4A SIC baseball preview: Top teams, players to watch in always hard-to-predict league

Michael Lycklama
·5 min read

Baseball predictions for the 4A Southern Idaho Conference remain a fool’s errand. Teams regularly come out of nowhere and climb to the top. And three different Treasure Valley squads split the conference, district and state titles each of the past two seasons.

Nevertheless, we surveyed the league’s coaches to find the teams to beat and the top players to watch. Teams are listed in order of their finish in the preseason coaches’ poll.

1. COLUMBIA

Last season: 20-9, 10-4 4A SIC

Coach: Phil Diplock, 16th season

Players to watch: Caden Campa, sr., P/INF; JT Penrod, sr., 1B; Mario DeLeon, sr., P/OF; Isaac Antunes, sr., C

The Wildcats captured the first district title in program history last year. Now they return a loaded squad looking to go back-to-back.

Seven starters return for another season, including six committed to a college program. Campa (5-3, 2.62 ERA) and DeLeon (6-2, 1.71 ERA) headline that group, serving as Columbia’s top two arms for the third year in a row.

Campa (.379) also leads the lineup after mounting a season-long, 29-game hitting streak for first-team All-Idaho honors. And Penrod (.358), Antunes (.347) and Isaiah Capetillo (.325) provide the depth to wear opposing pitchers down as a young squad finally reaches the senior year everyone was waiting for.

2. SKYVIEW

Last season: 17-10, 10-6 5A SIC

Coach: Ryan Bobo, 19th season

Players to watch: Vinny Caringella, sr., SS; Caden Tucker, sr., C; Dylan Gonzalez, sr., P

Much like Columbia, the Hawks went young two years ago and exceeded expectations, posting back-to-back winning records in the 5A SIC. Now they drop down to 4A with a senior-laden squad and nine returning starters ready to put it all together.

Skyview will continue to rely on a steady defense and a loaded pitching staff led by Gonzalez (4-4, 1.88 ERA), Grady Lucas (2-3, 5.25 ERA) and Caringella (0-1, 1.80 ERA). The lineup has plenty of pop with Caringella (.328) and Tucker (.308) leading the way. But the Hawks will need to prove they can score against the league’s top arms to truly contend.

Bishop Kelly third baseman Hadley Smith was limited to four games last year due to an injury. But now he’s healthy and ready to lead the two-time defending state champs into the 2023 season.
Bishop Kelly third baseman Hadley Smith was limited to four games last year due to an injury. But now he’s healthy and ready to lead the two-time defending state champs into the 2023 season.

3. BISHOP KELLY

Last season: 25-4, 11-3 4A SIC

Coach: Jeff Cammann, eighth season

Players to watch: Hadley Smith, sr., C/3B; Cooper Cammann, jr., P/SS; Mason Rossi, sr., 1B; Jamison Ray, sr., P/INF

The two-time defending state champs normally get plenty of respect in the preseason polls. Finishing third just shows how deep the 4A SIC is this spring.

The Knights lost six key seniors, including four who made the All-Idaho team. But they still bring back five starters from a stacked team that led all of 4A with 9.2 runs per game. The Knights lost some power, but remain potent with Cooper Cammann (.457) and Rossi (.359) in the lineup. And Smith will play the entire year and anchor the batting order after injuries limited him to the final four games last season.

4. RIDGEVUE

Last season: 15-8, 9-5 4A SIC

Coach: Jason Wonderlich, third season

Players to watch: Keegan Randall, jr., P/SS; Isaiah Stewart-Kasper, jr., OF; Mitchell Basterrechea, sr., OF

The Warhawks start the year looking up in the preseason rankings once again. But they return five starters, including Randall, a two-way threat who hit .311 and posted a 0.64 ERA in 22 innings for a spot on the All-Idaho second team a year ago.

He and a rangy outfield led by Stewart-Kasper (.300) and Basterrechea (.238) will form the backbone of a slick-fielding unit. But Ridgevue is looking for more players to step up to develop a deeper lineup to challenge the league’s powers.

5. EMMETT

Last season: 8-18, 5-9 4A SIC

Coach: Joseph Jones, second season

Players to watch: Jase Bade, jr., 3B; Stevie Howe, sr., P/OF; Tison Bade, sr., P/INF

The Huskies bring back loads of experience with seven returning starters, including their leading hitter, Jase Bade (.340), and their top pitcher, Howe (2.45 ERA). That experience stands in stark contrast to a year ago, when Emmett had just two returning starters.

The Huskies get an extra boost with senior Matt Roy back on the mound after an elbow injury robbed him of his junior year. But Emmett is still looking for more reliable arms to eat up innings.

6. VALLIVUE

Last season: 12-15, 5-9 4A SIC

Coach: Tim Bourner, second season

Players to watch: Not available

Graduation hit the Falcons hard with 11 players leaving the program. That left just two seniors on this year’s roster, and only one with any varsity experience.

So Vallivue will start six to seven sophomores this season, giving them their first taste at the varsity level and building toward the future. Bourner said the focus right now is on developing talent and getting them ready for the end of the season and the upcoming years.

7. CALDWELL

Last season: 3-21, 1-13 4A SIC

Coach: Andrew Groves, first season

Players to watch: Zaylor Bruegeman, jr., P/C; Ezyah Ruiz, jr., SS; Owen Moss, so., P

Five straight losing seasons leaves the Cougars looking for bright spots. But Caldwell ought to find plenty this year with six returning starters, including all but one of the key members of last year’s pitching staff.

Bruegeman (.296) returns for his third year as the starting catcher, and he’ll take on pitching duties, too. But the Cougars still need to find a way to manufacture more runs after scratching out a league-low 2.7 runs per game last year.