Preseason MaxPreps Top 25 Sac-Joaquin Section softball rankings

This year's potential Division 1 bracket could be one of the most talented fields ever seen around the greater Sacramento area. The finals at Arnaiz Stadium will be full of future collegiate stars. Sheldon (Sacramento) enters the 2022 season as the No. 1 team in the Preseason MaxPreps Top 25 rankings. The Huskies are eyeing their ninth section title, which would tie Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) for the most all-time.

Coach Mary Jo Truesdale's squad is full of talent and it's hard to find any weaknesses from top to bottom. Nearly every player is back after the team batted a combined .432 and blasted 38 home runs in 2021.

Including Sheldon, the Delta League has three top 10 teams to begin the season. Fourth-ranked St. Francis (Sacramento) and No. 7 Elk Grove have two of the section's top pitchers. From top to bottom, this league will be one of the toughest in the entire state. 1. Sheldon (Sacramento)
Outlook: A legendary coach mixed with incredible talent is a recipe for success. The Huskies starting nine are all high-caliber next-level players. Dakota Kennedy (Arizona), D'Auna Johnson (Cal), Reina Zermeno (San Jose State) and Jaylee Ojo (UC San Diego) are just a few.

2. Roseville
Outlook: Coach Art Banks has to be excited for the talent that returns for the Tigers. University of California at Santa Barbara commit Malaya Johnson was second in the section in 2021 with 184 strikeouts. She now has over 330 in her career. Seven different seniors on this squad signed National Letters of Intent, including Oregon State commit Shaylen McDowell, who was recently named a Top 20 player in the country in the Class of 2022.

3. Vanden (Fairfield)
Outlook: The Vikings only played 11 games this past spring, but they made a statement when on the field, outscoring their opponents 108-19. Left-handed pitcher and hitter Hazyl Gray returns. The Santa Clara commit was 8-0 in the circle and batted .441 at the plate. Other big bats return as well, including sophomore Mia Zabat and senior Mia Santos.

4. St. Francis (Sacramento)

5. Del Oro (Loomis)
Outlook: Every pitcher who saw innings last spring for the Golden Eagles will be back in 2022. Jenna Birch, an Oregon State commit, will play infield at the next level but she can bring it in the circle. She also blasted nine home runs as a junior. Senior pitcher Carolina Grimes and junior Daniella Morillas add depth to one of the deepest staffs in the area.

6. Folsom
Outlook: The Bulldogs have a good mixture of talent up and down the lineup. If offensive weapons like seniors Sienna Price, Hailey Scott and Cristina Jones can help put up a few runs per game, chances are they will come out on top. UC Riverside commit Emma Falen is back for her senior season in the circle. She finished with a 1.19 ERA and set a school record 173 strikeouts in 2021.

7. Elk Grove

8. Vista del Lago (Folsom, Calif.)
Outlook: Arizona commit Tayler Biehl is one of the top hitters in the section, state and country. The lead-off batter is also incredible with the glove at shortstop. The Eagles will have power up and down the lineup which includes junior Morgan Sweet who hit 10 home runs last season. In the circle they will need to fill a big void from last season, but they have the arms to do so.

9. Rocklin
Outlook: The top-ranked team from 2021 lost a lot of firepower to graduation that you may see making a major impact at the collegiate level, but the Thunder still have plenty of talent back and coming in to make a run to repeat as SFL champs. Shortstop Sydney Barker is one of the top young talents in the area and was named the MaxPreps Class of 2024 Player of the Year.

10. Escalon
Outlook: Lady Cougars have won three-consecutive section titles dating back to 2017. After no postseason play in 2020 and 2021, they are looking to add a sixth overall title to the trophy case here in 2022. A good starting point is the return of Eastern Kentucky commit Brooke Davis. The ace finished with a 1.17 ERA and struck out 152 batters as a junior.

11. Granite Bay
Outlook: The Grizzlies have some holes to fill as several talented seniors graduated, but Brian Seva and his staff still have a lot of weapons returning. Santa Clara commit junior Avery Seva pitched in 71 innings last season, which included a lot of work in one of the toughest leagues in all of the state in 2021 in the SFL. Senior pitcher Marissa Alders is also back in 2022 after a 6-3 campaign.

12. Oakdale

13. Central Catholic (Modesto)
Outlook: Junior pitcher Randi Roelling will be back for the Raiders in 2022. The Cal commit finished her sophomore season with a 1.17 ERA, striking out 161 batters in 71 innings of work. Another junior to keep an eye on Jazzelyn Rios as they look to compete in the very tough Valley Oak League.

14. Merced
Outlook: The Bears welcome back almost the entire roster from last spring. Cal State Fullerton commit Trisha McCleskey has 191 varsity innings under her belt. She has struck 308 career batters. Fellow Class of 2022 teammate, Ava Brown, an Idaho State commit, had a monster junior year, batting .520 with four home runs.

15. Lincoln (Stockton)
Outlook: Peja Goold and Danielle Hunter could be one of the top one-two punches in the section returning in the circle. The two combined to go 11-3 last season. Senior Morgan Grupe hit .476 last spring.

16. Marysville
Outlook: Class of 2022 University of Nevada commit Maya Larsen and Class of 2023 Michigan commit Jenissa Conway are two of the talented players returning for the Indians. Conway is one of the top utility players in the country. She can play outfield, first base, hit and pitch.

17. Lincoln
Outlook: The Fighting Zebras lineup might not have the power as it did in 2021, but Fresno State commit Ava Tingey, twin sisters and Embry–Riddle commits Ava and Gianna Domenici, Alessanda Ramirez, Araceli Jaimes and others might have something to say about that. Look for them to be the early favorites in the Foothill Valley League.

18. St. Mary's (Stockton)
Outlook: Junior pitcher Ariel Nava, Class of 2022 Nevada Reno commit Andrea Lira, Kennedy Dingman and more return for the Rams in 2022. Nava went 8-1 in the circle as a sophomore.

19. Dixon
Outlook: The Rams were very young in 2021 but still rolled to 14-1 overall. All three pitchers who saw any innings last season will be back. Class of 2024 pitcher Felesha Lepenske had a stellar freshman year. She went 6-0 in the circle with a 0.23 ERA. She also hit .581 with five home runs.

20. Ceres
Outlook: The Bulldogs finished with a 15-game win streak to close out 2021. San Francisco State University commit Brooklyn Heffernan has a career 20-5 record at the varsity level with 237 strikeouts and a 1.83 ERA. Returning sophomore Isabela Giraldes led the team in hitting last year batting .536.

21. Capital Christian (Sacramento)
Outlook: Utah State commit Grace Matej is one of several next-level players coming back for the Cougars. Sophomore Ella Magda and senior Emma Olsen logged the majority of all the innings last season. Olsen is a Texas Tech commit.

22. Inderkum (Sacramento)
Outlook: Class of 2023 pitchers Samantha Stoll and Isabella Jimenez will be back for their junior seasons. Stoll threw nearly 100 innings last season striking out 107 and finished with a 1.56 ERA. The Tigers will join Roseville and other solid teams in the tough Capital Valley Conference.

23. Golden Valley (Merced)
Outlook: The Cougars lost in the D3 section finals in 2019. They finished in the final Top 10 rankings last season and have the foundation to make another deep postseason run.

24: Calaveras (San Andreas)
Outlook: An undefeated 2021 and many of those players back for this spring has to bring excitement to the San Andreas area. Macy Villegas had an impressive sophomore campaign. She went 11-0 in the circle.

25. Rodriguez (Fairfield)
Outlook: The Mustangs have a good mix of speed and power throughout the lineup. The Monticello Empire League will be a good test with teams like Vanden and Vacaville.

26. Cordova
27. Ponderosa (Shingle Springs)
28. Whitney (Rocklin)
29. Franklin (Elk Grove)
30. Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove)