It will be a new venue for the Area Code Baseball Games in 2020, but the top players from Northern California will still represent the region as members of the Oakland A's teams, both as part of the traditional games for incoming seniors and the Area Code Underclass Games.
Typically held in Southern California, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the games to relocate, and they will be held this year at LakePoint Sports in Atlanta, a premier eight-field facility. The upperclass games will be held from August 7-10, while the underclass games will take place simultaneously over the final three days of the event.
The NorCal team for the upperclass games is a wide ranging mix of players from the region, with just one school represented by multiple players. That school is Acalanes, showing the potential for the Dons, who have risen into the Division I bracket over recent years. Infielder Davis Diaz and pitcher/catcher Thatcher Hurd were selected to represent the Lafayette school. Diaz, a smooth-fielding shortstop, is committed to Vanderbilt, while the hard-throwing Hurd, who has been clocked in the low-to-mid 90's with his fastball and has a devastating slider, is committed to UC Santa Barbara.
The roster is also headlined by outfielder Tyree Reed of American Canyon, an Oregon State commit who is considered by many to be among the top 10 players in the Class of 2021 at a national level. During his 2019 sophomore season, Reed hit .481 with 19 RBIs, and was off to another blistering start in 2020 before the season was shut down.
Other headliners on the roster include De La Salle first baseman/outfielder Blake Burke, a Tennessee commit who slugged nine home runs in his first two high school seasons, Cal commit Carson Crawford of Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa and Long Beach State commit Gavin Ochoa of Casa Grande-Petaluma. Crawford figures to see time during the games at both shortstop and on the mound, while Ochoa will bolster the rotation with a fastball that can touch the low-90's to go with a curveball and change-up which both move and change speeds nicely.
Tamalpais' Tucker Bougie is another Cal commit who could fill multiple roles on the team, as both a pitcher and outfielder, and a big reason why the Red-Tailed Hawks (especially when combined with teammate Alex Dargan) will be a contender for league and section titles in 2021. University of Arizona commit Tommy Splaine of Los Gatos is one of the top representatives from the Central Coast Section on the roster and could be another dual-role athlete, both behind the plate and on the mound.
For the complete roster, click here.
The Underclass team roster is spread far and wide across multiple states, with five players from Arizona, two players from Washington and individuals from Nevada and Utah to round out a group of players from Northern California, with all players representing the Class of 2022. Zachary Yorke of Archbishop Mitty brings a familiar last name, after his brother Nick was drafted in the first round this summer by the Boston Red Sox. The first baseman and outfielder will be entering his third season on the Monarchs' varsity team, after hitting .254 with 13 RBIs as a freshman.
Pittsburg outfielder Khamani Blakney represents the dual-sport standouts on the roster, as he is also in the mix for the job of starting quarterback on the Pirates' football team. De La Salle is represented by pitcher Eli Gennis, who already throws consistently in the high 80's and low 90's with his fastball and figures to be a major arm for the Spartans since the graduation of current San Francisco Giant Kyle Harrison. Reed Moring of Aptos will also likely be a key pitcher for the underclass team, and is an early commit to UC Santa Barbara.
For the complete Underclass roster, click here.
