Bay Area News Group Top 20
(Records, stats through March 16)
No. 1 CLAYTON VALLEY CHARTER (6-0)
Ugly Eagles’ 6-0 start includes 3-2 win over Buchanan. Oregon State-bound RHP Jacob Krieg is 3-0, 0.44 ERA. Ryder Helfrick, one of Baseball America’s top-rated catching prospects in the junior class, is hitting .500 with six SB.
No. 2 DE LA SALLE (4-1)
Preseason ranking: 1
Spartans’ only loss was to the same Buchanan team that was beaten by Clayton Valley. DLS has wins over St. Francis and perennial power Elk Grove. Senior Tyler Wood has pitched 14⅓ scoreless innings.
No. 3 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (5-1)
Preseason ranking: 3
Monarchs started 5-0 before losing 13-8 to Valley Christian on Tuesday in WCAL opener. Mitty beat Warriors in a non-league game 10 days earlier. USF-bound Antonio Cabrera is 2-0 on mound, second on team with six RBI.
No. 4 CALIFORNIA (8-0)
Preseason ranking: 8
Cal’s perfect start led by LHP Nic Bronzini and junior C Aidan Camberg. LSU-bound Bronzini is 4-0, 1.05. Camberg, a UCSB commit, has driven in 12 runs. He has six extra base hits including two homers.
No. 5 ST. FRANCIS (6-2)
Preseason ranking: 9
Inconsistent hitting led to Lancers being shut out in both defeats. But team ERA is a sparkling 0.75. Right-handers Jack Surdey and Ned Righellis combined to beat Serra 1-0 Tuesday in WCAL opener.
No. 6 VALLEY CHRISTIAN (6-2)
Preseason ranking: 5
Warriors have played two games against Mitty and one each vs. Elk Grove, Palo Alto and Los Gatos. Team scoring almost seven runs per game. Junior RHP/3B Jacob Hudson hitting over .500, leads team in extra-base hits.
No. 7 PALO ALTO (7-1)
Preseason ranking: 10
Only loss was to Valley Christian. CF Henry Bolte, a Baseball America preseason first-team all-American, hitting .360 and 14-for-14 in stolen bases. Vikings have swiped 37 bases this season.
No. 8 SACRED HEART CATHEDRAL (7-0-1)
Preseason ranking: 7
Fightin’ Irish hitting .451 and scoring 11.25 runs per game. They have 49 extra-base hits. Texas A&M signee Lucas Kelly has 577 BA (15-for-26) and 10 extra-base hits. Only blemish was 9-9 tie vs. Sequoia in opener.
No. 9 SAN RAMON VALLEY (7-2)
Preseason ranking: 3
Wolves suffered first two defeats last weekend, losing to Heritage and College Park. Bounced back with two wins. Deep pitching staff led by senior righty Michael Banderas, who’s 2-0, 1.02 in three starts.
No. 10 MOUNTAIN VIEW (6-2)
Preseason ranking: NR
Spartans suffered 5-4 loss to Wilcox on Wednesday, their second one-run loss this season. Had two-run leads in both. Season highlight was Cameron Wang and Chase Yocum combining on no-hitter in 2-0 win vs. St. Francis.
No. 11 HERITAGE (5-2)
Preseason ranking: NR
Five of the first six games were decided by three runs or less, with the Patriots winning four. Junior lefty Landon Marchetti has been untouchable with 17 shutout innings in four appearances. He’s 2-0 with one save.
No. 12 SERRA (7-3)
Preseason ranking: 15
Padres are 3-3 since a 4-0 start. The offense has scored 21 runs in those six contests. Sophomore pitchers Samuel Kretsch and Thomas Egbert both won their first two decisions.
No. 13 FOOTHILL (6-1)
Preseason ranking: NR
Falcons have posted four shutouts. Junior right-handers Tyler Gebb and Ryan Keenan have ERAs under one. Gebb didn’t allow an earned run in his first 11 innings pitched.
No. 14 ALAMEDA (7-0)
Preseason ranking: NR
Hornets living on the edge in last two games, beating Kennedy-Fremont 11-9 and Piedmont 4-3. Schedule about to get tougher with two-game series against Bishop O’Dowd and Serra ahead.
No. 15 LIVE OAK (6-3)
Preseason ranking: 6
Team that was supposed to rely on pitching has jumped out of the gate with strong hitting. Acorns hitting .320 and scoring 7.8 runs per game. Junior 1B Diego Castellanos has .560 average (14-for-25) and has knocked in 11 runs.
No. 16 GRANADA (5-2)
Preseason ranking: 14
Matadors have held opponents to five runs over last four games. Junior Joshua Morano, a 6-3 lefty, is 2-0, 0.48 and is averaging two strikeouts per inning. He is committed to Arizona.
No. 17 WILLOW GLEN (7-0-1)
Preseason ranking: NR
Rams have outscored their last three opponents 36-7. Underclassmen have pitched all but three innings this far. Junior RHP Chase Ostrowski is 1-0, 1.15 in five games.
No. 18 PITTSBURG (8-1)
Preseason ranking: NR
Pitt has yielded six runs all season. Sophomore RHP Cole Leschak is 4-0, senior Gio Fuentes 3-0. Keep an eye on Leschak. Transfer from St. Mary’s-Albany has “some (Tim) Lincecum feel to his pitching,” a scout told Prep Baseball Report.
No. 19 DOUGHERTY VALLEY (7-0)
Preseason ranking: NR
Wildcats blanked Bishop O’Dowd 5-0 on Wednesday, best win since opening day victory over Freedom. Next up is a visit to Granada on Friday. Fresno State-bound catcher Matt Gonsalves blasted two home runs against O’Dowd.
No. 20 COLLEGE PARK (3-3)
Preseason ranking: 11
Two of the Falcons’ three defeats were against Serra and Granada. Pitching solid with senior RHPs Michael Barnett (UCLA) and Robert Aivazian (UOP) topping the rotation. CP needs to improve on .212 team batting average.
COMING UP: Leigh (6-2), Capuchino (8-2), Campolindo (4-2)
Source: www.mercurynews.com