No matter what happens the rest of this week, baseball team at San Clemente led by coach Dave Gellatly (left) and softball team at Corona Santiago led by coach John Perez deserve applause. Photos: Martin Henderson/OCSidelines.com & Mark Tennis.
With the National High School Invitational already underway this week, San Clemente’s first-day win over Lambert of Georgia combined with JSerra’s first-day loss to Mosley of Florida switches the top two positions in baseball. Preseason No. 1 College Park also could emerge with the NHSI title. On the softball side, the top four are rock-solid with Mission Viejo followed by Corona Santiago, San Jose Pioneer and Orange Lutheran.
Check below for this week’s new list of the State Top 20 baseball and softball rankings.
To read our breakdowns on each Top 20 team (starting next week), why some of these rankings moves were made, which teams are on the bubble and for divisional state rankings (once basketball is complete), you need to be a member of our Gold Club. Join our team today by CLICKING HERE.
NEW CAL-HI SPORTS BASEBALL
TOP 20 OVERALL RANKINGS
In these days of the internet, timing out when to compile a weekly state ranking can be as complicated as doing the rankings themselves.
Ideally, as it is every week during the football season, teams play and then new rankings get done. We’d also like to do our early-season baseball rankings on Mondays, but when basketball is still going on (the CIF state finals are this weekend) that isn’t possible.
For this week’s State Top 20 in baseball, it was already known for example how the top California teams did in the first round of the prestigious National High School Invitational in North Carolina. JSerra of San Juan Capistrano lost to Mosley of Lynn Haven, Fla.; San Clemente won over Lambert of Georgia; and College Park won over Farragut of Knoxville, Tenn. Those results couldn’t be ignored when doing the rankings, but obviously we don’t know how all of those teams will finish in the NHSI.
If San Clemente or College Park wins the NHSI title, it would be No. 1 in next week’s rankings. Knowing baseball’s ebbs and flows like we do, though, watch Huntington Beach (2-5 on the season heading into North Carolina) go ahead and win the darned thing. The Oilers also won their first game on Wednesday.
(Compiled by Mark Tennis; updated through games played Tuesday, March 24 plus early reported results from Wednesday March 25; previous rating in parentheses)
Harvard-Westlake head coach Matt La Cour seems to have done well rebuilding team without graduated standout Jack Flaherty. Photo: Mark Tennis.
1. (2) SAN CLEMENTE 9-0
2. (1) JSERRA (SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO) 7-1
3. (5) COLLEGE PARK (PLEASANT HILL) 4-1
4. (6) DANA HILLS (DANA POINT) 11-1
5. (9) VALLEY CHRISTIAN (SAN JOSE) 11-1
6. (7) BUCHANAN (CLOVIS) 13-1
7. (8) LA COSTA CANYON (CARLSBAD) 7-1
8. (NR) EDISON (HUNTINGTON BEACH) 11-1
9. (3) BELLARMINE (SAN JOSE) 8-1
10. (4) HARVARD-WESTLAKE (NORTH HOLLYWOOD) 8-1
11. (14) OAK RIDGE (EL DORADO HILLS) 8-0
12. (13) CENTENNIAL (BAKERSFIELD) 11-1
13. (15) SAN RAMON VALLEY (DANVILLE) 4-1
14. (16) RANCHO BERNARDO (SAN DIEGO) 5-1
15. (17) FOOTHILL (PLEASANTON) 7-0
16. (18) ALEMANY (MISSION HILLS) 9-2
17. (20) SAN BENITO (HOLLISTER) 11-1
18. (12) ARCHBISHOP MITTY (SAN JOSE) 8-2
19. (NR) ST. AUGUSTINE (SAN DIEGO) 6-1
20. (19) GRANITE HILLS (EL CAJON) 3-2
Dropped Out:
Previous No. 10 Elk Grove; No. 11 Cathedral Catholic (San Diego).
NEW CAL-HI SPORTS SOFTBALL
TOP 20 OVERALL RANKINGS
The first four teams in this week’s updated State Top 20 for softball are fairly easy to place, although some might question Santiago of Corona at No. 2 ahead of unbeaten teams Pioneer of San Jose and Orange Lutheran.
No. 1 Mission Viejo remains a no-brainer as well. The Diablos followed up their second straight title at the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Arizona with a third straight title at last weekend’s Best of the West tournament hosted by Pacifica of Garden Grove. In the title game, Taylor McQuillin pitched a no-hitter for the Diablos in a 2-0 triumph over the host team.
Santiago does have a loss, but we continue to rank the Sharks higher than either Pioneer or Orange Lutheran since they have avenged that loss and have clearly played a stronger schedule. And with the teams in its league (Norco included), Santiago also has a tougher road ahead.
(Compiled by Mark Tennis; updated through reported games played Tuesday, March 24 with some early scores from Wednesday, March 25; previous rating in parentheses)
1. (1) MISSION VIEJO 11-0
2. (2) SANTIAGO (CORONA) 13-1
3. (3) PIONEER (SAN JOSE) 10-0
4. (6) LUTHERAN (ORANGE) 15-0
5. (10) PACIFICA (GARDEN GROVE) 6-3
6. (7) YUCAIPA 8-2
7. (13) SAUGUS 9-3
8. (4) ARCHBISHOP MITTY (SAN JOSE) 8-2
9. (NR) ETIWANDA 10-2
10. (17) JAMES LOGAN (UNION CITY) 5-0
11. (11) MURRIETA VALLEY (MURRIETA) 6-2
12. (8) CANYON (ANAHEIM) 8-3
13. (9) LOS ALAMITOS 9-4
14. (15) LOS OSOS (RANCHO CUCAMONGA) 10-2
15. (5) NORCO 7-4
16. (18) BENICIA 10-0
17. (NR) BONITA VISTA (CHULA VISTA) 7-1-1
18. (20) SAN CLEMENTE 12-3
19. (NR) CENTRAL (FRESNO) 20-2
20. (12) WEST RANCH (VALENCIA) 10-3
Dropped Out:
Previous No. 14 Rancho Buena Vista (Vista); No. 16 San Benito (Hollister); No. 19 Vacaville.
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
