The JSerra baseball team could play an intrasquad scrimmage and have two starting lineups that consist entirely of players who have signed with or committed to Division I colleges.

The Lions have 18 players in the program good enough to have received, and accepted, offers from NCAA Division I college baseball programs.

The players include:

Andrew Lamb, a senior utility player who signed with USC. He was the CIF Southern Section Division 1 player of the year last season when JSerra won the Division 1 championship. He batted .396 with nine doubles, four triples, four home runs and 20 RBIs.

Trent Caraway was All-County second team last season. Caraway can play multiple positions and might finish some games on the mound. He hit .338 last season. JSerra coach Brett Kay said Caraway, who signed with Oregon State, is the Lions’ top MLB Draft prospect.

Kay said senior shortstop Jonathan Mendez is the best defensive shortstop he has coached. It’s worth noting that Kay coached a shortstop, Royce Lewis, who was the first overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft. Mendez, a UC Santa Barbara signee, batted .383 last season and will bat third behind Lamb and Caraway.

Cal-signed Dominic Smaldino will play first base and be the Lions’ clean-up batter. He will pitch at times, too, when JSerra needs to get an out.

Senior outfielder Lou Fujiwara was an All-County second team outfielder last year. He might play mostly at second base this year. He batted .300 with 20 RBIs in 2022. Fuijwara, who signed with Washington, might be JSerra’s best defensive player.

And that’s just a sample of the field-position players for the Lions.

“This is probably the best defensive team we’ve had,” said Kay, in his 17th season coaching JSerra. “And we have the chance to be great on offense, too.”

JSerra’s pitching is ocean deep.

Matt Champion, a junior who committed to LSU, and JJ Hollis, a UC Santa Barbara signee, are the team’s top two pitchers. Both throw hard and have plenty of pitches in their quiver.

The Lions pitching staff includes sophomores Thomas Gonzales (USC) and Josh Hollis (Oregon) and seniors Brodie Purcell (USC) and Ben Reimers (Stanford), and several others vying for innings.

“We have 18 guys who really can pitch,” Kay said. “And I’m confident that all of them can do the job.”

Deficiencies?

“Complacency could be number one,” Kay said. “The easy part is being good on paper. But you’ve got to take care of the little details.”

NOTES

The CIF-SS baseball season starts Saturday, and several county teams will be competing that day in the Prep Baseball Report California Preseason Invitational. The 16-team tournament will be played at Great Park in Irvine. Cypress, El Dorado, Foothill, Huntington Beach, Orange Lutheran and Servite are playing in the event. …

The CIF-SS preseason polls have JSerra ranked No. 1 in Division 1. Huntington Beach and Orange Lutheran are Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, in Division 1. Beckman is No. 1 in Division 3, and Anaheim is No. 1 in Division 5.

ORANGE COUNTY BASEBALL PRESEASON TOP 10

1. JSerra: Last season’s CIF-SS Division 1 champion has 18 players who have signed with or committed to NCAA Division I schools. Among them are multi-position star Andrew Lamb (Arizona State) and senior pitcher JJ Hollis (UC Santa Barbara), who was All-County first team last season.

2. Huntington Beach: All-County first team senior first baseman Ralph Velasquez (Arizona State) leads an outstanding offense. The pitching, which features senior right-hander Carson Lane (UNLV), should be excellent, too.

3. Orange Lutheran: The Lancers will continue the elite tradition of OLu baseball. All-County senior third baseman Casey Borba (Texas) and junior center fielder Derek Curiel (LSU) will propel the offense, and the pitching staff features senior right-hander Evan Miranda (Texas).

4. Villa Park: Senior shortstop Gavin Grahovac (Texas A&M) was Orange County player of the year in 2022. The Spartans’ pitching staff includes senior right-hander Zach Brown (Ohio State) and senior lefty Brandon Luu (UC Irvine).

5. Santa Margarita: The Eagles have several players who can play multiple positions, including senior catcher/first baseman Blake Balzs (UCLA) and catcher/first baseman Luke Lavin (Stanford). Senior lefty Sammy Cova (Oregon) is part of a veteran pitching staff.

6. Cypress: Senior shortstop Abbrie Covarrubias (USC) was All-County second team last season, and the Centurions have an experienced pitching staff that is led by senior right-hander Luke Matlock and junior lefty Zack Ocampo.

7. El Dorado: The pitching staff includes senior left-handers Nathan Huy (UC San Diego) and Garvey Rumary (San Diego State). Senior catcher/outfielder Isaac Cadena (Ohio State) will again be a key part of the batting order.

8. Foothill: The Knights bring back solid pitching from last season’s Crestview League championship team, including senior right-handers Andrew Harbour (USC) and Andrew Parker (Cal State Northridge). Offensive support will include all-league first-team junior outfielder Garrett Davidson.

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9. Servite: The Friars will be led by senior shortstop Roman Martin (UCLA), who was All-County first team last season and a league co-MVP. Senior first baseman Jonathan Rodriguez (Long Beach State) and senior right-handed pitcher Colin Galvin were All-Trinity League second team last year.

10. Capistrano Valley: The Cougars could repeat as South Coast League champs. The batting order includes senior shortstop Boston Baro (UCLA) and the pitching will be anchored by senior right-hander Owen Geiss (Long Beach State).

Also considered (listed in alphabetical order): Capistrano Valley Christian, Mater Dei, Los Alamitos, Pacifica, Trabuco Hills.