SBLive's California Softball Top 25: Hollister completes run to No. 1; California (San Ramon) debuts; Whitney (Rocklin) and Bullard return
The 2023 California high school softballs season has come and gone quickly. The last week of section championships shook the rankings up considerably, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the last week of the season – regional championships – leads to more shakeups before the season is through.
Here are SBLive's California softball rankings for the week of May 29 - June 4. The rankings are released every week throughout the season.
MORE: LAST WEEK'S RANKINGS
1. Hollister (27-3 – 10th)
Last week, Hollister was No. 10 in California. Now, the zero is shaved off. To win the Central Coast Section D1 championship, the Haybalers had to beat two of the only three teams to beat them this season, and the only two to beat them since the first week of the season – Archbishop Mitty and Saint Francis. Crazily enough, neither of those games came down to fewer than three runs, as they beat Mitty 4-1 and St. Francis 4-0 in the title game.
2. Saint Francis-Mountain View (26-3 – 1st)
Unseated as the statewide No. 1 by a team in their own section not named Archbishop Mitty. Not exactly what was forecasted for the Lancers this postseason, but they're still a premier favorite to win a regional D1 title.
3. Pacifica-Garden Grove (23-8 – 2nd)
While the Mariners' stock is liable to float around unpredictably from here on out due to opting out of regionals, they ended their season by winning the big one – the Southern Section Division 1 championship.
4. Norco (28-4 – 3rd)
If they didn't opt out, the Cougars are soon to continue their championship quest in the CIF Southern Region D1 bracket.
5. Los Alamitos (24-4 – 4th)
The above can also be said for Los Alamitos, which opted out a year ago following a CIFSS finals appearance.
6. Murrieta Mesa (24-4-1 – 5th)
Murrieta Mesa secured a regional birth on May 9 with a quarterfinals victory over Huntington Beach.
7. Huntington Beach (24-6 – 6th)
With at least one CIFSS Division 1 semifinalist opting out, Huntington Beach will likely get an invite to regionals if it wants it.
8. Oaks Christian (28-2-1 – 7th)
Since the Lions are the reigning Southern Region Division 1 champion, we assume they'll accept a bid to regionals if they get offered one.
9. Orange Lutheran (22-6 – 8th)
Another CIFSS D1 quarterfinalist with an unwavering season-wide resume, OLu may make an appearance in regionals.
10. Archbishop Mitty (21-4 – 9th)
Mitty couldn't make it 2-0 on the season against Hollister, falling 4-1 to the Haybalers in the CIFCCS D1 quarterfinals after beating them narrowly on May 1. Still, the Monarchs have once again secured their status as a top-three team in their section and an invitation to Northern Region Division 1.
11. Central-Fresno (24-5 – 12th)
After starting league play 2-3, Central is now your TRAC champion and Central Section Division 1 champion. It blew out Independence 14-0 to open the postseason and finished the run with a 5-4 win over Clovis and a 4-2 victory against Bullard.
12. Whitney-Rocklin (21-7 – Unranked)
Whitney looked like the team to beat in CIFSJS Division 2 for much of the season before going on a four-game skid late in league play. Then the Wildcats rebounded with a 12-4 win over Rocklin and a 2-1 non-league win over formidable Ponderosa before embarking on a dominant playoff run. They beat Pitman 10-0, Elk Grove 11-5, St. Mary's (Stockton) 2-0, and, finally, Vacaville 7-1 to emerge as the section's champion and current No. 1 team.
13. Vacaville (29-2 – 11th)
Just how good has Vacaville been this season? Despite doubling its losses total since last week, it only dropped two spots, while we lifted the team it lost against from unranked to No. 12. Vacaville continues the title hunt now in regionals.
14. California-San Ramon (21-8 – Unranked)
The Grizzlies just introduced themselves to the rankings in a huge way by winning the North Coast Section Division 1 championship. Playing in the self-cannibalizing EBAL, they never quite emerged in our rankings before this week, but they were never far out of the picture either by going 10-3 in league play before losing to Amador Valley in the conference semifinals. Since then, they defeated Arroyo 7-1, College Park, Granada 9-1, and San Ramon Valley 5-1 to complete the championship run in convincing fashion.
15. San Ramon Valley (23-6 – 13th)
San Ramon Valley couldn't quite complete the NCS D1 title run, but it has already earned an EBAL championship and section finals appearance in 2023 with regionals to look forward to.
16. Riverside Poly (23-2-1 – 14th)
Poly hasn't played in weeks, and almost certainly won't again this season, yet it still remains in contention for a top-15 spot in California from the season it just had.
17. Granada-Livermore (21-6 – 15th)
After an excellent regular season, Granada hasn't made it translate to the postseason yet, having gone down in the semifinals of both the league and NCS D1 playoffs. But with regionals about to start, there's still time to win a championship.
18. Bullard (26-5 – Bubble)
Despite falling 4-2 to Central for the second time this season, Bullard returns, and it shouldn't be too surprising. The Knights spent much of the regular season ranked, and only fell because of one league loss to a Madera team (which they also beat this season) that went on to win a CIFCS D2 title. In order to make the D1 title game, Bullard defeated Liberty (Bakersfield), Bakersfield Centennial, and a Stockdale squad that had just knocked off Clovis North.
19. Stockdale (21-8-2 – 16th)
The Mustangs couldn't keep it going after shocking Clovis North for the second straight postseason, but they get an automatic regional birth for making the Central Section D1 semifinals.
20. Clovis North (24-2-1 – 17th)
Will we see Clovis North, a top-five team in the state throughout the regular season, in regionals? It appears that someone would have to opt out in order for the Central Section D1 quarterfinalists to get a birth.
21. Poway (27-3 – 21st)
For the second time in 2023, Poway defeated Rancho Bernardo 3-2. The first one was a non-league game in March, and the latter came in extra innings on Saturday for a San Diego Section D1 championship.
22. Orestimba (23-4 – 18th)
As expected, Orestimba parlayed its upset win over Sutter into a Sac-Joaquin Section D5 title with an 8-3 win over Wheatland.
23. Sutter (26-2 – 19th)
After a week off from action, Sutter will be well-rested heading into the CIF Northern Region playoffs.
24. East Nicolaus (28-1-1 – 20th)
The Spartans had a well-deserved bye week after rolling to a Northern Section Division 5 title.
25. Great Oak (20-8-1 – 23rd)
The CIFSS D2 champion awaits its birth in the CIF Southern Region playoffs. There's a chance that Great Oak will be a favorite in Division 2, but it's more likely to end up playing the underdog role in Division 1.
ON THE BUBBLE:
Ponderosa, Grand Terrace, Esperanza, Rancho Bernardo, Valley View, La Mirada, Kennedy (La Palma), South Hills, Vista del Lago (Folsom), Marina, Moorpark, Cypress, Pleasant Grove, Central Catholic, Whittier Christian, Rio Mesa, Chino Hills, Santiago (Corona), Capistrano Valley, Oak Ridge, Granite Bay, Inderkum
