MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 high school baseball rankings

Spring break was last week for some and it's this week for others, with baseball a common theme.

Elk Grove takes over as the new No. 1 team in Northern California after beating previous No. 1 St. Francis (Mountain View), 2-1 in the finals of the Boras Classic.

St. Francis heads the ever-competitive West Catholic Athletic League in the Central Section as Elk Grove deals with the Delta Valley Conference of the Sac-Joaquin Section.


1. (Preseason 3) Elk Grove (12-4)
The Thundering Herd, defending Division I champions of the Sac-Joaquin Section, won the Boras Classic with a 4-0 showing, taking down nationally ranked Buchanan (Clovis) 3-1 on a Chris Martin gem and then topping previous No. 1 St. Francis (Mountain View) 2-1 in the finals with more superb pitching and defense. Elk Grove's top player — centerfielder Derek Hill — didn't play the final two games due to cramping. The Herd is top-ranked by The Sacramento Bee and is in a tight battle for the Delta Valley Conference lead with ranked rivals Franklin (Elk Grove), Davis and Grant (Sacramento).

2. (1) St. Francis (Mountain View) (16-3)
The Lancers lost to new No. 1 Elk Grove in the finals of the Boras Classic after beating Yuba City 2-0, Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 3-2 and Clovis West 3-2. John Gavin had a 14-strikeout gem in the Boras as one of the top pitchers on the West Coast. The Lancers are in the Elite Eight spring tournament this week.

3. (12) Clayton Valley Charter (Concord) (17-0)
The Ugly Eagles are the lone unbeatens in these rankings with a great challenge this week in the Elite Eight. Austin Cannedy is the ace.

4. (2) Valley Christian (San Jose) (14-6)
The Warriors reached the finals of the National Classic after beating Gahr (Cerritos) 3-2, Gateway (Arizona) 4-0 and No. 19 Rocklin 9-7, before falling to Huntington Beach 3-2. Valley Christian hosts its own Crown Classic this week.

5. (4) Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) (12-4)
The Eagles of the Delta River League had a strong showing in the Boras Classic, beating previous Sacramento Bee No. 1 Davis 7-3, De La Salle (Concord) 1-0 and nationally ranked Buchanan 10-3. The lone loss was to No. 2 St. Francis, 3-2, when the Lancers scored three times in the bottom of the seventh inning. Pitchers for PG include Matt Stafford, Dalton Gomez and Brett Elgin. The DRL includes No. 10 Oak Ridge and previously ranked Jesuit (Carmichael).

6. (10) California (San Ramon) (13-2)
The Grizzlies head into the Elite Eight this week behind A.J. Velasquez, who homered in a 7-5 win over Foothill (Pleasanton). The East Bay Athletic League includes rival No. 7 De La Salle (Concord).

7. (8) De La Salle (Concord) (13-4)
The Spartans went 3-1 at the Boras Classic, falling only 1-0 to No. 5 Pleasant Grove. Wins included Yuba City 4-3, Foothill (Palo Cedro) 11-0 and Granite Bay 11-1. Austin Dondanville and Ben Polshuk hit well at the Boras.

8. (6) College Park (Pleasant Hill) (14-2)
The Falcons are in the Elite Eight this week after strong showings to beat Vacaville 4-0 and Drake (San Anselmo) 2-1. Justin Gregory shined against Vacaville with a four-hitter.

9. (11) Campolindo (Moraga) (13-3)
After a slow start to the season against stiff competition, the Cougars have warmed up with wins in 12 of 13 games, including wins over El Cerrito 14-0, Dublin 8-1 and Palo Alto 11-1 behind ace Matt Ladrech and infielder Denis Karas.

10. (10) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) (10-7)
With two wins out of three against No. 5 Pleasant Grove in Delta River League play and a 2-1 effort over No. 10 Mitty (San Jose) in the Boras Classic, the Trojans have relied on pitching and defense. Austin Root is the ace, headed to Sacramento State.

11. (14) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) (16-5)
The Monarchs won three games at the Boras Classic, including 8-4 over No. 13 Davis as Kris Bubic struck out 11. Mitty is in the West Catholic Athletic League with No. 2 St. Francis, No. 4 Valley Christian and No. 13 Bellarmine.

12. (14) Franklin (Elk Grove) (12-6)
The Wildcats went 3-1 in the Fresno Easter Classic behind leader in Cal State Fullerton commit Hank LoForte and ace Cameron Keup. Ranked fourth by The Sacramento Bee, Franklin takes on No. 1 Elk Grove on Friday. The Delta Valley Conference also includes No. 14 Grant and No. 15 Davis.

13. (21) Bellarmine (San Jose) (15-4)
The Bells beat St. Mary's (Stockton) 2-0 and Westmont 6-3 in nonleague play and are in the thick of the West Catholic Athletic League race behind ranked rivals St. Francis, Valley Christian and Mitty.

14. (NR) Grant (Sacramento) (12-6)
The Pacers are back in the rankings picture, with their best team since 1992, when they last made the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs. Two Delta Valley Conference wins include No. 15 Davis and No. 12 Franklin. Grant battled nationally ranked Buchanan (Clovis) in the Boras Classic to a 4-2 loss before beating Christian Brothers (Sacramento) 12-2 and Yuba City 6-5. Cameron Avila-Leeper and Polo Portela are the leaders.

15. (7) Davis (9-8-1)
The Blue Devils have an early Delta Valley Conference win over top-ranked Elk Grove behind ace Matt Trask and went 1-3 in the Boras Classic. Centerfielder John Ariola is the son of veteran coach Dan Ariola, a Davis alum.

16. (25) San Ramon Valley (Danville) (10-4)
The Wolves are tied for the top of the East Bay Athletic League heading into the San Luis Obispo Tournament. The ace is Alex Barden and the top hitter is Matt Winaker.

17. (22) Amador Valley (Pleasanton) (11-4)
The defending North Coast Section D-I champions have a slugger in Austin Piscotty, who homered to beat Foothill (Pleasanton) 14-3 before falling to No. 14 San Ramon Valley for the second time. AV is in the Elite Eight this week.

18. (13) Granite Bay (9-8)
The Grizzlies of the Sierra Foothill League have an early win over No. 5 Pleasant Grove and two wins over No. 10 Oak Ridge, including last week in the Boras Classic behind pitchers Ryan Brown and Nick Frank. The SFL includes Rocklin, Del Oro (Loomis) and Woodcreek (Roseville).

19. (NR) Rocklin (11-7)
The Thunder of the Sierra Foothill League and Sac-Joaquin Section fell to No. 4 Valley Christian 9-7 in the finals of the National Classic. Coach Roc Murray is the only varsity mentor the program has had.

20. (18) Woodcreek (Roseville) (12-5)
The Wolves of the Sierra Foothill League won the Rally Factory Spring Break Classic, topping previously ranked Vista del Lago (Folsom) 8-2 in the finals as Josh Cooper struck out nine and Brennan Spezia had three RBIs.

21. (NR) Benicia (16-2)
The Division II Panthers have won 10 consecutive games, including wins over Vacaville 8-2 and Vallejo, 12-2 and 18-0. They are running away with the Solano County Athletic League behind arms Matt Brown, Steven Daini and Ryan Galiza.

22. (11) Serra (San Mateo) (11-10)
The Padres of the West Catholic Athletic League are in a tight league race with ranked rivals St. Francis, Valley Christian, Bellarmine and others. Serra has a 3-2 win over Valley Christian and a 3-0 loss to St. Francis.

23. (NR) Turlock (16-4)
The Bulldogs are in first place in the Central California Conference at 11-1 behind aces Blake Cederlind and Jon Temple. Turlock has won 9 of 10 games.

24. (NR) Los Gatos (18-4)
The Wildcats of the North Coast Section lead the DeAnza League ahead of Wilcox (Santa Clara) and Palo Alto with Cameron Ackerman off to a 6-1 start.

25. (NR) Pacific Grove (13-2)
The Breakers of the Central Coast Section have won 10 in a row since falling to No. 2 St. Francis, and they are running away with the Mission Trail League as Nic Boatman and Chris Clements area a combined 10-1.

The Sacramento Bee recaps the Boras Classic that includes several ranked teams

The Sacramento Bee on how Grant High School in Sacramento turned its once-proud baseball program back into a power

Joe Davidson has covered high school sports for The Sacramento Bee since 1988. Follow him on Twitter @SacBee_JoeD and on www.sacbee.com/preps.