Springtime is in the air, and America's favorite pastime is beginning to blossom.

San Pedro, Mary Star and Port Of Los Angeles High baseball are all looking to make 2017 their year.

In the past, San Pedro won the CIF-Los Angeles City Section championship in 1992, and it remains to this day, the only non-San Fernando Valley based City title in the last four decades dating back to 1974. Mary Star reached a CIF-Southern Section final back in 2002, while POLA won their first CIF-LACS crown in 2014, nearly going back-to-back in 2015.

Going into the 2017 campaign for the three schools, San Pedro appears to be the top team to watch in spite of the struggles of 2016, both Mary Star and POLA have a lot of underclassmen. Here's a look at all three so you'll know what to expect this Spring.

SAN PEDRO (12-20 in 2016) - The Pirates did manage to go 6-4 in the Marine League, placing third, before bowing out in the second round of the CIF-LACS Division 1 playoffs to eventual champion El Camino Real of Woodland Hills after winning a first round play-in game at Sylmar.

Third year coach Steve Tedesco returns plenty of talent, including a deep pitching staff that features seniors Isaiah Bumgarner, David Barraza, Noah Ford and Vincent Pirozzi. Juniors Ryan Zamudio and Andrew Whatley are also capable on the mound. Experience shouldn't be an issue with San Pedro, as 20 out of their 21-player roster are either juniors or seniors.

Bumgarner, and juniors Matt Marquez (Mary Star transfer), Kai Kaneshiro and David Carlton look to provide the most firepower with their bats. The lone freshman, catcher Josh Duarte is the brother of former two-time All-City catcher and 2016 graduate J.J. Duarte.

As usual, San Pedro will be challenging defending league champion Banning of Wilmington and Narbonne of Harbor City for the top spot in the Marine League.

MARY STAR (14-12 in 2016) - Rick Ibarra enters his second season in his second term as coach for the Stars, who placed 6-6 in the Camino Real League but lost a lot of senior leadership, including All-Camino Real League outfielder Gianfranco Gentile.

Outfielder Alex Fukutake and P/INF Hunter Bjazevich are the lone two seniors on a small dozen-player roster, so depth may be a problem for Mary Star as they look to challenge Bishop Montgomery of Torrance and Cantwell Sacred Heart of Montebello for league supremacy.

Mary Star does have three talented sophomores in OF/1B/P Nathan Trudnich, OF/INF/P Joe James and outfielder Kevin Costa. Junior infielder Chris Alvarez will also look to be a factor, as will another talented sophomore in INF/P Ryne Lina.

POLA (15-9 in 2016) - Co-coaches Brian and Dennis Emerson will try to navigate another long run for the Polar Bears who made it to the CIF-LACS Division III semifinals before falling to former league rival Harbor Teacher Prep, who also ended POLA's five-year run as Crosstown-Ocean League champions.

Key word seems to be 'former'...because now POLA was moved into the Coliseum League for 2017 as they now will compete against the likes of Fremont, Hawkins, Locke, Dorsey, Crenshaw, Manual Arts and King-Drew Medical. Just three years ago, Dorsey won the CIF-LACS Division II championship at Dodger Stadium.

Gone is last year's San Pedro Prep Baseball Player Of The Year Fernando Rivas, so the Polar Bears will rely on the likes of senior 1B/P Arturo Castaneda's experience, along with other key players such as senior outfielder Albert Covarrubias, sophomore INF/P/C Nick Skrumbis, sophomore 1B/P Justin Bales, junior 1B/3B/P Jack Chamberlain and junior outfielder Chris Rodriguez.