The 2026 All-Orange County Baseball Team is headlined by Huntington Beach senior Jared Grindlinger, who has been named Player of the Year after a spectacular season. Grindlinger, who reclassified to make his junior year his senior season, batted .376 with 41 hits, 10 doubles, 26 runs scored, and a 1.000 OPS.
On the mound, he posted a perfect 6-0 record with a 0.85 ERA and 66 strikeouts over 57⅓ innings. Named Sunset League MVP, Grindlinger commands a four-pitch arsenal including a four-seam fastball, changeup, slider, and sweeper.
Grindlinger led the Oilers to a 25-8-1 overall record and a Sunset League championship (16-2 league record). Huntington Beach capped the season by winning the CIF Southern California Regional Division I title.
In the championship game against Cathedral Catholic, Grindlinger hit a two-run home run in the first inning and struck out two batters in relief to secure a 5-3 victory. He also went 4-for-4 with a homer in the first round against Patrick Henry.
Huntington Beach coach Benji Medure praised Grindlinger's leadership, saying, "It's really his heart, for sure. He cares about the culture of the program, which is all about being family and friends and playing for each other." Grindlinger turned 17 in April and faces a bright future, with options including playing at the University of Tennessee alongside his brother Trent or entering the MLB Draft as a projected first-round pick.
The Pitcher of the Year award goes to Cypress senior Drew Slevcove, who excelled against top competition. In the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs, Slevcove held eventual champion St.
John Bosco to one run over eight innings, striking out six. He finished the season 7-0 with a 0.92 ERA, 108 strikeouts, and only 16 walks in 76 innings.
Slevcove, a UC Santa Barbara commit, was named Crestview League MVP and helped lead the Centurions to a 23-9 record and a Division 1 quarterfinal appearance.
Costa Mesa's Jim Kiefer is the Coach of the Year after leading the Mustangs to a 21-8 record and an Empire League championship. Kiefer, in his 11th season, has built a consistent winner at Costa Mesa, following up a 22-7 season in 2025.
The All-County first team features standout players across positions, including pitchers Gavin Guy (Newport Harbor), Gary Morse (Orange Lutheran), and Caden Lauridsen (Foothill); catcher Brady Murrietta (Orange Lutheran); first baseman Dane Cunningham (Huntington Beach); infielders CJ Weinstein (Orange Lutheran), Justin Lopez (Villa Park), and Daniel Van De Kreeke (Trabuco Hills); outfielders Ely Mason (Huntington Beach), Blake Bowen (JSerra), and Ricardo Hurtado (Orange Lutheran); designated hitter Noah Hunter (Edison); and utility player Jared Grindlinger (Huntington Beach).
Guy, the Sunset League Pitcher of the Year, was 9-1 with a 0.67 ERA for the CIF Southern California Regional Division II champion Sailors and also contributed 21 RBIs. Morse, committed to Tennessee, had 91 strikeouts in 54⅔ innings.
Lauridsen, a junior, posted a 1.63 ERA with only 14 walks in 85 innings. Murrietta, a four-year starter, hit four home runs and drove in 24 runs.
Cunningham batted .386 with a 1.000 OPS. Weinstein hit .351 with a 1.016 OPS and 25 RBIs.
Lopez hit .441 with a 1.189 OPS and stole 12 bases. Van De Kreeke batted .370 with 11 doubles.
Mason led the Oilers in RBIs with 33 while hitting .385. Bowen hit nine home runs with a .360 average.
Hurtado hit .348 with a .940 OPS. Hunter struck out only five times in 91 at-bats while hitting .423.