Aliso Niguel Baseball 2024 Season Preview(CA)

The Aliso Niguel High School baseball team is gearing up for an exciting season, with their sights set on defending their title as the Sea View League Champions and making another run in the CIF playoffs. To get a better understanding of the team's strengths, goals, and challenges, we spoke with Coach Craig Hanson for a preview of what's to come for the Aliso Niguel Wolverines. Goals for the Season According to Coach Hanson, the team's overall goal is to repeat as the Sea View League Champions and make a successful run in the CIF playoffs once again. In order for this to happen, the team will need to stay healthy, continue to develop strong team chemistry, and have all players fully committed to their roles. Key Players to Watch In order to achieve their goals, the Wolverines will be relying on the talents of several key players. Junior Jarett Sabol, younger brother of Stefan Sabol (Oregon/NY Mets) and Blake Sabol (USC/SF Giants MLB), will be their number one catcher and a top hitter in the line-up. Sabol brings speed, power, good defense, and leadership to the team and has been a starter on varsity since his freshman year. Senior Brandon Tatch, a three-time All-League and All-CIF player, will be back on the mound after recovering from a right elbow surgery last year. Tatch has been on the varsity team since his freshman year. Another key player is senior Aaron Orwat, who will be starting at shortstop for his third consecutive year and was a first-team All-League player last year. Junior Connor Etnire, a right-handed pitcher, threw two complete games during CIF last year and played a crucial role in the team's D3 CIF Championship win. Etnire's ability to throw three pitches for a strike at any time in the count makes him a valuable asset on the mound. Senior Jonny Nadolski, who led the team in hitting last year, will also be a key player to watch, bringing a lot of speed to the line-up and hitting in the leadoff spot. Other noteworthy players include senior Tyler Covington (CF), junior Brandon Schaff (LHP/1B), senior Tyler Geivet (RHP/1B), senior Zach Boynton (LF), and senior Jake Erenyi (RHP).