Prep talk: Four players to watch for Southern Section Division 1 baseball semifinals

There’s no holding back for Tuesday’s Southern Section Division 1 baseball semifinals. The quarterfinals were full of drama and close games. Now comes the real fun: Ace vs. ace, top team vs. top team.

It will be St. John Bosco hosting Corona on its new field and Santa Margarita hosting Crespi. Here’s four players who could be difference makers:

Jackson Eisenhauer, Crespi. He started the season without allowing any earned runs in 51 innings. He missed Crespi’s 2023 Division 2 championship season because of an injury. He throws strikes, has a sweeping curveball and is cool under pressure.

Brennan Bauer, Santa Margarita. He has the most pitching wins in school history, going 22-4. He’s good whether starting or relieving and will be needed at some point in a game that figures to be close and nerve-wracking.

Anthony Murphy, Corona. The junior center fielder and lead-off batter has come on strong, batting .426 with a team high 11 home runs on a team filled with pro prospects. The only time the 28-2 Panthers have lost were by shutouts, so you either deal with Murphy or go down to defeat. Corona has 16 shutout victories and will have Seth Hernandez (18-0 in two years) on the mound.

Noah Everly, St. John Bosco. The junior is batting .361 with three home runs and 26 RBIs. He also can pitch. When he has a big day at the plate, the Trinity League champs are tough to beat and he’ll need to do something against Hernandez and his 98 mph fastball.

The winners advance to the championship game at Cal State Fullerton to be Friday or Saturday.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.