Villa Park’s Jake Nobles & Nate Lewis are shown on the left after they earned MVP honors earlier this season at the Loara tournament. At right, Vanden players celebrate after winning the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section D3 title. Photos: VPHS_Baseball / X.com & vandensoftball / Instagram.com.
Since there were first round CIF regional playoff games in baseball and softball that were halted or not played on Tuesday due to lighting and thunderstorms in Southern California, we’re doing the first run-through of our state rankings by divisions in two parts. It’s today for D1, D3 and D5 for baseball plus D2, D3 and D5 for softball. The other four divisions will run in a separate post on Thursday morning.
Note: We hope you enjoy this free post on CalHiSports.com. The final divisional and overall state rankings later next week will be for Gold Club members only. All state stat star of the week features, some of the all-state teams and all state record updates require a Gold Club membership to enjoy. You can now join for one-month rate of just $4.99. For subscription info, CLICK HERE.
(Records through Tuesday, June 3 regional games)
*Season complete.
**Forfeits not included.
Note: All teams are ranked even if they opted out of the CIF regional playoffs. We also look for teams that aren’t in the CIF regional playoffs because they lost in section playoffs or played in a section championship and their section doesn’t allow its runner-up in some divisions to move on.
BASEBALL DIVISION I
1. St. John Bosco (Bellflower) 28-4
2. Corona 28-3*
3. De La Salle (Concord) 27-4
4. Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 20-13
5. Crespi (Encino) 25-3
6. Huntington Beach 24-5*
7. Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) 28-3*
8. Villa Park 25-7
9. Granite Hills (El Cajon) 26-1-2*
10. Lutheran (Orange) 23-7*
11. Serra (San Mateo) 27-6
12. Aquinas (San Bernardino) 25-3*
13. St. Mary’s (Stockton) 27-8
14. Los Gatos 25-5
15. Franklin (Elk Grove) 26-8*
16. Valley Christian (San Jose) 25-8-1*
17. Arcadia 26-4*
18. Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 23-6-1*
19. Patrick Henry (San Diego) 21-10-2
20. Granada (Livermore) 22-6*
Notes: The big news for D1 South on Tuesday was Villa Park going down to Granite Hills of El Cajon and handing the Eagles their first loss of the season, 5-4, in a game that went to the ninth inning. Villa Park has seven losses, but in the last month has been one of the state’s top teams based on its win over Aquinas of San Bernardino in the CIFSS D1 playoffs when that team was 25-2 and remember the Spartans took new No. 1 St. John Bosco into extra innings in the CIFSS D1 quarterfinals. The Braves only needed two runs to edge St. Augustine of San Diego, 2-1, in their first-round game. They will now play Villa Park in a rematch on Thursday. The other semifinal in the south will be Crespi against either Santa Margarita or Patrick Henry. The SM-Henry matchup was underway when rain and lightning hit Orange County and was not completed. In the north, the D1 semis on Thursday will be top seed De La Salle vs St. Mary’s of Stockton and Los Gatos at Serra (San Mateo). Los Gatos pulled off the biggest upset on Tuesday with a 9-8 win at No. 2 seed Franklin of Elk Grove. DLS is going for its third CIF NorCal title in four years.
SOFTBALL DIVISION II
1. Liberty (Brentwood) 24-4
2. Los Alamitos 21-12*
3. Vanden (Fairfield) 21-4
4. JSerra (SJ Capistrano) 19-14*
5. Christian (El Cajon) 23-8-1
6. Salinas 18-8
7. Marina (Huntington Beach) 19-13*
8. King’s Academy (Sunnyvale) 21-7
9. Destiny Christian (Sacramento) 23-3*
10. Santa Margarita (Rancho SM) 21-10-1*
Bubble: Casa Grande (Petaluma) 22-7-1*, Bakersfield Christian 23-10*, Eastlake (Chula Vista) 21-11-1, Monache (Porterville) 18-6-1, Westlake (Westlake Village) 20-14.
Notes: This division has the most opt outs from the CIF Southern Section. In fact, there are no teams from the CIFSS D2 playoffs in this week’s regionals. All of them, though, are eligible for state rankings. If CIF North Coast Section D1 champ Liberty of Brentwood (should have been in D1 NorCal playoffs) wins the CIF NorCal D2 title, it would be D2 State Team of Year. If Vanden or another team wins, we’ll have a tough decision to make. Los Alamitos and JSerra, the two finalists from the CIFSS D2 playoffs, clearly were good enough during the season to beat and compete with the top CIFSS D1 teams. Christian of El Cajon is the top seed for the CIF SoCal D2 playoffs and had a first-round bye. It is playing Monache of Porterville in the semis on Thursday after Monache topped Long Beach Poly on Tuesday. The team that beat Monache in the CIF Central Section D2 final, Bakersfield Christian, was defeated by Eastlake. Eastlake and Westlake (team that lost to opted out Marina of Huntington Beach in the CIFSS D3 final) are playing in the other SoCal semis. Liberty rolled to a 13-3 win on Tuesday vs Central Catholic of Modesto. It is playing Vanden in the semis, which scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to avoid on upset on Tuesday to Foothill of Pleasanton. Destiny Christian of Sacramento, a team many thought in the SJS was going to be in D1, laid an egg in its first regional game. The defending NorCal D2 champs from last year when known as Capital Christian lost 5-4 to King’s Academy. No. 2 seed Salinas and King’s Academy will be the other NorCal D2 semifinal.
Fowler Redcats had an easy win over Morro Bay to win their title in the CIF Central Section and won again on Tuesday in the NorCal D3 playoffs over Lincoln. Photo: @CifCentral / X.com.
BASEBALL DIVISION III
1. Ganesha (Pomona) 23-3*
2. Roseville 22-11
3. Fowler 29-3
4. Dos Pueblos (Goleta) 23-11
5. Carmel 21-10
6. Venice 29-3
7. Mt. Carmel (San Diego) 22-12
8. Bradshaw Christian (Sac.) 27-4*
9. Lincoln (L) 24-10*
10. Elsinore (Lake Elsinore) 23-8*
Bubble: Hughson 27-7*, Rancho Cotate (Rohnert Park) 17-13, Trinity Classical (Valencia) 22-3*, University City (San Diego) 21-12.
Notes: Dos Pueblos, the No. 1 seed in SoCal D3, lost in the CIFSS D4 championship to Ganesha, a team that opted out of the regional playoffs with an outstanding 23-3 record. We will go ahead an call it that the Giants will finish on top of this division. Dos Pueblos won on Tuesday 10-2 over St. Anthony of Long Beach and will play University City on Thursday in the regional semifinals. Venice of the L.A. City Section is in the other semi vs Mt. Carmel. Roseville is the top seed in D3 in the north after its upset of Bradshaw Christian in the Sac-Joaquin Sec finals. In the division that Roseville won in that section, only the championship team advanced to the regionals. Roseville is playing Fowler on Thursday with the other NorCal semi matching Carmel and Rancho Cotate.
SOFTBALL DIVISION III
1. Point Loma (San Diego) 26-6-1
2. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 23-6
3. Hillsdale (San Mateo) 19-9-1
4. St. Bonaventure (Ventura) 19-11
5. Liberty (Madera Ranchos) 23-8
6. Foothill (Palo Cedro) 26-6-1*
7. Olympian (Chula Vista) 20-12-1
8. Calaveras (San Andreas) 19-8-1*
9. Legacy (South Gate) 24-7
10. Pleasant Valley (Chico) 21-8-1
Bubble: Linden 18-7*, West Hills (Santee) 20-10-1.
Notes: The top seeds in both the NorCal & SoCal brackets are all still going in the regional playoffs headed into Thursday. Hillsdale had a bye as the top seed in the north while No. 2 Cardinal Newman advanced with a win over Calaveras. Yes, we are ranking Newman higher but the two could play on Saturday. In the south, top seed Point Loma routed Port of Los Angeles and No. 2 seed Legacy got past Elsinore. They are playing Olympian and St. Bonaventure in the semis respectively on Thursday.
Biggs players hold up plaque after winning CIF Northern Section divisional title. Photo: BHS Softball / Facebook.com.
SOFTBALL DIVISION V
1. Biggs 27-3-1
2. King City 19-11
3. Rancho Mirage 20-10
4. Orcutt Academy (Orcutt) 16-11-1
5. Miramonte (Orinda) 19-8
6. Balboa (San Francisco) 14-4
7. Culver City 14-15
8. Hueneme (Oxnard) 12-14
9. Dos Palos 19-9-1*
10. Foresthill 14-6*
Bubble: Cathedral City 15-16*, North Hollywood 16-5*, Oakland 10-5*, St. Vincent de Paul (Petaluma) 10-8*, Torres (Madera) 15-14*.
Notes: With the CIFSS going to its 100 percent competitive equity model this year, many of its teams winning in the lower divisions have losing records or close to it. Rancho Mirage looks good, however, and the top seed for SoCal D5 got past Lincoln of San Diego, 9-8, on Tuesday and is facing Culver City in the regional semifinals. We liked Biggs and King City in the north even before No. 2 seed Foresthill lost on Tuesday, 20-3, to Balboa. That will be a long trip from King City to Biggs if the two play on Saturday in the NorCal final. Balboa to King City on Thursday is not going to be an easy trip, either.
BASEBALL DIVISION V
1. Corcoran 27-4
2. Etna 19-7
3. Stevenson (Pebble Beach) 20-8
4. High Tech (San Diego) 17-10
5. Los Molinos 24-6
6. Lincoln (San Francisco) 17-15
7. Vacaville Christian 19-7*
8. Shafter 19-5*
9. Fillmore 15-19*
10. Pioneer (Whittier) 18-14
Bubble: John Swett (Crockett) 14-8-2, Port of Los Angeles (Wilmington) 15-8, Mountain View (El Monte) 15-14*, Nuview Bridge (Nuevo) 18-10, St. Mary’s (Berkeley) 10-17*.
Notes: Corcoran and Etna are the top seeds in the south and north and both won on Tuesday. Etna topped Maxwell (also CIF Northern Section) and is playing Los Molinos in the semis. Etna won the D5 section title and Los Molinos won it in D6. Stevenson is on the other side of the bracket and beat Torres of Madera on the same day Tuesday that the school’s boys golf team won the CIF state title (no divisions) at a course (Poppy Hills) not far from campus. Lincoln of San Francisco, which won its section title at Oracle Park where the Giants play, knocked off No. 3 seed Vacaville Christian on Tuesday. Corcoran won its first round game, 9-5, over University of Los Angeles. Nuview Bridge and Port of L.A. didn’t get in their first-round game. High Tech, meanwhille, took out No. 2 seed Fillmore in the first round, 3-1. Fillmore downed Pioneer of Whittier in the CIFSS D8 championship.
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
