointing 3-21 season (2-13 CBL). In fact, the team has yet to post a winning season since joining the CBL seven years ago.

Under Coach Richard Gill, the Cougars are 7-3 heading into this week’s final pre-league games against Arrowhead Christian Academy (March 23) and San Jacinto Valley Academy (March 28).

The player who was the best of the 2025 roster, Johnnie Gill, has graduated. He hit .359 with a .423 on-base percentage, 23 hits, and 11 runs scored last season.

The best of the returning players may be Alex Diaz, a senior who batted .328 with six doubles and 19 RBI. He also pitched and posted a 3.98 ERA in 44 innings with 32 strikeouts. Also back is senior Lucas Lugo, who pitched 30 innings with 18 strikeouts and a 4.15 ERA in 2025.

Thus far in 2026, Diaz is 2-0 on the mound with a 3.57 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 15 innings. Lugo is 2-1 with a 1.02 ERA, three complete games, and 23 strikeouts in 20 innings.

To date, junior Alex Ojeda is hitting .423 with 10 runs scored. Alijah Jaramillo is batting .379 with five RBI, Trevor Strothers is hitting .310 with a team-high eight RBI, and Diaz is hitting .357 with five RBI. As a team, the Cougars are hitting at a .322 clip in 2026.

CAJON HIGH

As head coach Robert Grande begins his 12th season at Cajon High, the Cowboys are looking to improve on their 20-9 season of 2025 (8-7 in the CBL).

Cajon is 4-6 through 10 pre-league games in 2026 and will close out the pre-league schedule with games this week against Clackamas, Ore., Riverside Prep, and Granite Hills.

Three stars on the team graduated in 2025. Jaden Carpenter batted .354 with 35 hits, 24 runs scored, and eight doubles. Ryan Contreras was 1-2 on the mound in nine appearances (four starts) with a 2.56 ERA and 31 strikeouts. Marcus McQueen batted .279 but contributed four homers and 28 RBI.

The top returner is the talented senior Gavin Garcia, who not only hit well, he pitched well in 2025. Garcia batted .435 with two homers, 26 runs scored, and 22 RBI with a .671 slugging percentage. He was also the most valuable pitcher for the Cowboys, posting an 8-3 record with a 2.98 ERA in 12 starts with 62 strikeouts in 65 innings, three complete games, and two shutouts.

Also back is Riley Nguyen, who compiled a 2.14 ERA in 16 innings on the mound, as well as Jordan Salazar, who hit .441 with 26 hits, four doubles, 10 runs scored, and 13 RBI. Also back is junior Caleb Koster, who batted .299 with 26 runs scored, and Steven Rubio (.308 batting average and 14 RBI).

NEXT WEEK: A preview of the Citrus Belt League softball race for 2026 as Citrus Valley seeks to defend its 2025 league title when play begins on April 2.