Two weeks into Stanislaus District baseball season, here are 21 of the top returners
Baseball is here, and after an entire offseason of mental and physical preparation, Stanislaus District athletes are ready to produce.
California is one of the top baseball states, and some of the best talent is from the Sac-Joaquin Section. The Stanislaus District has some of the top players in the southern part of the section and many are looking to lead their teams to league, section and NorCal titles.
While there have been some impactful first-year players, coaches heavily rely on the returners to be leaders and tone-setters for their teams. Here are 21 players who made an impact last season and are back for more, producing already for their respective teams just two weeks into the regular season.
All stats are from MaxPreps as of Wednesday’s games.
Logan Ariza, Davis, Senior
An All-District second-team member during his junior season, Ariza enters his third year as a varsity player for the Spartans. As a junior, he hit a career-best .431 and added career highs in hits (28), RBI (17), doubles (10) and runs scored (22). So far in his senior campaign, he leads the team with nine hits and eight runs scored and is one of two Spartans with a triple.
Beau Blake, Hughson, Senior
Blake was an All-District honorable mention last season who posted hitting career highs in multiple categories. Entering his fourth varsity season as a starter in 2025, he’s batting .500 and already has 16 hits, 16 RBI, 12 runs scored and four home runs, all among the top two on the team. His four home runs and 16 RBI rank third and ninth in California, respectively.
Josh Buffalow, Ripon Christian, Senior
Buffalow earned All-District honorable mention after helping the Knights reach the section title game. In his senior season, he is leading Ripon Christian in batting average (.500) and has 11 hits, nine RBI, seven runs scored and 10 stolen bases.
Vincent Castrejon, Ceres, Senior
Castrejon was named a second-team All-District infielder last season after posting career highs in every offensive category. While he has not had his best start at the plate, the four-year varsity player is having a career year so far on the mound. His 0.57 ERA, four wins, four starts and a no-hitter are the best of his career. He will also set a new career high for strikeouts this season. After fanning 32 last season, he already has 31 to start the year.
Nathan Cervantes, Pitman, Senior
Cervantes was named to the All-District second team after finishing in the top five in batting average, RBI, runs scored and doubles for the Pride. Through nine games, Cervantes drove in a team-high six runs and had a team-high three doubles.
Griffin Costa, Oakdale, Junior
One of three players to make the 2024 All-District first team as a sophomore, Costa starred for the Mustangs last season in the outfield and at the plate. In his first varsity season, he hit .376 with 32 hits, seven doubles, drove in 18 runs and scored 28 times. So far this season, he has improved, hitting .417 with 15 hits, 12 RBI, 16 runs scored, three triples and a pair of home runs.
Noah Cozart, Patterson, Senior
Cozart was an All-District first-team infielder last season after an impressive junior campaign. So far this season, he has driven in six runs, has eight hits and has a .286 batting average through the Tigers’ first nine games.
Nick Dominguez, Central Valley, Senior
Dominguez earned All-District second-team honors last season for his job on the mound at Central Valley and is off to another great start. He is 3-0 with a 1.40 earned run average in three appearances for the Hawks. He has struck out 21 batters, second on the team, and has allowed just seven walks.
Chris Garcia, Central Valley, Senior
A two-way impact player for the Hawks, Garcia was named to the All-District team as an infielder in 2024. This season, in three pitching appearances, he has two wins, the only run he has given up this year has been unearned, and he leads the team in strikeouts (26). At the plate, he’s hitting .360 with four RBI and has scored four runs.
Carlos Guizar, Hughson, Senior
Guizar is a 2024 All-District honorable mention on pace to have another great season for the Huskies. He has helped the team to an 8-2 start with 11 hits, three RBI, eight runs scored and a .367 batting average. The four-year varsity starter had 99 games played entering Friday’s home league contest against Ripon.
Jordan Haver, Oakdale, Senior
A Fresno State commit, Haver is in his third varsity season for the Mustangs. He has two wins on the season in six appearances and has a team-high 28 strikeouts on the season. At the plate, he has eight hits, six RBI and six runs scored. He also has a pair of extra base hits, a double and a home run.
Jackson Howell, Big Valley Christian, Junior
Howell enters his third year as a varsity starter for the Lions. He finished last season No. 14 in the section in batting average (.515) as a sophomore. So far this season, he’s batting .444 with eight hits, a pair of doubles, four RBI and 11 runs scored. He was named an All-District second-team utility player last year after pitching and playing in the infield and outfield for the Lions.
JC Lupercio, Hughson, Senior
Lupercio is another of Hughson’s four-year varsity starters and was named an All-District second-team catcher during his junior season. He leads the team with a .562 batting average and has nine hits, nine runs scored and hit his first varsity home run earlier this season.
Kayden McHenry, Central Catholic Junior
A 2024 All-District honorable mention honoree last season, McHenry had some big moments during the later parts of VOL play last year. As one of the few returners to the starting lineup this year, he is top two on the Raiders in batting average (.345), hits (10), RBI, (11) runs scored (5) and doubles (3). On the mound, he leads the team with a 2-0 record and 0.58 ERA with 14 strikeouts.
Max Medina, Patterson, Junior
Committed to the University of Oregon, Medina was named All-District first-team utility as a sophomore. Last season, he finished among the top in the section in wins, recording eight with an ERA of 0.83. To start his junior campaign, Medina is batting .500 and has 13 hits, 14 runs scored, one double and a triple. On the mound, he has four appearances, a 2.58 ERA and 28 strikeouts.
Azzan Mendoza, Gregori, Senior
Gregori is off to a great start with just one loss through Thursday, and Mendoza is a big reason why. He has a .375 batting average with six RBI, a team-high nine hits and seven runs scored. He has also stolen six bases in seven tries.
Kaden Prine, Denair, Senior
Prine put up eye-popping numbers in his first three varsity seasons and was named an All-District second-team pitcher after winning six of his 10 starts and posting a 1.09 ERA with five complete games and a pair of shutouts and a pair of no-hitters. The Modesto JC commit struck out a career-high 106 batters in 2024. Prine this season earned his 300th career strikeout in a 4-1 win over Mariposa. So far this season, he has 40 strikeouts in 17.1 innings, fifth in California.
Josh Ramirez, Turlock, Senior
Ramirez is a senior leader on the infield for the Bulldogs in his fourth season as a varsity starter. In six games offensively for Turlock, he has four hits, five runs scored and a double. In three recorded seasons for the Bulldogs, he has not had a fielding percentage under .90.
Caden Reeve, Enochs, Senior
Reeve was named an All-District second-team catcher during his junior season. To start his senior campaign, he is hitting .320 with eight hits, two doubles and seven runs scored. He has also driven in three runs.
Landon Schutte, Oakdale, Junior
A right-handed pitcher committed to Georgia, Schutte has a 1.79 ERA and three wins in four pitching appearances and has struck out 23 batters in 15.2 innings pitched. Offensively, he is hitting .323 with 10 hits, 10 RBI, four doubles and a home run. Schutte as a sophomore last season was an All-District first-team pitcher.
Nolan Walker, Pitman, Junior
The junior in his second varsity season is on pace to have a career year with 11 hits, five RBI, two doubles, five runs scored and a triple, with a career-best .379 batting average. Through Pitman’s first nine games, he is top three on the team in batting average, hits, runs scored and doubles.
