MaxPreps Northern California Preseason Top 25 High School Baseball Rankings

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The storms have moved on, at least for now. Blue skies everywhere.

Baseball is back, and the top sections in Northern California are represented here, be it Saint Francis of the Central Coast Section at No. 1, Elk Grove of the Sac-Joaquin Section at No. 2 or De La Salle of the North Coast Section at No. 3.

The good news is, a lot of these ranked powerhouse programs play each other in nonleague games or in league play.


1. Saint Francis (Mountain View) (29-5 in 2015)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Update: The Lancers are the defending Central Coast Section Open champions, and they seek their third title in four seasons with a host of returners back from a group that last season also won the Boras Baseball Classic, the WCAL regular-season and postseason titles. National Player of the Year candidate Jeremy Ydens is the leader, the UCLA commit going 7-3 last season while hitting .404. Infielder Andrew Martinez and catcher Johnny Mendoza are also back.

2. Elk Grove (24-10)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Update: The Thundering Herd, top ranked by The Sacramento Bee, is the defending Sac-Joaquin Section D-I champion and loaded again. The leaders include Fullerton-bound slugger Dylan Carlson, son of coach Jeff Carlson, Pacific-bound outfielder Ryan Robards, Aaron Wong, Alex Zalasky (7-1 as a pitcher), Austin Del Chiaro (7-1) and Josh Urps (Sacramento State). Elk Grove seeks its 12th league championship and seventh section title since 2003 under coach Carlson, in his 17th season.

3. De La Salle (Concord) (19-9)
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Update: The Spartans reached the North Coast Section D-I finals, falling to College Park (Pleasanton) 5-2. Ace Austin Hooper has moved on, graduated, but there are arms galore otherwise, including Cullen Kafka (Oregon commit), Connor Redmond (Cal Poly), Conner Roberts (UC Santa Barbara) and Nick Sparks (Saint Mary's). Shortstop Armani Smith (UC Santa Barbara) is the defensive anchor.

4. Los Gatos (30-6)
Section: Central Coast
League: Santa Clara Valley
Update: The Wildcats enjoyed a memorable season last spring, reaching the Central Coast Section Open finals before falling to powerhouse Saint Francis, 5-2. A lot of starters are back for Los Gatos, including ace Hunter Bigge, who went 12-3 and batted .387. He's off to Harvard. Other arms include Jake Holton (9-2) and Brooks Olesek (4-1).

5. Heritage (Brentwood) (20-5)
Section: North Coast
League: Bay Valley
Update: The Patriots showcased glimpses of great potential last season and return a lot of talent to accelerate things. Kevin Milam batted .417 and was 9-1 on the mound. Most of the lineup returns, including first baseman Jake Cruce, outfielders Dominic Espino and Alex Robinson. Austin Manning won six games as the other ace, but is now at Oakdale.

6. Monte Vista (Danville) (18-9)
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Update: The Mustangs were ousted in the playoffs last season by eventual champion College Park and are primed for another title run behind pitchers Noah Cort (3-1) and Jack Maloon (3-0). Versatile players Jack Fryer and Ryan Marsh are also back.

7. Jesuit (Carmichael) (19-9)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Update: The Marauders have been a powerhouse for years under coach Joe Potulny, friendly enough to shake and hug all comers, fierce enough to make players who dog it run wind sprints to the point of exhaustion. No one dogs it. Jesuit arms off to a good start include Tyler Adge, Cody Jensen and Ryan Kane with Jack Wolger and Jack Cosca — both headed to Cal — also in the mix. The Delta League includes rival Elk Grove.

8. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) (25-6)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Update: The Trojans, a power in D-III, then in D-II and now in D-I, are again formidable, and motivated after losing to regional heavies Granite Bay and Elk Grove in the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I playoffs. Trenton Denholm is back as a hitter and pitcher. John Mook hit .348.

9. College Park (Pleasant Hill) (26-4
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Valley
Update: The Falcons lost a ton of talent from their finest team, one that stormed to the North Coast Section D-I title game and won it. Gone is do-all marvel Joe DeMers, but great programs don't vanish.

10. Serra (San Mateo) (18-11)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Update: The Padres, home of some pretty good alumni such as Barry Bonds, have some more brewing. Outfielder Hunter Bishop (Arizona State), infielder Angelo Bortolin (Loyola Marymount) and outfielder Tyler Villaroman (USF) lead the charge. The WCAL will be wild.

11. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) (20-11)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Update: The Monarchs expect another playoff run and another run at a title. They return pitchers Haydn King (6 wins, 1.70 ERA), Kyle Mora (2-0, 1.60) and Tristan Caldwell (2-1). How will the bats fare?

12. Casa Grande (Petaluma) (21-7)
Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Update: The top team in the North Bay will be a title contender again. The ace will be Chris Joaquim (Cal) after he went 9-2 with an 0.83 ERA a year ago. Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State) batted .387 with 21 RBIs as a sophomore.

13. Maria Carrillo (Santa Rosa) (18-8)
Section: North Coast
League: North Bay
Update: For years a power in this part of the section, expect a lot more of the same from Maria Carrillo. The star is Andrew Vaughn, headed to Cal. Vaughn is a slugger and a pitcher, one of 22 players back primed for a title run.

14. Valley Christian (San Jose) 22-8
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Update: The Warriors add to the remarkable depth of the best league in Northern California, and expect to win it. They lost to Soquel in the CCS playoffs, 1-0, last season. Top arms include Nick Hoefling, Tim Manderson and Patrick Wicklander.

15. Vintage (Napa) (23-7)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Monticello Empire
Update: The Crushers enjoyed a breakthrough season last spring, falling to eventual champion Elk Grove in the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I playoffs. The aces are Jared Horn and Juan Carlos Lopez, also a good hitter. Other starters include Joe Canepa (.372), Horn (.319) and Jacob Albert MacNichols (.379).

16. Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose) (17-11)
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Update: The Bells are yet another WCAL heavy to consider, and returning ace Sid Iyer is ready to go after a 6-1 record last season. Battery-mate Will Wegner is also back, as are infielders Antonio Garcia (.273) and outfielder Connor Mack (.311).

17. Wilcox (Santa Clara) (22-12)
Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Update: The Chargers tied Los Gatos for the De Anza league title a year ago, beat Serra in the Central Coast Section Open playoffs, 5-2, before falling to top-ranked Saint Francis, 2-0. There is enough talent back to make another run at championships, including top hitters Jacob Martinez and Miles Wolf.

18. Davis (16-13)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Update: A longtime powerhouse in the Sac-Joaquin Section with D-I titles from 2000, 2004 and 2014, there are high hopes again, particularly with the return of shortstop star Ryan Kreidler, the UCLA-bound senior who missed all but one game last season with a wrist injury. Kreidler is the best player to come out of Davis, and the Blue Devils have produced an assembly line of talent with the leadership and character to match. The staff includes Peter Frame, Tyler Gibson and Tyler Mortensen.

19. Livermore (17-11)
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Update: The Cowboys fell to Redwood (Larkspur) 5-4 in the North Coast Section D-II finals last season and return a bounty of talent. This includes infielder Dominic Foscalina (Utah), Logan Cole and Kevin Key, along with outfielder Justin Mitchell and pitcher Brian Martinez.

20. Redwood (Larkspur) (27-3)
Section: North Coast
League: Marin County
Update: The Giants lost to Livermore 5-4 in 11 innings in the North Coast Section D-II finals and return ace Zach Cohen, who went 9-1 last season with a 1.59 ERA. Zack Kopstein (5-1, 0.41 ERA) is also back, as are some bats for another title run, including a league race that surely will feature ranked rival Marin Catholic.

21. San Ramon Valley (Danville) (16-10)
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Update: The Wolves are formidable in sports across the board, baseball included, and last season's early exit in the North Coast Section playoffs is a motivator now. Shortstop Nick Moroney (UC Santa Barbara) is a four-year starter who hit .339 last season, and he's flanked by infielder Ryan Davis (Georgetown).

22. Pitman (Turlock) (24-7)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Central California
Update: The Pride — can't beat the mascot name! — advanced to the semifinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section D-I South playoffs and has a host of returners back. This includes outfielder Colton Evans (.378) and infielders Anthony Encalade (.374) and Dylan Roberts (.313). The aces are Nick Jones (6-1) and Matt Carrigg (4-0).

23. St. Mary's (Stockton) (21-14)
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-City Athletic
Update: The Rams are a powerhouse in the Sac-Joaquin Section, reaching the finals seven times since 2007 with a three-peat title romp from 2010-2012. Michael Mendonca is the top pitcher and Jarron Silva the top hitter after batting .369 last spring.

24. Marin Catholic (Kentfield) (20-9)
Section: North Coast
League: Marin County
Update: The Wildcats beat Dublin, 6-5, and Alameda, 4-0, in the North Coast Section D-II playoffs before falling to Livermore, 4-0, in the semifinals. A lot of bats graduated, but ace Brandon Buckley is back after going 11-2 with a 0.77 ERA. Payton O'Donnell is another arm to look for.

25. Soquel (24-7)
Section: Central Coast
League: Santa Cruz Coast
Update: The Knights last season beat Valley Christian (San Jose), 1-0, and San Benito (Hollister), 2-1, in the Central Coast Section playoffs before falling to mighty Saint Francis, 7-1. Dalton Nieminen, Devon Robinson and Victor Vogt lead the offense to support pitcher Wyatt Hoogstede.

Joe Davidson has covered high school sports in Northern California since 1984, including since 1988 for The Sacramento Bee. Follow him on Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD and on Facebook: facebook.com/joe.davidson