Cougars get the nod in close baseball selection over Chatsworth while the Monarchs were only waiting for the announcement to be made for it to be official in softball. Pitching dominance was the key for both teams, but if not for one mighty swing of the bat neither team might have finished No. 1 in the state. Final overall & expanded state baseball and softball rankings to be released later this week, following our MLB Draft coverage.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

CIF Southern Section Division I champion Capistrano Valley of Mission Viejo and CIF Central Coast Section Division II titlist Archbishop Mitty of San Jose were selected on Monday to be the 2009 State Teams of the Year in baseball and softball, respectively, by CalHiSports.com.

Capistrano Valley's choice was close as the Cougars moved up from No. 4 in the previous state rankings to grab the top honor from previous No. 3 Chatsworth, the L.A. City Section champ.

After Chatsworth had ended its season on May 30 with a 9-0 win over Cleveland of Reseda in the L.A. City final at Dodger Stadium, the Chancellors (29-4) had to wait it out to see what would happen in last week's Southern Section playoffs. In the semifinals, No. 1 Edison of Huntington Beach edged No. 2 Mater Dei of Santa Ana, 2-1, while No. 4 Capistrano Valley topped Poly of Riverside, 1-0. Then in last Saturday's final at Anaheim Stadium, the Cougars posted yet another shutout with a 1-0 win over Edison.

Despite having six losses overall to Chatsworth's four, it was that pitching that was the difference in Capistrano Valley's rise all the way to the top. In addition to blanking Riverside Poly and Edison in its last two games, head coach Bob Zamora's team also had shutouts in its previous two playoff games. The only runs that scored against the Cougars in the postseason came when Zamora took out ace Tyler Matzek with an 8-0 lead in the first playoff game against Long Beach Wilson.

Matzek, who is expected to be chosen in the top half of the first round of Tuesday's MLB Draft, wasn't the only one who dominated on the mound for Capo Valley. His teammate, Kevin Chambers, who is headed to Oklahoma State, also pitched a playoff shutout and tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings against Edison.

In addition to losing just four times, another strength of Chatsworth's argument is that the Chancellors would have to be considered the State Team of the Decade. In fact, it's almost impossible for any program in the state to come close to what head coach Tom Muesborn and his staff have accomplished between the 2000 and 2009 seasons. One difference this year, though, is that the Chancellors did not win their league title.

Archbishop Mitty's choice in softball, on the other hand, was a foregone conclusion. With a 32-0 record, five straight CCS titles and significant wins over Sheldon of Sacramento and Freedom of Oakley, to name a few, there really wasn't any other team that could even be put on the board.

In most years, CIFSS Div. I champ Norco would be strongly considered with a 31-2 record. But the Cougars lost one of their games to Freedom (a team Mitty beat). This isn't to say that head coach Rick Robinson's team couldn't beat the Monarchs right now, but for a final ranking and final team of the year selection there's no way to overcome the results that did take place.

Capistrano Valley's State Team of the Year honor is only the fourth in baseball by an Orange County school. Previous Orange County teams to lead the state have been Fullerton in 1927, Westminster in 1981 and Fountain Valley with a back-to-back run at the top in 1994-95.

For the Mitty girls, this is the first time in softball that a school from the CCS has ended No. 1 overall in the state. As a school, however, Mitty girls have been No. 1 overall in the state in other sports several times, including just earlier this school year in volleyball. It's also interesting to note that Mitty's final No. 1 ranking marks the third time in the last four years that a Northern California school has been No. 1 in softball.

Like Capo Valley with Matzek, Mitty's obvious strength was pitching with powerful Keilani Ricketts doing the honors in nearly every game.

For both Matzek and Ricketts, though, the singular moment for their season and for their teams en route to the final No. 1 state ranking came when each connected for home runs as a batter. For Matzek, his towering shot over the fence at Anaheim Stadium in the top of the seventh inning ended up being the only run of the game against Edison. For Ricketts, her home run over the left-centerfield fence with two runners on base erased an early 1-0 deficit against Sheldon in the title game of the Livermore Stampede. Mitty went on to win that game, 5-2, and didn't look back the rest of the season on its way to the mythical state title.

Congratulations to Coach Zamora, assistant coaches Bob Pomeroy, Chris Price and Goose Awender and the entire Capistrano Valley roster for being State Team of the Year: 2-Greg Ruggles, 3-Jordan Castro, 5-Matt Wright, 6-Peter Hoyt, 7-Tim Batersole, 8-Steve McMichael, 9-Josh Huntzinger, 10-Brandon Brennan, 11-Eddie Dupont, 12-Lee Casas, 13-Charles Pfirrmann, 14-Ryan Mutchnik, 16-Bryan Clough, 17-Nolan Clarke, 18-Kevin Chambers, 19-Tyler Matzek, 21-Eric Hinds, 22-Kyle Hunt, 23-Kyle Matzek.

Congratulations as well to Head Coach Sarah Thomas, assistant coaches Vicki Reeves and Melissa Kelly and the entire Archbishop Mitty roster for being State Team of the Year: Erica Afanador, Vanessa Alvarez, Jillian Anderson, Chiara Biagini, Sydney Frangieh, Ciandra Keith, Shannon King, Lauren Linney, Sylvia Llamas, Cristina Menjivar, Miyuki Navarrette, Lindsay Norton, Keilani Ricketts, Alaina Thomas, Shea Williams.

The updated list of all-time state teams of the year in both sports follows:

All-Time State Baseball
Teams of the Year

(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports)

2009 - Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley (26-6)
2008 - Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (27-4)
2007 - Long Beach Wilson (31-3)
2006 - San Jose Bellarmine (34-4)
2005 - Woodland Hills El Camino Real (28-4)
2004 - Chatsworth (35-0)
2003 - Carlsbad La Costa Canyon (32-1)
2002 - La Puente Bishop Amat (28-2)
2001 - La Puente Bishop Amat (27-2)
2000 - San Diego Rancho Bernardino (30-3)
1999 - Riverside Arlington (29-2)
1998 - Clovis (33-2)
1997 - Clovis (32-2) (plus one win by default)
1996 - Granada Hills Kennedy (31-3)
1995 - Fountain Valley (26-3-1)
1994 - Fountain Valley (27-3-1)
1993 - Fresno Bullard (26-3-1)
1992 - San Diego Mira Mesa (26-5)
1991 - Ontario (26-0)
1990 - Cupertino Monta Vista (27-3)
1989 - Fresno Bullard (28-2)
1988 - Fresno Bullard (29-1)
1987 - Lakewood (25-7)
1986 - Santee Santana (26-2)
1985 - Oxnard Rio Mesa (27-3)
1984 - Rancho Cordova (33-5-1)
1983 - El Cerrito (27-1)
1982 - San Diego Mt. Carmel (24-2)
1981 - Westminster (23-4)
1980 - Fresno Bullard (29-2)
1979 - Visalia Mt. Whitney (20-3)
1978 - Larkspur Redwood (30-5)
1977 - West Covina Edgewood (29-1)
1976 - Lakewood (22-4-1)
1975 - Torrance Bishop Montgomery (27-3)
1974 - Torrance North (26-6-1)
1973 - El Segundo (30-5)
1972 - Venice (19-3)
1971 - El Segundo (33-2)
1970 - Lompoc (27-1)
1969 - Sacramento Grant (16-1)
1968 - Fresno Hoover (27-3)
1967 - Long Beach Millikan (20-4)
1966 - El Segundo (24-4-1)
1965 - San Diego Crawford (22-4)
1964 - Lynwood (23-2)
1963 - Long Beach Poly (21-4)
1962 - Sacramento Bishop Armstrong (22-2)
1961 - S.F. Sacred Heart (32-2-1)
1960 - Fresno Roosevelt (20-2)
1959 - S.F. St. Ignatius (28-3)
1958 - Fresno (25-1)
1957 - Fresno (22-2)
1956 - Ontario Chaffey (21-5)
1955 - South Gate (17-2)
1954 - L.A. Loyola (22-5)
1953 - Compton (23-2)
1952 - S.F. Sacred Heart (29-5)
1951 - Sacramento McClatchy (22-0-1)
1950 - Long Beach Wilson (24-3)
1949 - San Diego (29-3)
1948 - San Diego (26-3)
1947 - S.F. Mission (12-1)*
1946 - San Diego (24-7)
1945 - S.F. Mission (10-0, League)
1944 - S.F. Mission (9-0, League)
1943 - L.A. Fremont (13-1)
1942 - San Diego Hoover (13-0 vs. prep teams)
1941 - S.F. Galileo (12-1)*
1940 - S.F. Mission (11-1)*
1939 - San Diego (20-5)
1938 - Glendale (4-0, Playoffs)
1937 - S.F. Commerce (12-2, League)
1936 - Long Beach Poly (23-2)
1935 - Sacramento (20-1)
1934 - S.F. Mission (7-0, League)
1933 - Fresno Roosevelt (20 -2)
1932 - San Diego (11-4)
1931 - S.F. Mission (8-0, League)
1930 - San Diego (19-3)
1929 - San Diego (31-5)
1928 - San Diego (22-8-1)
1927 - Fullerton (29-5-1)
1926 - Alameda (21-1)
1925 - Los Angeles (6-0, League)
1924 - S.F. Sacred Heart (6-0)*
1923 - San Diego (15-4)
1922 - S.F. Mission (6-1)*
1921 - San Diego (18-5-2)
1920 - San Diego (13-1)
1919 - Oakland Technical (8-0)*
1918 - San Diego (12-6)
1917 - San Diego (12-1)
1916 - S.F. Poly (7-0, League)
1915 - S.F. Sacred Heart (5-0)*
1914 - S.F. Lowell (6-0)*
1913 - Long Beach Poly (19-3-1)
1912 - Long Beach Poly (17-5)
1911 - S.F. Sacred Heart (5-0)*
1910 - S.F. Sacred Heart (8-0)*
1909 - Alameda (5-0)*
1908 - Palo Alto (4-0)*
1907 - Alameda (5-1)*
1906 - S.F. Lick (1-0 League)**
1905 - S.F. Lick (9-1-1)*
1904 - Palo Alto
1903 - Berkeley
1902 - S.F. Lowell
1901 - Berkeley
1900 - S.F. Cogswell
1899 - Palo Alto (5-0)
*Record for league and playoff games only.
** Playoffs and remainder of league schedule were cancelled due to earthquake.
Lick's 1906 team was regarded as being better than its 1905 team.

All-Time State Softball
Teams of the Year

(Selected by Cal-Hi Sports)

2009 – San Jose Archbishop Mitty (32-0)
2008 – Sacramento Sheldon (32-2)
2007 – Valencia (32-1)
2006 – Oakley Freedom (25-0)
2005 – Simi Valley Royal (29-2)
2004 – Garden Grove Pacifica (31-2)
2003 – Garden Grove Pacifica (31-2)
2002 – San Diego Mira Mesa (31-1)
2001 – Fresno Bullard (36-1)
2000 – Tustin Foothill (33-2)
1999 – Fresno Bullard (38-1-1)
1998 – Clovis Buchanan (35-2)
1997 – Garden Grove Pacifica (31-1-1)
1996 – Santa Ana Mater Dei (30-1)
1995 – Huntington Beach Marina (24-5)
1994 – Clovis (31-3) (plus 2 wins by default)
1993 – Covina Charter Oak (29-0-1)
1992 – Stockton Lincoln (35-3)
1991 – Stockton Lincoln (29-3)
1990 – Roseville (37-2)
1989 – Lakewood St. Joseph (26-1)
1988 – Santa Fe Springs St. Paul (21-6)
1987 – Stockton Lincoln (30-0)
1986 – Woodland Hills El Camino Real (19-0)
1985 – Huntington Beach Ocean View (32-0)
1984 – Stockton Lincoln (37-1)
1983 – Lodi (27-2)
1982 – San Diego Madison (20-0)
1981 – Santa Maria Righetti (25-1)
1980 – Santa Maria Righetti (29-0)
1979 – Santa Rosa Montgomery (26-1)
1978 – Fairfield Armijo (23-0)
1977 – Huntington Beach Marina (17-0)
1976 – Chula Vista Hilltop (17-0)
1975 – Downey Warren (18-1)
1974 – El Segundo (undefeated)

Comments or corrections? Email mark@studentsports.com.