Prep baseball: Clovis’ Gatewood, Buchanan’s Kemp on ALL-USA preseason team

Feb. 27--The latest national baseball honors for Clovis High'sJake Gatewood and Buchanan's Trenton Kemp have the pair making the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason High School Team.

California was represented by seven of the 20 players. There were also two each from Texas, Florida and Georgia and one from Louisiana, North Carolina, Virginia, Nebraska, Alabama, Oklahoma and Mississippi.

The California cast included infielder/outfielder/pitcher Gatewood and outfielder Kemp, who also made the recent CBS MaxPreps Preseason All-America Team along with Sanger pitcher Luis Ortiz.

Perfect Game has Ortiz, Gatewood and Kemp ranked Nos. 8, 9 and 40 as professional prospects among prep seniors nationally for all positions.

And Student Sports has Gatewood, Ortiz and Kemp ranked as the Nos. 1, 2 and 4 players in Northern California.

Gatewood has committed to USC, and Ortiz and Kemp each to Fresno State. But those schools will be fortunate to escape June's Major League Draft.

Gatewood and Kemp may go head-to-head for the first time this season this weekend at Clovis' Lloyd Merriman Field in the conclusion of the two-week Coca-Cola Classic, weather permitting.

If not then, they will clash at the same venue to open Tri-River Athletic Conference play at 6:30 p.m.March 12.

Clovis North, Buchanan, Clovis and Clovis West -- ranked Nos. 1-4 in the Central Section by The Bee -- were each 5-0 in the Coca-Cola Classic entering Wednesday's games.

Clovis North, Clovis and Buchanan are ranked Nos. 13, 16 and 43 nationally by Student Sports while Cal-Hi Sports has them Nos. 3-4-10 in its first state rankings.

Never in the history of section baseball has there been this number of individuals and teams ranked nationally in the same season.

The reporter can be reached at aboogaard@fresnobee.com or @beepreps on Twitter.

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