High school softball: Sheldon begins 2021 season atop preseason MaxPreps Top 25 Sac-Joaquin Section rankings

It was nearly a year ago when the announcement came down that the 2020 high school softball season was canceled due to the rising COVID-19 crisis. Sheldon (Sacramento) was two games in before being told it was all over. Now, the Huskies are back on the field and enter the 2021 season as the top-ranked team in the Sac-Joaquin Section.

Coach Mary Jo Truesdale's ball club is filled with talent. Appalachian State University commit Kennedy Upshire and senior captain AJ Vasquez are the lone seniors returning, but don't let that fool you. Dakota Kennedy (Arizona), D'auna Johnson (Cal) and Reina Zermeno (San Jose State) are some of the top players in the country in the Class of 2022.

Five miles from the Sheldon campus is home to the Thundering Herd. If an early warmup game with third-ranked Del Oro (Loomis) tells us anything, it's watch out for Aissa Silva and Elk Grove. The Class of 2023 pitcher struck out 17 of 23 batters faced. And Del Oro has one of the best lineups in the area.

We will roll out our regular season rankings starting March 23. We will also have a players to watch list coming out next week. If you have a player worth keeping an eye on, email steve.montoya@cbsi.com or follow on Twitter @smontoyamp
1. Sheldon (Sacramento)
Hard to find any weaknesses in legendary coach Mary Jo Truesdale's lineup.

2. Elk Grove
Catcher and Boise State signee Brooklynn Pettis is another one of Amanda Buck's weapons.

3. Del Oro (Loomis)
The Golden Eagles have a ton of talent returning in the spring, including Clemson signee Maddie Moore and a pair of juniors in Kendra Cannon and pitcher Jenna Birch (Oregon State).

4. Rocklin
UCLA signee Jayla Castro is one the top players in the country. She'll be catching Boise State signee Brook Thompson.

5. Roseville
The Tigers were undefeated before the season ended last year. Now junior Malaya Johnson (UCSB) returns in the circle after a 5-0 start in 2021. Oregon State commit Shaylen McDowell is one of the top players in the Class of 2022.

6. Vanden (Fairfield)
The Vikings were young and talented in 2020. Hazyl Gray is a hard-throwing pitcher back for her junior year.

7. Vista del Lago (Folsom)
The Eagles lost some talent to graduation but reloaded with some key pieces. San Francisco State commit Lexi Holihan does it all both in the circle and at the plate. Class of 2022 Tayler Biehl is committed to Arizona.

8. St. Francis (Sacramento)
Class of 2022 Sisters Hope and Gracie Jenkins will be back for the Troubadours. The pitcher-catcher combo are UConn commits.

9. St. Mary's (Stockton)
The Rams rostered 10 underclassmen in 2020, including now sophomore Ariel Nava. Nava had 0.84 ERA in 32 innings pitched before the season was canceled.

10. Merced
Cal State Fullerton commit and pitcher Trisha McCleskey is one of three returning juniors in the circle for the Bears.

11. Folsom
Junior Emma Falen struck out 108 batters as a freshman. The Bulldogs also return seniors Shelby Pfeiler (Concordia) and Jaedyn Barrow (UC Monterey Bay).

12. Oakmont (Roseville)
Grand Canyon University signee Kennedie Magorian returns in the circle for the Vikings along with fellow senior Aubrey Smith. The lineup is filled with big bats, including Chico commits senior Lanie Blomquist and junior Lily Peterson.

13. Ponderosa (Shingle Springs)
Senior Kaylee Hunter will finish out her four-year career as a Bruin this spring. She has 270 strikeouts and will be joined by a group of veterans and young emerging talent.

14. Enochs (Modesto)
After a 7-0 start in 2020, the Eagles will be eager to get back on the diamond. University of Dayton signee Chloe Wong joins senior teammate Isabella Calvo as one of the top 1-2 punches in the circle.

15. Oakdale
The Mustangs are always tough in softball even after losing some strong players to graduation. Sophomore Delainey Everett was batting .524 and had a 3-1 record as a pitcher in 2020.

16. Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove)
San Jose State signee Ashley Goard batted .462 at the plate and was 4-0 in the circle with a 1.01 ERA in the 2020 COVID-shortened season.

17. Whitney (Rocklin)
The Wildcats technically are still the defending Division I Sac-Joaquin Section champions. The Rocklin area is filled with softball talent.

18. Pitman (Turlock)
Menlo-Atherton signee Gabby De Leon returns for her senior year as a pitcher and power hitter. She joins San Francisco State commit Kai Deleon as part of the Pride's potent offense.

19. Antelope
Amaya Sutton is back for her senior season with the Titans. The right handed pitcher has allowed just 35 hits in over 127 innings pitched so far in her career.

20. Center (Antelope)
The Cougars might have a small roster this season, but with sophomore pitcher Rylei Trujillo back, they will be in any ball game.

21. Lindhurst (Olivehurst)
The Blazers leaped into the rankings after starting 7-1 overall in 2020. Sophomore pitcher Danni Farris struck out 77 batters in 53 innings of work.

22. Vacaville
Boise State signee Acacia Anders is one of the top players in the section and returns for the Bulldogs.

23. Marysville
Sophomore pitcher Jenissa Conway is one of several talented players returning for the Indians this spring.

24. McClatchy (Sacramento)
The Lions made their way into the Top 25 rankings before the season ended in 2020. With Cal-State Fullerton signee pitcher Ashleigh Dendas back, expect good things in 2021.