Pitchers Alexis Osorio from M.L. King of Riverside and Jack Flaherty from Harvard-Westlake of North Hollywood are still going strong for their state-ranked teams in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. Photos: Courtesy Student Sports & Mark Tennis.
While baseball’s race for the top will take one week longer, softball’s race will be done after next weekend. Rancho Bernardo and Mission Viejo remain in the No. 1 positions. Clovis and Vacaville are leaders in the clubhouse.
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Coach and trainer Chris Asher works with state stat stars and players from state-ranked teams of all ages, helping them to improve their speed, quickness and agility. He is based in Hollywood, also has a role with the UCLA track program and serves athletes within many miles of his location. For more about him, CLICK HERE. For a video about his Gold Medal Excellence training program, CLICK HERE.
NEW BASEBALL STATE
TOP 20 OVERALL RANKINGS
After another 3-0 week, Rancho Bernardo of San Diego continues to reign in the State Top 20 and actually has built up a strong enough resume so that one loss in the upcoming double-elimination CIF San Diego Section Open Division playoffs is not going to cost the Broncos the final No. 1 ranking.
In short, if RB wins its section title, the Broncos will be No. 1 in the state. Case closed.
If Rancho Bernardo doesn’t win, No. 2 Clovis is in a strong position to finish No. 1 after winning the CIF Central Section title on Saturday with a 3-2 triumph over Buchanan of Clovis.
There are complicating factors, however, that can’t be ignored.
What if Norco, for example, were to win the CIF Southern Section Division I title and finish at 29-2, which obviously would be superior to Clovis at 33-5? Norco would have to win four games (two this week, then two the following week) for that to happen, but it could happen.
The reason Norco hasn’t been higher in the state rankings is due to local consensus. Both the L.A. Times Top 25 and the CIF Southern Section Division I coaches’ poll have had Norco far below teams from more powerful leagues, such as JSerra of San Juan Capistrano and Loyola of Los Angeles. We have Norco this week at No. 4, however, because this at least gives the team a chance to be considered higher later on.
Huntington Beach, which won the Hard 9 National Classic but finished with two losses to Fountain Valley in the Sunset League, is another CIFSS Division I team that possibly could end the season with a better record than Clovis.
We’re not saying one of those CIFSS teams is going to hop Clovis, but it is at least a possibility and to be fair to all can’t be completely ignored, either.
(Compiled with assistance from Paul Muyskens; updated through games played Saturday, May 24; previous rating in parentheses)
*Indicates season complete.
1. (1) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) 28-3
2. (2) Clovis 33-5*
3. (4) Huntington Beach 24-4
4. (7) Norco 25-2
5. (8) Loyola (Los Angeles) 23-5-1
6. (6) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 23-5
7. (9) College Park (Pleasant Hill) 25-3
8. (11) Wilson (Long Beach) 26-5
9. (12) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 24-6
10. (17) JSerra (San Juan Capistrano) 20-7
11. (15) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood) 22-6-1
12. (NR) Bellarmine Prep (San Jose) 25-6
13. (3) St. Francis (Mountain View) 26-5*
14. (14) Buchanan (Clovis) 26-8*
15. (16) Great Oak (Temecula) 22-6
16. (18) Fountain Valley 21-7
17. (19) Agoura (Agoura Hills) 24-5
18. (NR) Valley Christian (San Jose) 22-9
19. (NR) Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 20-7
20. (13) Clovis North (Fresno) 22-9*
Dropped Out:
Previous No. 5 Elk Grove; No. 10 Hart (Newhall); No. 20 Maria Carrillo (Santa Rosa).
Kaylee Carlson from Pacifica of Garden Grove has been a top pitcher in Southern California for three seasons. Courtesy photo.
NEW SOFTBALL STATE
TOP 20 OVERALL RANKINGS
We’re not used to the CIF Southern Section playoffs being played at such a rapid pace, but they are due to a scheduling conflict at Bill Barber Park in Irvine (where the finals are usually played) that has the title games scheduled for next weekend.
The CIFSS Division I playoffs have gone according to form so far when it comes to top seed Pacifica of Garden Grove but after that it’s been the typical crap-shoot of upsets and emerging teams.
Pacifica’s status as a favorite actually may be even greater since the Mariners will be joined in Tuesday’s semifinals by league rivals Canyon of Anaheim and Cypress. They are playing Canyon one semifinal while Cypress is meeting M.L. King of Riverside in the other.
In the CIFSS Division II bracket, No. 1 Mission Viejo received a scare in Saturday’s quarterfinals and escaped with a 1-0 win in 10 innings against Westlake of Westlake Village. The Diablos will play another Marmonte League team in the semifinals, Moorpark (led by one of the nation’s top hitters, Amanda Lorenz), and then would face either Chino or Chino Hills in the final.
Title game wins by Mission and Pacifica would make it virtually impossible for No. 2 Amador Valley (which also will wrap up its season next weekend) to finish as the final No. 1. The Diablos and Mariners have played three times with Mission winning the first two, then Pacifica in the third.
(Compiled with assistance from Paul Muyskens; updated through games played Saturday, May 24; previous rating in parentheses)
*Indicates season complete.
1. (1) Mission Viejo 24-1
2. (2) Amador Valley (Pleasanton) 25-0
3. (3) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 28-1
4. (4) Pacifica (Garden Grove) 27-4-1
5. (5) Vacaville 29-1-1*
6. (6) Alhambra (Martinez) 23-2
7. (13) M.L. King (Riverside) 26-5
8. (11) Chino 27-4-1
9. (10) Chino Hills 29-5
10. (12) James Logan (Union City) 23-2
11. (NR) Cypress 23-8
12. (7) Esperanza (Anaheim) 23-5*
13. (8) Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) 25-4*
14. (15) El Camino Real (Woodland Hills) 23-1
15. (NR) Moorpark 26-3
16. (17) Pioneer (San Jose) 23-4
17. (NR) Canyon (Anaheim) 20-6
18. (NR) Centennial (Bakersfield) 28-4*
19. (NR) Westview (San Diego) 24-4-1
20. (NR) Valley Christian (San Jose) 22-7
Dropped Out: Previous No. 9 Cathedral Catholic (San Diego); No. 14 Yucaipa; No. 16 Clovis; No. 18 Huntington Beach; No. 19 Norco; No. 20 Murrieta Valley (Murrieta).
Mark Tennis is the co-founder and publisher of CalHiSports.com. He can be reached at markjtennis@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow Mark on the Cal-Hi Sports Twitter handle: @CalHiSports
