High School Baseball Teams Transition Back to League Play After Ryan Lemmon Invitational

Squads from Orange County return to conference matchups after competing in prestigious tournament

Apr. 7, 2026 at 1:22am

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A cubist-inspired painting featuring overlapping geometric shapes and planes of bright orange, blue, and green, conceptually representing the dynamic action of a high school baseball game.The vibrant, fragmented visual style captures the energy and competitive spirit of high school baseball as teams return to league play after the Ryan Lemmon Invitational tournament.Tustin Today

After participating in the Ryan Lemmon Invitational at the Great Park, several Orange County high school baseball teams are now shifting their focus back to league play this week. Squads like Canyon, Woodbridge, and Northwood had mixed results in the tournament but are looking to build on their experiences as they return to conference matchups.

Why it matters

The Ryan Lemmon Invitational is a prestigious annual high school baseball tournament that draws top teams from across the region. How teams perform in this event can often set the tone for the rest of their league season, making the transition back to conference play an important stretch for these programs.

The details

Canyon finished the tournament with a 2-2 record, including a 6-4 win over Woodbridge. Comanches head coach Jason Smith was pleased with his team's consistency and believes they are ready to carry that into Freeway League play. Woodbridge struggled during the invitational, going 1-3, but coach Ryan Brucker is confident their strong pitching will keep them in games as they look to compete in the Pacific Coast League. Northwood made some positive strides, going 2-2 with wins over Chico and Downers Grove South, and now set their sights on a two-game series against Laguna Beach in Pacific Coast League action.

  • The Ryan Lemmon Invitational took place at the Great Park in early April 2026.
  • Canyon returns to Freeway League play on Tuesday, April 8th.
  • Woodbridge resumes Pacific Coast League competition with a two-game series against University starting on Wednesday, April 9th.
  • Northwood has a non-league game against Pacifica on Tuesday, April 8th, before facing Laguna Beach in Pacific Coast League play later in the week.

The players

Jason Smith

Head coach of the Canyon baseball team.

Cam Goetz

Player for the Canyon baseball team who had a strong performance in their tournament win over Woodbridge.

Ryan Brucker

Head coach of the Woodbridge baseball team.

Ben Owens

Head coach of the Northwood baseball team.

RJ Lan

Head coach of the St. Paul baseball team.

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What they’re saying

“Leaving the tournament 2-2 is good, good win today, we will take that going on our break and get ready to go into league next week.”

— Jason Smith, Head Coach, Canyon

“I feel like we as a whole we got more consistent and we kind of figured out what we have to do as a team to win some ball games.”

— Cam Goetz, Player, Canyon

“I like where we're at, our pitching is usually pretty good. It keeps us in games and if we can, down the stretch figure out how to compete a little better offensively, we will be right there.”

— Ryan Brucker, Head Coach, Woodbridge

“Hopefully we can continue that as we go into the back end of the season and find ways to win more ball games. We have back to back league games against Laguna Beach and we will see where we're at.”

— Ben Owens, Head Coach, Northwood

“This tournament was a great place for us to kind of get a reset.”

— RJ Lan, Head Coach, St. Paul

What’s next

The Comanches will host Crean Lutheran on Thursday, April 10th in the final game of their Freeway League series. Woodbridge and University will play the second game of their Pacific Coast League series on Friday, April 11th at Ryan Lemmon Stadium.

The takeaway

The transition back to league play after competing in the prestigious Ryan Lemmon Invitational will be an important stretch for these Orange County high school baseball teams as they look to build momentum and position themselves for success in their respective conference races.