SBLive's California Softball Top 25: Clovis North, Huntington Beach the new No. 1 and 2; Valley View and Pleasant Grove debut
Finally, a week of California high school softball without much movement.
Just kidding.
Last week didn't bring quite as many shakeups as some of the prior weeks, but that's a high bar to measure up to. A few big upsets went down as usual, and some high-profile league races were flipped on their sides.
So, here are SBLive's California softball rankings for the week of April 24-30. The rankings are released every week throughout the season.
MORE: LAST WEEK'S RANKINGS
1. Clovis North (19-0-1 – 3rd)
Without playing a nationally-elite regular season schedule, it's sometimes harder for the Broncos to sustain a case for No. 1 than for most other state contenders. But when a team gets it done against league foes like Clovis, Central, and Buchanan practically every single time and its record is essentially spotless, it simply has to be in consideration for the top spot every single week. The Broncos are off to a quick 4-0 start in TRAC play.
2. Huntington Beach (23-4 – 5th)
Huntington Beach entered last week on what was already one of the best winning streaks in SoCal and beyond. And now after beating Los Al, Newport Harbor, and Edison in league play, the Oilers are the new clear No. 1 team in Southern California and winners of 13 straight.
3. Los Alamitos (20-3 – 1st)
When you're the top team in the state, some would say that the only great week you can have is an unbeaten one. The Griffins had nowhere to go but down as the top dogs, but a one-run loss to Huntington Beach, which was followed by huge wins against Pacifica (Garden Grove) and Marina, doesn't change the team's outlook much.
4. Oaks Christian (24-1-1 – 6th)
As Huntington Beach, the only team Oaks Christian has lost to, has surged all the way to the No. 2 spot, the Lions' stock benefits quite a bit transitively. With a league title long wrapped up, they have two more big tests before the playoffs start – Westlake and Rio Mesa.
5. Archbishop Mitty (14-2 – 17th)
It's long felt like that monumental win was coming for the Monarchs. We've said as much. Well, with Wednesday's 3-2 win over league rival Saint Francis, Mitty is ranked back among the best of the best.
MORE: PHOTOS FROM THE GAME
6. Saint Francis-Mountain View (17-2 – 3rd)
Just like that, the Lancers no longer have the top spot in the WCAL. But they can at minimum finish tied for first if they win out from here in conference play.
7. Norco (20-3 – 4th)
All three of Norco's losses this season have been major upsets – Santiago, Huntington Beach (which wasn't highly ranked at the time), and now La Mirada. Fortunately for the Cougars, the last two were non-league, and before losing on Saturday they beat Roosevelt, Centennial, and King in Big VIII League play.
8. Orange Lutheran (19-5 – 7th)
Make it ten straight wins for the Lancers. They technically move down a spot because of Mitty taking a leap, but their stock is clearly only rising. Now they're two more wins away from a sweep of the Trinity League, and for all their dominance and incredible play in recent years, it would mark their first sweep since 2016.
9. Murrieta Mesa (19-3-1 – 8th)
It appears that the Rams will enter the playoffs on a major winning streak. Throughout their current six-game tear in conference play, they've outscored their opponents 108-21.
10. Hollister (18-2 – 10th)
The Haybalers continued their hot play last week, beating Watsonville and North Salinas County by a combined 22-0. Wednesday's matchup at Notre Dame (Salinas) is likely for a league title.
11. East Nicolaus (19-0-1 – 12th)
Another year, another dominant showing in league play for East Nicolaus. With that said, there are still five conference games on the schedule before anything is official yet.
12. Camarillo (15-2 – Unranked)
To start with, the Scorpions probably should've been on the bubble last week at 13-2. They've only beaten a few top opponents, but both teams they've lost to, Louisville and Burroughs (Burbank), both of which they've also beaten this season. Either way, they got that signature dub last week – a 3-0 statement win against previously-undefeated Moorpark.
13. Moorpark (16-1 – 8th)
The bad news for the Musketeers is that their undefeated dreams are over and they're now not even atop their own conference. The good news is they get a second crack at Camarillo very shortly, at home on Thursday for all the marbles.
14. Rio Mesa (21-1-1 – 14th)
With a league title now wrapped up, Rio Mesa is one victory away from a rare 20-game winning streak.
15. Cypress (18-2-1 – 15th)
Speaking of long winning streaks, Cypress is up to 14 in a row after almost officially clinching a league title with a 4-3 victory against Kennedy on Thursday. But the job is not finished as Crean Lutheran and Pacifica are on deck.
16. Granada-Livermore (15-3 – 18th)
With Archbishop Mitty back up near the top of the rankings, the Matadors are again free to rise, as only a loss to Foothill (Pleasanton) over a month ago is holding them back. And on Tuesday, they get another shot at Foothill, and this time at home.
17. Vacaville (17-1 – 16th)
Just how good are the Bulldogs? We'll probably have to wait until the playoffs to see. They haven't played an overwhelming schedule, but since losing their season opener to Pleasant Grove, they've not faltered one time. And that includes wins over Central and Oakdale.
18. Clovis (16-5 – 21st)
TRAC play has been par for the course so far for the Cougars, who stand 3-1 after last week's one-run loss to Clovis North and victory over Clovis East.
19. Central-Fresno (18-4 – 22nd)
Central looks like the third dog in the TRAC again – which certainly isn't a bad thing – but it has time to make a move upwards. Friday's home battle against Clovis would be one of the places to start.
20. La Mirada (17-7 – Unranked)
Look. If you're ten games above .500, you've won ten of 11, and now you just beat Norco for your third straight win, you have to be somewhere in the picture. La Mirada hasn't been the pinnacle of consistency this season, but it's a dang good team, and if you can beat Norco, you can beat anybody.
21. Ponderosa (13-2-1 – 23rd)
With Vista del Lago rising, Ponderosa is set to as well. The Bruins rolled against West Park and Lincoln (Lincoln) in league play last week.
22. Vista del Lago-Folsom (16-1 – Bubble)
After getting deflated by Ponderosa the week prior, VdL bounced back to have a 3-0 week, including two non-league wins and a victory over Franklin (Elk Grove).
23. Riverside Poly (20-1-1 – 13th)
Losing to unranked Hemet hurts the Bears' stock, but it's a quality foe they lost to after 21 games without taking an L, and they beat Hemet the day before they lost to Hemet. Monday brings a league title game against none other than Valley View.
24. Valley View (19-4-1 – Bubble)
How perfect that the Eagles and Bears are ranked right next to each other heading into what is now a league title match? After falling 8-5 at home to Poly early in the month, Valley View will be the underdog, but it should be one of the most exciting games of the regular season.
25. Pleasant Grove (17-5 – Bubble)
Pleasant Grove has quietly played one of the tougher schedules in NorCal this season, and it's quietly done more than hold its own at 17-5. The Eagles have won four straight since a 1-0 loss to Central on April 14.
ON THE BUBBLE:
Pacifica (Garden Grove), Esperanza, Kennedy (La Palma), San Ramon Valley, Rancho Bernardo, Bullard, Madera, Poway, Aquinas, Torrance, South Hills, Whitney (Rocklin), Sutter, Vista Murrieta
