Mikey Romero, Orange Lutheran Shine On Day 1 Of Boras Classic

Image credit: Mikey Romero (Courtesy Of The Boras Foundation)

With more than 50 scouts and front office officials in attendance, Mikey Romero made the most of his limited opportunities on Day 1 of the Boras Classic.

Romero put on an impressive show during batting practice, reached base in all three of his plate appearances and scored three runs to help Orange Lutheran beat Martin Luther King, 16-1, on Tuesday night.

Romero, a projected top-50 pick in this year’s draft, crushed two foul balls before getting hit by a pitch in his first at-bat, smoked a line drive over the leaping first baseman in his second at-bat and drew a walk in his third at-bat before being pulled with the rest of the starters with the Lancers leading 14-0 by the third inning.

The lefthanded-hitting shortstop entered the tournament in a 3-for-19 slump, including going 2-for-10 at the National High School Invitational last week, but busted out of it with representatives from nearly every team in attendance. Even with his recent struggles, the Louisiana State commit’s smooth lefthanded swing and ability to stay at shortstop has made him the consensus top prep position player in Southern California.

Romero led a team-wide offensive outburst for Orange Lutheran. Senior catcher Karson Bowen, a Texas Christian commit, went 1-for-1 with a double, two walks and three runs scored; junior third baseman Casey Borba, a Texas commit, went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBIs; senior first baseman Gabriel Miranda, a Texas Christian commit, went 2-for-2 with a triple, a walk and two runs scored; sophomore outfielder Ben Reiland went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored; and senior second baseman Chase Cummings hit a grand slam out of the No. 8 spot in the Lancers lineup.

Orange Lutheran went 3-1 at NHSI and reached the semifinals even with Romero struggling. The Lancers are ranked No. 2 in the nation and will face La Mirada in the Boras Classic quarterfinals on Wednesday.

 

LEFTIES LOCKED IN

Huntington Beach lefthander Ben Jacobs and Orange Lutheran lefthander Oliver Santos each delivered strong starts in their respective team openers.

Jacobs, a UCLA commit, pitched six innings, gave up two hits and one run, walked two and struck out nine. He sat 87-90 mph on his fastball and got swings and misses throughout the game with his tilting, low-80s slider. He struck out Yucaipa shortstop Jacob Reimer, one of the top prep power hitters in this year’s draft class, all three times he faced him.

Santos, a Duke commit, pitched four innings, gave up four hits and one run, walked none and struck out four. He sat 88-89 mph on his fastball and got his swings and misses with a big breaking, low-70s curveball. He also flashed a low-80s changeup and was extremely efficient, throwing 43 of his 63 pitches for strikes.

Both pitchers have received interest from teams for the draft, although how signable they are will determine if and when they get picked.

KASSIUS THOMAS OUT

Sierra Canyon righthander Kassius Thomas, one of the top prep righthanders in the draft class, will not pitch in the Boras Classic due to elbow soreness, according to tournament organizers.

Thomas, a Duke commit considered a potential second- or third-round pick in this year’s draft, last pitched April 14 against Paraclete.

Righthander Jaden Noot, another standout Sierra Canyon righthander projected to be a high draft pick, will start for the Trailblazers on Wednesday.

DAILY HIGHLIGHTS

Geoff McArthur hit a walkoff solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Villa Park a 5-4 win over Servite in the morning opener at Mater Dei High School. It was the first home run of the season for McArthur, an uncommitted junior outfielder … Senior catcher Antonio Ventimiglia delivered a walkoff RBI single in the bottom of the seventh to lift Huntington Beach to a 3-2 win over Yucaipa … Notre Dame senior righthander Cole Clark, a Loyola Marymount commit, pitched a complete game two-hitter to lead the Knights to a 7-0 win over Corona … Point Loma junior righthander Duke Ekstrom, a Vanderbilt commit, pitched 6.2 scoreless innings to lead the Pointers to a 1-0 upset over host Mater Dei. Ekstrom gave up three hits, walked two and struck out seven … In addition to Orange Lutheran-La Mirada, the other quarterfinal matchups Wednesday will be JSerra Catholic vs. St. Augustine, Huntington Beach vs. Villa Park and Notre Dame vs. Point Loma.