This week’s Orange County high school baseball rankings.
Notable this week: Orange Lutheran is the No. 1 team in the Orange County rankings at the end of the regular season, but now the CIF-SS playoffs are starting. The final rankings will released after the CIF-SS championship games. … The Lancers won the Trinity League championship last week. … Aliso Niguel continues to rise in the rankings, having won six in a row. … Servite returns to the Top 10 after sweeping JSerra in a three-game Trinity League series. … Cypress gets back into the Top 10 after beating Pacifica twice last week to win the Empire League championship outright. … Buena Park returns to the Top 25 after splitting two Freeway League games with league champion Fullerton.
ORANGE COUNTY BASEBALL TOP 25
1. Orange Lutheran 22-6: The Trinity League champions concluded the regular season by winning two of three league games against St. John Bosco. Gabe Fraser is batting .357 with a team-high 25 hits and senior pitcher Ross Clark is 6-0 with a 0.95 ERA. Orange Lutheran plays Sierra Canyon in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 1 playoffs Friday at Hart Park.
Previous ranking: 1
2. Santa Margarita 19-8-1: The Eagles finished second in the Trinity League after winning two of three from Mater Dei last week. Cade Townsend enhanced his Orange County pitcher of the year candidacy with a two-hitter and 10 strikeouts in a 4-0 win over the Monarchs. Santa Margarita plays at South Coast League champion Tesoro in a Division 1 first-round game Friday.
Previous ranking: 2
3. JSerra 15-12-1: The Lions were swept by Servite in a three-game Trinity League series. They finished third in the Trinity League and will play at Bonita of La Verne on Friday in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs. JSerra won the Division 1 championship last year.
Previous ranking: 3
4. Huntington Beach 20-8: The Surf League champions split two league games with Los Alamitos last week. In their 6-1 win, John Petrie doubled and drove in two runs and pitcher Nathan Aceves struck out six and allowed one hit and no earned runs allowed in five innings. Huntington Beach plays at home against Santiago of Corona in the Division 1 first round Friday.
Previous ranking: 5
5. Los Alamitos 21-7: The Griffins took third place in the four-team Surf League, beating Huntington Beach in their final game of the regular season for a split in their two-game league series. Los Alamitos qualified as an at-large team for the Division 3 playoffs. The Griffins will play at Walnut in the first round Friday.
Previous ranking: 6
6. Aliso Niguel 18-7: The Wolverines finished the regular season strong, winning six straight games including two 11-2 wins over El Toro last week. Jarrett Sabol drove in seven runs over the two games. Aliso Niguel, last year’s Division 3 champion, plays a Division 2 first-round game at home against Valencia of L.A. County on Thursday.
Previous ranking: 7
7. Servite 15-13: The Friars finished the regular season strong, sweeping JSerra in their three-game Trinity League series. Junior outfielder Avery Jones batted .600 over the three games with four RBIs and three stolen bases. Servite finished fifth in the league but did not get an at-large playoff berth in Division 2.
Previous ranking: 11
8. Mater Dei 16-12: The Monarchs lost two of their three Trinity League games against Santa Margarita last week. They finished sixth in the six-team league, had the .500-or-better record required for an at-large berth and will play at Damien in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs Friday.
Previous ranking: 4
Jake DeLaquil (36) of Cypress forces out Joshua Pearman (8) of Pacifica at second to end the game in an Empire League baseball game at Cypress High School in Cypress on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
9. Cypress 18-9-1: The Centurions won the Empire League championship by sweeping Pacifica in their two-game league series. Wyatt Rosales pitched 6⅓ scoreless innings in a 4-0 win. Nick Montgomery hit a two-run home run in that game, and Justin Tillar hit a two-run homer in the following 5-3 win. Cypress plays at home against Calabasas in a Division 1 first-round game Friday.
Previous ranking: 12
10. Pacifica 18-4: The Mariners finished second to Cypress in the Empire League. They play at Ambassador League champion Aquinas of San Bernardino on Friday in a Division 1 first-round game.
Previous ranking: 9
11. Foothill 20-8
Previous ranking: 8
12. Tesoro 17-9
Previous ranking: 13
13. San Juan Hills 20-7
Previous ranking: 15
14. Villa Park 17-11
Previous ranking: 14
Villa Park’s Justin Tims, left, is greeted by Adian Young, center, and Shawn Romero, right, at home plate after hitting a solo home run against El Modena in Crestview League baseball game in Villa Park on Friday, April 12, 2024. (Photo by Paul Rodriguez, Contributing Photographer)
15. El Modena 18-8-1
Previous ranking: 17
16. Fountain Valley 18-9
Previous ranking: 16
17. Trabuco Hills 17-10
Previous ranking: 24
18. Mission Viejo 15-13
Previous ranking: 10
19. El Dorado 14-14
Previous ranking: 18
20. Corona del Mar 18-9
Previous ranking: 22
21. Ocean View 20-7
Previous ranking: 21
22. Fullerton 18-9-1
Previous ranking: 20
23. Buena Park 20-6-1
Previous ranking: Not ranked
24. San Clemente 12-14
Previous ranking: 19
25. La Habra 20-8
Previous ranking: 23
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