The playoffs have arrived for the Southern Section teams in the rankings, the same for the Central Section squads. San Diego, you're up next.
There was still some good drama in the final week of the regular season for some teams, as we saw a huge collapse in he Mission League and the Sea View League also had a wild ending. Another Central Section team has entered the fray, and another team enters for the first time despite getting plenty of praise from the Los Angeles Times all season long.
Also, a preseason Top 10 team (Cathedral Catholic of San Diego) dropped out.
Check out the
MaxPreps Freeman Rankings for California and also be sure to visit the
MaxPreps California baseball playoff brackets.
MaxPreps Southern California Baseball Rankings
Mater Dei celebrated the NHSI title trophy. Now the Monarchs seek the Southern Section Division 1 title.
Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode
1 state, 1 national
Division: Southern Section 1
The No. 4 team in the Xcellent 25 finished its season with 6-5 and 2-0 triumphs over JSerra Catholic to wrap up a spectacular campaign. It's hard to image the Monarchs losing the top spot, as they just keep rolling. On Thursday, they will face the winner of Martin Luther King (Riverside) and Huntington Beach.
2. (2) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City), 23-4 (9-3 Mission League)Freeman Ranking: 6 state, 16 national
Division: Southern Section 1
It looked like the No. 14 team in the Xcellent 25 wasn't going to play a role in the league title, but the Wolverines did their part with 6-1 and 14-0 triumphs over St. Francis. Loyola lost both of its games to Chaminade, equaling a shared league title because the teams split their league meetings. On Thursday, the Wolverines will host the winner between Valencia and Westlake.
3. (3) Oaks Christian (Westlake Village), 24-3-1 (10-0 Tri Valley League)Freeman Ranking: 15 state, 83 national
Division: Southern Section 4
The Lions finished their domination of the TVL with two more shutouts, blanking Oak Park 7-0 and 6-0. That makes four shutouts in a row and two runs allowed in the last six games. Needless to say, pitching is the path to the D-4 title. That quest begins Thursday with the top seed and a home game against the winner of San Marino and Fullerton.
4. (5) Serra (Gardena), 23-5 (10-0 Del Rey League)Freeman Ranking: 28 state, 135 national
Division: Southern Section 3
The
Cavaliers, like Oaks Christian, just tore through their league. Now it's time to up the competition level. They downed Cathedral 4-2 and 7-4 to up their winning streak to 13. Now comes the playoffs, and it all begins Thursday with a home game against the winner between West Covina and Palm Springs.
5. (7) Orange Lutheran, 19-7 (10-5 Trinity League)Freeman Ranking: 5 state, 14 national
Division: Southern Section 1
The
Lancers will open the playoffs with a Thursday home game against Chaminade, which had a great week coming into the postseason. Orange Lutheran had a good week, too, beating St. John Bosco 3-2 and 8-1 to complete a second-place finish in the Trinity League.
6. (8) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 24-4 (12-1 Palomar League)
Gosuke Katoh, Rancho Bernardo
Photo by Steven Silva
10 state, 34 national
Division: San Diego Section Open
The
Broncos took down Poway, 6-2 and 3-0, and that leaves no doubt who the Palomar champs are. The schedule shows a Tuesday matchup with Westview and a rematch with Poway on Thursday to finish the regular season.
7. (9) Bonita (La Verne), 25-3-1 (12-0 Hacienda League)Freeman Ranking: 21 state, 103 national
Division: Southern Section 3
The
Bearcats swept Diamond Bar to sew up the league title in a 1 vs. 2 matchup. They won 4-1 and 1-0 on a
Sam Stavang no-hitter. Next up is the top seed in Division 3 and a Thursday home game against either Cathedral or Xavier Prep.
8. (4) Fountain Valley, 23-4 (12-3 Sunset League)Freeman Ranking: 3 state, 7 national
Division: Southern Section 1
The Barons lost twice to Marina, 8-5 and 8-3, to add a tough finish to an otherwise amazing season that included a league title. Marina is a very good baseball team, and Fountain Valley beat El Toro twice earlier this year, so the Barons stay at eighth. They will host the Arlington vs. Alemany winner on Thursday.
9. (10) El Toro (Lake Forest), 21-6 (11-1 South Coast League)Freeman Ranking: 4 state, 8 national
Division: Southern Section 1
The
Chargers have now thrown five shutouts in a row. Look out Division 1. They suffocated Dana Hills 10-0 and 6-0, then closed things out with a 7-0 triumph over a ranked San Clemente team. El Toro earned the No. 2 seed in Division 1 and will host the Woodrow Wilson vs. Brea Olinda winner on Thursday.
10. (12) Canyon (Anaheim), 22-5 (14-4 Century League)Freeman Ranking: 8 state, 26 national
Division: Southern Section 1
The Comanches (Century League champions) took two 7-3 victories over Foothill to close out the regular season, and on Thursday will host the winner between Thousand Oaks and Servite.
11. (13) Granite Hills (El Cajon), 21-7 (10-3 Grossmont Hills League)Freeman Ranking: 11 state, 50 national
Division: San Diego Section Open
The
Eagles took care of West Hills (14-3), Grossmont (5-4) and Helix (12-2). They have scored in double digits in three of their last four contests. All that remains is a Wednesday game with Valhalla, and Grossmont is one game back in the league standings.
12. (14) Redlands East Valley, 22-4-1 (12-3 Citrus Belt League)Freeman Ranking: 75 state, 533 national
Division: Southern Section 2
The Wildcats moved their winning streak to eight by taking two from Cajon (5-2 and 5-0). That secured a tie for the league title, but REV earns the outright crown because it beat Redlands two out of three times in league play. Now the attention turns to the top seed in Division 2 and a Thursday home game against the winner between Arcadia and Pioneer Valley.
13. (16) Quartz Hill, 21-6 (13-1 Golden League)Freeman Ranking: 123 state, 932 national
Division: Southern Section 3
Quartz Hill showed no mercy against the league's worst team, winning 36-1 and 10-0 over Antelope Valley to close out the regular season. Now the Rebels get the chance to fight for the D-3 section title, and it all begins Thursday against the winner between Temecula Canyon and Hawthorne.
14. (6) Loyola (Los Angeles), 19-10 (9-3 Mission League)Freeman Ranking: 60 state, 377 national
Division: Southern Section 1
The Cubs lost their shot at the outright league title by losing to Chaminade 3-1 and 9-3, so that means a shared title with Harvard-Westlake. That golden opportunity has passed, though, and now comes a much more important challenge. The playoffs begin Thursday for Loyola with a home game against Canyon (Canyon Country), a team that was ranked at one point.
15. (11) Carlsbad, 23-5 (13-1 Avocado West League)Freeman Ranking: 16 state, 84 national
Division: San Diego Section I
The Lancers took two of three from a quality La Costa Canyon squad, winning the first two 4-1 and 8-3, before losing 4-3. It was enough to secure the league title, though, and that's a big plus, obviously. All that's left is a game at El Camino on Wednesday to close the regular season.
16. (19) Agoura, 20-9 (11-3 Marmonte League)
Henry Baker, Agoura
Photo by Vince Pugliese
68 state, 434 national
Division: Southern Section 1
The Chargers took the week off, and thus will be rested and prepared for the playoffs. They kick their postseason off Thursday with a home game against either J.W. North or Sherman Oaks (Notre Dame).
17. (20) Temecula Valley, 19-5 (12-3 Southwestern League)Freeman Ranking: 22 state, 107 national
Division: Southern Section 2
The
Golden Bears whacked Murrieta Valley 7-0 and 12-5. The league champions now turn their attention to their No. 2 seed in Division 2 and a Thursday home game against the winner of Norwalk and Kennedy.
18. (23) Lakewood, 22-8 (10-2 Moore League)Freeman Ranking: 33 state, 183 national
Division: Southern Section 1
The Lancers are now on an 11-game winning streak after blasting Cabrillo 15-0 and Compton 23-0. The Moore League champions tossed shutouts in four of their last six and on Thursday will host the winner between El Modena and Simi Valley.
19. (17) Cypress, 21-8 (8-4 Empire League)Freeman Ranking: 19 state, 94 national
Division: Southern Section 2
The
Centurions split with Valencia in the final series of the season, losing 4-3 before winning 5-2. That 8-4 record was good enough to win the league, a brutal slate that saw lots of good teams duking it out. Now Cypress gets the Irvine vs. Bellflower winner Thursday at home.
20. (NR) Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo), 19-11 (9-3 Sea View League)Freeman Ranking: 31 state, 159 national
Division: Southern Section 2
The
Wolverines shut down San Clemente to steal the league title, winning 3-0 and 1-0, and make their first entrance. Those wins put them higher than San Clemente and they also have an early-season win over Serra. They will host either Upland or Claremont on Thursday.
21. (NR) Gahr (Cerritos), 20-5 (13-2 San Gabriel Valley League)
Edgar Morales, Gahr
Photo by Terry Jack
52 state, 264 national
Division: Southern Section 3
The
Gladiators are also newcomers, though the LA Times has been high on them all season. We were a little reluctant with the lack of big-name opponents, but this squad has a penchant for winning and a pretty good Freeman Rankings number. They beat Warren 2-1 and 6-1 to close the season to make their winning streak 11. Now they will host Beverly Hills or Highland on Thursday.
22. (21) Buchanan (Clovis), 24-5-1 (12-3 Tri-Rivers League)Freeman Ranking: 13 state, 76 national
Division: Central Section I
The Bears split with Clovis North, losing 4-0 and winning 6-1, and that was good enough for the league title. Things have become a little more turbulent lately, but Buchanan still has the No. 1 seed in the Central Section playoffs, and on Friday will host the winner between El Diamante and Liberty.
23. (NR) Clovis North (Fresno), 24-6 (11-4 Tri-Rivers League)Freeman Ranking: 24 state, 117 national
Division: Central Section I
The Broncos are almost the top team in the Central Section in these rankings, nearly displacing Buchanan. They won 4-0 over Buchanan in the first of two last week to secure the season series, then lost 6-1 in the rematch. They still finished one game behind Buchanan for the league crown, but the head-to-head advantage is very hard to ignore and nearly gets them the higher spot in these rankings, coupled with a win over Redlands. The Central Section playoffs are set, and second-seeded Clovis North will host the winner between Clovis West and Frontier on Friday.
24. (NR) Redlands, 19-5 (12-3 Citrus Belt League)Freeman Ranking: 57 state, 334 national
Division: Southern Section 2
The Terriers almost won the league title, but lost the tiebreaker to Redlands East Valley. They have been in the rankings plenty this season. They took care of Eisenhower 15-1 and 9-0. Now in the playoffs they will host Santa Barbara or Pasadena on Thursday.
25. (15) San Clemente, 22-9 (8-4 Sea View League)Freeman Ranking: 17 state, 89 national
Division: Southern Section 2
It was a dreadful ending to the season for the Tritons, losing three games. We're sticking with them because they have shown over the long haul that they are a great team and also losing twice to Aliso Niguel (1-0 and 3-0) and once to El Toro (7-0) is not embarrassing by any means. However, the bats better get going, and that task begins Thursday against Mayfair or Etiwanda at home.
