SBLive's 2023 California high school baseball all-state team: JSerra's Trent Caraway is player of the year
With the spring 2023 California high school baseball season in the books, it’s time to unveil SBLive's California all-state baseball team.
The statewide team features 20 players including a player of the year and a pitcher of the year. The players were selected by SBLive reporter Bodie DeSilva.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Trent Caraway – JSerra – Senior
Caraway capped off his final high school season by hitting .476 while leading the Lions to a second consecutive Southern Section Division 1 title. The Oregon State-signee had seven home runs and posted an OPS of 1.213 while seeing his name climb up MLB Draft boards.
Caraway, who broke Royce Lewis' school record with 49 hits in a single season, had four hits and was a triple shy of the cycle in JSerra's 6-0 semifinal win at Corona.
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Austin Steeves – Casa Grande – Junior
Steeves impressed last season, posting a 1.59 ERA over 39.2 innings in his first varsity season. He took a huge step forward this year while more than doubling his workload. He made 18 appearances on the mound for the Gauchos, totaling 89.1 innings. Steeves struck out 158 batters while issuing just 18 walks and closed out his season with a 0.39 ERA.
Steeves allowed four earned runs during his outing against Rancho Choate in early March before proceeding to go on a run that included one earned run over his final 15 outings of the 2023 season. The six-foot-one left-hander had a three-game stretch in May in which he struck out 40 batters over a span of 19.2 innings.
PITCHERS
Collin Clarke – Santa Margarita – Senior
Clarke had a breakout senior season that led a commitment to Oregon earlier this month. In 79 innings, Clarke went 10-2 with a 1.41 ERA, had 85 strikeouts and issued only seven walks while helping the Eagles to the Southern California Division 1 regional title.
Gabe Gaeckle – Aptos – Senior
Gaeckle improved upon last season's excellent numbers, finishing 8-0 with a 0.59 ERA in 59.1 innings. The Arkansas-signee struck out 117 batters and walked nine, finishing with double digit strikeouts in each of his final eight outings.
Justin Lee – Sherman Oaks Notre Dame – Senior
Lee and the Knights had a target on their back while holding the top spot in the California rankings for much of the 2023 season. The UCLA-signee tossed 30 innings more this season than he did as a junior while allowing 12 less earned runs. He struck out 102 batters, up from the 33 that he struck out in 2022, finishing with a 1.24 ERA.
Sterling Patick – South Hills – Senior
After posting dominant numbers each of the past two seasons, Patick somehow improved even more as a senior. The UC Santa Barbara-signee pitched in 14 games for the Huskies, finishing 10-1 with a 0.37 ERA. He struck out 113 batters while issuing just 21 walks.
Ethan Schiefelbein – Corona – Junior
Schiefelbein, a UCLA commit, held his opponents scoreless in eight of his 11 appearances this season. He struck out 94 batters while walking only 15 batters and finished the season 7-1 with a 0.64 ERA.
Quinn Larson – Gilroy – Senior
Larson struck out a staggering 112 batters in 54.1 innings this season. In 10 appearances on the mound for the Mustangs, the Cal-signee went 8-1 with a 0.52 ERA. He also showcased his hitting skills, slashing .419/.516/.675 with 10 doubles and three home runs.
T.P. Wentworth – Central Catholic (Modesto) – Junior
Wentworth was one of California's top two-way players this season. He went 9-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 70.1 innings. Wentworth struck out 115 batters while leading the Raiders to a Sac-Joaquin Section title and a Northern California regional title. He slashed .383/.517/.648 with six home runs.
Mason Lerma – Cardinal Newman – Senior
Lerma played a big role in Cardinal Newman's 21-0 start to the season. He pitched 19 times for the Cardinals and finished with a 9-0 record. The UC Davis-signee struck out 106 batters in 84.1 innings and had a 1.41 ERA.
Destin Allen-Fox – Santana – Senior
Allen-Fox took on a lead role this season, helping the Sultans to their first CIF title since 1994. He struck out 94 batters over his 14 appearances, finishing with an 11-1 record and a 0.60 ERA. Allen-Fox announced his commitment to Cal State Northridge earlier this month.
HITTERS
Ralphy Velazquez – Huntington Beach – Senior
Velazquez reached base safely in 29 of 30 games this season, slashing .402/.525/.706. The Arizona State-signee, who is high up on MLB Draft boards, had eight doubles, six home runs and a triple.
Kevin Takeuchi – Rancho Bernardo – Senior
Takeuchi opened his senior campaign by hitting a cycle against Hart and closed out the season on a 15-game hitting streak. The USC-signee hit .520 with 13 doubles and led the San Diego Section with 13 home runs.
Braxton Thomas – Central Catholic (Modesto) – Senior
Thomas hit .495 this season while leading California with 14 home runs. The Cal Poly-signee also had 11 doubles, two triples and walked twice as much as he struck out.
Cayden Munster – Clovis West – Senior
Munster showed off his patience at the plate once again this season, walking 37 times to end the year with a .600 on-base percentage. The Fresno State-signee his .364 with seven home runs, five doubles and a triple.
Nolan Stevens – Franklin (Elk Grove) – Senior
Stevens had a standout season as a two-way player while leading the Wildcats to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 title. The Mississippi State-signee hit .360 with a .446 on-base percentage, finishing with nine doubles, four home runs and two triples. He made nine appearances on the mound for the Wildcats, finishing with a 5-0 record and a 1.26 ERA. He struck out 62 batters in 39 innings.
Tanner Griffith – De La Salle – Senior
Griffith, a St. Mary's-signee, raised his batting average from .293 as a junior to .435 this season. He had 14 doubles, 14 stolen bases, four home runs and walked more than twice as much as he struck out for the second straight year.
Toby Twist – Bakersfield Christian – Senior
Twist, an Oregon-signee, posted numbers this season good enough to make the all-state team as a pitcher or hitter. He slashed .357/.500/.642 this season, finishing with nine doubles, five home runs, two triples and more walks than strikeouts. On the mound, Twist finished 10-1 with a 1.46 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 76.2 innings.
Michael Castaneda – Valley Christian (San Jose) – Senior
Castaneda posted big numbers as a two-way player for the Central Coast Section Division 1 champions. He slashed .372/.492/.531, finishing with 12 doubles and a home run. Castaneda also pitched 16 times for the Warriors, closing out the year with a 1.19 ERA and a 13-1 record.
Chase Brunson – San Clemente – Senior
Brunson developed power this season, hitting eight home runs after finishing his junior season without a home run. The Loyola Marymount-signee hit .429 and walked 21 times while striking out only nine times.
