Preseason State Softball TOP 25

We’re going on more than 40 years of doing state softball rankings and are pleased to start another season with Murrieta Mesa of Murrieta in the top position. Two major returning stars are the primary reason. Two-time defending CIF Southern Section D1 champion Pacifica of Garden Grove has a ton of graduated players to deal with, but in the north the two teams that met in an unbelievable NorCal D1 championship game — Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills and defending champ Amador Valley of Pleasanton — both return a number of top players.

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(Win-loss record from 2024 season)

1. Murrieta Mesa (Murrieta) 28-4
Although it was a tough 13-1 loss to Orange Lutheran in the CIF Southern Section D1 semifinals, the Rams came back to win the CIF SoCal D1 title and have the returning starpower to take the top spot in the state to start the 2025 season. Leadoff hitter Taelyn Holley led the state in runs scored with 59 and was the State Junior Player of the Year. The future Tennessee Volunteer also had 11 homers, a .598 batting average and a .708 on-base mark. The other huge returnee is junior pitcher/hitter Lilly Hauser. She went 23-1 in the circle with a 0.63 ERA. Hauser, committed to Arizona, also batted .514 with nine homers and 37 RBI.

2. Canyon (Anaheim) 24-5
The Comanches snuck up people last season but with six position players returning plus outstanding pitching that isn’t going to happen this time. They are preseason No. 1 for Orange County, which isn’t a surprise considering they went to the CIFSS D1 semifinals last season. Senior Jordan Simmons was Canyon’s top pitcher last season and has signed with Brown in the Ivy League. UC San Diego-bound Bella Settembro is another pitcher with experience. The infield includes BYU-bound Irma Urincho and shortstop Jade Diaz (Cal). Outfielder Sam Gresham, who will play next at Dartmouth, was another of the top hitters from last spring.

3. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 23-5
When we last visited Oak Ridge, the home team was crushed in the CIF NorCal D1 final after a hard-to-believe 13-11 loss to Amador Valley of Pleasanton in nine innings of the most back-and-forth momentum changing games one can imagine. Both teams featured numerous underclass players, but the Trojans have just a bit more back and are starting this season just a bit higher. Head coach Sam Toy’s girls actually have already started the season with a 7-1 win this week vs Sheldon of Sacramento. Shortstop Carly Short is headed to North Carolina State and is one of the top returnees in the north. Pitchers Ellison Schroeder (a senior) and Kennedi Freeland (sophomore) both can be dominant. Junior Sam Alekman was Oak Ridge’s leading hitter last season with a .567 average.

4. Norco 23-4
Head coach Rick Robinson only needs one more win to reach 700 for his career, which would make him just the 14th coach in state history to be in that club. Robinson’s teams are always among the best in the state and this year should be no different. His top returnees include junior pitcher Peyton May (Oklahoma State), outfielder Tamryn Shorter (Boise State), junior outfielder Sasha Pham (Cal) and senior outfielder Dakota Potter (South Carolina).

5. Lutheran (Orange) 21-4
The Lancers ended the 2024 season in the No. 2 spot in our final state rankings. Like Pacifica of Garden Grove, they opted out of the CIF SoCal D1 playoffs after losing in the CIFSS D1 championship game to the Mariners. We’re starting them higher than Pacifica for the primary reason that they return one of the top players in the nation, outfielder Kai Minor, a Ms. Softball State Player of the Year candidate who has signed with Oklahoma. There’s also a significant transfer coming in as junior pitcher Jo Marsh (UCLA commit) has come over from Los Alamitos.

6. Amador Valley (Pleasanton) 19-11
Senior Kaylee Davis was sensational in the circle for the Dons in their big upset of unbeaten St. Francis (Mountain View) in the NorCal D1 playoffs and went most of the way in their regional final win vs Oak Ridge. The Cal Poly San Luis Obispo signee also was one of the team’s top hitters. Catcher McKenna Charbonneau also is back along with infielder Mia Falcone. Charbonneau led Amador in home runs. Falcone led for runs scored.

7. JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 18-14
The Lions were the surprise of the CIFSS D1 playoffs last year and went all the way to the semifinals. They were led by freshman fireballer Abby Ford, the State Frosh Player of the Year who returns for her sophomore season. Also among those back is Brooke Stephens, a senior who had 35 hits to lead the team and was the leader in runs scored.

8. Pacifica (Garden Grove) 28-1
Both the Mariners and OLu have a lot of holes to fill after last season. Pacifica also isn’t just the defending CIFSS D1 champion, but it’s the two-time defending champions. A third in a row will depend on finding replacements for an unforgettable senior class that included pitcher Brynne Nally, infielder Kaniya Bragg and catcher Delaina Ma’ae (all first team all-state picks). Outfielder Mattea Stern is a returning sophomore to watch. She led last year’s team in hits.

9. Eitwanda 30-5
Alyssa Galindo was the catalyst behind the Eagles winning the CIF SoCal D2 regional title. The Michigan State signee led the team in homers with 12, batted .515 and went 10-2 with a 0.83 ERA as a pitcher. Two others signing with Galindo last November were Kimberly Aleman with Oregon State and Brianna Gutierrez with Montana. Senior infielder Taylor Wren also was on the All-CIFSS team.

10. St. Francis (Mountain View) 28-1
The Lancers are similar to Pacifica in that they have a lot of graduation losses to deal with, including 2024 Ms. Softball State Player of the Year Kate Munnerlyn. There are some productive position players coming back, led by senior outfielder Hayden Hummel (Idaho State) and junior outfielder Jaime Oakland (Nebraska). Sophomore Peyton Tsao also returns after collecting 32 hits, 32 RBI and 11 homers and .421 batting average.

11. La Mirada 20-6-2
Head coach Brent Tuttle’s squad not only has six all-league players coming back, but there’s two other D1 college signers returning who missed last season with injuries. San Diego State-bound Monsterratt Reyes-Cardenas was a monster in the circle and was the league MVP. Senior infielder Amanda Urbina was the league MVP two years ago, has signed with Oregon, and is one of the two top players coming back from injury. The other is senior infielder Angelyna Conde, who has signed with Texas Tech.

12. Los Alamitos 20-6
It’s a good idea never to count out veteran head coach Rob Weil, who is one of just three current coaches in the state with more than 700 career wins. The Mariners don’t have a lot back, but enough to likely remain near the top. Among those starters returning will be senior first baseman Cienna Kowaleski (Santa Clara) and shortstop Kalie Matsuno (Florida). If pitching from senior Layni Kimura and freshman Jaliane Brooks comes through, watch out.

13. Destiny Christian (Sacramento) 25-3-1
This is the same school that was known as Capital Christian last season and it’s the one that won the CIF NorCal D2 title and has junior Ayla Tuua in the leading role. She’s one of the state’s top pitcher-hitter combo players and already has 23 homers and a .514 career batting average. Tuua also has gone 23-2 as a pitcher with 417 strikeouts. The LSU commit is joined some other starting players. There is a non-league game on March 12 against Oak Ridge that will be huge since the two won’t be in the same CIF Sac-Joaquin Section playoff division.

14. Poway 24-7-1
There were several teams that bounced up and down from the No. 1 ranking in the CIF San Diego Section last year. That may not be the case this season as the Titans have the returning strength to start and end in that place. They have the 2024 San Diego Section Player of the Year, Sophia Burmeister, a catcher who has signed with Clemson, among the returnees. Three-year standout pitcher Mya McGowan, who has signed with Cal, also is a major returning player.

15. Clovis North (Fresno) 21-7
The Broncos didn’t dominate in the CIF Central Section last year like they have in a few recent seasons, but they won the D1 section title and then won in the NorCal regionals over Casa Grande of Petaluma before losing in the semifinals to Amador Valley. Junior pitcher Jocelynn Gonzalez got a late start as a transfer but was on her game late last spring. Sophomore Jaelyn Clark is another of the team’s top players. She led the way as a freshman with 35 hits.

16. Casa Grande (Petaluma) 23-3
Falling in right behind the Clovis North team that they lost to, 1-0, in the CIF NorCal D1 playoffs after they won the CIF North Coast Section D2 title is the Gauchos. They have to be up there with all of their leading players back, led by University of Kansas-bound Lila Partridge. She’s mostly known for pitching, including 16-2 with 1.27 ERA and 135 strikeouts, but at the plate Lila launched seven homers with 23 RBI and a .529 batting average. Georgia Moss also is back after leading the Gauchos in home runs with six.

17. Livermore 24-6
This team could easily be ahead of Amador Valley to start since it won the East Bay Athletic League title last season over the Dons. We’re going to go with the Cowboys right behind the Casa Grande team that they lost to in the CIF North Coast Section D2 finals. The NCS really has to do a better job of picking which runner-up teams go to the regionals. Livermore also has a number of top returning players. Junior pitcher Kaci Norton, sophomore first baseman Peyten Williams, and junior shortstop Laine Macosky are among those to watch.

18. Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista) 29-6
It will be another season of the Crusaders having the 1-2 punch of sophomore Arri Romero and Analesse “Peanut” Garcia. Romero was one of highest regarded incoming freshmen last season and batted .435 with a 12-3 record and 1.33 ERA. Garcia, who has signed with the University of San Diego, also pitched and batted effectively. Mater Dei Catholic lost in a 5-4 game to Etiwanda last season in the CIF SoCal D2 regional final.

19. El Modena (Orange) 20-9
The Vanguards come from the same league as Canyon and should give the No. 2 Comanches a battle. El Modena has a returning pitching ace with Sara Pinedo (Loyola Marymount) and two top returning position players with Kylie Tafua, a junior committed to Oregon, and Kaitlyn Galasso, a senior going to Boise State.

20. Willow Glen (San Jose) 24-8
Junior Alanna Clincy has been racking up pitching wins and clutch hits for the Rams since she was a freshman. The Cal commit has some other top returning players around her, including outfielder Haley Ocumen (31 hits, 25 RBI) and senior outfielder Kaitlynn Dillbeck.

21. Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 20-5
The Lions have won three straight Marmonte League titles and have had teams in those years close to the top five of the state. There’s a lot of rebuilding that will need to happen this year with a great senior class gone. Junior outfielder Terrianne Kelley is the top returnee in the lineup with a .400 average and 40 runs scored. Senior Paityn Lavin is the top returning pitcher (8-2, 1.76 ERA).

22. St. Joseph (Santa Maria) 25-4-1
Last year’s CIF Central Section D2 champions have a good chance to be No. 1 overall in that section, but we couldn’t quite pull the trigger and put the Knights ahead of D1 Clovis North. Dominant pitcher Taylor Mediano, who has signed with Utah, leads a group with a lot of returning experience. Junior outfielder Kacie Clark returns with six homers and 33 hits from a year ago.

23. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 23-4
With league rival St. Francis of Mountain View starting out with more places to fill than in recent seasons, the Monarchs hope to step up in the West Catholic Athletic League and in the CIF Central Coast Section. They have a solid group of returnees and will have one of the top returning pitchers in the Bay Area with junior Kyleigh Mace.

24. Valley View (Moreno Valley) 26-6-1
The Eagles certainly made some noise last season and have one of the top returnees in the Inland Empire with junior catcher Alyssa Torres, who ranked near the top of the state with 20 homers. Head coach John Perez, who won his 600th career game last season (mostly at Santiago of Corona), also had success last season with freshman pitcher Bella Hernandez, who will be a sophomore this season.

25. Hollister 22-5
For this final spot, we actually looked at three teams from the Monterey Bay Area among others and went with the State Team of the Year from 2023. Salinas, with ace Abi Jones, and Monterey, with ace Ella Myers, should both be very good teams as well. The Balers need some pitching to come through, but they have the tradition plus veterans such as junior 1B Taylor Faga (Mississippi State commit) and senior outfielder Grace Peffley (signed with Boise State) to build a lineup around.

Teams On The Bubble

Bakersfield Christian 28-1
California (Whittier) 28-5
Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 24-6
Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) 21-8
Gahr (Cerritos) 19-10
Granada Hills Charter (Granada Hills) 29-4
Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 14-13
Monterey 21-8
Pleasant Valley (Chico) 23-5
Poly (Riverside) 24-3-2
Rocklin 15-16
Salinas 21-10
Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 16-11
Tracy 25-5-1
Valencia 20-5
Whitney (Rocklin) 22-3

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.