High school baseball rankings: Whitney starts on top of preseason Sac-Joaquin Section MaxPreps Top 25

Baseball season in the Sac-Joaquin Section is nearly underway.

Whitney (Rocklin) starts the season No. 1 and is looking to defend its Division I Sac-Joaquin Section title with nearly everybody returning, including seven of the eight players who had at least 20 hits in 2022. On the mound, every arm that threw at least 10 innings is back led by Jace Gillmore, Gavin McLendon and Luke Oyler.

Coming in at No. 2 is Woodcreek (Roseville), which is stacked with Division 1 collegiate talent in Conner Barth (Oregon State), Dylan Green (Oregon), Austin Nye (Vanderbilt) and Noah Madsen (Nebraska).

Franklin (Elk Grove) jumps into the No. 3 spot and is paced by three dual-threats in juniors Jordan Lopez, Nic Abraham and All-American senior Nolan Stevens. Lopez hit .413 and had a 1.35 ERA. Abraham sat at .259 with a 1.11 ERA while Stevens hit .385 and recorded a 0.55 ERA. Preseason Sac-Joaquin Section MaxPreps Top 25 baseball rankings



1. Whitney (Rocklin)
2022 record: 28-6
The defending Division 1 section champions return seven top hitters and every pitcher, led by Santa Clara commit Jace Gillmore who went 11-0 with a 1.55 earned run average while hitting .337, and San Diego State commit Gavin McLendon who hit .326 and went 9-1 with a 0.91 ERA.

2. Woodcreek (Roseville)
2022 record: 25-3
The Timberwolves won the Capital Athletic Conference and return big bats Conner Barth and Ethan Louie, and talented arms in Noah Madsen and Cody Cooper. Vanderbilt junior commit Austin Nye to be key cog with bat and arm.

3. Franklin (Elk Grove)
2022 record: 24-7
The Delta League champs return eight of their top hitters and their four top pitchers, including two-way studs Jordan Lopez and Nolan Stevens from a team that went to the Division 1 section semifinals. they added sophomore Dylan Wood who had a 1.78 ERA as a freshman for Bradshaw Christian last season.

4. Granite Bay
2022 record: 21-14
Division II section champs return infielder Cody Ferrante who hit .342 last season and a pair of proven arms in Nolan Lawrie and Chase Bentley. Bentley was a MaxPreps Underclass All-American as a freshman last season who went 3-1 with a 1.99 ERA.

5. McClatchy (Sacramento)
2022 record: 29-5
Senior Shon Lor who hit .308 with six doubles and three home runs in 78 at-bats leads the Division 1 section finalists. On the mound, Lor was 7-1 with 2.16 ERA while striking out 58 batters in 45.1 innings for the Metro Conference champs.

6. Del Campo (Fair Oaks)
2022 record: 29-6
Top hitters Anthony Martinez (.343) and Matt Moses (.405)are back from the Capital Athletic League champs and a Division III section champion squad. Oregon State pitching commit Jake McKowen looks to return after missing his sophomore season.



7. Rodriguez (Fairfield)
2022 record: 26-4
Landon Troutt and Kaden Wilde both hit over .400 and return to a Mustangs squad that went to the Division II section semifinals. Senior Nathan Schikore went 8-3 on the mound.

8. Vanden (Fairfield)
2022 record: 29-6
The Vikings bring back two of their top pitchers in Trevor Morse and D.J. Andersen after going to the Division III section championship game last season. Strong bats Cody Buckley, Aidan Robles and Dalen Shipp are also back for their senior seasons.

9. Pitman (Turlock)
2022 record: 21-6-1
Senior Andrew Balentine is back for the Pride after hitting a team best .439 and going 6-0 with a 2.35 ERA. Brandon Leon brings a wealth of experience to the pitching and won five games last year for a squad that advanced to the Division II section quarterfinals.

10. Central Catholic (Modesto)
2022 record: 22-10-1
The Valley Oak League victors return seven of their top eight hitters from a Division III section semifinal squad, including Braxton Thomas , T.P. Wentworth and Fernando Alaniz. Wentworth and junior Adrian Garcia (9-1, 0.96 ERA) look to pace the pitching staff.

11. Rio Americano (Sacramento)
2022 record: 21-13
After a trip to the Division II section finals, the Raiders bring back Chase Christenson who won seven games and their top four innings leaders. Offensively, .434 hitter Brady Wilson is back after hitting four home runs during his junior season.

12. Buhach Colony (Atwater)
2022 record: 24-9
Spencer Lanz and Erik Munoz are back after recording ERAs under 2.00. Senior Landon Laplante added a 0.93 ERA and he hit .359 as the Thunder went to the Division III section semifinals.



13. St. Mary's (Stockton)
2022 record: 17-13
The Rams return four hitters and are led on the mound by junior Michigan commit Michael Quedens who had a 2.13 ERA for the reigning Tri-City Athletic League champs.

14. Jesuit (Carmichael)
2022 record: 18-12
Baseball factory is coming off Division II section quarterfinals and has veterans and youth including incoming freshman LSU commit Sammy Kane.

15. Ponderosa (Shingle Springs)
2022 record: 18-13
Bruins add Matthew Gallant (1.77 ERA) to a staff already featuring senior Ricky Larson who had a 1.98 ERA in 35.1 innings. Offensively, the Bruins have several big bats including senior slugger Nick Zuccaro who bashed seven home runs last season.

16. Rocklin
2022 record: 15-14
Junior Jesse Cuthill is coming off a sophomore year where he had a 1.85 ERA for a Thunder team that made the playoffs. Five contributing hitters are back from last year led by senior Jack Peterson who hit .318 and drove in 16 runs.

17. Vacaville
2022 record: 15-15
The Bulldogs return many pieces from a .500 season, including starting pitchers Nick Vierra and Eli Blurton. Senior Drew Carrington could be a big piece after allowing one earned run in 12.2 innings.

18. Elk Grove
2022 record: 20-9
Senior Eddie Fines (.314) leads a rebooted Thundering Herd offense while junior pitchers Russell Pettis (1.70 ERA) and Ned Frutchey (3.56 ERA) could be counted on to throw a bulk of the innings.



19. River City (West Sacramento)
2022 record: 21-7
Junior Bryce Sabatke and seniors J.J. Torrente and Tyson Mayberry all hit at least .392 last season and pack a punch for the Raiders. Sabatke could also be the ace of the pitching staff.

20. Turlock
2022 record: 20-9
Senior Payton Hawkinson throws heat and struck out 79 batters in 53 innings a year ago. The Bulldogs also return four key hitters, including senior Gannon Evans who hit .427 with nine extra-base hits.

21. Lincoln (Stockton)
2022 record: 16-12
The Trojans bring back all three of their starting pitchers in Ray Olivas, Dom Samford and Aden Bowman.
2022 record: 17-15
The Trojans used a senior heavy lineup to reach the Division 1 section semifinals but still have Long Beach State commit Jake Fields who throws hard and recorded a 2.39 ERA.

23. Oakmont (Roseville)
2022 record: 20-9
Starting pitchers Kurt Marton (1.77 ERA) and Tony Lira (2.31 ERA) are back after helping lead the Vikings to the Foothill Valley League title.

24. Pioneer (Woodland)
2022 record: 15-8The Patriots won the Golden Empire League and return their top five pitchers and four of their top five batters including senior Carson Timothy. The UC Santa Barbara commit hit .418 with 10 extra-base hits while twirling four victories from the mound with a 1.75 ERA.

On the Bubble: Bear Creek (Stockton), 22-7; Calaveras (San Andreas), 28-4; Colfax, 18-11; Downey (Modesto), 19-11; Lincoln, 18-11; Lodi, 18-14; Placer (Auburn), 18-12; Vista del Lago (Folsom), 23-7.