New Softball State Top 20

A mixture of senior leadership and up-and-coming underclass players has Petaluma in the state top 20 for the first time in school history. Joelle Krist, Gina Barnacle, Dana Thomsen, Brie Gerhardt, and Nicole Wiecks are shown at school on Tuesday. Photo: Harold Abend.

Six new teams are in after a wild and crazy couple of days (including Tuesday) sees previous No. 1 Mission Viejo, No. 3 Archbishop Mitty and No. 5 Great Oak of Temecula all get toppled in early-round section playoff upsets.

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Note: Check out this week’s Inside the Softball State Top 20 as we wonder why the state’s No. 1 team had to travel on Tuesday (and lost) to a wild-card winner in just its second playoff game. This feature is for Gold Club members only. To join our team today, please CLICK HERE.

Here are this week’s rankings (after games of Tuesday, May 21; previous ranking in parentheses; Wednesday games of this week not included):

1. (2) Pacifica (Garden Grove) 27-5
The Mariners are blasting on all cylinders so far in the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs and move up to No. 1 due to previous leader Mission Viejo getting shocked 3-2 by Ayala of Chino Hills in Tuesday’s CIFSS D2 playoffs. In the team’s first game, junior Nicole DeWitt blasted a home run, two doubles and knocked in four in a 7-2 victory over El Modena of Orange.

2. (4) Yorba Linda 23-3
This team rebounded from the third loss to Pacifica to eek out a CIFSS Division I opening-round 2-1 win over wild card winner Santa Margarita of Rancho Santa Margarita. Yorba Linda also won in Tuesday’s second-round 5-2 over Canyon of Anahem.

3. (6) Amador Valley (Pleasanton) 22-2
It’s still a long shot due to having a loss to a CIFSS D1 team, but the Dons are back in the race for the No. 1 spot in the state they once held, and with Johanna Grauer in the circle they’re going to be hard to derail.

4. (12) Santiago (Corona) 27-5
Guess who’s very much alive in the CIFSS Division I playoffs after a 6-1 win over La Palma Kennedy followed by Tuesday’s 11-2 romp past Vista Murrieta? The Sharks also get to move all the way up to No. 4 due to all of the upsets so far in the CIFSS postseason.

5. (10) James Logan (Union City) 23-1
Coach Teri Johnson’s team actually would have a stronger case to be State Team of the Year if it wins a second straight CIF North Coast Section title (especially if it were to beat Amador Valley again) than Amador Valley would have if it wins the title.

6. (1) Mission Viejo 26-2
It’s all over for the Diablos as they were upset 3-2 by Ayala of Chino Hills in Tuesday’s CIFSS Division II playoffs. We’ll drop them to the sixth slot for now, but the final ranking likely will be lower.

7. (9) Vintage (Napa) 32-1
After the Crushers lost their first game of the season to Pleasant Grove of Elk Grove on Monday in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D1 playoffs, they came back to win later on Monday and on Tuesday knocked off both Elk Grove and Rocklin. Those two wins put Vintage into Wednesday’s finals, although the girls will have to beat Pleasant Grove twice.

8. (14) Chino 23-2
The Cowboy girls make a big move after an 8-1 win over Thousand Oaks in the CIFSS Division II playoffs and then a 2-0 triumph in the second round against Trabuco Hills of Mission Viejo.

9. (16) California (San Ramon) 20-4
The NCS Division I No. 2 seed has a first round bye and then opens against the San Ramon Dougherty Valley at Brentwood Heritage winner. Out of deference to the fact they deservedly received the No. 2 seed, we won’t move San Benito ahead of them yet in the Bay Area pecking order.

10. (20) San Benito (Hollister) 23-3
It took eight innings but the Baler girls prevailed 4-3 over a North Salinas team they had handled twice in league play. Once again, the Hollister girls have two wins over the Gilroy team that just upset Mitty and they get a 10-spot bump this week.

11. (NR) Norco 25-7
Last year’s State Coach of the year Rick Robinson and his girls re-enter big time as the second team from the Big VII League still in the hunt for a CIFSS Division I title. They won Tuesday over Cypress 3-2 after blanking Oxnard 3-0 in the first round.

12. (18) Lakewood 25-6
Coach Andy Miramontes’ team topped Bonita of La Verne 1-0 in eight innings on Tuesday to advance to the CIFSS D2 quarterfinals.

13. (3) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 27-1
The road ends for the Monarchs after a nine-inning 6-3 loss in the CCS playoffs to a Gilroy team they beat 6-0 early in the season. Unlike the Sac-Joaquin Section, there’s no second chance in the CCS.

14. (NR) Lutheran (Orange) 24-7
Jade Vecvenags led the Lancers past No. 17 M.L. King of Riverside 2-0 in Tuesday’s CIFSS D1 playoffs. She hit a two-run homer and pitched a two-hitter.

15. (NR) Chino Hills 25-7
The Huskies are the defending champions of the CIFSS D2 playoffs, they’re still going after a 3-1 win Tuesday over Yucaipa and they have two wins over Ayala of Chino Hills, which is the team that just upset previous No. 1 Mission Viejo.

16. (19) Bonita Vista (Chula Vista) 22-4-1
The Lady Barons are into the CIF San Diego Section Division II semifinals against San Diego Rancho Bernardo after wins over San Diego’s Mt. Carmel and Scripps Ranch.

17. (17) M.L. King (Riverside) 24-7
Last week’s lone newcomer opened the CIFSS D1 playoffs with a 3-2 win against Los Alamitos, but fell in Tuesday’s second-round to Orange Lutheran. With OLu going up to No. 14, M.L. King didn’t have to drop far in this week’s rankings.

18. (NR) Etiwanda 19-8
The Eagles and standout player Delaney Spaulding have earned their way into this week’s top 20 by knocking off previous No. 5 Great Oak of Temecula and previous No. 15 Marina of Huntington Beach in their first two CIFSS playoff games.

19. (NR) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 24-9
Since Vintage of Napa is sitting at No. 7 above, it only makes sense to also move up an Eagles’ team that is just one win away from grabbing the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I championship. Pleasant Grove also has a win over state-ranked California of San Ramon.

20. (NR) Petaluma 24-1
For the first time in school history, the girls from Chickentown USA have cracked the state rankings as the fifth Division II team to get a spot and the final of five newcomers. “That’s great news,” said Petaluma 13-year head coach Kurt Jastrow when informed his team made the rankings. “It’s a special group and we’re having a pretty special year. We just have to keep it up. The CIFNCS Division II top seed opens against San Lorenzo.

Teams That Dropped Out:
Previous No. 5 Great Oak (Temecula), No. 7 Mater Dei (Santa Ana), No. 8 Esperanza (Anaheim), No. 11 El Diamante (Visalia), No. 13 Moorpark; No. 15 Marina (Huntington Beach).

Teams on the Bubble
There are 44 teams listed. They can be seen as a new post on the new CalHiSports.com softball message board. CLICK HERE.

Note: Harold Abend contributed to these rankings and writeups.

Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter: @CalHiSports