2016 NHSI: Huntington Beach Takes The Trophy

CARY, N.C.—When the teams for this year’s National High School Invitational were unveiled back in January, Huntington Beach (Calif.) High appeared to be the favorite. Huntington had power in the lineup, strong defense up the middle, and a pitching rotation that included three of the nation’s most polished high school pitchers.

But one of those pitchers (lefthander Nicholas Pratto) was ineligible for the start of the season, and another (righthander Logan Pouelsen) injured his arm early in the season. After the Oilers lost to strong teams—JSerra Catholic and Orange Lutheran—they slid from No. 1 in the preseason high school rankings, and they were not voted into the most recent Top 25.

It wouldn’t have surprised anyone if Huntington Beach struggled at the NHSI, but the team’s experience and talent shined, and the Oilers overcame adversity to win the fifth annual NHSI, clinching the trophy with a 7-2 win over Chaminade College Prep (Canoga Park, Calif.) on Saturday afternoon. The championship means a lot to the program at Huntington Beach, which has slowly but surely developed into a force.

“It just keeps getting better and better, and I’m so proud of these guys,” coach Benji Medure said. “We worked so hard for it and I think they deserve every bit of it. We beat a really good team today; that Chaminade team’s a great team.”

Many of the Oilers’ key contributors are well-known in the high school baseball scene: Hagen Danner’s talent has been chronicled for years; Nicholas Pratto was a rotation stalwart for the 18U National team last summer; Landon Silver has shown excellent power potential for years. But on Saturday, a new talent emerged. Sophomore lefthander Nate Madole stepped up, limiting the potent Chaminade offense to two runs over 6 1/3 innings.

“My whole approach was to pitch to contact, because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to blow anyone away,” Madole said. “Especially with a great defense behind me like I had, I was really just looking pitch to contact and throw as many strikes as I could.”

Madole set the tone for the Oilers, who laid on a steady offensive attack. Huntington Beach had eight hits, all from the 1-through-5 spots in the lineup. They scored four runs in the bottom of the second, then tacked on one in the third and two more in the sixth.

“This tournament was like the culmination of everything that I’ve gone through in high school,” said senior shortstop Chad Minato, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs batted in.

Chaminade made a valiant effort, squaring up Madole a few times, but the Eagles just couldn’t piece their hits together. Star outfielder Blake Rutherford went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk in the loss.

“I feel like as a team we were really putting pressure on them today,” Minato said. “That’s what we’ve been trying to do this whole year, but I feel like at this tournament we really figured it out, we really came together and started hitting together and putting pressure on the other team.”

If Huntington Beach’s hot hitting can continue, they’ll have a chance to force their way back into the Top 25. The Oilers will head home and rest for a couple days before playing in the Boras Classic’s southern section, one of the most challenging tournaments in the nation. If their performance at NHSI is any sign of things to come, the Oilers should compete every time they take the field.