2023 Team Preview: St. Augustine Saints

The Road to the California State Games begins with the 2023 California high school baseball season. With the season just around the corner, our staff has begun putting out team previews from all around the state, getting you prepared for another year of exciting coverage.

Today we focus on the St. Augustine Saints who finished 2022 at 17-11-2 overall, good for a berth to the postseason. With five returning starters, the Saints have their eyes on a league title and CIF championship.

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Team:

St. Augustine Saints

Head Coach (years at school):

Craig da Luz (20)

Twitter Handle:

@stadirtbags

CIF Section & Division:

San Diego - D1

Conference/League Name:

City Conference / Western League

Last Year’s Record:

17-11-2

6-5-1 (League)

2022 Playoff Run:

Lost in CIF D1 playoffs vs Cathedral Catholic, Grossmont

# of Returning Starters:

5

# of Returning Pitchers:

3

Team Expectations:

"Win league and win CIF"

Team Strengths:

"Offense and front end of the bullpen. Defense should be pretty solid as well."

Areas of Improvement:

"No. 3 starter and closer roles. Will need to pitch by committee in third game of series at the moment. Trying to figure out our bullpen and relief options."

College Commitments:

MJ Sweeney- University of Texas 2023 1B,RHP 6'8" 250 L/R "Leaned up his body and added more muscle to his 6'8" frame, has put in tons of extra work. Athletic big guy with next level pop. Ball explodes off the barrel.  Quick hands and tremendous command of the strike zone. Major power to all fields. Real good plate discipline, high OPS guy. Can pitch as well and will play 1B/DH for us this season. Great baserunner with deceptive speed. Great clubhouse presence and just an incredible human being. Still scratching the surface. He is going to be scary good - which is saying a lot about a young man who is already a top player!"

Frankie Giacalone- Northwest Nazarene University 2023 3B,1B, RHP 6'4" 225 "Guy hits tanks.  Aggressive hacks in the zone, great awareness of the strike zone. Power to all fields, serious man strength. Carried us offensively last year. Defensively anchored us at 3B with a plus arm. Hi Baseball IQ and a great team leader and mentor for our younger guys. Wish I had 25 of this guy. Loves the game and works his tail off. Going to be a dominating factor on both sides of the ball this season.  Our offense goes as he goes. Tremendous individual. He is ready for the next level right now."

Tyler Wick- University of Oregon 2025 SS,2B,RHP 6'0" 185 "Transferred to us this year and will have to endure the sit out period until March 30th. Exciting athlete with huge upside. Quick feet and soft hands, big arm and bat.  Range factor through the roof, High Baseball IQ. Fine young man who Plays at a very high level. Will be an instant impact and difference maker for us this year. This guy is a competitor and workaholic. He has fit right in with our guys and continues to show his ability and skill set at a very high level day in and day out."

Top Uncommitted 23s:

Calvin Shaw- RHP 2023 6'2" 175 R/R "Just an absolute dawg! Hard working grinder with plus stuff. Throws any pitch in any count. 3 pitch mix with lots of confidence. Off-season weight room has paid off . Velocity increased, sitting upper 80's, has touched low 90's this summer and fall. Looking forward to Calvin leading the way on the hill. He and Grayson are our horses and leaders on the bump. Calvin is a tone setter and clubhouse leader. Guys gravitate towards him and this is a testament to the great young man he has become. Has fun playing the game and will be pitching at the next level somewhere next year. He will dominate and be one of the top pitchers in the county this year."

Alejandro McKay- 1B,3B,RHP 2023 6'2" 195 L/R "Big strong left handed hitting 3B/1B as well as RHP.  Stuck behind a few D1 guys the last couple years he has emerged this summer and fall and will provide an exceptional corner glove for us and a middle of the order power bat. one of a handful of left handed bats we have. Smooth swinging super strike zone conscious hitter. Very high baseball IQ. Will play at the next level next season. With the much needed reps this year, people will take notice. Great guy and teammate. Hard worker who is first out on the field and last off the field."

Michael Tompkins- RHP,OF 2023 6'4" 180 R/R "Waiting on the basketball season to come to close (probably be a bit m, they may win state again). Athletic guy who will be our middle relief or closer this year. Came in last year in clutch situations and executed every time. One of only a few returning pitchers with innings this year. tall lean, athletic RHP, with 4 pitches and throws them anytime from multiple angles. Crafty and smart. High energy guy who is a team favorite. Guys like Mike's presence. He has fun in everything he does and keeps us loose. He is confident and gets locked in when its go time. Intense competitor on the bump."

Top Uncommitted 24s:

Justin Heffler- SS,2B,OF 2024 5'11" 185 R/R "Big time talent. Power bat that is super athletic and versatile. Will called on to move to SS to start the season. Has played OF last 2 seasons. Capable of playing all 9 positions. Ultimate team guy. Absolute winner, super competitive and driven. works on all aspects of the games. Grinder and dirtbag that will leave it all out there every play. Can't ask for much more in a player and teammate. Guys love him and he commands opponents' respect. A threat to hit a bomb at any time. Clutch performer. Headsy base runner with good speed. Good feet and glove. Soft hands and plus arm. Team leader by example and by his wisdom. Has several offers."

Tommy Carney- SS,2B,OF 2024 5'9" 160 L/R "Speedy left handed bat, middle infielder and outfielder.  Great hands and range. Plus arm and has very good baserunning instincts. Versatile fielder with lots of options and upside. Has deceptive pop for a smaller frame. will stretch singles into doubles with his speed and aggressive approach."

ReyLuis Ramirez- 2B 2024 5'7" 165 L/R "Another left handed hitting bat that will play 2B for us. Great glove side range and plus arm going away from first base. Nice glove with soft hands. Good baseball instincts and can hit to all fields with regularity. Has fun playing the game and loves being out on the field. Hard working guy."

Top Uncommitted 25s:

Grayson Boles- RHP,1B,OF 2025 6'4" 195 R/R "Super high ceiling. On everyone's radar. High baseball IQ, been around the big tournament circuit all summer and fall. Dominated the best hitters.  He has the intangibles. Power arm that sits upper 80's low 90's with great shape to his off speed pitches. A perfectionist who demands success of himself.  Knows he still has lots of room to grow, even with all his early success and accolades. Mixes his pitches well and can get you out with 3 plus pitches. A two way guy that has not reached his ceiling by any means. Huge upside and bright future. Has several offers already from the who's who of baseball. Leader on the field and in the clubhouse, top of the rotation guy that has the ability to take games over and absolutely dominate. Has pitched in high stress situations and is ready to take this team to the next level. Looking for and counting on him to drive this team into the championship."

Shane Miranda- C 2025 5'11" 165 L/R "Caught every game as a freshman last year. Commands and guides our staff very well. Mature behind the dish. 1.89 pop time, quick release, accurate and good carry. Will throw to any base at anytime. Headsy and very high baseball IQ. Smart baserunner, very good eye at the plate. Left handed bat that has increase pop with increased muscle mass and size this year. has put in the work and built up his already athletic frame. Calls a very smart game, blocks and receives exceptionally well. High ceiling guy who is a D1 catcher. Kid works his tail off. Team leader and very mature for his year."

Anthony Tompkins- C,OF,1B 2025 6'1" 200 R/R "Absolute beast. This kid has serious pop. big time oppo pop, will hit it where it's pitched. Great eye at the plate with plus bat speed and compact swing. Super smart base runner. Defensively can catch, play OF or 1B. Adds depth at the Catcher position with a plus arm and good blocking skills. Recognizes pitches well and attacks in his zone. Competitor who has a very ceiling. Big arm in the outfield as well, very accurate. Offers lots of versatility to keep the big power bat in the lineup. Kid has fun playing the game and is an exceptional young man and teammate."

Michael Ivanjack- RHP 2025 6'0" 180 R/R "Ivanjack is pretty new to PO this year with a huge upside. Converted two-way guy who commands three pitch mix with live arm and consistent delivery. Learning as he goes and picking things up very quickly. Will get a tom of bump time this year/ Going to be a big part of our success. Excited about the future for him. Great kid, a sponge, soaking up all the instruction and grinding in the bullpen to perfect his new craft. He has high velo potential and sharp shape to his off-speed. Gonna be very very good."

Michael Davalos- RHP 2025 6'0" 190 R/R "Davalos has a huge upside. Big frame with room to grow. Aggressive pitcher who attacks the zone. Still learning the craft and has made significant strides. He and Ivanjack will be guys we count on heavily this year. As his confidence grows his skill set will follow. This guy may have the highest ceiling. I am excited to see how high he climbs. Plus velo in there. Every time out its increasing. Will be upper 80's low 90's guy when its all said and done. Great team guy who works his tail off,"

Top Uncommitted 26s:

Nate Balkenbush- 3B 2026 5'10" 145 R/R "Solid glove with huge upside. Great feet and lots of pop at the plate. Attacks balls in his zone and has mature plate discipline. Going to be a good one."

Mikey Ruiz- SS,CF 2026 5'11" 140 L/R "Super athletic long frame. Left handed bat with quiet approach. Quick hands and future Gap Power guy. High ceiling"

Johnny Haskett- 1B,RHP 2026 5'9" 170 R/R "Out with a Knee Injury, Athletic guy with a big arm. Going to be an impact guy in the future."