BRACKET 3 PREVIEW

• JESUIT (PORTLAND) VS. CALVARY CHRISTIAN

• HUNTINGTON BEACH VS. BASHA

Bracket Three of the 2023 National High School Invitational features two returning programs in 2016 champion Huntington Beach High School (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and Calvary Christian High School (Clearwater, Fla.), as well as first-time participants Basha High School (Chandler, Ariz.) and Jesuit High School (Portland, Ore.).

With a returning champion in Huntington Beach, combined with one returning program and two teams making their NHSI debuts, the first-round matchups in this bracket will be one to watch for fans at the National Training Complex. Will experience lead the way or will a newcomer make a name for themselves in Cary?

Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach looks to capture its second NHSI title in what will be its sixth appearance in the last seven editions of the event. When it makes the trip to Cary, the Oilers will tie the record with Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.) for most appearances at the NHSI. Huntington Beach has had a lot of success in Cary, as it has one of the top win percentages among all participants in the event with a .700 mark. Not only did they take it all in 2016, but they also reached the tournament semifinals in 2015 and 2022.

One of Huntington Beach’s top players and potential top draft prospects is catcher and first baseman Ralphy Velazquez. A two-time USA Baseball alum, Velazquez helped Team USA earn a silver medal at the 2016 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier and win its third consecutive gold at the 2017 WBSC U-12 Baseball World Cup. Additionally, he participated in the 2019 14U National Team Development Program. Ranked No. 59 in the MLB Draft Class by Baseball America, Velazquez is an advanced hitter who makes it difficult for pitchers to get him out at the plate.

The Oilers return 14 players who are all Division I commits from last year’s squad that advanced to the NHSI semifinals, went 25-9, and defeated JSerra Catholic in the finals to clinch the CIF Southern California Division I Regional Championship. JSerra Catholic is also in this year’s NHSI field. If both win their brackets, the NHSI could see a rematch of last year’s CIF Regional Championship in the championship game on Saturday, April 1.

Calvary Christian

Calvary Christian returns to Cary for the first time since 2018, when it reached the semifinals. A perennial powerhouse in the state of Florida, the Warriors finished 18th in Baseball America’s final high school rankings last year and are ranked No. 3 in this year’s MaxPreps’ Preseason Top 25. Calvary returns 13 players who are headed to play at the college level from last year’s team that advanced to a regional semifinal in the Florida 3A State Championship.

Within that core group of returners are top 2023 MLB Draft prospects Liam Peterson (No. 69), Hunter Dietz (No. 115), and Landon Maroudis (No. 129). The three of them combined for 20 of the team’s 26 wins on the mound last season and all three participated in last year’s Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League at the National Training Complex in Cary. With their size and control, this trio of seniors is bound to help the Warriors make a deep run by giving other teams’ hitters a tough time at the plate.

Basha

Basha will be making its first-ever trip to the National Training Complex this year and will look to make some noise in this tournament. The Bears, historically one of the best baseball programs in the state of Arizona, are coming off a 17-13 season in 2022 where they reached the second round of the 6A Arizona State Championship. One key player for fans to keep their eye on is junior outfielder Max Madrid, a Washington commit. Last year he led the team in batting average (.418), on-base percentage (.515), and slugging percentage (.636).

Jesuit

Like Basha, Jesuit (Portland) is ready to showcase its talent in its NHSI debut. The Crusaders compiled a 20-4 record, including an 11-2 ledger in league play, and made it to the second round of the Oregon 6A State Championship in 2022.

Facing senior right-handed pitcher Noble Meyer will be a daunting task for Jesuit’s opponents to get past. Standing a 6’5” and 200 pounds, he has been rated the No. 15 prospect in this year’s MLB Draft and a top prep pitcher by Baseball America. With a fastball that sits in the mid-90’s and a deceiving slider, Meyer was named a unanimous Baseball First Team All-American last year and participated in the PDP League last summer in Cary.

With Meyer’s elite arm on the mound and Calvary’s top tier pitching trio of Dietz, Maroudis, and Peterson, Jesuit’s matchup with the Calvary Christian Warriors will be a marquee game in the first round of the NHSI.

The 10th annual National High School Invitational is set to begin on Wednesday, March 29, at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, with the championship game slated for April 1 on Coleman Field. The event is a single-elimination championship tournament, with each participating team guaranteed to play four games.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV.

For more information on the NHSI, visit USABaseball.com or follow @ USABEvents on Twitter and Instagram and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.