(Includes games through Saturday, May 23)
1. (1) SAINT FRANCIS-MOUNTAIN VIEW 27-5
The Lancers hold onto the top spot here and the No. 2 Cal-Hi Sports state ranking going into a CIF Central Coast Section Open Division semifinal matchup with upstart Soquel on Wednesday. Last week the pitching was excellent as Jeremy Ydens was one hit away from a perfect game after tossing a one-hitter with nine strikeouts in a 5-0 win over Leigh-San Jose. Andrew Carter followed that up with a solid five-hitter with 10 strikeouts and no walks in a 2-0 victory over Wilcox-Santa Clara. Johnny Mendoza had a home run and three RBIs in the Leigh win.
2. (2) COLLEGE PARK-PLEASANT HILL 22-4
After a semifinal 3-1 victory over Northgate-Walnut Creek, the Falcons won the Diablo Valley Athletic League playoff title with a 3-0 win over Clayton Valley-Concord. Washington-bound Joe Demers was 2-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs in the Clayton Valley win. Because of a head-to-head loss to De La Salle, the Falcons only received the No. 2 seed in the CIF North Coast Section Division I playoffs and open on Tuesday at home against Berkeley. The Falcons held fast here but moved up a spot to No. 5 in the Cal-Hi rankings.
3. (3) LOS GATOS 29-5
There was nowhere to move up here, but in the Cal-Hi state rankings, the Wildcats moved up four spots to No. 9 after getting to within a win of a potential showdown everyone has been anticipating with St. Francis for the CIF-CCS Open title. Last week, the Wildcats defeated Santa Cruz 10-0 and posted a 3-1 win over Branham-San Jose. Jake Holton drove in three runs in a Los Gatos seven-run fifth inning that ended the game against Santa Cruz. All three Los Gatoss run against Branham came in the third inning. Aiden Finch doubled and drove in two runs and Hunter Bigge also drove in a run. On Wednesday night at San Jose Municipal Stadium, the team will take on Carlmont-Belmont with the rematch everyone wants to see looming. Los Gatos already owns a 13-12 home win in March over St. Francis.
4. (5) HERITAGE-BRENTWOOD 20-4
We’re going to continue to go with Cal-Hi Sports and keep the Patriots as the No. 2 team from the CIF-NCS despite the fact the seeding committee only gave the Bay Valley Athletic League champions (10-0) the No. 6 seed in the D1 playoffs. They move up here to take the place of Valley Christian and gained four spots to move to No. 12 in the Cal-Hi rankings. Lorenzo Gomez got the win in a 9-1 victory over Freedom-Oakley to close out league play, but obviously trying to save arms for the playoffs, head coach Kevin Brannan used six pitchers with Gomez going two innings and the other five an inning apiece. Heritage opens D1 action on Wednesday hosting Clayton Valley.
5. (4) DE LA SALLE 16-8
After dropping five spots in last week's rankings, the Spartans rebounded from losses to Amador Valley-Pleasanton and Monte Vista-Danville two weeks ago to beat San Ramon Valley-Danville (3-2) and California-San Ramon (8-2). That not only tied them with Monte Vista at 10-4 for first place in the East Bay Athletic League, it gained back five spots here, moved DLS back in the Cal-Hi rankings at No. 18, and also allowed them to snag the top seed in the CIF-NCS D1 playoffs. The Spartans open the playoffs on Tuesday with visiting Castro Valley.
6. (7) MONTE VISTA-DANVILLE 15-7
After jumping nine spots last week, the Mustangs get a one-spot bump this week after finishing in a tie with De La Salle for the EBAL title. Had Monte Vista won both games last week instead of a 7-4 loss at Amador Valley and a 5-1 win at San Ramon Valley, it would be head coach Bill Piona and his boys as the NCS D1 top seed and they would have probably have jumped to No. 4 in these rankings and higher than No. 19 where they came in for the state rankings. Instead the CIF-NCS D1 No. 3 seed falls in behind DLS just like in the Cal-Hi rankings. Noah Cort pitched six strong innings to lead the Mustangs past their arch-rivals from San Ramon Valley, 5-1, in their final regular season game. Piona and his boys open the playoffs on Wednesday against visiting James Logan-Union City.
7. (11) ELK GROVE 17-9
We only dropped The Thundering Herd two spots last week after a loss to Granite Bay and now they gain those spots back plus two more after beating Oak Ridge-El Dorado Hills, 8-3 in the losers bracket, and then coming back to beat Granite Bay 4-2 to force a final game which Elk Grove won 2-0 to claim the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I North championship. The top team from the CIF-SJS now meets D1 South champion St. Mary’s-Stockton in a best 2-of-3 series on Friday and Saturday at Sacramento City College
8. (13) REDWOOD-LARKSPUR 23-3
The Giants now become the top team from the Redwood Empire after a third win over Marin Catholic-Kentfield that clinched the Marin County Athletic League playoff title to go with the regular season crown. Despite a loss to Casa Grande-Petaluma to open the season, Redwood received the top seed in the CIF-NCS Division II playoffs due to the three wins over a Marin Catholic team that had a win over Casa. The scenario gives head coach Mike Firenzi and his boys a five spot bump.
9. (8) CASA GRANDE-PETALUMA 20-6
A 15-game winning streak came to an end when the Gauchos lost 2-0 in the North Bay League playoff title game to a Cardinal Newman-Santa Rosa team they had beaten in two previous meetings, 8-3 and 8-0. The loss cost them a potential No. 1 seed and dropped them to a fourth seed in the CIF-NCS D2 playoffs mostly based on a loss to No. 3 seed Marin Catholic. They do have win over Redwood to start the season and because of that we’re only dropping them behind that team to start the playoff. Thirteenth-seed Campolindo-Moraga visits the Big House on Tuesday to open the playoffs.
10. (10) GRANITE BAY 19-11*
It was a nice playoff run for the Grizzlies but it ended with two losses to Elk Grove. Still, after only garnering a No. 7 seed in the Division I North playoffs they beat some of the best teams in the CIF-SJS and still hold a Top 10 spot despite a lot of losses.
11. (6) OAK RIDGE-EL DORADO HILLS 25-5*
The Trojans were the top seed in the CIF-SJS D1 North playoffs and were up to No. 8 in last week’s state rankings, and then they lost to Granite Bay and then to Elk Grove in the losers bracket to see their season come to an end. Despite being 3-1 against Granite Bay, they fall in behind that team.
12. (18T) CARDINAL NEWMAN-SANTA ROSA 21-5
With a win over Casa Grande to claim the North Bay League playoff title coupled with a win over NCS D1 No. 3 seed Monte Vista not only did the Cardinals break the tie they’ve been in the last two weeks with Marin Catholic but it garnered them the No. 2 seed in the CIF-NCS D2 playoffs. Newman opens the playoffs on Tuesday with Concord.
13. (12) VINTAGE-NAPA 22-5*
The Crushers took out Franklin-Elk Grove but then lost to Oak Ridge before being eliminated with a second defeat in a 7-0 loss to Elk Grove. Their overall body of work that includes a win over Casa Grande means a small drop.
14. (18T) MARIN CATHOLIC-KENTFIELD 18-8
The NCS rally liked the fact the Wildcats had a win over Casa Grande but they also lost to a Maria Carrillo-Santa Rosa team Casa split with, and they have some stinker losses in MCAL play. They still get a nice bump in the rankings and open as the CIFNCS D2 No. 3 seed at home on Wednesday against Dublin.
15. (NR) SOQUEL 24-5
Like everyone around them, the Knights have a few stinker losses but they just beat Valley Christian 1-0 in the CIF-CCS Open first round and then the No. 11 seed went on to beat No. 3 seed San Benito-Hollister 2-1. They also have two wins over a St. Francis-Watsonville team that just beat Archbishop Mitty-San Jose before losing to Carlmont. This spot might not last long or they could rocket up depending on how they do on Wednesday against top-seeded St. Francis.
16. (4) VALLEY CHRISTIAN-SAN JOSE 22-8*
17T. (NR) CARLMONT-BELMONT 24-7
17T. (22T) ST. MARY’S-STOCKTON 21-12
19. (NR) ST. FRANCIS-WATSONVILLE 23-6-1*
20. (21) WILCOX-SANTA CLARA 21-11
21. (20) MARIA CARRILLO-SANTA ROSA 18-7
22. (25T) TRACY 23-11*
23. (14) ARCHBISHOP MITTY-SAN JOSE 20-11*
24. (15) SERRA-SAN MATEO 18-10*
25T. (25T) AMADOR VALLEY-PLEASANTON 15-9
25T. (16) FRANKLIN-ELK GROVE 22-7*
25T. (17) JESUIT-CARMICHAEL 19-9*
25T. (25T) SAN BENITO-HOLLISTER 21-8*
25T. (23) SAN RAMON VALLEY-DANVILLE 15-9
25T. (25T) VACAVILLE 19-10
DROPPED OUT: No. 22T PITMAN-TURLOCK, No. 24 LIVERMORE, No. 25T BELLARMINE-SAN JOSE, 25T. CALIFORNIA-SAN RAMON, 25T. ST. IGNATIUS-SAN FRANCISCO
ON THE BUBBLE
ACALANES-LAFAYETTE 16-8
ALAMEDA 19-7
ARROYO-SAN LORENZO 19-6
BELLARMINE-SAN JOSE 17-11*
BEYER-MODESTO 21-8*
BERKELEY 14-9-2
BRANHAM-SAN JOSE 22-9*
CALIFORNIA-SAN RAMON 13-11
CLEAR LAKE-LAKEPORT 24-0
DRAKE-SAN ANSELMO 16-10
GREGORI-MODESTO 20-7*
KENNEDY-FREMONT 22-2
LINCOLN-STOCKTON 22-7*
LIVERMORE 14-10
LOWELL-SAN FRANCISCO
PALO ALTO 19-13*
PETALUMA 18-8
PIONEER-SAN JOSE 17-11
PITMAN-TURLOCK 24-7*
RED BLUFF 27-8*
ROSEVILLE 20-12*
SACRED HEART PREP-ATHERTON 19-12
St. MARY’S-BERKELEY 17-7
SAN MARIN-NOVATO 15-10
SUTTER 28-6*
VANDEN-FAIRFIELD 22-9*
*Season complete
