MaxPreps Northern California Top 25 high school baseball rankings

Video: Early Contenders – No. 3 Buchanan
See the preview for the nation's No. 3 team and the top team in NorCal.

There was no change at the top as the Fresno heavies remained steady. Buchanan and Clovis of the powerhouse Central Section will remain in these rankings for a fresh twist, and the assumption that those schools would be placed in the Northern California Regional bracket if there were a CIF State playoff in place (in time, it may happen). League play continues for most of these teams with spring break next week offering tournaments across the state.

1. (Last week 1) Buchanan (Clovis), 16-0
Section: Central
League: Tri-River
Division: I
Coach: Tom Donald
Upcoming: Central (Fresno), Clovis East (Fresno).

2. (2) Clovis, 14-2-1
Section: Central
League: Tri-River
Division: I
Coach: James Patrick
Upcoming: Clovis East, Hanford West.

3. (3) De La Salle (Concord), 8-3
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Division: I
Coach: David Jeans
Upcoming: Dublin, California (San Ramon).

4. (4) Tracy, 9-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Tri-City Athletic
Division: I
Coach: Vic Alkire
Upcoming: Tokay (Lodi), Tokay.

5. (13) Christian Brothers (Sacramento), 7-0
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Capital Athletic
Division: III
Coach: Rich Hennig
Upcoming: Casa Roble (Orangevale), Woodland.

6. (5) Vacaville, 13-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Monticello Empire
Division: I
Coach: Stu Clary
Upcoming: Armijo (Fairfield), Heritage (Brentwood).

7. (7) Clayton Valley Charter (Concord), 10-0
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo-Foothill
Division: I
Coach: Casey Coakley
Upcoming: Idle this week

8. (8) Monte Vista (Danville), 10-2
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Division: I
Coach: Bill Piona
Upcoming: San Ramon Valley, Amador Valley (Pleasanton)

9. (6) Davis, 7-2
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Division: I
Coach: Dan Ariola
Upcoming: Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove), Sheldon.

10. (12) Serra (San Mateo), 10-4
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Division: I/Open
Coach: Craig Gianinno
Upcoming: Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose), Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco).

11. (13) Saint Francis (Mountain View), 9-4
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Division: I/Open
Coach: Mike Smith
Upcoming: Gilroy, St. Ignatius (San Francisco), Valley Christian (San Jose).

12. (14) Valley Christian (San Jose), 7-5-1
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Division: I/Open
Coach: John Diatte
Upcoming: Archbishop Mitty (San Jose), Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco), Saint Francis (San Francisco).

13. (15) Elk Grove, 5-4
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Delta
Division: I
Coach: Jeff Carlson
Upcoming: Monterey Trail (Elk Grove), Grant (Sacramento).

14. (16) Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills), 3-3
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Division: I
Coach: Todd Melton
Upcoming: Woodcreek (Roseville), Vintage (Napa).

15. (10) Granite Bay, 8-2-1
Section: Sac-Joaquin
League: Sierra Foothill
Division: I
Coach: Pat Esposito
Upcoming: Folsom, Heritage (Brentwood).

16. (11) Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose), 8-5
Section: Central Coast
League: West Catholic Athletic
Division: I/Open
Coach: Mike Rodriguez
Upcoming: Serra (San Mateo), Mitty, St. Mary's (Stockton).

17. (9) Palma (Salinas), 14-2
Section: Central Coast
League: Monterey Bay
Division: IV/Open
Coach: Pete Ruiz
Upcoming: Salinas, Stockdale (Bakersfield).

18. (18) Palo Alto, 13-3
Section: Central Coast
League: De Anza
Division: I/Open
Coach: Pete Fukuhara
Upcoming: Gunn (Palo Alto), Los Gatos.

19. (NR) Miramonte (Orinda), 13-0
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo Valley
Division: III
Coach: Vince Dell'Aquila
Upcoming: Idle this week.

(TIE) 20. (22) San Benito (Hollister), 11-2
Section: Central Coast
League: Monterey Bay
Division: III/Open
Coach: Billy Aviles
Upcoming: St. Francis (Watsonville), Christopher (Gilroy).

(TIE) 20. (20) College Park (Pleasant Hill), 6-2
Section: North Coast
League: Diablo-Foothill
Division: I
Coach: Andy Tarpley
Upcoming: Foothill (Pleasanton), TPC Classic.

(TIE) 20. (20) Amador Valley (Pleasanton), 8-2
Section: North Coast
League: East Bay
Division: I
Coach: Lou Cesario
Upcoming:

And 5 more:
21. Foothill (Pleasanton), 10-0-1
22. San Ramon Valley (Danville), 9-3
23. Gregori (Modesto), 12-0
24. Los Gatos, 13-3-1
25. Drake (San Anselmo), 11-0

News/notes:
– The West Catholic Athletic League showdown between rivals Serra and Saint Francis did not happen this week after Saint Francis forfeited for what the school deemed, "a violation of school and athletics policy." Serra beat Saint Francis 4-2 on March 14 and remains in first place in the WCAL.
– Cullen Kafka of De La Salle moved to 5-1 with a 13-strikeout gem to beat San Ramon Valley 3-0, and he had eight in a win against Elk Grove.
– Nathan George of Tracy has three home runs, 14 RBIs and eight extra-base hits entering the week.
– Gregori moved to 12-0, having posted four shutouts and a single run three other times as A.J. MacCaughtry improved to 5-0 and Matt Dallas and Julian Favela to 3-0 each.
– Tanner Cunha has four wins for unbeaten Christian Brothers with an 0.33 ERA, including a 5-3, nine-strikeout win against Vacaville.
– Cole Elvis of Vacaville is 3-0 with an 0.95 ERA, including a one-hitter to beat rival Wood (Vacaville), 4-0.
– Sam Stoutenborough of Palma tossed a 3-hitter to beat San Benita 3-2 to halt their rival's 11-game winning streak.
– Clayton Valley Charter is 10-0, thanks to strong pitching and defense in allowing eight runs, headed by ace James Biles.
– Drake is 11-0 behind dominating pitcher as nine runs have been allowed this season, including three successive shutouts.
– James Patrick won his 709th career game as coach at Clovis after defeating Clovis East 7-1 on Tuesday in a Tri-River Athletic Conference contest, breaking the Central Section mark he shared with Mike Noakes during his storied run at Bullard (Fresno) and Central (Fresno). Clovis is battling top-ranked Buchanan for league – and
section – championship honors.

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