MaxPreps Southern California Top 25 high school baseball rankings

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We have a new team at the top, as San Dimas has earned it. JSerra Catholic's tie with Servite was the tipping point to give the Saints a chance to hold the top spot with their undefeated record.

We also saw that standings are different than rankings, and that's why you will see teams like Notre Dame, Harvard-Westlake and Alemany in a different order in the rankings than you will in the Mission League standings.

We'll likely see another example of that as playoff baseball begins. League champions are hardly guaranteed success in the postseason while teams that placed lower are just as dangerous.

Playoff brackets are set in the Los Angles and Central sections, while the Southern Section will wrap up play this week. San Diego still has more time.

Click here to see the MaxPreps California Computer Rankings. Records are current as of Tuesday morning.


1. (2 last week) San Dimas, 27-0
Classification: Southern 3
Rankings: 7 state, 19 national, 13 Xcellent 50

The Saints have moved into the top spot with just one more regular-season contest left. They are destroying teams lately, winning 12-1 and 9-0 over Rowland and then 13-0 over Wilson (Hacienda Heights). That's three runs allowed in nine games. They close out with Wilson on Wednesday. San Dimas moved atop the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings and is now the top SoCal team in the Xcellent 25.

2. (1) JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano), 23-4-1
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 1 state, 1 national, 18 Xcellent 50

The Lions went 3-0-1 last week and that normally wouldn't be grounds to fall from No. 1. But it was just San Dimas' time. And the tie to a last-place Servite team with a losing record hurt. After the 2-2 tie they beat Servite 3-1 and 7-0, then started the final series of the regular season with a 9-5 win over Santa Margarita. They've clinched the Trinity League crown and have two more with the Eagles.

3. (4) Buchanan (Clovis), 26-4
Classification: Central 1
Rankings: 12 state, 41 national, 34 Xcellent 50

The Bears are the top seed in the Central Section Division I playoffs and will enjoy a bye in the first round. They closed out their regular season with 5-0 and 8-1 wins over Clovis North. Their second-round game will be Friday against either Clovis North or Frontier (Bakersfield).

4. (6) Agoura, 21-3
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 2 state, 6 national, 36 Xcellent 50

The Chargers edged Thousand Oaks 2-1 and Oaks Christian 4-2, and the Marmonte League title is all theirs. Road games with Newbury Park and Calabasas are all that remain in the regular season this week.

5. (8) San Clemente, 21-6
Classification: Southern 2
Rankings: 3 state, 10 national, 42 Xcellent 50

The Tritons came up big in a big series, sweeping a pair from Mission Viejo. That secures the Sea View League title. The wins were tight: 2-1 and 4-3 in nine innings. They have two with San Juan Hills this week.

6. (9) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad), 21-4
Classification: San Diego 1
Rankings: 11 state, 39 national

The Mavericks are second in the state among SoCal teams in the Cal-Hi Sports rankings and continue to win. They beat El Camino (Oceanside) 4-1 and outlasted Carlsbad 1-0 in 14 innings for their wins, and have two more with Carlsbad this week.

7. (3) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City), 21-4
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 4 state, 12 national, 27 Xcellent 50

The Wolverines split with Alemany in a huge Mission League tussle, with each game winding up 4-3. They can't catch Alemany in the league title race and that's likely why the LA Times has Alemany ahead of them. Two games with Chaminade will wrap up the regular-season schedule.

8. (10) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), 21-5
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 14 state, 49 national

The Knights have won nine in a row and can do no worse than share the Mission League title. They were 1-3 in league play at one point, but won eight in a row. They won 4-3 and 5-3 (10 innings) over Loyola, and will finish the regular season with a nonleague doubleheader against Village Christian.

9. (5) Huntington Beach, 19-8
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 8 state, 27 national

The Oilers split with Fountain Valley, a 10-0 victory and a 7-4 loss. They also beat Los Alamitos 1-0. The split with Fountain Valley secured the Sunset League championship for Huntington Beach, which has two games with Marina this week.

10. (12) Alemany (Mission Hills), 17-9
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 28 state, 129 national

The Warriors earned a 4-3, 3-4 split with Harvard-Westlake and that gives them a shot at the league title. Since they have two wins over Notre Dame, if they sweep Loyola they would own the tiebreaker. But Loyola is also 7-3 in league play - so let the fun begin.

11. (7) Dana Hills (Dana Point), 23-6
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 6 state, 15 national, 48 Xcellent 50

The Dolphins split with Capistrano Valley, winning 3-2 and losing 3-2, hampering their quest for a South Coast League title. It's a five-team league and last place is only two games behind first place. They will face El Toro twice this week while Aliso Niguel and Capistrano Valley duke it out in the other series. That means that they still have a shot at a shared title.

12. (13) Norco, 20-4
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 13 state, 48 national

The Cougars are winners of nine in a row and they took a pair from Santiago (3-1 and 6-2). They have two with last-place Centennial (Corona) this week and if they win both, they're Big VIII champions. If they lose one, they better be careful about Corona.

13. (14) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 19-6
Classification: San Diego 1
Rankings: 35 state, 177 national

The Broncos are in the Cal-Hi Top 20 in the state and they've won six in a row. They completed a three-game sweep over last-place Mt. Carmel with wins of 6-2 and 5-0 (10 innings) and next have three with Poway this week. Rancho Bernardo is in a three-way tie atop the Palomar League standings with Poway and Torrey Pines.

14. (20) El Camino Real (Woodland Hills), 23-7
Classification: Los Angeles 1
Rankings: 23 state, 105 national

The Conquistadors have won eight in a row and 14 of 15. They're the Los Angeles City Section's Division I top seed and they clinched the West Valley League title with a sweep of Cleveland (Reseda), 9-2 and 7-3. They begin the playoffs against the winner between San Fernando and Verdugo Hills on Tuesday of next week.

15. (16) El Dorado (Placentia), 18-8
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 53 state, 269 national

The Golden Hawks split with El Modena, losing 4-0 and winning 2-0, definitely tying up the Crestview League title. They will face Esperanza twice this week to close out the regular season.

16. (17) Orange Lutheran, 20-8
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 9 state, 28 national

The Lancers split the last two in their series with Santa Margarita, winning 12-8 and losing 5-3 in extra innings. They began this week's series against St. John Bosco with a 3-0 victory and close out the regular season with two more against the Braves.

17. (11) Vista Murrieta (Murrieta), 16-8
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 30 state, 140 national

The Broncos lost both their games on the field but got a forfeit victory when it was determined that Chaparral's starting pitcher in a 5-0 win had exceeded his weekly limit. They also lost 9-6. They finish the season with two games against second-place Temecula Valley and need to win one of them for a Southwestern League title.

18. (NR) Glendora, 21-6
Classification: Southern 2
Rankings: 33 state, 154 national

The Tartans are now alone on top of the Palomares League after South Hills posted a tie. Glendora and South Hills, the top two teams in the league, meet twice this week. By virtue of a win earlier this season, Glendora owns the tiebreaker, so a split will do.

19. (18) Fountain Valley, 19-9
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 36 state, 182 national

The Barons split with Huntington Beach, falling 10-0 and then rebounding for a 7-4 triumph. They have three games scheduled with Newport Harbor on the schedule but it is likely just two games.

20. (19) South Hills (West Covina), 18-7-1
Classification: Southern 2
Rankings: 27 state, 128 national

The Huskies had a tough one to swallow: a 2-2 tie with Claremont in 13 innings. They also won 1-0 in the series, but now the tie requires them to sweep South Hills for the Palomares League crown.

21. (NR) Centennial (Bakersfield), 23-5
Classification: Central I
Rankings: 45 state, 221 national

The Golden Hawks are back after finishing off their regular season with a flourish. They won the Southwest Yosemite League title with a 14-1 record and have won their last eight in a row by a 90-32 margin since their last loss. Centennial is the No. 2 seed in the Central Section Division I playoffs.

22. (15) Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo), 17-11
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 25 state, 117 national

The Wolverines split with Laguna Hills in a noneleague doubleheader. They won 4-0 but lost 4-2 in the nightcap. They have a chance to win a league title with a sweep of Capistrano Valley this week.

23. (21) Chatsworth, 22-10
Classification: Los Angeles City 1
Rankings: 21 state, 99 national

The Chancellors swept Granada Hills in two games, winning 7-3 and 3-2 (eight innings), but their league title hopes were dashed. Still, they earned the No. 2 seed in the LACS Division I playoffs and will await the winner between Palisades and Sylmar.

24. (22) Tesoro (Rancho Santa Margarita), 19-8
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 17 state, 64 national

The Titans split with El Toro, winning 4-2 and losing 4-2. Their league season is done, so they have two crossover nonleague games with Trabuco Hills.

25. (NR) Cypress, 19-9
Classification: Southern 1
Rankings: 22 state, 102 national

The Centurions are a perennial power and they're in the rankings for the first time this season. They've secured at the worst a tie for the Empire League title and a win over Western (Anaheim) in one of two games will secure the title.