The field of 64 teams competing for the 2024 NCAA Division I Baseball Championship got underway over this past weekend, and this postseason is already shaping up to be a thrilling event. Among the numerous standouts, after combing the rosters, we found seven local players who once displayed their skills on the high school fields in Temecula, Murrieta, and Menifee. What makes this story even more special for me is that I had the privilege of coaching or coaching against these players at various stages of their journey so far, whether it was on the field with them in high school, travel ball, or even in the local Pony and middle school leagues, I could not be prouder of their success.
Highlighting Local Stars in the Tournament
Fresno State Bulldogs: Two of our local athletes recently clinched the Mountain West Championship with the Bulldogs in a thrilling 16-11 victory over San José State (a team that rosters Nolan George, a former Temecula Valley Golden Bear).
The Bulldogs, seeded fourth in the conference tournament, won four games in three days after an initial loss to Air Force to claim their title, before heading to the Regional tournament.
- Caleb Anderson, a right-handed pitcher (RHP) who transferred to Fresno State for the 2024 season, is among the local talent on the Bulldogs. Anderson, an alumnus of Paloma Valley High School, was a letter winner throughout his high school career, earning First Team All-League honors in his sophomore and junior years. Despite ending the season with an elevated 8.62 ERA and three losses, Anderson maintained a 1.53 WHIP, striking out 20 while walking nine.
- Brendan Shanahan, who graduated from Great Oak High School in 2023, is another Fresno State talent. A versatile infielder, Shanahan played shortstop and earned Southwestern All-League selections in 2022 and 2023 while with the Wolfpack. As a freshman at Fresno State, Shanahan didn’t register any stats this season, which is common for first-year players.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos: Winners of the Big West Conference with a 26-4 record, the Gauchos finished the regular season on a 14-game win streak and an undefeated home record of 25-0. Santa Barbara had a dominant run, finishing their regular season with a 42-12 overall record and ended up hosting one of the 16 regional sites.
- LeTrey McCollum, a 2021 Vista Murrieta High School graduate, was a key player for UCSB. He earned All-Southwestern League First Team honors his senior year and helped his high school team win the 2019 league title. During the regular season, McCollum hit .309 with 38 hits in 123 at-bats, starting 31 games.
- Jonah Sebring, another Gaucho, graduated from Great Oak High School in 2019. After a stint at Golden West College, where he was an All-Orange Empire Conference First Team selection, Sebring transferred to UCSB. He earned All-Big West Honorable Mention in 2023 and hit .279 during the 2024 regular season with six home runs and 46 hits in 165 at-bats.
UC Irvine Anteaters: Received an at-large bid, marking their return to the national postseason for the first time since 2021. They were placed in the Corvallis Regional, hosted by Oregon State.
- Woody Hadeen, a redshirt junior from Temecula Valley High School, had his senior year in high school cut short due to the pandemic in 2020, but that didn’t slow him down. For UCI, Hadeen Started and played 49 games in 2022 and as a Freshman in 2021 appeared in 47 games, starting 10 games. Despite a setback due to injury last year, and not playing, Hadeen had a historic season in 2024, earning All-Big West First Team honors and broke the Anteaters single-season records with 76 runs scored and 58 walks, finishing second in conference play with a .407 batting average.
Oregon Ducks: Despite an early exit from the Pac-12 tournament, the Ducks received an at-large bid and made their fourth consecutive postseason NCAA Tournament appearance where they were No. 3 seed in the Santa Barbara Regional.
- Carter Garate, a former standout from Murrieta Mesa High School, has made significant strides in the game. After earning Second Team All-Southwestern League and All-CIF honors in high school his junior year, when the Rams won their second-ever league title, he earned First Team All-SWL honors as a senior. During his time at Oregon, Garate has transitioned from shortstop to third base and during the regular season he started 55 regular season games, hitting .276 with three home runs and notched 50 hits as a sophomore.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers: Competing in the Clemson Regional, this squad features Chaparral High School alumnus Trevor Hinkel.
- Hinkel, who graduated in 2019 as a First Team All-SWL selection, also pitched for Pepperdine and Cal State Fullerton before joining Coastal Carolina. This season, he also posted an elevated 6.35 ERA over 28.1 innings, striking out 33 batters.
Notably, Hadeen, McCollum, and Garate have a shared history, having played together, and against each other on local travel ball teams and in the Temecula Youth Baseball league when they were younger. Their journeys have now brought them to the national stage, where they made significant contributions to their respective teams. Their journeys from local leagues to the national stage exemplify the talent and dedication stemming from our community. McCollum and Garate even got to battle it out against each other in their final game of the NCAA Regional Tournament.
The top 16 seeds to start the tournament included Tennessee, Kentucky, Texas A&M, North Carolina, Arkansas, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State, Oklahoma, NC State, Oklahoma State, Virginia, Arizona, UC Santa Barbara, Oregon State, and East Carolina. The Southeastern Conference leads with 11 teams, followed by the Atlantic Coast Conference with eight teams. Noteworthy first-time entrants include High Point, Niagara, and Northern Kentucky.
The tournament comprises four stages:
Regionals: 64 teams compete in 16 double-elimination brackets (Friday-Monday, May 31-June 3).
Super Regionals: Winners advance to best-of-three series (Friday-Sunday, June 7-9 or Saturday-Monday, June 8-10).
Men’s College World Series: Eight winners compete in double-elimination brackets (First day of MCWS games: Start Friday, June 14).
MCWS Finals: Two finalists play a best-of-three series to crown the champion (Saturday-Monday, June 22-23/24).
For anyone that likes trivia, USC holds the record for the most titles, with 12 NCAA championships. Rod Dedeaux, former USC coach, has 60 NCAA tournament game wins (the most in history). LSU is alone in second with titles seven after winning in 2023.
Tournament Update (as of 6/3, prior to this article going to print)
Santa Barbara Regional:
Game 1: Oregon 5, San Diego 4
Game 2: UC Santa Barbara 9, Fresno State 6
Game 3: San Diego 7, Fresno State 5
Game 4: Oregon 2, UC Santa Barbara 0
Game 5: UC Santa Barbara 4, San Diego 2
Game 6: Oregon 3, UC Santa Barbara 0
With their 6-3 win over UCSB, Oregon advances to the Super Regional for the second straight time, while Fresno State and UC Santa Barbara have been eliminated. Neither Anderson nor Shanahan played for Fresno State in the tournament. Garate, McCollum, and Sebring were pivotal, delivering key performances for their teams.
Garate ended the tournament going 5 for 10 with 4 RBIs, a homerun, a run scored, and a stolen base. McCollum, who got hurt in the first game of the tournament after pulling a hamstring while sliding home, still batted 5 for 7 with two doubles, a walk, and three runs scored while hobbling around the bases. Sebring, who unfortunately struck out against Oregon to end their final game, was 3 for 16 with a homerun, 2 RBIs, and two runs scored.
Corvallis Regional:
Game 1: UC Irvine 13, Nicholls 12
Game 2: Oregon State 10, Tulane 4
Game 3: Tulane 3, Nicholls 0
Game 4: Oregon State 5, UC Irvine 3
Game 5: UC Irvine 17, Tulane 7
Game 6 was postponed Sunday night due to rain with UC Irvine trailing Oregon State 6-4 in the fourth inning. The game resumed midday on Monday, June 3, but the Beavers kept the Anteaters at bay, winning 11-6 to advance to the Super Regional. Hadeen was instrumental in UCI’s attack plan, going 5-for-18 with 4 walks, 5 RBIs, and 6 runs scored. While the season may be over for the Eaters, and Hadeen, the senior shortstop from Temecula should hear his name called in the upcoming MLB Draft, set to take place July 14-16 in Arlington, Texas.
Clemson Regional:
Game 1: Coastal Carolina 13, Vanderbilt 3
Game 2: Clemson 4, High Point 3
Game 3: High Point 10, Vanderbilt 9
Game 4: Clemson 4, Coastal Carolina 3
Game 5: Coastal Carolina 6, High Point 5
Game 6: Clemson 12, Coastal Carolina 5
Coastal Carolina was eliminated after losing to Clemson. Hinkel pitched 1.1 innings in the final game, allowing 2 hits and 3 runs (2 earned), and took the loss.
The journey of these young athletes from local high school fields to the national stage of the NCAA tournament is a testament to their dedication and talent. As the tournament progresses, we look forward to witnessing more memorable performances from players that advance. Stay tuned for further updates and join us in celebrating their achievements. Follow along with the brackets and get more information at ncaa.com.
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