Aliso Niguel: No. 9 in Xcellent 25 Preseason Baseball Rankings

Video: Aliso Niguel slideshow
See multiple images from our pro photo shoot with the Aliso Niguel High baseball team

After watching the team in the other dugout at Dodger Stadium celebrate two of the past three seasons, Aliso Niguel could be the team forming the dog pile on the mound of this year's Southern Section Division 2 championship game.

Three years ago, the Wolverines lost a 3-2 decision to Pacifica (Garden Grove) while last year they lost a 5-3 contest to Temecula Valley (Temecula).

This year, Aliso Niguel coach Craig Hanson welcomes back five starters, including one of the nation's top players who is also a veteran of both championship game losses.

Kyle Molnar, a UCLA signee, is ranked among the top 20 players in the country as both a position player and a pitcher. He earned all-Southern Section honors as a junior while batting .320 with a 10-2 pitching record. In his career, Molnar has posted a 23-8 record with a 1.88 ERA and seven shutouts. At the plate, Molnar has a .324 career batting average.

Last year, Molnar threw a seven-inning 3-0 shutout of Great Oak in the quarterfinals, but he took the loss to Temecula Valley in the finals. He also had one no-hitter to his credit, an eight-inning, 1-0 victory over Los Alamitos last year.

Besides Molnar, the Wolverines figure to be strong behind the plate, as well as at the corner infield spots and in the outfield. With a strong core of returning starters, Aliso Niguel begins the 2015 season ranked No. 9 in the MaxPreps Preseason National Baseball Rankings.

Over the next two weeks, MaxPreps is counting down the top 10 teams in the preseason national rankings. The countdown will conclude on Feb. 24 with the announcement of the preseason Top 100.

See the Top 10 teams landing page here

View gallery of Aliso Niguel preseason photo shoot by photographer Heston Quan

School size: CIF Southern Section Division 2


Enrollment: 2,972


2014 finish: 23-10, CIF Southern Section Division 2 runnerup


Head coach: Craig Hanson


Career record: 157-113


Years at school: 9


Notable MLB players:

Skip Schumaker, 2005-14

Brett Krill, 2014 (Triple A)


No. of starters returning: 5

Top losses:

Justin Fowler, SS, .351

Nick Grimes, 2B, .358

Anthony Sommer, OF, .378

Ryan Randel, RHP, 7-4, 3.00 ERA

Key returners:

Kyle Molnar, RHP/OF, Senior, .320, 3 home runs, 10-2 pitching record, 1.81 ERA, 81 innings pitched, 81 strikeouts, UCLA signee

Blake Sabol, C/1B, Junior, .330, 4 home runs, 35 hits, 20 RBIs, USC commit

Domenic Colacchio, 3B/OF, Senior, .368, 39 hits, 29 RBIs, 2 home runs

Eric Wagaman, 1B/DH, Senior, .307, 27 hits, 13 RBIs, 2 home runs

Remy Wasserbach, OF, Senior, .310, 26 hits, 10 RBIs, 1 home run

Key newcomers:

Ethan Butka, RHP, Junior

Thomas Wick, OF, Junior

Josh Whetstone, LHP, Senior

Parker White, LHP/OF, Junior
Toughest game: The Wolverines play in several tough tournaments, including the Anaheim Lions Tournament in late March and the Boras Classic in early April. However, the toughest game for Aliso Niguel might be a doubleheader right out of the gate when it hosts highly regarded Huntington Beach on Feb. 28.

Local outlook: Although Aliso Niguel reached the Division 2 section championship, it finished second in the Sea View League behind Dana Hills, which figures to be a good team in its own right with six returning starters. Aliso Niguel and Dana Hills are now part of the South Coast League along with perennial Orange County powerhouse El Toro, Tesoro and Capistrano Valley.

Overall outlook: Although it plays in Division 2, Aliso Niguel ranks among the top two teams in the entire Southern Section along with JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano). The Wolverines will face several tough competitors in Division 2, including San Clemente, which is led by Perfect Game All-American Classic selection Kolby Allard, and 2014 semifinalist La Mirada.

Defense: Besides having one of the state's top pitchers in Molnar, Aliso Niguel also has one of the state's top catchers in junior Blake Sabol. Ranked by Perfect Game as the fifth-best catcher in the Class of 2016, Sabol batted .330 with 20 RBIs and a team-high four home runs. Sabol has committed to play at Southern California.

"Kyle is a very possible first round draft pick," said Aliso Niguel coach Craig Hanson, "and Blake should get drafted next year. They are both Team USA players and Division I scholarship players. They will lead the way for the Wolverines this season."

At the corners, Aliso Niguel has Eric Wagaman at first base and Domenic Colacchio at third base. Like Molnar, Colacchio has played on the varsity team since his freshman year. He's shown dramatic improvement, going from a .200 batting average and .200 slugging percentage as a freshman to .368/.471 as a junior last year. He led the squad as a junior with 29 RBIs. Wagaman, meanwhile, batted .307 with a pair of home runs.

The Wolverines will have to find replacements in the middle of the infield where team captain Justin Fowler (SS) and Nick Grimes (2B) both graduated. Sophomore Demetri Colacchio appears to be the team's new shortstop while Andrew Tsunoda is listed as the team's second baseman.

The outfield looks strong with Molnar playing there when he isn't pitching along with two-sport standout Remy Wasserbach (.310). Thomas Wick, a junior, could also see time there.

Pitching: Besides Molnar's 10 returning wins, junior Ethan Butka is the only other returning pitcher with any decisions, as he went 2-1 with a 3.68 ERA last year. Josh Whetstone, a senior, and Parker White, a junior, also expect to see time on the mound this year.

Coach quote: "We are coming off our fourth 20-plus win season in a row and have played in the CIF-SS championship game two of the last three years. The Wolverines will look to complete for a league title in a very competitive league."
 - Craig Hanson