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Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
Golfweek's Best 2025: Top private golf courses in every state, ranked
Where can you find the best private golf courses in each state? Welcome to Golfweek's Best 2025 list of top private layouts, as judged by our hundreds of raters. The members of the ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce these rankings. Shinnecock Hills in New York () All the courses on this 2025 list are private and don't accept daily-fee or resort play. We also publish a list of each state's top public-access layouts. Keen eyes might notice there are only 49 states included on this list, because Alaska doesn't have any rated private clubs to include among the rankings. Advertisement KEY: (m) modern, built in 1960 or after; (c) classic, built before 1960. For courses with a number preceding the (m) or (c), that is where the course ranks on Golfweek's Best lists for top 200 modern and classic courses in the U.S. * indicates new or returning to the rankings Alabama's best private golf courses 1. Wicker Point* Alexander City (m) 2. Shoal Creek Birmingham (T87m) 3. Country Club of Birmingham (West) Birmingham (T114c) 4. Willow Point* Alexander City (m) 5. The Ledges Huntsville (m) Arizona's best private golf courses Estancia in Arizona (Courtesy of Estancia) 1. Estancia Scottsdale (19m) 2. Desert Forest Carefree (T73m) 3. Scottsdale National (The Other Course) Scottsdale (m) Advertisement 4. Forest Highlands (Canyon) Flagstaff (T108m) 5. Whisper Rock (Upper) Scottsdale (T122m) 6. Whisper Rock (Lower) Scottsdale (m) 7. Desert Highlands Scottsdale (T149m) 8. The Rim Payson (T166m) 9. Stone Canyon Oro Valley (T191m) 10. Mirabel Scottsdale (m) 11. Silverleaf Scottsdale (m) 12. Forest Highlands (Meadow) Flagstaff (m) T13. Troon Country Club Scottsdale (m) T13. Pine Canyon Flagstaff (m) 15. Flagstaff Ranch Flagstaff (m) 16. Paradise Valley Paradise Valley (c) 17. Desert Mountain (Cochise) Scottsdale (m) 18. The Gallery (North) Marana (m) 19. Desert Mountain (Chiricahua) Scottsdale (m) 20. Torreon (Cabin) Show Low (m) Arkansas' best private golf courses 1. Alotian Club Roland (m) Advertisement 2. The Blessings Fayetteville (m) 3. Texarkana Country Club Texarkana (c) 4. Chenal (Bear Den)* Little Rock (m) 5. Chenal (Founders) Little Rock (m) California's best private golf courses Los Angeles Country Club in California 1. Cypress Point Pebble Beach (1c) 2. Los Angeles Country Club (North) Los Angeles (11c) 3. Riviera Pacific Palisades (17c) 4. San Francisco Golf Club San Francisco (T18c) 5. California Golf Club South San Francisco (29c) 6. Monterey Peninsula (Shore) Pebble Beach (17m) 7. Valley Club of Montecito Santa Barbara (T36c) 8. Olympic Club (Lake) San Francisco (43c) 9. Monterey Peninsula (Dunes) Pebble Beach (T49c) 10. Martis Camp Truckee (43m) Advertisement 11. Bel-Air Los Angeles (T59c) 12. The Madison Club La Quinta (m) 13. The Quarry at La Quinta La Quinta (T62m) 14. Meadow Club Fairfax (T67c) 15. Lahontan Truckee (m) 16. Mayacama SantaRosa (99m) 17. Lake Merced Daly City (T108c) 18. Wilshire Los Angeles (T120c) 19. Santa Lucia Preserve Carmel (T125m) 20. Stone Eagle Palm Desert (T130m) Colorado's best private golf courses 1. Ballyneal Holyoke (5m) 2. Colorado Golf Club Parker (35m) 3. Cherry Hills Cherry Hills Village (T56c) 4. Cornerstone* Montrose (m) 5. Castle Pines Castle Rock (T68m) 6. Country Club of the Rockies Edwards (m) 7. Maroon Creek Aspen (m) 8. Glacier Club (Mountain) Durango (m) Advertisement 9. Frost Creek Eagle (m) 10. Roaring Fork Club Basalt (m) Connecticut's best private golf courses 1. Yale Golf Course New Haven (T67c) 2. Tamarack Greenwich (T108c) 3. Stanwich Club Greenwich (T108m) 4. Country Club of Fairfield Fairfield (T117c) 5. Bull's Bridge South Kent (m) Delaware's best private golf courses 1. Bidermann Wilmington (m) 2. Wilmington Country Club (South) Wilmington (T191m) 3. Fieldstone Greenville (m) 4. The Peninsula Millsboro (m) 5. DuPont Country Club (DuPont) Wilmington (c) Florida's best private golf courses Seminole Golf Club in Florida 1. Seminole Juno Beach (12c) 2. Calusa Pines Naples (T24m) 3. Panther National* Palm Beach Gardens (29m) Advertisement 4. Dye Course at White Oak Yulee (67m) 5. Mountain Lake Lake Wales (T72c) T6. Belleair Country Club (West) Belleair (T80c) T6. Indian Creek Miami Beach (c) 8. John's Island Club (West) Vero Beach (80m) T9. The Bear's Club Jupiter (T89m) T9. Jupiter Hills (Hills) Tequesta (T89m) 11. Loblolly Hobe Sound (95m) 12. McArthur Hobe Sound (m) 13. Naples National Naples (T103m) 14. Medalist Hobe Sound (T119m) 15. Pablo Creek Jacksonville (m) 16. Pine Tree Boynton Beach (T125m) T17. RedStick* Vero Beach (m) T17. High Ridge Lantana (T132m) 19. Trump International West Palm Beach West Palm Beach (T143m) 20. Coral Creek Club Placida (T146m) Georgia's best private golf courses 1. Augusta National Augusta (3c) Advertisement 2. Peachtree Atlanta (T18c) 3. Ohoopee Match Club Cobbtown (4m) T4. Augusta Country Club Augusta (T85c) T4. East Lake Atlanta (T85c) 6. Ocean Forest Sea Island (T108m) 7. Cherokee Town & Country Club (North) Dunwoody (T117c) 8. Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands) Johns Creek (129m) T9. Lookout Mountain Club Lookout Mountain (T126c) T9. Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee Eatonton (T132m) 11. Atlanta Country Club Marietta (T157m) 12. Frederica St. Simons Island (T170m) 13. Ford Field & River Club Richmond Hill (182m) T14. The Farm Rocky Face (m) T14. Hawk's Ridge* Ball Ground (T189m) Hawaii's best private golf courses 1. Nanea Kona (18m) Advertisement 2. Kukio Golf & Beach Club* Kailua-Kona (m) 3. Kohanaiki Kailua-Kona (m) 4. Kukui'ula Koloa (T170m) 5. Hokulia Kailua-Kona (m) Idaho's best private golf courses Tributary in Idaho 1. Gozzer Ranch Harrison (T37m) 2. Tributary Driggs (T100m) 3. Whitetail McCall (m) 4. Golf Club at Black Rock Coeur d'Alene (m) 5. CDA National Reserve Coeur d'Alene (T197m) Illinois's best private golf courses 1. Chicago Golf Club Wheaton (8c) 2. Shoreacres Lake Bluff (22c) 3. Medinah Country Club (No. 3) Medinah (T22m) 4. Old Elm Highland Park (T49c) 5. Beverly Chicago (T56c) 6. Butler National Oak Brook (T50m) 7. Olympia Fields (North) Olympia Fields (T78c) 8. Skokie Glencoe (T91c) Advertisement 9. Black Sheep Sugar Grove (T108m) 10. Conway Farms Lake Forest (T157m) 11. Olympia Fields (South) Olympia Fields (T152c) 12. Bob O'Link Highland Park (T161c) 13. Glen View Club Golf (c) 14. Onwentsia Club Lake Forest (T175c) 15. Rich Harvest Farms Sugar Grove (m) Indiana's best private golf courses 1. Victoria National Newburgh (T53m) 2. Crooked Stick Carmel (T76m) 3. Culver Academies Culver (98c) 4. Sycamore Hills Fort Wayne (m) 5. Club at Holliday Farms Zionsville (m) Iowa's best private golf courses 1. Davenport Pleasant Valley (T67c) 2. Harvester Rhodes (T84m) 3. Cedar Rapids Country Club Cedar Rapids (94c) 4. Wakonda Club Des Moines (c) Advertisement 5. Des Moines Golf & Country Club (North) West Des Moines (m) Kansas's best private golf courses 1. Prairie Dunes Hutchinson (13c) 2. Flint Hills National Andover (T103m) 3. Wolf Creek Olathe (T191m) 4. Hallbrook Leawood (m) 5. Kansas City Country Club Mission Hills (c) Kentucky's best private golf courses 1. Valhalla Louisville (T65m) 2. Idle Hour Lexington (T163c) 3. Olde Stone Bowling Green (m) 4. Hurstbourne Louisville (m) 5. Audubon Louisville (c) Louisiana's best private golf courses 1. Squire Creek Choudrant (m) 2. Country Club of Louisiana Baton Rouge (m) 3. New Orleans Country Club New Orleans (c) 4. Metairie Country Club Metairie (c) Advertisement 5. University Club Baton Rouge (m) Maine's best private golf courses 1. Portland Country Club Falmouth (c) 2. Prouts Neck Scarborough (c) 3. York Golf & Tennis Club York (c) 4. Woodlands Club Falmouth (m) Maryland's best private golf courses T1. Baltimore Country Club (East) Timonium (T46c) T1. Congressional (Blue) Bethesda (T46c) 3. Burning Tree Bethesda (113c) 4. TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm Potomac (118m) 5. Woodmont (North) Rockville (c) 6. Caves Valley Owings Mill (T132m) 7. Columbia Chevy Chase (166c) 8. Chevy Chase Country Club Chevy Chase (c) 9. Four Streams Beallsville (m) 10. Congressional (Gold) Bethesda (m) Massachusetts' best private golf courses 1. The Country Club (Composite) Brookline (T24c) Advertisement 2. Myopia Hunt Club Hamilton (T30c) T3. Eastward Ho! Chatham (T41c) T3. Essex Manchester-by-the-Sea (T41c) 5. Boston Golf Club Hingham (T32m) 6. Old Sandwich Golf Club Plymouth (36m) 7. Kittansett Club Marion (51c) 8. Sankaty Head Siasconset (90c) 9. Salem Country Club Peabody (T91c) 10. Whitinsville Golf Club Whitinsville (95c) 11. Worcester Country Club Worcester (T117c) 12. Taconic Williamstown (122c) 13. Winchester Country Club Winchester (131c) 14. Nantucket Golf Club Siasconset (T166m) 15. Hyannisport Club Hyannis Port (T146c) Michigan's best private golf courses Kingsley Club in Michigan (Courtesy of Kingsley Club/Laurence Lambrecht) 1. Crystal Downs Frankfort (14c) 2. Oakland Hills (South) Bloomfield Hills (23c) Advertisement 3. Kingsley Club Kingsley (T37m) 4. Dunes Club New Buffalo (56m) 5. Franklin Hills Franklin (T80c) 6. Lost Dunes Bridgman (T139m) 7. Meadowbrook Northville (T132c) 8. Orchard Lake Country Club Orchard Lake (T135c) 9. Indianwood (Old) Lake Orion (T140c) 10. Barton Hills Ann Arbor (T146c) 11. Wuskowhan Player's Club West Olive (m) 12. True North Harbor Springs (m) 13. Bloomfield Hills Country Club Bloomfield Hills (c) T14. Point O'Woods Benton Harbor (c) T14. LochenHeath* Williamsburg (m) Minnesota's best private golf courses 1. Interlachen Edina (66c) 2. Spring Hill Wayzata (T53m) 3. Minikahda Club Minneapolis (T78c) 4. Hazeltine National Chaska (T84m) Advertisement 5. White Bear Yacht Club White Bear Lake (T88c) 6. Windsong Farm Independence (T149m) 7. Somerset Mendola Heights (c) 8. Northland Duluth (T168c) 9. Minneapolis Golf Club St. Louis Park (c) 10. Somerby Golf Club Byron (m) Mississippi's best private golf courses 1. Hattiesburg Country Club Hattiesburg (c) 2. Annandale Madison (m) 3. Reunion Madison (m) 4. Laurel Country Club Laurel (c) 5. Country Club of Jackson Jackson (m) Missouri's best private golf courses 1. St. Louis Country Club St. Louis (T152c) 2. Bellerive St. Louis (T116m) 3. Old Warson Ladue (c) 4. Norwood Hills (West) St. Louis (c) 5. Oakwood Country Club* Kansas City (T185c) Montana's best private golf courses 1. Rock Creek Cattle Company Deer Lodge (16m) Advertisement 2. The Stock Farm Hamilton (m) 3. Yellowstone Club* Big Sky (m) 4. Yellowstone Country Club Billings (m) 5. Moonlight Basin (Reserve) Big Sky (T122m) Nebraska's best private golf courses 1. Sand Hills Mullen (1m) 2. CapRock Ranch Valentine (T13m) 3. GrayBull* Maxwell (m) 4. Lost Rail Gretna (94m) 5. Dismal River Club (Red) Mullen (115m) Nevada's best private golf courses 1. Clear Creek Tahoe Carson City (m) 2. The Summit Club* Las Vegas (m) 3. Southern Highlands Las Vegas (T132m) 4. TPC Summerlin Las Vegas (T197m) 5. Montreux Reno (m) New Hampshire's best private golf courses 1. Bald Peak Colony Club Melvin Village (c) 2. Baker Hill Newbury (m) Advertisement 3. Manchester Bedford (c) 4. Lake Sunapee New London (c) 5. Nashua Nashua (c) New Jersey's best private golf courses 1. Pine Valley Golf Cub Pine Valley (2c) 2. Somerset Hills Bernardsville (21c) 3. Plainfield Edison (T32c) 4. Baltusrol (Lower) Springfield (T36c) 5. Hollywood Deal (T52c) 6. Baltusrol (Upper) Springfield (61c) 7. Ridgewood (Championship) Paramus (T62c) 8. Galloway National Galloway Township (m) 9. Bayonne Golf Club Bayonne (79m) 10. Mountain Ridge West Caldwell (101c) 11. Essex County Country Club West Orange (T106c) 12. Hidden Creek Egg Harbor Township (T146m) 13. Trump National Bedminster (New)* Bedminster (m) Advertisement 14. Trump National Bedminster (Old) Bedminster (T166m) 15. Due Process Stable Colt's Neck (m) New Mexico's best private golf courses 1. Las Campanas (Sunset) Santa Fe (m) 2. Rainmakers Alto (m) 3. Las Campanas (Sunrise) Santa Fe (m) 4. Alto Golf Estates (Outlaw)* Alto (m) 5. Canyon Club at Four Hills Albuquerque (m) New York's best private golf courses Friar's Head in New York 1. Shinnecock Hills Southampton (4c) 2. National Golf Links of America Southampton (5c) 3. Fishers Island Club Fishers Island (9c) 4. Friar's Head Baiting Hollow (2m) 5. Winged Foot (West) Mamaroneck (16c) 6. Maidstone Club East Hampton (T24c) 7. Sebonack Southampton (11m) 8. Garden City Golf Club Garden City (27c) Advertisement 9. Sleepy Hollow Scarborough (T30c) 10. Winged Foot (East) Mamaroneck (T32c) 11. Oak Hill (East) Rochester (35c) 12. Piping Rock Locust Valley (38c) 13. Quaker Ridge Scarsdale (40c) 14. Creek Club Locust Valley (T59c) 15. St. George's Setauket (T67c) 16. Glens Falls Queensbury (T72c) 17. Country Club of Buffalo Williamsville (T74c) 18. Fenway Scarsdale (77c) 19. Hudson National Croton-on-Hudson (T76m) 20. Atlantic Golf Club Bridgehampton (m) North Carolina's best private golf courses 1. Old Town Club Winston-Salem (15c) 2. Wade Hampton Club Cashiers (T7m) T3. Quail Hollow Club Charlotte (T58m) T3. Diamond Creek Banner Elk (T58m) Advertisement 5. Mountaintop Cashiers (T73m) 6. Roaring Gap Club Roaring Gap (T80c) 7. Grandfather (Championship) Linville (T81m) 8. Eagle Point Wilmington (86m) 9. Charlotte Country Club Charlotte (T99c) 10. Biltmore Forest Asheville (116c) 11. Linville Ridge Linville (m) 12. Champion Hills Hendersonville (T157m) 13. Dormie Club West End (T170m) 14. Cape Fear Wilmington (T152c) 15. Country Club of North Carolina (Dogwood) Pinehurst (T191m) North Dakota's best private golf courses 1. Fargo Country Club Fargo (c) 2. Oxbow Country Club Oxbow (m) 3. Apple Creek Bismarck (c) 4. Grand Forks Country Club Grand Forks (m) Ohio's best private golf courses 1. Muirfield Village Dublin (T7m) Advertisement 2. Camargo Club Indian Hill (28c) 3. The Golf Club New Albany (T20) 4. Inverness Club Toledo (48c) 5. Scioto Columbus (T54c) 6. Moraine Dayton (T67c) 7. Brookside Canton (84c) 8. Canterbury Beachwood (87c) 9. The Country Club Pepper Pike (T96c) 10. NCR Country Club (South) Kettering (T99c) 11. Kirtland Willoughby (T104c) 12. Double Eagle Galena (106m) 13. Pepper Pike Club Pepper Pike (c) 14. Sand Ridge Chardon (m) 15. Westbrook* Mansfield (c) Oklahoma's best private golf courses Southern Hills in Oklahoma 1. Southern Hills Tulsa (T32c) 2. Oak Tree National Edmond (61m) 3. The Patriot Owasso (121m) 4. Oaks* Tulsa (c) 5. Twin Hills Oklahoma City (c) Oregon's best private golf courses 1. Eugene Country Club Eugene (T112m) 2. Waverley Portland (130c) 3. Pronghorn (Fazio) Bend (T143m) 4. Pumpkin Ridge (Witch Hollow) North Plains (m) 5. Columbia Edgewater Portland (c) 6. Awbrey Glen* Bend (m) 7. Bend Golf Club Bend (c) 8. Astoria Warrenton (c) 9. Portland Golf Club Portland (c) 10. Illahe Hill Salem (m) Pennsylvania's best private golf courses 1. Oakmont Country Club Oakmont (6c) 2. Merion (East) Ardmore (7c) 3. Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon) Flourtown (45c) 4. Fox Chapel Pittsburgh (64c) 5. Aronimink Newtown Square (65c) 6. Lancaster Country Club Lancaster (76c) 7. Laurel Valley Ligonier (T80c) 8. Country Club of Scranton Clarks Summit (T96c) 9. Gulph Mills King of Prussia (T106c) 10. Stonewall (Old) Elverson (T125m) 11. Rolling Green Springfield (125c) 12. Huntingdon Valley Huntingdon Valley (T132c) 13. Saucon Valley (Old) Bethlehem (T135c) 14. Applebrook Malvern (T149m) T15. Kahkwa Club Erie (c) T15. Pittsburgh Field Club Pittsburgh (T137c) 17. Manufacturers Fort Washington (T140c) 18. Sunnehanna* Johnstown (144c) 19. Saucon Valley (Weyhill) Bethlehem (T176m) 20. Longue Vue Verona (145c) Rhode Island's best private golf courses 1. Newport Country Club Newport (58c) 2. Wannamoisett Rumford (T62c) 3. Shelter Harbor Westerly (T71m) 4. Misquamicut Westerly (T88c) 5. Sakonnet Little Compton (c) South Carolina's best private golf courses 1. Old Barnwell* Aiken (T24m) 2. Yeaman's Hall Charleston (44c) 3. Congaree Ridgeland (T27m) 4. Tree Farm* Batesburg (T40m) 5. Cherokee Plantation Yemassee (m) 6. Sage Valley Graniteville (T58m) 7. Long Cove Hilton Head Island (T71m) 8. Secession Gibbes Island (m) 9. Palmetto Aiken (T104c) 10. Colleton River (Pete Dye) Bluffton (T112m) 11. Kiawah Island Club (Cassique) Kiawah Island (T149m) 12. Spring Island (Old Tabby Links) Okatie (T157m) T13. Greenville Country Club (Chanticleer) Greenville (m) T13. Cliffs at Mountain Park Travelers Rest (T163m) 15. Kiawah Island Club (River Course) Kiawah Island (T179m) South Dakota's best private golf courses 1. Sutton Bay Agar (70m) 2. Minnehaha Sioux Falls (c) 3. Dakota Dunes Country Club Dakota Dunes (m) 4. The Country Club of Sioux Falls* Sioux Falls (c) Tennessee's best private golf courses 1. Honors Course Ooltewah (T22m) 2. Holston Hills Knoxville (112c) 3. Golf Club of Tennessee Kingston Springs (T116m) 4. Spring Creek Ranch Collierville (m) 5. Black Creek Chattanooga (m) Texas' best private golf courses Whispering Pines in Texas 1. Whispering Pines Trinity (T37m) 2. Dallas National Dallas (48m) 3. TXO (formerly Wolf Point Ranch) Port Lavaca (m) 4. Brook Hollow Dallas (c) 5. Bluejack National Montgomery (T87m) 6. Austin Golf Club Spicewood (T103m) 7. Spanish Oaks Bee Cave (T119m) 8. Colonial Fort Worth (T126c) T9. Austin Country Club Austin (T139m) T9. Boot Ranch Fredericksburg (T139m) 11. Trinity Forest Dallas (T149m) 12. Escondido Horseshoe Bay (T170m) 13. Club at Carlton Woods (Fazio Championship) The Woodlands (m) 14. Maridoe Golf Club* Carrollton (m) 15. Oak Hills San Antonio (T183c) Utah's best private golf courses 1. Victory Ranch Kamas (m) 2. Glenwild Park City (m) 3. Promontory (Painted Valley) Park City (m) 4. The Country Club Salt Lake City (c) 5. Entrada at Snow Canyon St. George (m) Vermont's best private golf courses 1. Ekwanok Manchester (T91c) 2. Country Club of Vermont Waterbury Center (m) 3. Burlington Country Club Burlington (c) 4. Rutland Country Club Rutland (c) 5. Vermont National South Burlington (m) Virginia's best private golf courses 1. Kinloch Manakin-Sabot (T32m) 2. Robert Trent Jones Golf Club Lake Manassas (47m) 3. Olde Farm Bristol (T92m) 4. Trump National Washington D.C. (Championship) Potomac Falls (m) 5. Bayville Virginia Beach (m) 6. River Bend Great Falls (m) 7. Country Club of Virginia (James River) Richmond (c) 8. Governor's Land at Two Rivers Williamsburg (m) 9. Ballyhack* Roanoke (m) 10. Cutalong Mineral (m) Washington's best private golf courses Aldarra in Washington 1. Aldarra Sammamish (T163m) 2. Sahalee (South/North) Sammamish (T185m) 3. Seattle Golf Club Seattle (c) 4. Suncadia (Tumble Creek) Roslyn (m) 5. Tacoma Golf & Country Club Lakeland (c) West Virginia's best private golf courses 1. Pikewood National Morgantown (T20m) 2. Pete Dye Golf Club Bridgeport (64m) 3. Greenbrier Sporting Club (Snead) White Sulphur Springs (m) 4. Williams Weirton (c) 5. Wheeling Country Club Wheeling (c) Wisconsin's best private golf courses 1. Milwaukee Country Club Milwaukee (T54c) 2. Blue Mound Wauwatosa (T108c) 3. Pine Hills Sheboygan (T180c) 4. Oneida Green Bay (c) 5. Green Bay Country Club Green Bay (m) Wyoming's best private golf courses 1. Shooting Star Teton Village (T50m) 2. Snake River Sporting Club Jackson (m) 3. Devils Tower Hulett (m) 4. Three Creek Ranch Jackson (Modern) This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Golfweek's Best 2025: Top-ranked private golf courses in every state
Los Angeles Times
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Prep baseball: West Ranch defeats Mater Dei to capture Southern Section Division 2 title
It was a night when gnats came out by the hundreds at Cal State Fullerton's Goodwin Field. Fans swatted them away. Players endured. 'In my ears, on my eyes,' said West Ranch pitcher Hunter Manning of the insect invasion. 'You have to keep going.' After 101 pitches in the Southern Section Division 2 championship game Saturday night, Manning celebrated by catching a pop fly for the final out with runners on second and third to close out a 2-1 win over Mater Dei and finish his senior season with a 10-0 pitching record as he heads off to UC Irvine. It was the final game for coach Ryan Lindgreen, who is stepping down to devote more time to his three young children. Like last season when Hart coach Jim Ozella ended his coaching career with a Division 2 championship, Lindgreen got to celebrate the same way. West Ranch has decided not to play in next week's Southern California regionals. Errors got Mater Dei in trouble from the beginning, when a dropped fly ball off a hit by leadoff batter Landon Hu led to a West Ranch run in the first inning. Then a throwing error on a ground ball set up an RBI single by Ryan Oh in the fourth for a 2-0 lead. Manning was in control for much of the game. He retired the first nine batters in order and finished with six strikeouts and no walks. But a one out error in the seventh gave Mater Dei an opening as Manning began to tire. Bradley Beaudreau singled and Brady Guth hit an RBI single to make it 2-1. After a fly out, Mater Dei had the tying and winning runs at second and third. On a 3-and-1 count to CJ Ciampa, Manning caught a pop up between home and first, launching the West Ranch celebratory dogpile. This team had two no-hitters in the playoffs and a walk-off hit from Ty Diaz in the semifinals to come away with the first championship in school history. Manning also gets bragging rights in the family. His uncle, Pat, was a top player at Mater Dei in 1999 and teammate of Mater Dei coach Richard Mercado. Glendora 2, San Dimas 0: Aaron Jacobsen delivered two doubles and the pitching duo of Tanner Gable and Brayden Johnson combined for the shutout in the Division 3 championship game. Johnson threw the final 3⅔ innings, allowing one hit with two strikeouts and no walks. Santiago Garza had three hits. Estancia 4, Pasadena Marshall 3: A three-run triple by Jake Humphries in the bottom of the seventh inning wiped out a 3-1 deficit and gave Estancia the Division 6 championship.
Los Angeles Times
01-06-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Jake rakes walk-off as Estancia baseball wins second CIF championship
FULLERTON — The Estancia High baseball team has held tightly onto the belief all season that hard work could mean eventual success. It started with the first game of the season, a 15-3 loss to Woodbridge that veteran coach Nate Goellrich called 'ugly, putting it nicely.' 'We went down the line after the game and I told the guys that was going to define our year,' Goellrich said. 'We can either work to get better, or it was just going to be a lost year. To their credit, man, they worked hard.' Like the season itself, the most important game of the campaign also didn't start well. Estancia gave up three runs in the top of the first inning to Pasadena Marshall on Saturday in the CIF Southern Section Division 6 championship game. Undeterred, senior starting pitcher Vaughn McCrea and junior reliever Lincoln Silva shut out Marshall the rest of the way. In the bottom of the seventh, things set up for senior Jake Humphries to be the hero. The only remaining player from the program's first CIF title team in 2022 delivered, stroking a bases-loaded triple to deep right field to score three and help Estancia earn a 4-3 victory. 'This title means everything,' Humphries said. 'This team had so much perseverance. We had a good season, but man, we got kicked down so many times. But it's about how many times we got right back up. It's amazing.' Marshall (20-7-1), which shares the Eagle mascot with Estancia, jumped out to the lead in the opening frame. The designated visitors scored three unearned runs after Trevor Lam reached on a one-out infield error. Nate Callaway's double brought him home, then a single by Ben Muro scored two more runs. Estancia (20-13) answered with a run in the bottom of the second, courtesy of a two-out rally. Carlos Hauser drew a full-count walk, then No. 9 hitter Athan Perez followed with a single to right. The lineup flipped and leadoff hitter Miles Dodge roped a double to right-center to bring home Perez. That was all Estancia would get off Marshall ace pitcher and senior left-hander Caleb Thatcher. He threw 5 ⅔ innings, allowing the lone run on four hits. He walked four and struck out 10. The score stayed the same until the bottom of the seventh. McCrea, bound for Lewis and Clark University in Oregon, kept Marshall at bay for the rest of the game until departing with two outs in the top of that frame. 'It was just a journey,' McCrea said of the season. 'We were projected to finish last in league and we just won CIF. It's a big switch-up from what everybody thought.' Silva allowed a double to left to Callaway in the seventh, but a Marshall pinch-runner was easily out at home, with Estancia junior catcher Sawyer Atkinson supplying the tag. Goellrich joked that Silva was a 'super vulture' in the playoffs, earning three wins in each game that McCrea started, also including the opening 10-8 win over Alhambra and a walk-off, nine inning 4-3 win over Pacifica Christian in the Division 6 quarterfinals. The CIF quarterfinals, semifinals and title game all ended with the same 4-3 score and Estancia on top. On Saturday, Estancia immediately put pressure on Marshall in the bottom of the seventh. No. 2 hitter Jacob Ramirez led off with a single to right and Atkinson walked. Cleanup hitter Nico Viramontes, who had previously been hit by a pitch twice in the game, poked a single to shallow right-center to load the bases with nobody out. Callaway, the Marshall relief pitcher, quickly got to an 0-and-2 count on Humphries. But Humphries battled back with the walk-off triple over the right-fielder's head on a 2-and-2 count four pitches later. The ball rolled to the base of the wall. 'I knew the wind was blowing out all game, and I saw him running in and I thought this might have a chance,' said Humphries, who also had the walk-off hit against Pacifica Christian. 'I was screaming, 'Get over his head,' and what do you know, it went over his head. Having the boys rally was amazing.' Viramontes slid across the plate with the winning run, setting off a wild celebration. Estancia had clinched the title in dramatic fashion, as it did when it edged Anaheim 2-1 in 11 innings for the Division 6 crown in 2022. 'It's been amazing,' said Viramontes, who is also 9-0 on the mound. 'I don't think I could ask for any better ride than this. We fought hard for this, and I feel like we deserve it by the way we played. This group of guys is special. We never back down to anyone … I feel like when we have pressure on us is when we're most powerful, and we just showed it right there.' Dodge finished with a pair of hits for Estancia, which earned its second CIF title in four years in Goellrich's second stint as head coach. He was also head coach from 2011-2017, before returning in 2021, turning a fifth-place in league team from the year before into the program's first CIF titlist. Now Estancia has doubled up. Goellrich said each championship was special in its own right, and that he's proud that Estancia did it with neighborhood kids. 'We've got the private schools around us that try to take our best players, and we've got the public schools that act like private schools that try to take our best players,' Goellrich said. 'My first stint as head coach and now, I want people that want to be here. These guys are here, and we work hard with what we've got. We've got a successful program, and that's all we can ask for. 'If you don't want to win CIF championships, then don't come to Estancia, right?' Estancia will now compete in the CIF State Southern California Regional Playoffs, which begins with games on Tuesday, June 3. When the Eagles won their first CIF Southern Section title in 2022, they also earned a regional crown. 'We've got our banquet [Sunday], practice Monday and we'll get ready for Tuesday,' Goellrich said.
Los Angeles Times
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Estancia baseball back in CIF final after another one-run victory
Everything has fallen into place at the best moment imaginable for Estancia's baseball team, which heads into this weekend's CIF Southern Section finals on a six-game roll and a second title in four seasons in sight. The Eagles, a most uncertain prospect back in February, have emerged from a roller coaster campaign that hadn't gone as desired before the playoffs began two Fridays ago steeled by missed opportunities, fused as championship teams should be, and filled with expectation. Estancia (19-13) rode Nico Viramontes' outside fastball and a growing knack for two-out heroics in Tuesday afternoon's semifinal victory over Rancho Mirage, pulling out another tense 4-3 triumph to set up Saturday's 1 p.m. Division 6 title-game showdown with Marshall (20-6-1) at Cal State Fullerton's Goodwin Field. Viramontes (9-0) surrendered two hits and one unearned run while working out of several jams over six innings and the Eagles twice responded quickly to the visitors' forays to go ahead. 'Our stats are not pretty,' head coach Nate Goellrich said. 'Our batting average is the second-worst batting average in my [14-year] history here. Our team ERA is the second-worst. But we've come together as a group. The chemistry works. We respond when we're down, and all that is is heart. And the ability to understand that they can do it and have faith in themselves, have faith in each other. That's the big thing. 'They've come together at the right time. And that's what you need in the playoffs is that. And can't ask for anything else out of the guys.' Estancia turned a two-run deficit into a 3-2 advantage behind back-to-back run-scoring doubles from Sawyer Atkinson and Viramontes, then Vaughn McCrea's two-out RBI single in the the third. The Eagles answered the Rattlers' audacious tying run in the fifth with a two-out rally in the bottom half of the inning, bringing home Sean Sweeney on Carlos Hauser's single to right field. McCrea got the save with the tying run at third on Jacob Ramirez's racing, diving catch on a dipping fly to shallow left field. 'I'm at a loss of words right now,' said Viramontes, who fell behind after an error gifted Rancho Mirage (18-13) two runs in the top of the third but twice escaped innings unscathed with runners in scoring position. 'We've always dreamed for this, and we worked really hard for it, so it's a great feeling.' This run, one marked by a first-round stand as Alhambra rallied and last week's down-to-the-last-out, extra-inning quarterfinal thriller with Pacifica Christian, followed back-to-back, one-run, late-inning losses a month ago to Coast League champion Century, the first with a piece of the league title within reach. That was, Atkinson noted, 'not the outcome we wanted.' 'It made us want to win this even more,' Viramontes said. 'That's what we're doing right now, showing that we deserve to win this.' Said Atkinson: 'I don't think any of us thought it would go this far. But here we are.' It came down to a series of battles with Rattlers talisman Kobee Finnikin, their only All-CIF honoree after reaching the semifinals last year. He went two for three, was on base four times, scored twice and stole three bases: second, third and home in succession, the last 90 feet for a sixth-inning tie with a two-out dart as Atkinson, Estancia's catcher, tossed the ball back to Viramontes. The Eagles twice duped Finnikin into taking off early, both times from second base, with Viramontes in the first inning and McCrea in the seventh delaying their motions and catching the Cal Baptist-bound shortstop on the basepath. Rancho Mirage had two on with one out the second time. 'We knew coming in their leadoff guy was a little bit undisciplined on the bases,' Goellrich said. 'We knew we could take advantage of that. And that was huge for us. Two spaghetti moves, picking him off, taking that away. That's a lot of their offense.' Rattlers head coach David Shaw had no regrets. 'We live with his energy and his reads,' he said. 'It's something we will definitely learn from, but I don't ever second-guess that kid. He's our fire.' Estancia's two-out acumen was pivotal. The Eagles put seven runners on base after the second out, five into scoring position, and, with McCrea's and Hauser's singles, brought two of them home. 'It's something coaches pounded in on us, working with two outs, finding a way on,' Atkinson said. 'That's been a thing all year. We just keep finding our way on with two outs, and that's what makes our team. That's what gets us the wins, you know?' Goellrich said he's 'pretty sure about 80% our runs in the playoffs are with two outs.' 'That just shows the heart, the character of these guys,' he said. 'We have that next-guy mentality, and they really bought into that philosophy. So an inning's never over.' The Eagles will take that approach into Saturday's final. 'Baseball is the toughest championship to win, right?' Goellrich said. 'We told our guys, even coming into the playoffs, you're here, go out and win. See what happens. And so for us to be there the second time in four years is huge. But we're not satisfied. We'll go out and give us our best shot. And, you know, the goal will be [to go] 1-0. 'Just go 1-0 that day. Doesn't matter how. Doesn't need to be pretty. A win's a win.'
Los Angeles Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
Estancia baseball walks off against Pacifica Christian, advances to CIF semifinals
Estancia High baseball senior Jake Humphries is the last remaining player on the roster from the Eagles' 2022 CIF championship team. Humphries was a bench guy as a freshman on that squad; his older brother Tyler playing a bigger role. Still, there is something to be said for having that kind of experience when making one last run. When he saw a 2-and-0 hanging curveball in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday, Humphries knew exactly what to do with it. 'You've got runners at the corners,' he said after the game. 'All you've got to do is just poke something, get something to the outfield, allow your team to have a fighting chance really.' Humphries laced a single over the shortstop and into the outfield, scoring junior teammate Sawyer Atkinson from third base and starting a wild celebration on the Estancia baseball diamond. The Eagles had rallied for a 4-3 win over next-door neighbor Pacifica Christian Orange County in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs. Estancia (18-13) will stay at home to face Rancho Mirage in a Division 6 semifinal game on Tuesday. The team graduated a senior-laden squad a year ago, and Humphries is one of just four seniors this year, but Estancia again finds itself in the final four. 'We're not going to rebuild,' said Eagles coach Nate Goellrich, whose team finished second in the Coast League. 'People were saying that around us, but we were just saying that we were retooling all year. So for us to qualify for playoffs and now being in the semifinals, credit to the seniors, credit to the kids for just buying in. Our expectation is that we're going to win, and we've been fortunate to do that so far.' Pacifica Christian (14-12), in just its fourth varsity year, has also gotten used to winning. The Tritons made the Division 8 title game a year ago. They were close to knocking out the Eagles on Friday. The visitors took a 3-0 lead in the third inning, with Taisen Morishita, Blake Hayes and Scout Escobedo all crossing the plate. Morishita scored on a wild pitch, while John Coopman's sacrifice fly and a single to center by Luke Miller plated the other runs. Tritons starting pitcher Jon Stone was cruising, but Estancia answered with a pair of unearned runs in the fourth, as Atkinson and Nico Viramontes both walked to lead off the inning and came around to score. Jon Stone went four innings for Pacifica Christian, allowing just one hit, and he was followed by Josiah Miller and Carter Canada on the mound. 'Josiah hasn't pitched in weeks, and he came out and battled for us,' said first-year Pacifica Christian head coach Beau Amaral, a former Huntington Beach High and UCLA standout who played six seasons in the Cincinnati Reds organization. 'I was really proud of him for that. Carter coming in, he's a freshman. I couldn't be more proud of our guys. It's not the outcome we wanted, but they battled.' Amaral's father Rich went to Estancia before a 10-year career in Major League Baseball. He had his Estancia jersey retired and currently works as a scout for the Baltimore Orioles. 'He couldn't make it today,' Beau Amaral said. 'He's out in North Carolina right now.' Dad's alma mater ended up with the victory. Down to its last out, Estancia evened the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh, with Atkinson's two-out double off the left-field wall scoring Athan Perez. Goellrich said as Atkinson goes, so Estancia's offense goes. 'I thought it was out,' the Eagles junior said of the seventh-inning smash. 'I was seeing the ball well all day long, I just was having trouble sitting back on my back leg. I was kind of lunging forward. The pitcher had some [velocity] on him, so I was just thinking sit back and drive from there.' The clutch hit set the stage for the ninth inning heroics for Estancia. Senior pitcher Vaughn McCrea went eight innings for the Eagles before junior Lincoln Silva got the win in relief, throwing a scoreless ninth inning. Humphries said he's glad Estancia will be back at home Tuesday for the semifinals. 'We grew up our whole life in Costa Mesa, and we didn't transfer out or go to any special school,' he said of himself and his teammates. 'We stayed at our hometown school, and it's really cool to see everyone who watched us from T-ball all the way up just stay in the same environment. I feel like it's just a really cool thing to see the community come together.' Fountain Valley 5, Torrance 2: Senior Logan Hunt pitched five shutout innings for the Barons in Friday's Division 2 playoff quarterfinal game on the road. Tyler Peshke, Drake Robinson and Josh Grack each had a pair of hits for Fountain Valley (18-13), which took a 5-0 lead into the seventh inning. Anthony Zamora and Isaac Lomeli each drove in a run. Fountain Valley will play at Mater Dei in a Division 2 semifinal game Tuesday. The Barons will be attempting to advance to their first CIF title game since 1996. Glendora 2, Costa Mesa 1: The Mustangs' season ended in the quarterfinals of the Division 3 playoffs Friday at Costa Mesa High. Pitchers Troy Simmonds and Will Morales combined to yield no earned runs for Costa Mesa, while Wylan Rottschafer was one for three with a double and run batted in. Golden West League champion Costa Mesa finished the season 24-7, the 24 wins representing a single-season program record.
