Players in Arizona have been eager to compete for their high school programs and it feels as we are getting close. The Arizona Interscholastic Association has announced that opening day of the 2021 season will commence on Monday, March 1st. Programs will allowed to begin practicing while holding tryouts in an official capacity before moving on to live competition. The PBR Arizona staff will start to begin its 2021 season coverage starting with our Preseason Power 25 rankings. Over the next two months and leading up to opening day, we will be highlighting some of the top programs in state in our team previews. PBR will also be publishing its state Power 25 rankings that will be updated every Monday once the season begins. Throughout the season, PBR will be pumping out coverage, highlighting individual players, games, rankings, scouting reports and nominating a player of the week. PBR looks forward to getting out there this spring to see some great baseball. 

Our Preseason Power 25 rankings coverage starts today.

Team: Cienega

Preseason Rank: No. 23
2020 Record: 7-1
Conference: Southern
AIA Classification: 5A
Head Coach: Kelly Johnson
Returning Starters: 8
Returning Pitchers: 7

OUTLOOK:

Coming out of Vail, AZ, Cienega High School lands at No. 23 in our Preseason Power 25 rankings. They start the season in our initial Top-25 but we still believe this team could be a bit of a sleeper. They are pretty strong up the middle, led my senior SS, Braeden Mondeau (Pima CC). Mondeau has been one of the more consistent hitters on this squad the last couple years, batting towards the top of lineup. Juniors, OF Isaiah Jackson (Arizona State) & C Caleb Herd (New Mexico) are two players that compete with anyone in the state and their positions. They both were members of Team Arizona at PBR Future Games in 2020 and could be in for breakout seasons for the Bobcats this spring. Don't forget about Juniors, INF Adian Duarte and LHP Ryan Garcia as they could play significant roles on this squad, giving them some solid depth. Garcia could definitely see some increased innings and be one of the top guys on the mound for this team. The Bobcats should be a strong team in 5A all season long. 

Key players lost:

Name	State	School	Class	Commitment
Ben Staiger	AZ	Cienega	2020	Yavapai
Cole Bramhall	AZ	Cienega	2020	Howard JC
Wyatt Wingstad	AZ	Cienega	2020	Gateway
Daniel Montana	AZ	Cienega	2020	North Central University
Carlos Silva	AZ	Cienega	2020	Dean College
Tyler Hale	AZ	Cienega	2020	Buena Vista

TOP RETURNERS:

PRESEASON MVP:

Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
Braeden Mondeau	AZ	Cienega	2021	SS

TOP NEWCOMERS:

UNDERCLASSMEN WATCHLIST:

NAME	STATE	SCHOOL	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
Jimmy Diaz	AZ	Cienega	2024	SS/RHP
Isaiah Higuera	AZ	Cienega	2023	SS
Luis Arenas	AZ	Cienega	2023	SS
Manny Bracamonte	AZ	Cienega	2024	C

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