PLAYER OF THE YEAR
James Tronstein, Harvard-Westlake, Sr.
Harvard-Westlake baseball coach Jared Halpert summed it up pretty well this past spring when talking about senior standout James Tronstein.
“When you talk about the Mount Rushmore of players that’ve come through this program, his name is in the mix,” Halpert said.
Other names that would be on that Harvard-Westlake baseball Mount Rushmore include major leaguers Pete Crow-Armstrong (Chicago Cubs) and Jack Flaherty (Detroit Tigers), among a few others. Crow-Armstrong was the Daily News Player of the Year in 2019. Flaherty won it two years straight in 2013 and 2014.
Tronstein is on pace. He’s the 2026 Daily News Player of the Year.
The Vanderbilt commit, who was also named Gatorade’s California Player of the Year last week, batted a mind-boggling .584 with 51 hits, 28 RBIs, 45 runs scored, 10 doubles and 10 home runs this spring. He also stole 15 bases and walked 22 times.
He was named the Mission League MVP after pacing the Wolverines to a Mission League championship and CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoff berth with a 26-6 overall record (14-3 Mission).
Tronstein is expected to be drafted in the 2026 MLB Draft. He’s ranked the No. 48 overall prospect according to Perfect Game.
“My dream is to be a pro baseball player,” he told the Daily News in April, “But I don’t just want to be a pro, I want to stay there a while.”
Halpert believes he’s well on his way.
“He’s got the God-given talent. He’s got the work ethic,” Halpert said. “But then there’s the mental side. Can you think the game? Can you play the chess game? It’s rare to see high school players that can do that. He checks all those boxes.”
This year’s MLB Draft is set for July 11-13.
PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Carlos Acuna, Birmingham Charter, So.
Each time Acuna took the mound, it was complete domination, and Acuna’s arm helped Birmingham to another LA City Section Open Division crown at Dodger Stadium.
As just a sophomore, Acuna went 11-0 this spring with a 1.19 ERA and 109 strikeouts in just 88 innings of work. He reached double-digit strikeouts three times this season, fanning 15 batters on April 1 against Christian Brothers, 10 batters on April 7 against Taft, and 11 on April 21 against Granada Hills Charter.
In his 13 appearances, his lowest strikeout count was four, and he had five or more in every other game. He threw six complete games, including two straight in playoff wins over Banning (5-1) and Carson (4-1).
Acuna was named co-MVP of the West Valley League with teammate Aiden Martinez. Acuna is a good bat, too. He batted .326 with 30 hits, 13 RBIs, 16 runs scored, and a homer.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Louis Lappe, Harvard-Westlake
Sometimes, it’s not always about the numbers and more about how a player earned those numbers.
Harvard-Westlake’s promising freshman Louis Lappe batted .333 with 31 hits, 24 RBIs, 14 runs scored, five doubles, stole six bases, and hit a homer in 28 games this spring. What’s more impressive is that he tallied most of those numbers in the Mission League, which is not just the area’s best league, but arguably one of the toughest high school baseball leagues in America.
Lappe came into his high school career with buzz. He’s most notably known for lifting his El Segundo Little League team to win the 2023 Little League World Series by hitting a walk-off home run to beat Curaçao 6-5 on ESPN.
Lappe is already a national prospect with college interest from programs like LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, and Texas. He’ll be one to watch for years to come.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Angel Espindola, Verdugo Hills
Espindola led the Dons to the program’s second LA City Section Division I crown since 2018 with a 3-1 win over Taft at Dodger Stadium. But it’s what Espindola did to get his team to Chavez Ravine that gets him the nod for Daily News’ 2026 Coach of the Year.
Verdugo Hills entered the playoffs as the No. 13 seed before taking down No. 4-seeded LACES 8-4, No. 5-seeded Sun Valley Poly 8-2, and edging No. 1-seeded Sylmar 2-1 in extra innings. Even Taft was seeded higher (No. 10).
Espindola clearly knew how to breathe confidence into his team en route to an improbable City title victory thanks to Anthony Velasquez’s complete-game, one-hitter performance at Dodger Stadium.
ALL-AREA TEAM
(Alphabetical order)
PITCHERS
P – Evan Alexander, Harvard-Westlake, Jr.: 10-1, 1.27 ERA, 76 Ks, 55.1 IP; Mission League Pitcher of the Year
P – Dustin Dunwoody, Royal, Sr.: 10-0, 0.22 ERA, 115 Ks, 64.1 IP; Coastal Canyon League Pitcher of the Year
P – Justin Kirchner, Harvard-Westlake, So.: 10-0, 0.46 ERA, 84 Ks, 61.1 IP; All-Mission League
P – AJ LaSota, Notre Dame, Jr.: 9-2, 0.78 ERA, 64 Ks, 49 IP; All-Mission League
P – Jackson Schroeder, Chaminade, Sr.: 4-1, 1.28 ERA, 77 Ks, 54.2 IP; All-Mission League
P – Jackson Sellz, El Camino Real, Jr.: 10-1, 1.44 ERA, 50 Ks, 77.2 IP; West Valley League Pitcher of the Year
P – Armando Solorio, Sierra Canyon, Sr.: 8-1, 1.75 ERA, 55 Ks, 56 IP; All-Mission League
FIELD PLAYERS
Caden Atkinson, Westlake, Sr.: .402 BA, 35 H, 22 RBI, 11 2B; 6-1, 1.92 ERA, 41 Ks, 51 IP; Marmonte League Player of the Year
Connor Clayton, West Ranch, Sr.: .392 BA, 31 H, 11 RBI, 2 HR; Foothill League Player of the Year
Dane Disney, Oaks Christian, So.: .418 BA, 41 H, 9 RBI, 5 2B, 30 R, 15 BB; All-Marmonte League
Cody Gallegos, Sierra Canyon, Sr.: .377 BA. 29 H, 13 RBI, 24 R, 2 HR; All-Mission League
Aidan Martinez, Birmingham Charter, Sr.: .351 BA, 33 H, 31 RBI, 10 R, 10 2B, 2 HR; co-West Valley League Player of the Year; LA City Section Open Division champion
Malayke Matsumoto, Notre Dame, Sr.: .410 BA, 48 H, 35 RBI, 21 R, 13 2B, 4 HR; All-Mission League
Braden Oliver, Agoura, Sr.: .327 BA, 32 H, 27 RBI, 33 R, 9 2B, 7 HR; All-Marmonte League
Carson Richter, Newbury Park, Jr.: .321 BA, 27 H, 33 RBI, 27 R, 11 2B, 5 HR; All-Marmonte League
JJ Saffie, El Camino Real, Sr.: .412 BA, 40 H, 18 RBI, 22 R, 7 2B, 2 HR; All-West Valley League
Carson Scheffer, Oaks Christian, Sr.: .440 BA, 44 H, 24 RBI, 14 2B, 36 R, 5 HR; All-Marmonte League
Tyler Starling, Agoura, Sr.: .323 BA, 30 H, 33 RBI, 30 R, 4 3B, 7 HR; All-Marmonte League
Brody Thompson, Alemany, Sr.: .323 BA, 31 H, 24 RBI, 29 R, 8 2B, 7 HR; All-Mission League
Matthew Torres, Sylmar, Sr.: .472 BA, 42 H, 27 RBI, 28 R, 10 2B; 9-0, 1.58 ERA, 71 Ks, 66.2 IP; Valley Mission League Player of the Year
Julian Trejo, Paraclete, So.: .417 BA, 40 H, 21 RBI, 36 R, 10 2B; Camino Real League Player of the Year
Anthony Velasquez, Verdugo Hills, Sr.: .314 BA, 32 H, 20 RBI, 12 R, 8 2B, 2 HR; 5-2, 3.16 ERA, 37 Ks, 48.2 IP; All-Valley Mission League; LA City Section Division I champion