There’s no shortage of standout athletes to watch during the high school spring sports season in the Santa Barbara region.
For starters, Erica Schroeder returns to the track for her junior year at San Marcos after winning the CIF State Meet girls 800 meters title last June. Schroeder will be running the 800 and 1,600 events for the Royals.
Also in track, Bishop Diego’s AV Bennett is back to defend his CIF Division 3 titles in the 100 and 200 meters, and is aiming to finish his high school career by qualifying for the State Meet.
In boys volleyball, 6-5 lefty Eli Wopat is looking for a big senior season at Dos Pueblos before heading off to Stanford.
At Santa Barbara High, the Dons baseball team has 6-4 senior right-hander and UCLA signee Kevin Gowdy, one of top prep pitching prospects in the country. Last summer, he helped USA Baseball win the Under-18 World Cup in Japan.
San Marcos has an ace on the tennis court in junior Kento Perera. The junior has not lost a Channel League singles match since stepping on the court as a freshman, and he is a two-time defending league champion.
This spring is the second year the Santa Barbara public schools are competing in boys and girls lacrosse. The boys teams will be playing for a “City Championship” with Laguna Blanca School.
“It should be an exciting season for Santa Barbara lacrosse,” said Ray Robitaille, the longtime coach at Laguna Blanca.
The baseball season will see some new but familiar faces in the dugouts.
A Warrecker will be running the show at Santa Barbara High, but it won’t be Fred, who ran the team for four decades. His son, Donny, takes the helm after serving as an assistant for his dad.
At Dos Pueblos, George Hedricks moves from assistant to head coach, and Ralph Molina returns as the coach at Bishop Diego.
Here is a Who-to-Watch list of athletes for the spring season.
BASEBALL
Hedricks has a pair of solid seniors in shortstop Dustin Demeter and pitcher/outfielder/first baseman Travis Craven.
Demeter, who has committed to Hawaii, is a four-year starter. “Look for his left -handed bat to provide increased pop this year in the middle of our order,” said Hedricks.
The lefty Craven returns as a starting pitcher. Hedricks also is counting on his bat as a lead-off hitter. Craven has committed to Whtman College.
Junior pitcher Darby Naughton is coming off a standout sophomore season and figures to garner attention from college coaches, Hedricks said.
Senior Blake Katsev leads the way at San Marcos. The third baseman batted .330 last season and earned all-league second-team honors.
“Blake should compete for Channel League MVP this year as the leader of our team,” said third-year coach Jacob Pepper.
The Royals have an experienced pitching staff with juniors Ian Churchill and Mason Metcalfe. The lefty-righty duo saw lots of action on the mound as sophomores.
Pepper is also excited about junior catcher Kyle Gonzalez.
“He already possess a college-level arm,” says the coach.
Senior shortstop Matthew Selman and sophomore pitcher Will Goodwin return after earning all-Tri-Valley League honors last season. Selman batted .333 and Goodwin posted a 0.39 ERA in 55 innings as a freshman.
Shortstop Jonah Spach, left-handed pitcher Diego Contreras and utility man Malcolm Gordon lead the senior class at Carpinteria. The Warriors have a solid junior pitcher in Sal Delgado.
SOFTBALL
Dos Pueblos lost some outstanding players to graduation, but the Chargers still have loads of talent and experience in their lineup.
Senior Madison Pickett will take over the pitching duties.
“This is Madi’s year to shine, with excellent control, movement and speed from her 5-10 frame,” said coach Jon Uyesaka.
Pickett, who also plays shortstop, has an experienced battery mate in Jade Sinskul. She’s a four-year starter. Uyesaka plans to split her time between catcher and third base this year. He’s also counting on her big bat – she belted eight homers last season.
Junior Siena Wagner is a solid middle infielder with power to all fields. Alison Milam returns after a stellar junior season. The Marist University signee has a great glove in the outfield and at first base.
At the plate, she hits with power from the left side. She had five homers last season.
Lauren Marmo is another senior standout. The team captain plays second base and outfield and is a terrific leadoff hitter.
Ariana Cruz, a transfer from Fresno is expected to make an immediate impact. Uyesaka said she’s “developed into a tremendous player, a scrappy middle infielder who has earned her way into the starting lineup.”
San Marcos coach Jeff Swann has the do-it-all, one-two punch of Hailee Rios and Alijah Aj Huerta-Leipner. Both players pitch and play shortstop.
Rios, a junior, was all-league as a freshman and sophomore. Huerta-Leipner earned all-league honors as a freshman last season. Senior first baseman Alana Ochoa is another player to watch, Swann said.
Sophomore twin sisters Mikayla and Amanda Blair lead Carpinteria. Both earned All-TVL honors last season. Mikayla plays second base and Amanda is a pitcher
TRACK
Besides Schroeder, San Marcos is loaded with standout returnees. For the girls, Devon Block-Funkhouser is one of the top 300 hurdlers in the area, Chloe Allen qualified for the CIF Masters Meet in the shot put last spring and Jennifer Nnoli won league 100 and 200 titles as a freshman.
Coach Marilyn Hantgin is expecting big things from Carolyn Weisman in the long and triple jump and Allie Jones in the 100 hurdles and relays.
On the boys side, Tyson Miller and Kele Mkpado return to defend Channel League titles in the 400 and 110 hurdles, respectively. Davis Mullin is another one to watch in the hurdles races.
At Dos Pueblos, Christina Rice is one of the Channel League’s top distance runners. She’s run 11:11 in the 3,200. Camen Villareal returns as the league champion in the pole vault.
Coach Josh Christensen has his top sprinter, Blayke Harrison, and distance runner, Hunter Clark, back for 2016.
Clark, coming off a 14th place finish at the CIF State Cross Country Championships in the fall, is the defending league champion in the 3,200 with a PR of 9:21. D.J. Sharpe is another solid performer in the long jump, triple jump and 4×100 relay.
Santa Barbara High’s talented multi-event athlete, Natasha Feshbach, is looking for a big senior year before moving on to Yale. She returns as a two-time CIF medalist, league and county champion in the long jump and 100 hurdle. She’s nationally ranked in the heptathlon, and will be competing at indoor nationals in the pentathlon in March
“She’s worked really hard and improved her consistency tremendously across all event areas,” said Santa Barbara coach Olivia Perdices.
The Dons have a strong sprinter in sophomore Janelle Knight. She was runner-up to Nnoli in the 100 and 200 last year. She also jumps and runs on relays.
Perdices said the Dons will be strong in 4×100 relay with sophomores Cassandra Gordon and Madison McDaniel joining Knight on the team. Junior hurdler Sydney Trigueiro, a three-sport athlete, will add to the relays and score big in the 300 hurdles.
On the boys side, junior Kiasa Salgado returns as a league and county champion at 300 hurdles, and was part of a CIF finalist 4×400 meter relay team.
Senior Andres Castro was also a key member of that relay and is looking for some big individual results in the long sprints. Perdices is excited about sophomore thrower Devon Cetti, who won frosh/soph league and county titles in the discus last year.
BOYS TENNIS
Perera is the class of the area. He is currently ranked No. 6 in Southern California in the Under-16 age group and 15th at U18.
Santa Barbara has an experienced group, led by seniors and all-Channel League players Jackson Powell, Taggart Mills and Logan Lender. Junior Harry deBoer is another returning all-leaguer.
Coach Greg Tebbe has a couple of fine newcomers in sophomore Noah Ostovany and senior Spencer Ekola, a senior transfer from Bishop Diego, where he won three Frontier League singles titles.
Dos Pueblos coach Liz Frech says she’s rebuilding with a young team of mostly sophomores and juniors. Leading the Chargers this season are sophomore Vincent Villano and juniors Mason Dochterman and Miles Baldwin. All three earned all-Channel League honors last season.
Yale-bound Phillip Hicks returns for his senior season after leading Laguna Blanca to a fourth straight CIF Division 4 appearance. Owls coach Trevor Thorpe has young talent in sophomore Alex Furukawa and freshman Andrew Tolles.
Jason Saltoun-Ebin takes over for longtime coach Bob Bonning at Cate. The new coach has returning Tri-Valley League champion Kevin Ha and all-league player Michael Nettesheim.
Bryan Taira is one of Carpinteria’s captains “and an amazing leader,” says coach Charles Bryant. “He can play both singles and doubles equally well and has a great sense of anticipation, which allows him to do so much more on the court than the player who is just reacting.”
LACROSSE
Seniors Mika Henrickson and Jamie Sharpe, two key members of Dos Pueblos’ Channel League-champion girls golf team, are also impact players for Samantha Limkeman’s lacrosse squad. Henrickson, a midfielder, is the team captain and the best ball handler, according to Limkeman. Sharpe is an attacking player.
The coach also cited seniors Chloe Wells, Serina Applebaum, Jessica Delgadillo Natalie Baur and Becca Baxis. Delgadillo and Baur also are captains.
The Laguna Blanca boys will carry 11 experienced seniors, led by crease attack player Christian Fowler. Underclassmen Anton Homeniuk and Aidan O’Donnell are key contributors on offense.
At the defensive end, Chandler Aubery, Henry Courtemanche and goalie Darwin Miguel lead the way. Seniors Ben Rios and Cameron Morello are the main players in the midfield for longtime coach Ray Robitaille.
Santa Barbara girls coach Jeannette Biava is counting on seniors Tess Kriegman, Sophie DiFilippo and Sophie Tate to carry the Dons
Kriegman is an attacking midfielder who has increased her speed and game sense, said Biava. DiFilippo plays in the defensive midfield and outruns her opponents to any loose ball and forces turnovers. Tate is the team’s strongest attacking player.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Wopat played at the USA Volleyball High Performance Camp over the summer and helped his team to a tournament title. DP coach Ehren Hug said in addition to his great skills at the net, Wopat is sporting a new and improved high-speed jump serve.
“He will be leading the attack for us as we begin our quest for the first Channel League title since 2010,” Hug said.
San Marcos coach Jon Newton has a senior 1-2 hitting punch in returning starters Ian McLain and Kevin Peters. McLain has committed to Grand Canyon University.
Senior three-year starter Cord Pereira leads the Santa Barbara High attack. He’ll have plenty of attackers to feed, including 6-4 Blake Kelley on the outside and Cooper Johnson in the middle. Freshman Will Rottman is expected to make an immediate impact.
Former UCSB star Jon Roberts takes over at Laguna Blanca. He’ll be counting on the setting and leadership of Pierce O’Donnell, an all-CIF player last year, and the hitting of Chris Constantino, who has committed to New Jersey Institute of Technology. Philip Fauntleroy will be another key hitter for the Owls.
At Bishop Diego, senior Luca Jordano will be the go-to hitter, and junior Brolin Parris will run the attack at setter.
SWIMMING
Kendall Neely and Stephanie Henderson take over as swim coaches at Dos Pueblos.
Seniors Dylan Elliott and Andrew Cho, juniors Theo Velikov, Eric Lindheim-Marx and Christopher Robinson, and sophomores Jason Teng and Gregory Robinson are Chargers to watch this season.
Henderson, the DP girls coach, said Cassie Barkhorn “can basically swim anything well —and makes it look easy.”
The San Marcos girls return all the members of the team that finished 15th in the CIF Southern Section and 16th in the state.
Leading the way for the Royals are UC Davis-bound Olivia Smith, junior Paige Hauschild and sophomore Maija Ninness. All three are defending Channel League champions. Smith won the 100 fly and 200 free, Hauschild captured the 100 and 50 free and Ninness won the 100 back. Coach Chuckie Roth is expecting several newcomers to make a big splash, including Fiona Kuesis and Arija Walsh.
Santa Barbara’s top swimmers for the boys are Ben Brewer and Alex Roderick. Both qualified for CIF last year in the 500 free. Brewer specializes in the 500 free and 200 individual medley while Roderick does the 500 and 200 freestyle events.
The Santa Barbara girls have a nice mix of water polo players and swimmers. Lexi Gross does the 100 and 200 free events and Kelly Adams is a point scorer in a variety of events.
Water polo players Kristina Garcia, Alex Szymczak and Jessee Ransone all made league finals in their events last year. The Dons have experienced divers in Nina Enholm, Lucia Dallett and Isabella Welsh.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.