High school softball rankings: Bay Area News Group Top 20
Foothill continues to rise in the rankings, Hillsdale enters the fray, Milpitas moves up.
Bay Area News Group Top 20
(Mercury News & East Bay Times)
(Records and statistics through Monday afternoon)
No. 1 ST. FRANCIS (2-0)
Previous ranking: 1
Update: The Lancers defeated Aragon 2-1 in the team’s only game last week. Junior pitcher Kate Munnerlyn threw a no-hitter, striking out 11 batters while only walking a single opponent.
Up next: Today vs. St. Ignatius, 4 p.m.
No. 2 ARCHBISHOP MITTY (4-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Update: The Monarchs shut out Santa Teresa 6-0 in the team’s only game of the week. It was the first time this season that Mitty had not allowed two runs in a game.
Up next: Today at Hollister, 4:30 p.m.
No. 3 FOOTHILL (6-0)
Previous ranking: 8
Update: The Falcons took down Livermore 4-3 in the team’s fourth one-run win of the season, and then enjoyed a 13-7 victory over Granada. Sophomore infielder Ellie Novitske leads the team with 11 hits and eight runs scored.
Up next: Today vs. Dublin, 4 p.m.
No. 4 SAN RAMON VALLEY (3-0)
Previous ranking: 5
Update: The Wolves have yet to allow a run in 2023, blanking Albany 10-0 and California 2-0 last week. Sophomore second baseman Sophia Jin leads the team with an .857 batting average and has also stolen two bases.
Up next: Thursday vs. California, 4 p.m.
No. 5 GRANADA (5-1)
Previous ranking: 3
Update: The Matadors shut out Dublin to extend its unbeaten start to five games, but then dropped a high-scoring 13-7 decision to Foothill on Thursday.
Up next: Today vs. College Park, 4:00 p.m.
No. 6 BENICIA (1-0)
Previous ranking: 4
Update: Benicia did not play last week, but is slated to play four games in the next four days. Benicia will play at Pleasant Grove, host Dixon, travel to Vintage and then play St. Francis-Sacramento at a neutral site.
Up next: Tuesday at Pleasant Grove, 4 p.m.
No. 7 PINOLE VALLEY (8-0)
Previous ranking: 6
Update: Pinole Valley’s Kailani Tatro made it through her eighth start without allowing a run, with the Spartans beating Saint Patrick-St. Vincent 10-0. Senior Melina Mendoza went 3 for 5 with a home run in the league matchup.
Up next: Wednesday at Las Lomas, 4 p.m.
No. 8 CLAYTON VALLEY (3-1)
Previous ranking: 9
Update: The Ugly Eagles came away with a close 4-3 victory against Amador Valley and a 5-4 decision at Alameda last week. A matchup with ranked Heritage is next for Clayton Valley.
Up next: Today vs. Heritage, 4 p.m.
No. 9 MILPITAS (7-0)
Previous ranking: 11
Update: Milpitas started its week with a 4-2 victory over Wilcox, and then handled Cupertino 10-0. Jayden Isabella Vai walked the Trojans off in the ninth inning with an RBI to move the team to 7-0 with a 1-0 victory against San Mateo.
Up next: Today vs. Mountain View, 4 p.m.
No. 10 HERITAGE (2-1)
Previous ranking: 10
Update: The Patriots rebounded from a 3-2 loss to Carondelet in extra innings with a dominant 9-0 showing at Arroyo to get the team back to a winning record.
Up next: Today at Clayton Valley Charter, 4 p.m.
No. 11 LIVERMORE (4-2)
Previous ranking: 7
Update: Livermore started the week with a 4-3 loss to Foothill, but rebounded with a 13-3 victory over Alhambra and a 7-5 win against Liberty. Leadoff hitter Alizabeth Ruiz hit a triple and had two RBIs vs. Liberty.
Up next: Tuesday at Amador Valley, 4 p.m.
No. 12 COLLEGE PARK (2-0)
Previous ranking: 13
Update: College Park did not list any results last week, and its next scheduled game is Tuesday at Granada.
Up next: Tuesday at Granada, 4 p.m.
No. 13 HILLSDALE (7-0)
Previous ranking: Not ranked
Update: The San Mateo school has breezed by the first part of its schedule, outscoring opponents 51-8 through seven games. Junior outfielder Claire Shelton has hit three home runs this season.
Up next: Tuesday at Sequoia, 4:00 p.m.
No. 14 CAPUCHINO (5-0)
Previous ranking: 19
Update: Capuchino has started its season on fire, winning games against Presentation, Valley Christian, Mills and Mountain View in the last week. Nohemi Livingston allowed just two hits to Mountain View a couple of days after throwing nine innings and striking out 12 against Valley Christian.
Up next: Tuesday at Woodside, 4 p.m.
No. 15 VALLEY CHRISTIAN (4-2)
Previous ranking: 14
Update: Valley Christian routed Notre Dame-San Jose 13-3 before losing a 6-5 heartbreaker to Capuchino in nine innings. Charileen Pauneto had six RBIs and hit three triples in the win over ND-San Jose.
Up next: Tuesday vs. Evergreen Valley, 4 p.m.
No. 16 BRANHAM (4-2)
Previous ranking: 15
Update: Branham defeated The King’s Academy 5-3 in the team’s only game of the week. The Bruins totaled 13 hits and struck out only once against the team from Sunnyvale.
Up next: Tuesday at Willow Glen, 4 p.m.
No. 17 JAMES LOGAN (3-1)
Previous ranking: 18
Update: James Logan belted Castro Valley 11-2 and then edged past Bishop O’Dowd 4-3 last week. Senior Erin Garcia came up one home run short of the cycle against Castro Valley, and also drove in three runs.
Up next: Tuesday vs. Kennedy-Fremont, 4 p.m.
No. 18 SANTA TERESA (4-3)
Previous ranking: 12
Update: The Saints were no match for the No. 2 team in the rankings, and were shut out 6-0 at Mitty in the team’s only game of the week. On a brighter note, relief pitcher Evangelina Chavarria threw five scoreless innings to finish the game.
Up next: Thursday at Archbishop Mitty, 4:30 p.m.
No. 19 LOS GATOS (3-2)
Previous ranking: 16
Update: Los Gatos had a very eventful week, winning lopsided games against Homestead, Aptos and ND-Belmont, and losing 10-0 to Sobrato. Senior Anna Bean had two hits, one a triple, in the 7-1 victory over Belmont.
Up next: Tuesday at Los Altos, 4 p.m
No. 20 ANTIOCH (3-1)
Previous ranking: 20
Update: Antioch did not record any results last week. The team plays at Pittsburg on Thursday.
Up next: Thursday at Pittsburg, 1:30 p.m.
Teams eligible for the Bay Area News Group rankings come from leagues based predominantly in Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.