Team Rankings
In case you haven't noticed, we're making this up as we go along. We started off our weekly ranking with 16 teams. We realized that was too many teams, so we dropped to 13.
Guess what? Thirteen was too many, too?
We're back to a traditional – and more manageable 10. A top 10. It sounds so conventional, but sometimes cutting with the grain just makes sense. So here we are.
Nothing new to report. It's that time of year where pitching makes a difference. The teams that have it – Valley Christian, Saint Francis, St. Ignatius Prep, Menlo-Atherton and Capuchino – have positioned themselves to make runs down the stretch.
It goes without saying that those are five of the top six teams in the PeninsulaPrepBaseball.com rankings. Serra, which fell to No. 3 after Saturday's 4-3 loss to Del Oro, is the lone team at the top of the rankings without a dominant pitcher. The Padres are getting by with a committee and so far, that has worked for Mat Keplinger.
| Rank | Team | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Valley Christian (17-4-1) | The return to the WCAL season comes at a good time for the Warriors, who are playing their best baseball of the season. They haven't lost a game in their last 10 games -- a 9-0-1 record in that span -- and notched their eighth shutout of the season last week. Rohan Kasanagottu is on a roll and showing what USC sees in him. Add him to the likes of Quinten Marsh, Brock Ketelsen and Kole Laubach and you understand their pitching depth. A weekend series with St. Ignatius Prep looms large. |
| 2. | Saint Francis (17-5) | The Lancers have teetered between No. 2 and No. 3 for the last month. After beating Marin Catholic and Petaulma in the North Bay over the weekend -- the wins were sandwiched between a walkoff loss to Redwood -- they are back in the two spot. Tanner Wall had a big weekend in Marin County. He was a doubles machine. Aaron Bonini is also getting hot. Saint Francis might not have Valley's overall pitching depth, but the duo of Nick Chow and Landon Kim might be having the best season on the Peninula. |
| 3. | Serra (17-5) | The Padres are fundamentally sound and a talented squad. Ian Josephson might be the best player on the Peninsula. His two homers on Saturday was the latest exmple of that, but the bullpen faltered for the second time in three games and led to a 4-3 loss to Del Oro. That loss epitomized a real concern of whether Serra has enough pitching after Riley Lim to make a deep CCS run. Can hitters like Josephson, Evan Bradshaw and Davis Minton get the Padres over the finish line? We'll see. Key stat: Since a 10-0 start, the Padres are 7-5. |
| 4. | St. Ignatius Prep (12-7-2) | There was nothing to be learned from a 12-1 victory over Aragon on Saturday. The Wildcats had just five hits and were issued nine free passes. In their defense, it was one of the few gimmes on an absolutely loaded schedule. And their final five WCAL games -- a game Tuesday with a Bellarmine team that shut them out two weeks ago and series with Valley Christian and Saint Francis -- offer no respite. Horn, Johnson and Delaney might be the Peninsula's best top-of-the-order trio. |
| 5. | Menlo-Atherton (15-6) | Menlo-Atherton is running away with the PAL Bay Division after sweeping a pair from Sequoia last week. That gives the Bears a two-game lead in the Bay, heading into this week's series with The King's Academy. Senior Jack Molise is making a case as one of the best dual threats in the league. He is a reliable early-week starter and he won a game with the Ravens with an eighth-inning grand-slam homer. Shortstop Will Roberts' bat is starting to come alive. |
| 6. | Capuchino (13-9) | Reports of Capuchino's demise are greatly exaggerated. The Mustangs have come through their midseason funk and are poised for another CCS run. A series sweep of Calmont last week has re-energized them. Declan Mendel threw his third straight shutout to beat the Scots. Meanwhile, Cap has three players who should be candidates for player of the year in the Bay Division: Travis Ciardella, Lucas Zayac and Andres Gomez, who might be the best leadoff hitter (and bunter) on the Peninsula. |
| 7. | Mitty (11-10) | A 3-2 win over The King's Academy on Saturday was trypical Monarchs baseball. They just keep grinding until they find a way. It could come from anywhere. Grayson Munoz diving to his left to knock down a push bunt, rolling over and firing a strike to Cooper Salter to nail a runner at the plate or a sacrifice fly from Ethan Chase or RBI infield grounder from Tyler Monago. Mitty is finding a way without the injured Waylon walsh. On Saturday, they got a big boost when righth-hander Carson Seeger made his first start since early March. |
| 8. | Sacred Heart Cathedral (11-11) | The win over Marin Catholic on Saturday washed away the bad taste of the early-week loss to rival St. Ignatius Prep. The Irish is talented. Jacob Vines is a solid ace. Quinn Middleton and Santino Baisman are players that will garner All-WCAL honors. And a cast of supporting players gives Sacred Heart the ability to compete in every game they play. Unfortunately, they play in the best conference in the Bay Area and that hinders their overall record. Season-ending series with Serra and Valley Christian do them no favors. |
| 9. | Terra Nova (13-5-1) | After an 0-3 week, the Tigers took care of business and won a pair of lopsided games at El Camino. Look for them to continue padding their record with season-ending series with Aragon, San Mateo and Mills. The Tigers hit. They keep the line moving and have three players -- Joey Donati, Brody Finale and Luke Orlenas -- on the Peninsula's hit-leader list. They might not have a true ace, but they have enough pitching to win in May. |
| 10. | Menlo School (12-9) | The Knights had their winning streak snapped at nine games on Saturday at Sequoia. They still have a one-game lead over Terra Nova in the PAL Ocean Division. They have a solid starter in Jackson Flanagan, who doesn't throw strikes, but he pounds -- OK, maybe taps -- the strike zone. He threw his second straight shutout last week. Jack Freehill is a very good shortstop and leadoff hitter and the Knights do a good job of bunting, taking the extra base and basically playing small ball. |
Creepers: Sequoia (10-9), Carlmont (9-11), Hillsdale (10-8), Bellarmine (9-9). The King's Academy (8-8).
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