It’s happy times (at least heading into this week) for the Huntington Beach baseball & Grand Terrace softball teams. Photos: hboilers.com & Facebook.com.
Orange County squads remain in No. 1 positions even though one of the two lost a game last week. Biggest movers in baseball include Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills and Huntington Beach while for softball it’s Elk Grove, Grand Terrace and James Logan of Union City.
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, 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
The JSerra baseball team picked a good week to drop a game. The Lions, who moved up to the top spot in last week’s State Top 20, lost in a 6-4 outing to Mater Dei of Santa Ana.
Coach Brett Kay’s squad, however, also played the Monarchs two other times during the week and won and it was the same Mater Dei team that the Lions beat in the title game of the SoCal bracket in the Boras Baseball Classic.
That loss for JSerra also was just the team’s second of the season and first to an in-state opponent. The only other team that has a realistic No. 1 argument at this point of the season is new No. 2 Los Gatos at 19-1, but the Wildcats don’t have close to the strength of schedule that JSerra has before this week and for the rest of the season.
Two of this week’s newcomers, Huntington Beach and Jesuit of Carmichael, had to go in after winning twice against previous ranked teams. The Oilers, one of the most talented teams in the nation going by D1 college signings/commitments, have hung together after a rough start and swept a pair last week against previous No. 16 Edison of Huntington Beach. The Marauders did the same in a pair of Delta League contests over previous No. 4 Franklin of Elk Grove.
(Compiled by Mark Tennis; updated through games played Saturday, April 18; previous rating in parentheses)
1. (1) JSERRA (SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO) 15-2
2. (3) LOS GATOS 19-1
3. (5) BUCHANAN (CLOVIS) 21-3
4. (6) AGOURA (AGOURA HILLS) 17-2
5. (7) SAN DIMAS 20-0
6. (10) COLLEGE PARK (PLEASANT HILL) 11-3
7. (2) HARVARD-WESTLAKE (NORTH HOLLYWOOD) 15-3
8. (11) LA COSTA CANYON (CARLSBAD) 16-4
9. (13) SAN CLEMENTE 17-4
10. (15) OAK RIDGE (EL DORADO HILLS) 19-2
11. (8) VISTA 14-4
12. (18) ST. FRANCIS (MOUNTAIN VIEW) 15-4
13. (19) SAN RAMON VALLEY (DANVILLE) 12-2
14. (17) MARIA CARRILLO (SANTA ROSA) 13-2
15. (12) SAN BENITO (HOLLISTER) 20-3
16. (14) DANA HILLS (DANA POINT) 19-4
17. (NR) HUNTINGTON BEACH 13-7
18. (NR) ARCHBISHOP MITTY (SAN JOSE) 15-5
19. (NR) JESUIT (CARMICHAEL) 13-5
20. (NR) CLOVIS WEST (FRESNO) 17-7
Dropped Out:
Previous No. 4 Franklin (Elk Grove); No. 9 Alemany (Mission Hills); No. 16 Edison (Huntington Beach); No. 20 California (San Ramon).
NEW CAL-HI SPORTS SOFTBALL
TOP 20 OVERALL RANKINGS
If we only had a dilemma of what do with the James Logan of Union City softball team for just this season, it’s doubtful that Colts would have moved up into the top five of this week’s State Top 20 rankings.
Yes, it’s true that Logan’s strength of schedule is not very good compared to much of the rest of the state, especially for teams in the CIF Southern Section. With head coach Teri Johnson’s program, however, there’s also a track record of great success in the CIF North Coast Section. In addition to winning the NCS title two years ago at 26-1, Logan has had teams that have gone 23-3 in 2014 and 24-1 in 2012.
And since — other than No. 1 Mission Viejo, No. 2 Pioneer of San Jose and No. 3 Yucaipa — the rest of the state’s top teams all seem to be losing games recently, that also made it easier for Logan to move up this week from No. 8 to No. 4.
Two teams entering the State Top 20 for the first time this season are new No. 12 Elk Grove and new No. 15 Grand Terrace. Elk Grove posted a key win over East Union of Manteca and hasn’t lost since the Victory tournament on March 13. Grand Terrace notched a win over previous No. 13 Citrus Valley of Redlands.
(Compiled by Mark Tennis; updated through reported games played Saturday, April 18; previous rating in parentheses)
Elk Grove’s Jeff Alexander has been one of the top coaches in Northern California for many years. Photo: Linkedin.com
1. (1) MISSION VIEJO 19-0
2. (2) PIONEER (SAN JOSE) 19-0
3. (3) YUCAIPA 18-3
4. (8) JAMES LOGAN (UNION CITY) 12-0-1
5. (5) SANTIAGO (CORONA) 18-3
6. (6) LUTHERAN (ORANGE) 20-2
7. (9) PACIFICA (GARDEN GROVE) 12-4
8. (7) PATRICK HENRY (SAN DIEGO) 16-2
9. (11) POWAY 16-4
10. (16) CANYON (ANAHEIM) 14-5
11. (17) NORCO 15-5
12. (NR) ELK GROVE 18-2
13. (19) HERITAGE (BRENTWOOD) 13-2
14. (20) ARCHBISHOP MITTY (SAN JOSE) 16-3
15. (NR) GRAND TERRACE 14-3
16. (10) BONITA VISTA (CHULA VISTA) 12-3
17. (12) LIVERMORE 10-3
18. (18) HIGHLAND (PALMDALE) 15-1
19. (15) AMADOR VALLEY (PLEASANTON) 11-3
20. (NR) LOS ALAMITOS 16-6
Dropped Out:
Previous No. 4 Etiwanda; No. 13 Citrus Valley (Redlands); No. 14 San Clemente.
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
2 Comments
I never Lindhurst High School Softball mentioned. They had an outstanding 2015 year in Softball.
The pitcher was written up in state stat stars on several occasions.