OEC BASEBALL UP FOR GRABS AS CONFERENCE PLAY BEGINS  

Just how good is the Orange Empire Conference THIS year?? Well … out of the top 24 teams in the most recent state rankings, every single team in the OEC is on that list. In other words, a third of the best teams in the entire State of California reside in the Orange Empire Conference.

Winners of over 72% of nonconference games played, the OEC racked up an impressive 97-36-1 combined record among the eight teams. With conference play kicking off on Tuesday, each game will be an absolute battle with no "easy" games on the schedule.

In order of nonconference standings, here is a team-by-team breakdown of the Orange Empire Conference …

SANTA ANA (14-1-1, State Rank: #2) – Head Coach Tom Nilles' Dons have been the on fire to kick off the 2026 season, losing just one game out of their first 16. Santa Ana ranks among the top-5 in the state in doubles (44), RBI (140), extra base hits (65) and slugging percentage (.506) They're also eighth in the state in team ERA (3.21) and is one of the top defensive squads, posting a .973 fielding percentage.

Aiden Marquez has been SAC's top hitter with 25 hits, 3 HR, 22 RBI and a .379 batting average, while teammate Barrett Ronson is close behind, batting .377 with 20 hits, 5 HR, 15 RBI. In abbreviated time, sophomore Ben Melendrez has made the most of his opportunities, batting .385 with 15 hits, 2 HR and 14 RBI in just 39 at-bats.

Dons' starting pitchers, Matthew Solorzano and Zach Ireland, have carried the load well. Solorzano is 3-0 with a 4.15 ERA, 21 strikeouts in 30 1/3 innings, while Ireland is 2-0 with a 4.79 ERA and 19 Ks over 20 2/3 innings. Sophomore lefty Jack Fishel is tops out of the bullpen, going 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA and 11 strikeouts over 11 innings.

IRVINE VALLEY (13-4, State Rank: #14) – Head Coach Kent Madole has his Lasers playing solid baseball heading into OEC play, winning 13-of-17 nonconference matchups.

IVC opened with 10 straight wins to kick off 2026 before going 3-4 down the stretch.

Freshman catcher Shane Flynn has come out swinging, batting .410 with 25 hits, 21 runs scored and 12 RBI, joining four other Laser teammates with 20-or-more hits, including Jacob Ceja (23 hits, .348 average), Lucas Scott (22 hits, 333), Sam Tucci (21 hits, .344) and Jack Amundson (20 hits, .308).

IVC's 3.84 team ERA is third-best among OEC staffs and the Lasers are led by sophomore reliever Andres Hernandez, who is 2-0 with a save and a 1.57 ERA, striking out 20 batters over 23 innings, while allowing just four earned runs. Sophomore starter Jackson Chastain is 3-0 with a 2.12 ERA and 12 Ks over 17 innings, while fellow starters Luke Acuna has struck out 20 over 21 1/3 innings to earn a 2-0 record. Freshman reliever Cooper Payne has been solid for the Lasers as well, going 3-1 with a save and a 2.95 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings, spanning eight appearances.

CYPRESS (12-4, State Rank: #4) – Last year's OEC Champs and State Final Four participants are coached by Anthony Hutting and the Chargers look to bring another strong squad to the mix in 2026. Winners of 9-of-their-last-10, Cypress leads the entire state with 48 doubles and with a .334 team batting average, there is no rest for the opposing pitchers anywhere in the Charger lineup.

Wyatt Joyce in white-hot in the Cypress lineup, betting .531 with 17 hits in 32 at-bats. Travis Curry leads Cypress with 25 hits to go along with a .357 batting average, while Ben Keisler is batting .362 with 21 hits, a team-best 5 HR and 21 RBI. Joining Keisler in the middle of the lineup includes Justin Tiller, who is batting .322 with 19 hits, 4 HR and 13 RBI.

Top Cypress starting pitcher thus far as been Rocky Palacio, who is 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA, allowing just seven earned runs over 22 innings with 13 strikeouts. Reliever Rudy Carlos has been light's out with a 1-0 record and a 0.00 ERA over 10 1/3 innings with 11 Ks. Fellow starters, Cayden Bonura and Rohan Ramos have combined for a 6-1 record and 38 strikeouts over 43 1/3 innings.

RIVERSIDE (13-5, State Rank: #18) – Skipper, Rudy Arguelles has his Tigers' offense clicking on all cylinders through the first 18 games of their season. Riverside leads the STATE with a .349 team batting average, 205 hits and they're also 4^th in the state with a OEC-best 2.72 team ERA.

Both of those sides of the game were on full display on Feb. 25 as the Tigers scored 21 runs … IN THE FIRST INNING … of a 29-1 win over Barstow College. In fact, over their most recent 4-game winning streak, RCC is outscoring the opposition 63-3.

Sophomore Johnny Alley is not missing any strikes for the Tigers, leading the team with a .475 batting average, 28 hits, 15 runs and 17 RBI. Luis Sosa has a .379 average with 22 hits, while table-setter Josh Chairez has 20 hits, 18 runs, 12 RBI and 16 stolen bases to go along with a .408 batting average.

The arms are plenty for the Tigers this year, and leading the way is starter Jake Valenzuela, who is 3-1 with a 1.55 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 29 innings, while teammate, Ryan Jenkins, is 3-0 with a 1.99 ERA, allowing just five earned runs over 22 2/3 innings with 25 strikeouts and only four walks. Sophomore Jorge Rodriguez is 2-0 with a 2.75 ERA with 19 strikeouts over 19 2/3 innings and beyond that, there are plenty of strong arms coming out of the RCC bullpen, including sophomore lefty Jaden McNeeley who has amassed 21 Ks in just 13 2/3 innings. In fact, the entire Riverside pitching staff has 147 strikeouts over 158 innings, so batters better bring their "A" game to the plate.

GOLDEN WEST (12-5, State Rank: #13) – Head Coach Andrew Ramos has the Rustlers playing their best baseball heading into OEC Play, winners of nine straight before a 3-1 loss on Saturday to Citrus, the Rustlers use baserunners and stolen bases as their main weapons. GWC leads the OEC with 50 stolen bases, while only getting thrown out eight times.

Levi Maddela leads the Rustlers with 19 hits and a .306 batting average, while going 8-for-9 in stolen bases. Zach Fany is 8-8 in base swipes and is batting .305 with 18 hits, while Nick Salmon has a team-best 3 HR and 19 RBI in the middle of the GWC lineup.

Starting pitcher Marcel Mercado anchors a GWC pitching staff that is 3^rd in the OEC with 180 strikeouts. Mercado has yet to give up an earned run over 16 innings with 15 strikeouts. Toby Kwon is 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA with 15 strikeouts over 14 innings. Kameron Lee has been the innings-eater for the Rustlers thus far, going 3-1 in 7 starts (25 innings) with 25 strikeouts.

FULLERTON (13-6, State Rank: #17) – Skipper Chad Baum has his Hornets on a winning trend, heading into OEC play winners of 6-of-7. Fullerton bounced back from a 14-2 rout against Bakersfield by shutting out the Renegades one day later, 4-0.

Another team with ability to score (3^rd in the OEC with 150 runs) AND pitch (4^th in the OEC with 134 strikeouts), the Hornet offense has been sparked by sophomore catcher Nate Pone, who is batting .475 with 29 hits, 23 runs and 15 RBI. Slugger Diego Vazquez leads the team in home runs (4) and RBI (25) to go along with a .338 average and 25 hits, equaling the hit total of teammate Jake Starr, who's batting .357 with 15 runs and 14 RBI.

Top starters for the Hornets include a trio of arms … Will Valenzuela (2-2, 2.11 ERA, 19 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings), Sage Nelson (2-1, 4.56 ERA, 26 Ks in 25 2/3 innings) and Eddie Garcia (1-1, 4.96 ERA).

There are plenty of choices out of the Hornet bullpen, including closer Murdoch Taylor, who has four saves and a 1.08 ERA with 13 strikeouts over 8 1/3 innings, joining other top choices, Nico Rodriguez (1-0, 2 saves, 0.00 ERA, 10 Ks in 17 IP) and Matthew McCliman (1-0, 1.69 ERA, 12 strikeouts in 10 2/3 IP).

ORANGE COAST (10-5, State Rank: #24) – After starting the season 0-4, skipper Nate Johnson has turned his Pirate program around, closing out the nonconference portion of the schedule with 10 wins over their final 11 games. Coast's 19 team home runs is tops in the OEC and is tied for third in the state and with their team ERA cut in half since the start of the season, the Pirates might be a force to be reckoned with heading into OEC play.

Sophomore Tyler Covington, one of several preseason All-Americans to come out of the conference, is batting .426 with 23 hits, 13 runs scored and 17 RBI. Slugger Alan Choo has a .317 average and is one off the state lead in home runs with 7 to go along with 17 RBI and a team-best 20 runs scored. Sophomore outfielders Zach Boynton and Gibson Rath have combined for 13 hits, 26 runs and 22 RBI, joining Covington in the outfield and giving Coast one of the best offensive and defensive OF trios in the conference.

Starter Jake Martinez has been a steady arm for the Pirates, going 3-0 in five starts with a 3.20 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings. The Pirate bullpen has been defined with key pitchers flourishing in their roles, including Landon Viers (3.18 ERA, 11 Ks in 11 1/3 innings), Ryan Mullen (2-0, 2.92 ERA) and closer Cristian Mares (1-0, 2 saves, 4.22 ERA, 15 Ks in 10 2/3 innings).

SADDLEBACK (10-6, State Rank: #23) – Again, showing the depth of the OEC, head coach Sommer McCartney's Bobcats have a record that would place them in first, second or third place in 10 different conferences throughout the state. The Bobcats rallied from a 3-1 deficit with single runs over the final three innings to slip past Grossmont, 4-3, in their most recent ballgame.

Saddleback's .312 team batting average and 13 home runs will keep them in any game they play this season and leading the Bobcat offense is Jacob Hudson, who's batting .426 with 29 hits in just 16 games with 18 runs scored and 15 RBI. Jack Borges (.355) and Matthew Henning (.333) have combined for 42 hits and 25 RBI, while slugger Carter Enoch's 4 HR and 17 RBI lead the Bobcats in both categories.

The Bobcat starters are led by standout Jace Barajas, who is 2-2 with a 3.45 ERA, with a complete game on his stat sheet. Top bullpen arms include the trio of Brennan Bauer (two saves, 0.00 ERA over 10 2/3 innings), Evan Daley (1.13 ERA in five appearances) and Landon Gordon (2-1, 1.33 ERA, 15 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings).

Story by Tony Altobelli, Orange Coast College