It's starting to look like Mater Dei is distancing itself from the pack in Southern California, and it's undeniable that the Southern Section is the king.
San Diego Section teams are hanging in there, but we have no representatives from the Central or Los Angeles City sections. With Spring Break tournaments coming to an end, it's going to be tough to stop the CIFSS stranglehold.
MaxPreps Southern California Baseball Rankings
Jacob Erickson was stellar in the Boras Classic regional final and helped keep Mater Dei atop the rankings.
Photo by Heston Quan
Now
it's 14 straight victories for the Monarchs, and they don't appear to
be slowing down one bit. The nation's No. 3 team in the Xcellent 25
swept through the Boras Classic SoCal regional and earned a title-game
matchup against Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) in the title game, to be
played April 13 in Stockton.
Jacob Erickson tossed a shutout in a 6-0
dumping of Oaks Christian in the SoCal title game. Two games against
Servite await this week.
2. (2) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City), 13-3 (2-2 Mission League)The Wolverines
beat Simi Valley 3-1 and have a doubleheader with Torrance South on Wednesday before meeting Verdugo Hills on Saturday.
3. (4) Fountain Valley, 16-1 (5-0 Sunset League)
Daniel Patzlaff, Fountain Valley
Photo by Terry Jack
The
Barons now jump Canyon because Canyon lost to Lakewood. Fountain Valley
did lose to Canyon earlier this year, but these rankings are a
what-have-you-done-lately endeavor. The Barons blasted the Anaheim Lions
field, going 5-0 and outscoring their opponents 65-11. Down 4-3 to
start the sixth against Capistrano Valley they scored nine runs to bust
the game open. Huntington Beach is on the schedule Wednesday and Friday.
4. (3) Canyon (Anaheim), 13-2 (5-1 Century League)The
Comanches suffered a 2-0 loss to Lakewood to elicit a small drop in the
rankings but also earned good wins over Loyola (4-3), Chatsworth (8-6)
and Bishop Amat (3-1) in the Boras Classic. They head to Villa Park on
Tuesday.
5. (6) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), 11-4The
Dons took the City Conference Tournament, capped off with a 1-0 triumph
over Mira Mesa.
Brady Aiken and
Drew Finley combined to throw a
one-hitter, and that was good because the Dons only got two hits of
their own. They also beat La Jolla and Point Loma. A rematch with Mira
Mesa was Monday, and a game at Henry is Tuesday.
6. (8) Bonita (La Verne), 14-2-1 (4-0 Hacienda League)The
Bearcats rebounded from a semi-tough beginning in the Anaheim Lions
Tournament by taking their final three contests.
Jon Reid and
Sam Stavang combined on a three-hitter to close out a 1-0 win over Viewmont
of Utah. Sixth may a bit high for this squad, but Bonita certainly
belongs in the Top 10. Northview and JW North are on the schedule this
week, and the Northview game is a huge one.
7. (19) Orange Lutheran, 12-4 (3-2 Trinity League)Yes,
this is a jump of 12 spots, and that is pretty unusual. But winning the
Hard 9 National Classic is extremely noteworthy, and the Lancers also
can hold their heads up high when you talk about their losses, as three
were by one run and the other was to Mater Dei. They shut down Cypress
in the title game, 4-2, and those two runs came in the final inning to
end a 22-inning scoreless streak for the pitching staff. Now it's back
to the Trinity League with two games against JSerra.
8. (9) Cypress, 12-4 (2-0 Empire League)The
Centurions do move up despite a loss, as the loss was to red-hot Orange
Lutheran. Cypress ditched Gahr, El Dorado and Elsinore in the Hard 9,
all very good wins for the team. Two league games against Western and a
weekend game with Mira Costa are up next.
9. (NR) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village), 12-3-1
Spencer Vogelbach, Oaks Christian
Photo by Heston Quan
The Lions make a big jump into the rankings thanks to reaching the Boras Classic regional final. This team grabbed a handful of quality wins, especially a 2-1 triumph over El Toro. They have only lost to Valencia, Harvard-Westlake and Mater Dei - not a bad resume at all for the Lions.
10. (10) El Toro (Lake Forest), 11-5 (4-0 South Coast League)The
Chargers have won nine of 10, and that one loss happened this past week in the Boras Classic, a 2-1 setback to Oaks Christian. Wins over Chaminade, Great Oak and West Ranch were definitely positives. El Toro only allowed five runs in the Boras Classic in four games.
11. (13) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 12-3The
Broncos won convincingly over El Camino, San Marcos and San Pasqual by a combined 29-3 score.
Matt Jervis and
Nikko Holm each knocked in four runs in the 14-2 win over San Pasqual. The Broncos' next three games are against Torrey Pines.
12. (15) Nogales (La Puente), 14-1 (1-0 Valle Vista League)The
Nobles went big, taking a 6-0 victory over Channel Islands and a 17-4 blowout of Westminster. A home and home with San Dimas is next in league play.
13. (16) Agoura, 13-5 (6-0 Marmonte League)The Chargers shut out Walnut 7-0 and Campolindo 1-0, then dispatched Riverton (Utah) 6-4 in the Anaheim Lions Tournament. Two runs in the sixth broke a 4-all tie in the Riverton game. Agoura will face off with Thousand Oaks twice this week, then Bishop Amat.
14. (20) San Clemente, 15-3 (3-1 Sea View League)
Kent Burckle, San Clemente
Photo by Jordan Anast
The
Tritons took down Capistrano Valley Christian (4-3), Dos Pueblos (5-2)
and Loara (5-2) to move their win streak to nine, and that includes wins
over Long Beach Poly and Serra.
15. (5) Granite Hills (El Cajon), 12-4The Eagles keep falling, as they dropped a 10-3 decision to Valhalla. West Hills and Steele Canyon (doubleheader) come next on the schedule. Four pitchers combined for the victory over Loara.
16. (18) Redlands, 11-3 (4-1 Citrus Belt League)The
Terriers took a pair of CBL games, 6-0 over Yucaipa and 7-1 over Eisenhower, to stay in the rankings. Two games with Miller await later this week.
17. (NR) Northview (Covina), 13-3 (3-1 Valle Vista League)The Vikings went to the USA Classic in Tennessee and went 3-1, only losing to Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.). They won 8-0, 9-2 and 6-2 to improve their record. Bonita and Bell are on the schedule coming up this week.
18. (23) Quartz Hill, 12-5 (4-0 Golden League)The
Rebels have tossed four straight shutouts, and their last two games were wins over Highland (11-0 and 4-0). Highland recorded only four hits in each contest. Two games with Palmdale await in league play.
19. (NR) Serra (Gardena), 13-5The Cavaliers have won three in a row. They beat Diamond Bar 3-0, Valencia 4-2 and Servite 5-2 in the Anaheim Lions Tournament. Two upcoming games with Bishop Amat will be a great test for a team that hasn't been able to find much consistency.
20. (14) Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo), 15-6 (2-2 South Coast League)The Cougars beat Mira Costa and Palos Verdes, then lost to Fountain Valley 12-5 and Paramount 6-5. They stay in the rankings because the LA Times and OC Register still have them in their respective rankings. Two games this week against El Toro will tell a lot.
21. (NR) Temecula Valley (Temecula), 12-2 (5-0 Southwestern League)The Golden Bears have won 10 of 11 and despite a 3-2 setback to Paloma Valley, enter the rankings. They own a win over Vista Murrieta earlier this year. They will face Vista Murrieta twice this week.
22. (12) Vista, 11-5The Panthers beat Mission Hills and La Costa Canyon before the league season. They scored four runs in the seventh inning to beat La Costa Canyon 4-3.
23. (19) Redlands East Valley, 13-3-1 (3-2 Citrus Belt League)REV
beat Eisenhower 11-2 then dropped a tough 10-9 decision to Cajon in league play. Two games with Yucaipa await this week.
24. (NR) Alemany (Mission Hills), 13-3 (2-0 Mission League)Six wins in a row get the Warriors into the rankings, including a 4-0record with a title in the Righetti tournament in Santa Maria. Two games with Chaminade, which dropped from the rankings this week, await on the schedule.
25. (25) Canyon (Canyon Country), 12-5 (4-1 Foothill League)The Cowboys lost 7-6 to Diamond Bar in their final contest of the Anaheim Lions Tournament, and Diamond Bar is certainly worthy of consideration. When they pitch and play defense they win: Canyon has allowed three runs in its last five victories. Two games with West Ranch in Foothill League play will be a challenge.
