Jared Grindlinger was right where he wanted to be Saturday afternoon at the end of his last high school baseball game — on the mound with a chance to clinch a championship for the orange and black.
Huntington Beach had a 5-0 lead with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning when the Oilers' highly touted left-hander came in to relieve Jared Marchbank. The cushion was narrowed to two with runs scored on an error, an uncaught third strike and a wild pitch, but Grindlinger struck out the fourth batter to tie the bow on his team's 5-3 victory over San Diego Cathedral in the Southern California Regional Division I final.
"I knew I'd be facing the top of their lineup and those guys are all great players but I was ready for it," Grindlinger said. "To do this with my best friends who I've grown up with my entire life means everything to me."
Huntington Beach pitcher Jared Grindlinger delivers against San Diego Cathedral in the Southern California Regional Division I final on Saturday. (Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
Grindlinger graduates Wednesday with plenty to be proud of and much to look forward to. The 6-1, 170-pound pitcher/outfielder reclassified in February to make himself eligible for next month's Major League draft and is a potential first-round pick. Having just turned 17, the University of Tennessee commit has a bright future, but he wants to savor his final days on campus following in the footsteps of older siblings Bradley and Trent, who were back at their alma mater Saturday to cheer on Jared.
"I've known him since he was in second grade and he has two brothers who played for me too," Oilers coach Benji Medure said upon wrapping up his 26th season. "Jared loves to compete and he fell in love with the culture and the family aspect of our program."
In the first round of regionals on Tuesday, Grindlinger went four for four with a double, a home run, two singles and a run batted in plus he pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts in a 10-3 victory over Patrick Henry in San Diego. Two days later, he singled, tripled and scored two runs in an 11-3 semifinal victory at Corona.
Grindlinger blasted the fourth pitch he saw over the right-field fence to put the Oilers up 2-0 in the first inning Saturday — a lead they held until tacking on three more in the bottom of the sixth. He also patrolled left field and snared a line drive to end the top of the fourth.
Huntington Beach pitcher Jared Grindlinger hits a two-run home run in the first inning during a 5-3 win over San Diego Cathedral in the Southern California Regional Division I final on Saturday. (Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
"He came with two really good fastballs but then he hung a changeup and I knew I got it," Grindlinger said of his 41st hit and second homer this season. "I've been working on discipline to look for my pitch."
Medure noted Jared's similarities to Bradley, the oldest, and Trent, whom he may soon be playing with in Knoxville.
"Bradley was a terrific pitcher and Trent was a super hitter and they're all very close," Medure said. "I think Jared picked Tennessee because he wants to be with his brother."
He could be a Volunteer with brother Trent next season.
"Jared's got the best traits from both me and Bradley," said Trent, who just completed his first season in Knoxville, where he made the SEC All-Freshman team as a catcher. "He has an aura about him and I'm super proud of him."
"Jared's a lot better than I was at his age," admitted Bradley, a 2023 Huntington Beach alum who played at Long Beach State but is entering the transfer portal. "He's barely 17 and getting to the upper 90s. He's more polished, plus he's a lefty."
The hardest part about skipping his senior year to graduate early was not the extra classes he had to take but knowing he would be missing out on a chance to see his coach reach another milestone.
Jared Grindlinger, center, stands with his older brothers Trent, left, and Bradley after Huntington Beach's 5-3 win over San Diego Cathedral in the Southern California Regional Division I final on Saturday. (Steve Galluzzo / For The Times)
"He was a freshman and the second game that season I got my 400th win and Jared said, 'I'm gonna be part of 400 and 500,'" added Medure, who is 28 wins away. "That year, we won 23 and 25 the next year. We had it all planned that 500 would be for the CIF title. When he decided to reclass to make millions of dollars he told him, 'I feel bad I can't win that 500th game for you.' That's the kind of kid he is."
Grindlinger credits his mom for helping him meet all of his academic requirements and his brothers for teaching him everything he knows about the sport they all play.
"Whatever happens — whether it's the draft or college — I'm good," he said.
Medure is thrilled how the season ended considering he did not believe his team would even be in the regional bracket after losing early in the section playoffs. He is grateful for the three seasons he got to coach his superstar.
"Jared came in to let us know that scenario was on the table and every coach in that room said, 'Awesome!'" Medure recalled. "He was scared to tell us because he thought we'd be upset. Usually it's done to buy another year, not to lose one. Of course I'd like to coach one of the best players in America for four years, but ultimately I want him to do what's best for him."
In the Division II final, Henry Mann had two hits and scored two runs while pitchers Ryan Williams, Gavin Guy and Grant Horsley combined on a four-hitter to lead host Newport Harbor over Bakersfield Christian, 5-1.
Glendora scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to beat Kaiser in the Division III title game. Riley Cooper had a two-run double and John Seader, Tanner Grable and Jude Garcia each had two hits and an RBI for the host Tartans (23-11).
Alex Alvarado hit an RBI triple and Alberto Arteaga had an RBI double for Kaiser.
Sei Nagashima went four for four with a double, two singles and a home run and Alex Cannon and Eric Yamashiro also doubled to power North Torrance past San Diego Francis Parker 9-3 in the Division IV final.
Pitcher Joseph Banuelos has seven strikeouts in 2⅔ innings for the seventh-seeded Saxons (19-16).
Chula Vista Mater Dei 3, La Habra 1:Sunny Sosa had three hits and Arri Romero pitched a three-hitter with four strikeouts as the top-seeded Crusaders (31-3) won the SoCal Regional Division I championship. Milee Valencia had an RBI single and Georgia Rickenbacker and Mireya Gonzalez each added a hit for the Highlanders (25-9).
Riverside Prep 1, Great Oak 0 (forfeit):The Silver Knights are Division II winners by default in what would have been a rematch of the Southern Section Division 3 final in which Riverside Prep overcame an early two-run deficit to win 4-3.
San Bernardino 11, Arroyo Valley 9:Xochitl Sasser had three hits and three RBIs and Alyssa Arredondo added two hits and three RBIs for the sixth-seeded Cardinals (19-15-1), who won the Division V regional crown and avenged an 8-6 extra-innings loss in the Southern Section Division 8 final. San Bernardino trailed 9-6 before scoring five runs in the top of the sixth. Delilah Pacheco had two hits and two RBIs and Audrina Reyes pitched a complete game, giving up 10 hits and striking out one Hawks batter.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .
