Sports
Midseason baseball report: Sophomore Tyler George of Santa Margarita is strike machine
It’s midseason in high school baseball, so let’s look at players who are producing results at a high level. Forget about rankings, radar guns or who has scholarship offers. These are the players making an impact.
No one has been better than sophomore pitcher Tyler George of Santa Margarita. With a 7-0 record, 0.85 ERA and just two walks in 41 1/3 innings, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound 16-year-old has shown what a top pitcher is supposed to look like.
Few saw this coming — except for his freshman coach last season, Mike Hiserman, who said, “He was the most fundamentally sound all-around freshman baseball player I’ve ever coached. Was good at everything yet still immensely coachable. You tell him something once and he does it.”
George said he has focused on mixing up his pitches — fastball, curveball, slider, changeup.
“Just not overthrowing the ball, not throwing as hard as I can but hitting the spots and having a feel for my off-speed pitches,” he said.
He threw all nine innings during a 1-0 win over Mater Dei that was full of drama.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “The adrenaline was running. It was cool.”
His brother, Hayden, is a freshman pitcher at UCLA, and he said Bruins coach John Savage has been asking Hayden about him, which is a good sign when he becomes available to talk to recruiters in the summer.
Royal pitcher Dustin Dunwoody is 7-0 with an 0.18 ERA.
(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)
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Dustin Dunwoody, Royal: Armed with an overpowering fastball, Dunwoody is 7-0, has an 0.18 ERA with 74 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings.
Catcher Brady Murrietta of Orange Lutheran makes the tag at home plate against St. John Bosco.
(Nick Koza)
- Brady Murrietta, Orange Lutheran: The senior catcher keeps throwing out baserunners trying to challenge him. He’s also terrific on throws to the plate, picking up the hop and making the tag. And don’t forget his clutch hitting. He leads the team in RBIs with 12.
- Troy Randall, Corona Santiago: The junior third baseman is hitting .460 with 29 hits and also has given up just two hits in 12 innings in a relief pitching role.
- Jake Kim, Harvard-Westlake: The junior has displayed power and consistency, making him one of the toughest outs in the Wolverines’ lineup. He has 22 hits, a .500 batting average and four home runs.
- Malakye Matsumoto, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame: With 22 hits and 17 RBIs, the senior third baseman has been delivering for 14-3 Notre Dame.
- Tate Belfanti, Cypress: The junior left-hander has 53 strikeouts in 28 innings while going 5-0.
- Jake Ange, Thousand Oaks: The junior was a starter for the basketball team and has come out and hit seven home runs, including a game in which he hit two grand slams.
- Dylan Seward, Norco: The junior shortstop has been producing since he was a starter as a freshman. He has 26 hits, 16 RBIs and makes the plays when the ball is hit in his direction.
- James Tronstein, Harvard-Westlake: The senior shortstop has 26 hits, including four home runs, as the Wolverines’ leadoff hitter.
- Gary Morse, Orange Lutheran: The 6-8 pitcher is 3-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 30 innings for the No. 1 team in Southern California.
- Caleb Trugman, Ayala: The two-way player has 23 hits and is 6-0 pitchers and an 0.76 ERA.
- Xavier Cadena, El Dorado: The outfielder has hit five home runs, driven in 19 runs and is batting .373.
- Carson Sheffer, Oaks Christian: The senior catcher continues to be stellar behind the plate while also contributing 22 hits, including seven doubles.
- Landon Hovermale, Norco: A model of consistency, the left-handed Hovermale is 6-0 with an 0.95 ERA and has walked just four batters in 36 2/3 innings.
- Jackson Sellz, El Camino Real: The junior keeps throwing complete games for the defending City Section champions. He’s 6-0 with a 1.20 ERA and five complete games.
- Jayden Rojas, Bell: The senior third baseman is batting .466 with 27 hits for 17-2 Bell. As a pitcher, he’s 4-0 with a 1.04 ERA.
- Brody Thompson, Bishop Alemany: Batting .404 with five home runs and five doubles, the senior catcher has also thrown out nine of 14 baserunners attempting to steal in helping the Warriors become a Mission League title contender.
Sports
LeBron James fuels Cleveland Cavaliers reunion speculation after appearing to like Instagram post about return
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LeBron James’ eighth season in Los Angeles ended with a four-game sweep in the Western Conference semifinals at the hands of the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Lakers’ playoff exit fueled more questions about James’ NBA future and a potential 24th season.
James remains undecided about his basketball future, but he did reveal plans to take time with his family before making any decision. “I don’t know what the future holds for me, obviously, as it stands right now tonight,” James said on May 11. “I’ve got a lot of time now. I think I said it last year after we lost to Minnesota. I’ll go back and recalibrate with my family and talk with them and spend some time with them, and then obviously when the time comes, you guys will know what I decide to do.”
As speculation about his future intensifies, James’ name has been linked to the Lakers, Warriors and even a potential return to Cleveland, where his storied career began.
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LeBron James attends Game Four of the Eastern Conference Second Round Playoffs at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 13, 2024. (Nick Cammett/Getty Images)
If James ultimately did return to his native Ohio, it would mark his third stint with the Cavaliers. He reunited with the team in 2014 after a four-year run with the Miami Heat, bringing Cleveland its first NBA title in 2016.
The Cavaliers dropped Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the New York Knicks on Tuesday, but James still appeared to hint at a potential offseason destination on social media.
LEBRON JAMES NEXT TEAM ODDS: LAKERS, CAVALIERS, RETIREMENT IN MIX
James reportedly liked an Instagram post calling for a return to Cleveland.
Even if James wants a return to Cleveland, the Cavaliers would face major financial obstacles in making it happen. The 41-year-old would likely need to take a sizable pay cut, assuming the team could work out a sign-and-trade deal with the Lakers.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during a timeout against the Golden State Warriors in the second half of a preseason NBA game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 5, 2025. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
The Cavaliers already carry several sizable contracts on their roster, with star guard Donovan Mitchell and center Evan Mobley both scheduled to earn more than $50 million annually next season. James Harden could also exercise his $42.3 million player option, while forward Jarrett Allen is projected to count roughly $28 million against the salary cap next season.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during a game against the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 13, 2025. (Adam Pantozzi/NBAE/Getty Images)
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James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists during the 2025-26 regular season.
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If anyone needs a definition for what grinding means in sports, sophomore Carlos Acuna’s performance on Wednesday at Cal State Northridge provided the answer.
In six of seven innings, the Birmingham High pitcher saw Carson get the leadoff man on base. That’s usually something that leads to disaster. But Acuna kept coming up with key strikeouts pitching into the seventh.
Coach Matt Mowry was asked if Acuna was close to being pulled.
“Heck, yeah,” he said. “He was on the edge of coming out.”
Except Acuna refused to give Mowry the chance. He got a fly ball out to right field to end a 4-1 complete-game victory to send Birmingham into the City Section Open Division championship game on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Dodger Stadium against West Valley League rival El Camino Real, a 4-3 winner over Granada Hills. Birmingham has won eight City titles. El Camino Real has won 10.
Acuna threw 102 pitches to finish his pitching season with an 11-0 record. He struck out seven, walked three and gave up four hits. As he has done all season, he pitched with the maturity of a senior. Nothing fazes him.
“It’s an amazing season he’s having,” Mowry said.
He has thrown 91 innings and since Birmingham has opted out of playing in the state playoffs, Saturday’s game at Dodger Stadium will be his last this season. He’ll be playing third base or second base, and that’s fine with him.
“I love this team,” Acuna said. “I want to play one last game.”
When in trouble, Acuna turned to his slider as his out pitch. The only run he gave up came in the sixth inning after Xavier Allen had a double and scored on a ground out.
JJ Rodriguez contributed two RBIs for Birmingham and JuJu Monroe-Truitt had two hits and one RBI.
It will be No. 1-seeded Birmingham against No. 2-seeded El Camino Real on Saturday in a venue both programs know well. Nathan Soto will start on the mound for Birmingham and Hudson December for El Camino Real.
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Chicago Cubs star center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong was reportedly fined an undisclosed amount of money for his interaction with a Chicago White Sox fan on Saturday.
Crow-Armstrong, 24, was heckled by a fan after making a play during the fifth inning of the team’s 8-3 loss to the White Sox. He had a vulgar response to the female heckler.
“You suck my f–-ing d–k b—-,” Crow-Armstrong told the female fan.
Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs stands on deck in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field on April 21, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images)
The fine for Crow-Armstrong is undisclosed, ESPN reported. He said he regretted his actions on Monday.
“I think I just regret my choice of words the most and who that affects in my life, directly and indirectly,” Crow-Armstrong said. “I don’t think that any of the women in my life would ever think that I would use those kind of words regularly, especially referring to them.
“So I’m just bummed out about the word choice, and that a bunch of little kids go and probably find their way to social media and see that as well.”
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Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after getting hit by a pitch in the eighth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on May 17, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Hirschuber/Getty Images)
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said he spoke with Crow-Armstrong and called fan interactions as part of the job.
“He made a mistake, and we’ve got to move on from it,” Counsell said before Chicago’s 9-3 loss to Milwaukee. “It’s a reality of this job. It happens. Fan interactions happen. You want to try to keep them positive, even when they’re not. Sometimes when it’s a really emotional situation, it’s difficult, but it’s still a requirement of the job.”
Crow-Armstrong is one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball and made his first All-Star team last season. Last season, Crow-Armstrong hit .247 with 31 home runs and 95 RBI.
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Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs rounds the bases after hitting a two run home run against the Chicago White Sox during the ninth inning at Rate Field on May 16, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Daniel Bartel/Getty Images)
This season, Crow-Armstrong has not had the same success. In 49 games, he has hit just .229 with five home runs and 20 RBI.
The Cubs (29-20) will take on the Milwaukee Brewers (28-18) in the final game of their three-game series on Wednesday at 7:40 p.m. ET.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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