CIF Southern Section baseball: Top pitchers to watch in 2024

The nations top high school baseball players reside in Southern California; here are the top pitchers to watch

Southern California is known to be a hotbed of high school talent. This region of America has turned out Hall of Famers, Olympians and professional champions.

As we step into the 2024 prep baseball season, here are the top pitchers worth watching on a warm spring afternoon. All of which will grace the fields at the collegiate level, and a good number will play professionally ... some sooner than later.

• SBLive Top 25 rankings, Feb. 12

TOP SENIORS

(throwing hand, name, school, college)

RHP - Levi Sterling, Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks (Texas)

• 2023: 38 IP, 59 Ks, .55 ETA
• 93 FB, 70 CB, 82 SL

LHP - Ethan Schiefelbein, Corona (UCLA)

• 2023: 55 IP, 94 Ks, .64 ERA 
• 94 FB, 81 CB, 79 SL

LHP - Boston Bateman, Camarillo (LSU)

• 2023: 37 IP, 60 Ks, 1.70 ERA
• 90+ FB

RHP - Braylon Doughty, Chaparral (Oklahoma State)

• 2023: 49.2 IP, 80 Ks, 1.69 ERA
• 96 FB, 87 SL

RHP - Wylan Moss, Mater Dei (UCLA)

• 92 FB, 81 SL, 74 CH

Harvard-Westlake senior pitcher Tommy Bridges is the Wolverines No. 1 in 2024 / SBLive Sports

RHP - Duncan Marsten, Harvard-Westlake (Wake Forest)

• 95 FB, 81 SL, 83 CH

RHP - Cade Townsend, Santa Margarita (Ole Miss)

• 95 FB, 84 CH, 76 CB, 82 SL

RHP - Tommy Bridges, Harvard-Westlake (TCU)

• 2023: 7-1, 87 Ks, .59 ERA
• 90+ FB, 79 CB

RHP - Cohen Gomez, Anaheim Canyon (Stanford)

• 56 IP, 62 Ks, 1.00 ERA
• 78 FB, 72 CH

RHP - Erik Puodziunas, Notre Dame/Sherman Oaks (Michigan)

• 27.1 IP, 35 Ks, .26 ERA
• 89 FB, 79 SL

TOP JUNIORS

RHP - Seth Hernandez, Corona (Vanderbilt)

RHP - Angel Cervantes, Warren (UCLA)

RHP - Reagan Ricken, Great Oak (LSU)

LHP - Jaxon Baker, Paloma Valley (Oregon)

RHP - Zach Strickland, Maranatha (UCLA)

LHP - Joseph Moreno, South Hills (UC Santa Barbara)

RHP - Josh Hollis, JSerra (Oregon)

LHP - Luke Medhurst, Newbury Park (San Diego)

RHP - Hayden George, Santa Margarita (UCLA)

RHP - Tyler Walton, Crespi (UC Santa Barbara)

TOP FRESHMEN/SOPHOMORES

LHP - Brayden Charness, Sierra Canyon, So.

RHP - Julian Garcia, St. John Bosco, So.

RHP - Aiden Kent, JSerra, Fr.

LHP - Jared Grindlinger, Huntington Beach, Fr.

RHP - Dylan Keliiholokai, Cypress, Fr.

RHP - Justin Kirchner, Harvard-Westlake, Fr.

LHP - Logan Schmidt, Villa Park, Fr.

LHP - Luke Armijo, Mater Dei, Fr.