FAB 50 preseason football rankings are out. Salesian soph Tagaloa gets first scholarship offer….in football. Basketball coach Ray Johnson leaves El Camino of Oceanside. Plus, more from the best prep notes column in the state.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Steve Brand

It's still more than four weeks away from the unveiling of our own preseason state football rankings, but you can see a teaser of the teams that will likely be at the top by checking out the ESPN RISE FAB 50, which was released this week on ESPNRISE.com.

Both the national and state rankings in football are becoming more and more influenced by showdown games in which the top teams are playing each other. Since we've always believed that results matter the most in any ranking, the teams that win these games then get into the strongest positions in the rankings. In California, when games like Long Beach Poly vs. St. Bonaventure or Lakewood vs. Crenshaw or Servite vs. Edison are played early on, it's only natural that the winners will be highly-ranked.

Nationally, California's best chances will come when Oaks Christian travels to play Skyline of Samammish, Wash., and when De La Salle of Concord plays both Don Bosco Prep of New Jersey (on the road) and Lakeland of Florida (at home).

Freddie Tagaloa goes to first football camp

Remember after the CIF state basketball finals last March when we wrote that the most intriguing boys team may have been Salesian of Richmond and that one of the most intriguing athletes we saw the entire weekend was 6-8, 290-pound freshman center Freddie Tagaloa?

(Read full post)

Before releasing all of our final state rankings in baseball and softball, we wanted to put out our first lists of all-state team nominations. Baseball's was already done, so here is the first look at nominees for the 2009 All-State Softball Teams.

We have enhanced the selection process for all of our all-state teams in recent years – they are chosen in football, boys basketball, girls basketball, baseball and softball and we've been doing this for 30 years – by posting a list of names on our board and then letting readers/users respond with additions, corrections and updates.

Nominations are always welcome, but don't wait until it's too late and the teams are released. They won't be changed at that point, unless it's a simple error.

Please send any nomination with each athlete's height, weight, position, year in school, significant statistics. Comparing a player not on the board yet to one who already is cane be very important toward eventual selection. Limit each nomination to one page please. Send to:

mark@studentsports.com or FAX (209) 463-1219 or call (209) 608-1317.

Be aware that not all sophomores or juniors we are considering for all-state underclass may be on this list. We also usually end up selecting players who aren't on this list for medium school or small school squads. These players will emerge when all of the various major newspaper-based honor squads are released.

The format for all-state softball will be to continue with a 30-player overall all-state first team with 30 more on second team. Instead of utility, we may designate as many as eight players as multi-purpose. This accounts for the many who are both top hitters and top pitchers. Each first team player is written up and then becomes eligible for selection to the EA SPORTS All-American Team.

(Read full post)

State No. 2 and FAB 50 National No. 3 Sheldon falls to Pleasant Grove in Division I championship. Sophomore pitcher Ally Carda leads the way. Oak Ridge, Rodriguez wins Div. II and Div. III crowns.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor

Both J.T. Tiumalu and Mary Jo Truesdale were quick to acknowledge there was a changing of the guard after the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I softball championship that was completed on Wednesday night at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

Tiumalu is the head coach of the new champions from Pleasant Grove High of Elk Grove, while Truesdale is the longtime mentor at Sheldon of Sacramento.

Sheldon came into Wednesday's final needing to beat Pleasant Grove twice in order to win a third straight section title. This was due to a 2-1 upset loss on Monday to Elk Grove. But the Huskies didn't get their chance for a title-deciding contest as they lost to Pleasant Grove, 1-0.

It was billed as an upset, but Pleasant Grove proved it was one of the state's best teams at the same Nike Faster to First tournament that Sheldon won back in March. The Huskies were the No. 1 team in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 after that tourney win and maintained that ranking until April when they fell in the title game of the Livermore Stampede to Archbishop Mitty of San Jose.

Coming into Wednesday night's action, Sheldon was No. 3 in the nation (a ranking that was done prior to the first loss to Elk Grove) while Pleasant Grove checked in at No. 26.

So with only two seniors graduating from the Eagles and with Sheldon losing All-Americans Jolene Henderson (pitcher) and Lindsey Ziegenhirt (catcher) to Cal, was this indeed a new era for Pleasant Grove?(Read full post)

There will be a new FAB 50 softball leader next week due to No. 4 Archbishop Mitty of San Jose topping No. 1 Sheldon of Sacramento, 5-2, in the title game of the Livermore Stampede.

By Harold Abend & Mark Tennis

The 15th Annual Livermore Stampede was everything it was cracked up to be and more, much more.

This year's Stampede, conducted at Robertson Park in the San Francisco Bay Area community known mostly as the hometown of legendary baseball pitcher Randy Johnson, developed according to plan with a showdown in Saturday's championship game between the No. 1 and No. 4 teams in the ESPN RISE FAB 50 national rankings.

In the end, one of the most dominating one-girl performances in recent California history closed out the three-day five-game tournament and will create a major change in next week's FAB 50.

Keilani Ricketts was that girl as she pitched and hit No. 4 Archbishop Mitty of San Jose past No. 1 Sheldon of Sacramento for a 5-2 victory.

All the 6-2 Oklahoma-bound Ricketts did was hurl a four-hitter with 20 strikeouts, and hit a three-run home run as Mitty avenged last year's championship game defeat.

The Monarchs improved to 22-0 and put themselves squarely in the hunt to be the 2009 mythical national champion. It will be either them or unbeaten Klein Oak of Klein, Texas, which was No. 2 in last week's FAB 50, that will be the new No. 1 when the new rankings are released next Wednesday.

"Considering there are no state or NorCal playoffs for us, all we can do is play great teams to prepare us for our own section playoffs,” said Mitty head coach Sarah Thomas. "We didn't have any thoughts about how Sheldon had been doing beforehand. It was just let's get to that game because we have so much respect for them.”

Sheldon, which was preseason No. 1 and stayed there after winning the Nike Faster to First tourney title over an elite field in Southern California, could still conceivably get back up to the No. 1 ranking but would need Mitty to lose in the CIF Central Coast Section Division II playoffs.

The way Ricketts pitched and hit on Saturday and the way her teammates slapped the ball effectively, a loss may not get posted on Mitty's ledger for quite some time.

(Read full post)

No. 1 Sheldon's dominance at the Nike Faster to 1st tourney wasn't the only major storyline of last week in California girls softball. Riverside Poly's back-to-back league wins over Norco and Corona Santiago was fairly earth-shaking as well. Mitty is now No. 2 and could play Sheldon soon.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens

Note: We will eventually add more in-depth writeups as well as divisional state rankings in softball over the coming weeks.

(After games of Saturday, March 28)
(Preseason ranking in parentheses)

1.  (1)  Sheldon (Sacramento) 10-0
Wow, the Huskies not only won the second annual Nike Faster to 1st tourney over the weekend, they didn't even allow a run. They won in the semis with an 8-0 mercy-rule triumph over Camarillo and defeated host Canyon of Anaheim in the championship, 2-0. Head coach Mary Jo Truesdale's club can't celebrate much at all, though, since it plays league rival Pleasant Grove (which also impressed at the F2F event) on Tuesday of this week.

2.  (4)  Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 5-0
Sheldon winning the big tourney down south is also good news for Mitty. Coach Sarah Thomas' team hopes to get a shot at Sheldon at the upcoming Livermore Stampede. Last week, with pitching ace Keilani Ricketts continuing to round into form, the Monarchs posted wins over Foothill of Pleasanton and Gilroy. The Foothill win also was of note since the Falcons are one of the top teams in the North Coast Section

3.  (17)  Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 11-0
We're going to give the Eagles a big jump in this week's rankings because of the win they notched last week against a solid M.L. King of Riverside squad that the week before beat Corona Santiago. They also are unbeaten and play some strong teams in their league.

4.  (9)    Freedom (Oakley) 7-2
This team's extra-inning loss to Sheldon now looks much more significant after what the Huskies did at the Nike Faster to 1st tourney. While Freedom did drop one game in Huntington Beach, that was to a 5-5 Camarillo team and its own four wins also were huge. One was against Norco, which the week before took top honors at the Arizona Tournament of Champions.

5.  (2)    Norco 10-2
It certainly wasn't the pitching of Stanford-bound Teagan Gerhart that let down the Cougars in twin 1-0 losses to Poly (Riverside) and Freedom (Oakley) in the Nike Fastest to First Classic after allowing just three runs in winning the MaxPreps Tournament of Champions in Bullhead, Arizona. Norco plays J.W. North (Riverside) and Roosevelt (Corona) in Big Eight League action this week before returning to tournament play next week. Norco's title in Arizona is still a big enough accomplishment so that the rankings drop this week was not too severe.

6.  (13)  Buchanan (Clovis) 10-0-1
The Bears played their first true road games of the season last week and had their heavy bats along for the trip as they scored 26 runs in three games to remain undefeated. Facing Atascadero, the Bears won game one of the doubleheader by a 9-2 score and then were victorious later in the afternoon by a 7-0 final. Natalie Rendon got the win in game two as she struck out 10 and didn't allow a run. Buchanan moves up in this week's rankings for being a perennial power that is still unbeaten. The Bears also still have that win over Centennial.

7.  (14)  Centennial (Bakersfield) 11-1-1
The Golden Hawks, who have lost only to Buchanan, started Southwest Yosemite league play last week with fairly convincing wins against Ridgeview and West of Bakersfield. They scored three runs in the top of the first against the Wolf Pack and it would already be enough for the win as Ensley Gammel tossed a no-hitter and struck out 14 in the 6-0 win. Centennial ended the week at home and put on an early offensive firework show as it scored nine runs in the first inning and eight runs in the second inning on the way to the mercy-rule shortened 17-0 win. Riley Stevenson led the offense with four RBI on a 3-for-3 day.

8.  (nr)  Poly (Riverside) 10-3
Shutting out Norco, 1-0, was the highlight of the week as the Bears have won their last five games by a combined 19-0 behind the pitching of Desiree Ybarra (0.59 ERA) and Corrine Reihnardt (has not allowed an earned run). Ybarra and company also had a win last week over Corona Santiago. We'll have more on her later this week.

9.  (18)  Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 10-1
Another NorCal team that gets a strong bump up this week is the Trojans. Their only loss is to Sheldon in a game they led going into the seventh inning and they own a win over Pleasant Grove (which is a team that beat two-time defending CIFSS Div. I champ Valencia last week at the Nike Faster to 1st fourney.

10.  (nr)   Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 11-1-1
The Monarchs could not push across a run against Canyon (Anaheim) ace Cheyanne Tarango in a 1-0 loss or against Wilson (0-0) but in their wins they have muscled up for an average of 6.3 runs a game behind Brittany Schutte, who is batting .525 with 21 hits and 13 RBI. Pitcher Brianne Matthews also has allowed just one run this season. Mater Dei's lone loss is overcome in the rankings since it has quality wins over Los Alamitos, El Modena and Esperanza.

11.  (3)    Hart (Newhall) 12-2
The Indians looked to be one of the top teams in the Nike Faster to 1st tournament last weekend after winning their first nine games of the season but were stunned in their opening game by a 4-1 score against Rodriguez as normally solid Destiny Rodino allowed three runs in the top of the first inning. After a 4-1 win over Piedra Vista of New Mexico, the Indians faced El Toro and picked up a 3-2 extra inning win. For their final win at the tournament, the Indians found themselves trailing 2-1 in the eighth inning but rallied for two runs and the 3-2 walk-off win over Sunrise Mountain of Arizona. They then lost 5-4 to Ayala in their tournament finale and will now play West Ranch and Canyon of Canyon Country to open league play this week.

12.  (nr)  Pleasant Grove (Elk Grove) 13-3
The Eagles opened up league play with a 14-0 win over Florin before heading to the Nike Faster to 1st tournament where they would go 3-2 in the three days of play. They opened the tournament against Vista Murrieta and trailed early but Ally Carda struck out 14 and did not allow another run while her team's offense rallied back for the 3-1 win. They drew an even tougher matchup in their next game and found themselves trailing Valencia 5-2 after allowing three runs in the top of the 8th inning but came back with four runs in the bottom of the inning as Carda showed she can also hit with a walk-off homer.  

13.  (5)   Valencia 11-3
It was an up-and-down week for the Vikings at the Nike Faster to 1st tournament as they finished 3-2 in their five games with both losses coming just by one run. Carly Mortensen made sure the two run lead her team scratched their way to give her would hold up as she allowed just one run and struck out seven in a tournament opening 2-1 win over Vista Murrieta. The winning streak then came to an end in a 5-2 loss in eight innings to Pleasant Grove. They have just one game this week on the schedule against El Modena.

14.  (nr)  Canyon (Anaheim) 9-5
Two of the losses that the Comanches have suffered this season have come when standout sophomore Cheyene Tarango was not pitching. They certainly showed how good they could be with Tarango going full tilt in their own Nike Faster to 1st tourney last weekend by beating Esperanza in the semifinals and then giving No. 1 Sheldon all it could handle in the final. It's still going to take a few more quality wins for Canyon to get into the top 10 with five losses overall, but don't bet against that from happening.

15.  (16)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 13-0
Only missing the really tough tournaments have kept the Titans from moving up more. The numbers are certainly impressive as they outscored their opponents 86-11 behind Samantha Pappas, who has not only pitched all but five inning in molding a 0.60 ERA, but has batted .462, one of four starters hitting over .400. There is a double-header coming up this week versus bubble Ayala (Chino Hills).

16.  (6)    Santiago (Corona) 7-3
A 2-0 loss to Poly (Riverside) has already put the Sharks behind in the Big Eight League with games this week against Roosevelt and No. 20 M.L. King, which handed Santiago one of its losses earlier, 5-1, in the Jurupa Valley Tournament. It's a road game, too. The Sharks also host Torrance for a twinbill on Saturday before taking a break.

17.  (12)  Presentation (San Jose) 15-1-1
The Panthers have to take a dip in this week's rankings after dropping their first game of the season to Leigh of San Jose, 2-0, at the annual Charlie Miguel tourney in Santa Clara. Before that, though, they rolled on in the West Catholic Athletic League with a win against St. Ignatius.

18.  (8)   San Benito (Hollister) 7-1
Another top-ranked Central Coast Section team besides Presentation to fall from the ranks of the unbeaten is the Haybalers. They fell 4-1 to Piedmont Hills of San Jose, but still have a strong enough resume so far this year to not drop completely out of the top 20.

19.  (11)  Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 8-2
Losses to Pleasant Grove (3-1) and Valencia (2-1) dimmed the Nighthawks' showing at the Nike Faster to 1st tourney, but they those losses were certainly close and they also won three times, including 6-0 over Sunnyslope, one of the best teams from Arizona.

20.  (15)  M.L. King (Riverside) 11-2
The Wolves rebounded from a loss to Etiwanda with a huge display of offense in their Big Eight League opener as they defeated J.W. North of Riverside by a 14-4 final score. Senior captain Amanda Baun then struck out 10 in a 9-5 win over Kaiser in game one of a doubleheader and the Wolves would then go on to win game two by a 8-2 margin.

Teams on the Bubble
Ayala (Chino Hills) 10-3, Camarillo 5-5, Foothill (Pleasanton) 4-2, Leland (San Jose) 10-3-1, Los Alamitos 11-3, Rodriguez (Fairfield) 4-4, Torrey Pines (San Diego) 11-1..

For corrections or comments or to send in information about a team for the next installment of the state top 20, email mark@studentsports.com. Be sure to leave a comment as well so others can check out what you have to say about these rankings.

Heading into this weekend's loaded Nike Faster to First tournament, produced by ESPN RISE, Sacramento team that started out 2009 season in No. 1 position in the  top 20 is still there. Norco is No. 2 after winning major Arizona tourney.

By Mark Tennis, Executive Editor
Contributing: Paul Muyskens

Note: We will eventually add more in-depth writeups as well as divisional state rankings in softball over the coming weeks; After games of Saturday, March 21; Preseason ranking in parentheses.

1.  (1)  Sheldon (Sacramento) 4-0
Part of the reason it's going to be though for the Huskies to remain undefeated is because of the difficult schedule they face right away as they opened up at Oak Ridge and had to rally for the win against a Trojans squad that has since won nine straight. Despite Jolene Henderson not allowing a hit, the Huskies found themselves trailing 2-1 entering their final at bat but took the lead on a Lindsey Ziegenhirt three-run home run for the win. Sheldon didn't have to long to enjoy its first win of the season as it then hosted preseason state No. 6 Freedom and the Falcons' talented hurler Hannah Williams in a marathon game. Henderson struck out 20 to match zeros with Williams before the Huskies earned a 1-0 win in 11 innings. Since then, they have easily defeated Franklin of Elk Grove and St. Francis of Sacramento by double digits.

2.  (3)  Norco 5-0
The Cougars opened the season in Arizona at the Bullhead City Tournament of Champions and returned back to California as undefeated champions after defeating Valencia 4-2 in the finals. Teagan Gerhart was named MVP of the 40-team, invitation only event. Norco outscored the opposition, which included Los Alamitos, Saugus, and Chino Hills, by a combined 22-3 margin as their pitching tossed three shutouts, led by Gerhart. This weekend, Gerhart and the Cougars will be in the field at the Nike Faster to First tournament in Huntington Beach. A Sheldon vs. Norco matchup is possible.

3.  (5)  Hart (Newhall) 9-0
Two wins over both Moorpark and Agoura plus another over Alemany has gotten the Indians out to a fast start. Their start could get even better this week as they are one of the favorites at the Nike Faster to First tournament in Huntington Beach.

4.  (4)  Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 3-0
All-American pitcher Keilani Ricketts didn't get quite as late a start on softball this year compared to last since Mitty didn't play for a CIF state basketball title. Still, the schedule was done so there weren't too many showdowns early in the season. The best rankings scenario for the Monarchs is for Sheldon to win the Faster to First tournament and then for them to be able to play Sheldon later on at the Livermore Stampede.

5.  (7)  Valencia 8-1
Despite having Ms. Softball State Player of the Year Jessica Spigner head off to Tennessee, the Vikings apparently are going to be just fine. They went to Bullhead City and made it to the finals where they lost by 4-2 to Norco. That loss also could be avenged this week at the Nike Faster to First tourney in Huntington Beach.

6.  (2)  Santiago (Corona) 4-1
The Sharks have dropped from their preseason No. 2 spot due to a loss to M.L. King of Riverside, but they didn't drop that far because they will have the opportunity to get over it in a hurry due to their strength of schedule and being in the same league as Norco.

7.  (9)  Simi Valley 4-0
The Pioneers could be another top team in the state in the Nike Faster to First tourney. Their early-season wins have come against Pacifica of Oxnard, Lompoc, La Reina of Thousand Oaks and Royal of Simi Valley.

8.  (10)  San Benito (Hollister) 6-0
Four-year standout Marissa Ibarra looks strong in the circle in the early going for the three-time defending CCS Div. I champions, who have posted two of their wins over Los Gatos.

9.  (6)  Freedom (Oakley) 2-1
This might even be too far of a drop for the Falcons after their 1-0 loss in extra-innings to Sheldon. We'll see, but they also have already played Foothill of Pleasanton and won by 9-0.

10. (12)  Ayala (Chino Hills) 6-1
Will it be another surprising showing this weekend for the Bulldogs at the Nike Faster to First tourney? After last year and after starting out 6-1, they may do just as well but it won't be as much of a surprise. And if you're counting, with Freedom in the field this weekend in Huntington Beach as well, that's seven of the first 10 ranked teams in the state that are in the Nike Faster to First bracket.

11. (13) Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 4-0
Wait a minute, make that eight of the first 11 in the Nike Faster to First tourney. The Nighthawks, with twins Taylor and Tatum Edwards leading the way, are out to a 4-0 start.

12.  (17)  Presentation (San Jose) 14-0-1
Head coach Kevin Newman's squad has piled up a bunch of early wins and as expected looks like a serious challenger to No. 4 Mitty's reign in the West Catholic Athletic League.

13.  (nr)  Buchanan (Clovis) 8-0-1
The Bears have a big win over preseason state No. 8 Centennial of Bakersfield that lifts them up in the first regular season listings.

14.  (8)  Centennial (Bakersfield) 9-1-1
Other than the loss to Buchanan, the Golden Hawks have been very good. Key wins over Bullard of Fresno, Liberty of Bakersfield.

15.  (nr)  M.L. King (Riverside) 8-1
After losing the first game of the season to Hemet, the Wolves have caught a hot streak, including their win over preseason No. 2 Santiago.

16.  (nr)  Tesoro (Las Flores) 8-0
Yet another team from this school that is going to have a strong season is the softball squad. Tesoro makes the top 20 this week due to wins over Beckman and Edsion of Huntington Beach. Edison is 7-0 against the rest of its schedule.

17.  (nr)  Etiwanda (Rancho Cucamonga) 10-0
The Eagles have been a perennial power in recent years and in addition to being 10-0 another reason we like them is a win over preseason No. 20 Glendora.

18.  (nr)  Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) 9-1
Last year's CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Div. II champions have lost only to Sheldon in a game it led going into the seventh inning. One of the wins is against two-time defending Nevada champ Spanish Springs of Sparks.

19.  (nr)  Edison (Huntington Beach) 7-1
The Chargers have lost only to Tesoro and have wins against Camarillo, Long Beach Wilson and Marina of Huntington Beach, among others.

20.  (18)  Notre Dame (Salinas) 1-1
Not many games yet for the Spirits, but their loss was by just 3-2 to No. 12 Presentation.

Bubble: Canyon (Anaheim) 5-4, Chino 5-2, Foothill (Pleasanton) 3-1, Glendora 5-2, Torrey Pines (San Diego) 8-1.

For corrections or comments or to send in information about a team for the next installment of the state top 20, email mark@studentsports.com. Be sure to leave a comment as well so others can check out what you have to say about these rankings.

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.

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