Way-Too-Early 10 Bay Area baseball teams to watch in 2025

The calendar has flipped to 2025 and while it is still only January, that means that a new baseball season is fast approaching. California. In the San Francisco Bay Area, most schools will begin play as early as February, where the start of a new era kicks off and the quest for a coveted NorCal championship begins.

It is still a little ways off, with games not beginning until the end of February, but that does not mean that we can't delve into some preseason rankings and see which programs make up the upper echelon of the Bay Area baseball scene. With that, let's take a look at the way-too-early 10 teams to watch for in 2025.

1. Granada

Dominance. That is the word that was a constant theme throughout the Matadors' 32-1 season in 2024. Granada won first titles in the East Bay Athletic League, North Coast Section and Northern California (Division I). They finished No. 3 in California's final state rankings from SBLive/High School on SI and No. 5 nationally. They lost some key seniors to graduation, including Bay Area Player of the Year Parker Warner (now at Stanford). But the Matadors return a load of talent, including All-League players such as Mikey Boyd, catcher Tom Brown and pitcher Jason Sekany (10-1, 1.85 ERA), that is should pick up right where it left off in 2024's magical run.

2. Cardinal Newman

Winning its third straight North Coast Section D2 title as well as a CIF NorCal D2 championship, the Cardinals have evolved into a state powerhouse. Will see both of their star pitchers in Josh Jannicelli and Jack Pezzolo return, and could see even more success on the mound in 2025.

3. De La Salle

If it wasn't for two meetings with Granada, in the NCS title game and NorCal semifinals, the Spartans could very well have won two championships. However, even though it fell short, 2024 was a strong year for the Spartans. Fielding a large roster that is known for having immense depth, the Spartans will see a lot of star power return, such as Oklahoma commit Alec Blair, Stanford commit Tyler Spangler and pitcher Graham Schlicht, among others.

4. Redwood

As good of a year as the Giants had last year, finishing 28-5 en route to appearances in both North Coast Section and Norcal title games, Cardinal Newman stood in the way of them winning two champonships. But the Giants' star power, with OF Sam Gorsch and 2B Theo Trono being among the players leading the way, the team managed to be in the top tier of the Bay Area baseball scene. A majority of those guys will be returning in the spring, giving the Giants another chance to run it back.

5. Valley Christian

The Warriors started off as strong as you can ask for, and despite struggling late in the year, boasted a strong junior class that played a big role in the team being highly regarded in California. With all those juniors from last year returning, such as Stanford commit Quinten Marsh, the Warriors could see themselves be a top team once again.

6. Acalanes

Enjoying their best season since 2018-19, the Dons were led by a large senior class composed of stars such as Sully Bailey, Henry Sousa, Peter Thorn and Benji O'Rourke, who helped the Dons win over 20 games before falling to Granada in the NCS playoffs. A lot of players from last year's team will be returning, with 2024 RBI leader David Gonzales poised to be one of the headlining players in 2025.

7. Junipero Serra

Usually when a program is being led by a first-year head coach, nobody knows what to expect. But in the Padres case, bringing in Mat Keplinger to lead the squad did the program wonders, with the team improving from 16-12 in 2023 to 22-7 last year and bringing out the full potential of players such as WCAL MVP Jake Downing, who broke out as a senior. While a large portion of the roster was made up of seniors last year, Keplinger has shown that he can win with anybody in the lineup, making Serra a team to watch heading into the spring.

8. Archbishop Mitty

Don't let the 20-13-1 record fool you. It was a slow start to the '24 campaign for the Monarchs, but they managed to get hot down the stretch, winning the WCAL title before making it all the way to the second round of the Central Coast Section playoffs. 2025 may be an unpredictable season for Mitty, who have lost star INF/OF Makoa Sniffen, INF and playoff star Nicol Rodriguez and utility Luke Pintar, but the younger stars such as Waylon Walsh are poised to lead the team and give the Monarchs a shot at glory in 2025.

9. Los Gatos

Talk about a well-balanced team. Not only did the Wildcats excel at both hitting and pitching last year, but they were lead by a combination of seniors (pitcher AJ Minyard, outfielder AJ Ljepava, INF Donovan Freed) and juniors/sophomore (outfielder Zach Biller-junior and pitcher Ethan Williams-sophomore). The Wildcats improved greatly last year and could get even better with those younger guys expected to have bigger roles.

10. San Marin

Pitching helped the Mustangs win the NCS D3 championship last year, with Sean McGrath earning Marin County Pitcher of the Year. While the bat of senior catcher Cole Chamberlain will be missed, the return of stars like McGrath could see the Mustangs remain a very strong challenger to Redwood in the Marin County Athletic League and be a team that turns a lot of heads in 2025.