Although some teams have begun to play, we still wanted to post our preseason state rankings outlooks for baseball and softball. The Norco baseball and Sheldon of Sacramento softball teams lead the way.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens, Garland Cooper, Andrew Drennen

There were only a handful of seniors on the roster a year ago when the Norco High baseball team made it to the semifinals of the CIF Southern Section Div. I playoffs. This is why the Cougars were tabbed No. 1 in the state for the 2009 preseason.

One of those back is Matt Hobgood, the CalHiSports.com State Junior Player of the Year. Hobgood went 10-0 on the mound with a 1.34 ERA and also hit .489 with 45 RBI. Wes Hatton is another ace pitcher to give the team a very strong 1-2 punch. He had a 1.66 ERA as a junior. Also back are honors candidates Jake Romanski, a catcher, and Jake Clark, who plays first base and pitches.

El Toro easily could have been in the preseason No. 1 position as well. The dilemma for the preseason order in California is whether to go with a team that was a semifinalist in the CIF Southern Section in Division I last year compared to one that was a champion in Division II.

Both Norco and El Toro have outstanding returning pitching and position players. In the case of the Chargers, their 1-2 combo is Chad Thompson (12-3, 1.28) and Tyler Ziegler (6-2, 2.14). Their top returnee at the plate is all-state underclass infielder Nolan Arenado, who batted .456 as a junior with 32 RBI.

The consensus is pretty clear in Northern California that the top team to start out should be Jesuit of Carmichael. The Marauders won the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I title last year and are blessed with returning strength on the mound and at the plate. Andrew Susac is one of the top catchers in the state and has signed with Oregon State. He batted .466 as a junior and hit six homers. Outfielder Jimmy Bosco is back as well with a .505 average and is headed to the Pac-10 as well but to Cal. Three of the top four pitchers are also returning, led by Brock Simon (7-2, 1.97) and Martin Agosta (6-0, 1.16).

Here are the complete preseason state top 20 baseball rankings (listed with win-loss records from last year):

1. Norco 24-4
2. El Toro (Lake Forest) 26-9
3. Jesuit (Carmichael) 27-7
4. Simi Valley 25-8
5. Cathedral (San Diego) 27-8
6. Stockdale (Bakersfield) 31-3
7. Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 24-7
8. Capistrano Valley (Mission Viejo) 20-9
9. Poway 31-6
10. Yuba City 29-3
11. Chatsworth 29-5
12. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 24-11
13. Bishop Amat (La Puente) 27-4
14. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 27-4
15. De La Salle (Concord) 17-9
16. Clovis West (Fresno) 23-8
17. Valley Christian (San Jose) 30-6
18. Northview (Covina) 26-4
19. Oakdale 25-3
20. Los Alamitos 26-4

Bubble: Yucaipa 20-9, Serra (San Mateo) 26-7, Mt. Whitney (Visalia) 27-8, Royal (Simi Valley) 19-9, St. Mary's (Stockton) 21-12.

Softball Preseason Rankings

It's Sheldon of Sacramento, then the 1-2 Inland Empire punch of Corona Santiago and Norco that starts out the 2009 California prep softball season.

Coming off a 2008 campaign in which the team won its second straight CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title and ended No. 4 in the final FAB 50 national rankings, head coach Mary Jo Truesdale at Sheldon is loaded again with the return of not only one of the best pitchers in the nation, Jolene Henderson, but also one of the best catchers, Lindsey Ziegenhirt.

Henderson, the CalHiSports.com State Junior of the Year and an EA SPORTS All-American, compiled a 30-1 mark in the circle with 22 shutouts, a 0.41 ERA and whiffed 326 batters. She also hit .400 with 31 RBI. Ziegenhirt, also first-team all-state, batted .446 with six homers and 47 RBI.

Henderson and Ziegenhirt, who are both headed to Cal, and many others from the Sheldon team also proved their strength on the field during the summer as they sparked their travel team to the Under-16 national championship. One of the team's other top players is sophomore third baseman Danielle Henderson, who is Jolene's younger sister.

In Southern California, Santiago of Corona and Norco both have four-year star pitchers so it was hard to look elsewhere for the region's preseason top rankings.

The Sharks have just a touch more returning strength than their arch-rivals from nearby Norco so they start out just one spot higher in the rankings. Head coach John Perez's team features four-year pitching standout Kamerin May, who as a freshman was in the circle when Santiago won the prestigious CIF Southern Section Div. I title. May struck out 311 batters last year with a 0.73 ERA and also hit .400 with six homers. She's joined by twin sister Kristin, who plays third base and catches and hit .350 as a junior. Both May sisters are headed to San Diego State.

While Santiago features the May twins, the Cougars have the Gerhart triplets. Teagan Gerhart is the most prominent of the sisters – at least from a softball standpoint – as she comes back as the Riverside County Player of the Year. She's one of the top pitchers in the nation and also hit .376 last year with 19 RBI. Along with sisters Whitley and Kelsey, Norco fans also are happy with the return of honors candidate Nicole Sappingfield in the outfield.

Here are the complete preseason state top 20 softball rankings (listed with win-loss records from last year):

1. Sheldon (Sacramento) 32-2
2. Santiago (Corona) 26-4
3. Norco 29-6
4. Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 23-3-1
5. Hart (Newhall) 24-5
6. Freedom (Oakley) 26-2
7. Valencia 29-5
8. Centennial (Bakersfield) 28-5-1
9. Simi Valley 29-1
10. San Benito (Hollister) 28-4
11. Canyon (Anaheim) 22-8
12. Ayala (Chino Hills) 21-11-1
13. Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 23-7
14. Granite Hills (El Cajon) 24-7-1
15. Fairfield 24-7
16. Esperanza (Anaheim) 22-7-1
17. Presentation (San Jose) 26-6
18. Notre Dame (Salinas) 30-5
19. Rosary (Fullerton) 21-10
20. Glendora 19-10

Bubble: Foothill (Pleasanton) 20-8, La Serna (Whittier) 27-4, Lodi 20-10, Madera 31-4-1, Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 24-6-1.

Corrections or comments? Email mark@studentsports.com and be sure to leave a comment so others can check out what you have to say.