Jaden Carrillo and the Clovis Cougars are riding a six-game winning streak, helping them break into the top five of the rankings.
By Gabe Camarillo
gcamarillo@1430espnfresno.com
1. Bullard (Last week: 1)
Bullard remained in pole position by completing the sweep of Garza. With a large lead over 3rd place Edison (4-5) in the CMAC standings, Bullard (9-0) won the first of three against Madera (7-2) this week that could determine the league champion.
2. Redwood (LW: 4)
Redwood’s pitching makes them the largest threat to Bullard at this point. Check out the season ERAs and strikeout numbers of the Rangers’ three dominant arms:
Stanford commit Joey Volchko (0.51; 98 Ks in 51 innings)
Cal Poly commit Reece Bueno (0.41; 27 Ks in 17 innings)
Erik Rico (1.75 ERA; 35 Ks in 24 innings)
3. Bakersfield Christian (LW: 2)
A loss to Ridgeview bumped them down a spot, but they took two of three from the Wolfpack thanks to Logan Templeton’s four RBIs last Friday. Templeton, Toby Twist, and Mason Brassfield have produced the most runs for the Eagles.
4. Stockdale (LW: 3)
A loss to Liberty last Friday prevented the Mustangs from potentially leapfrogging the Eagles. Despite a head-to-head win over Redwood, the Rangers’ depth of experienced pitching, with the return of Bueno, is the difference maker. Make no mistake: Stockdale senior Ryan Featherston is dealing and raking – 0.94 ERA, plus two home runs and two triples this season.
5. Clovis (LW: 6)
Clovis’ pitching has been outstanding; over a six-game winning streak, the staff has allowed just one run per game. John Kasten (0.70 ERA) joined the two Logans, Georges and Borboa, on the rotation to much success. The middle-infield duo of Marcel Leal and Eli Henderson continues to shine near the top of the order. Leal is batting .403 (.517 OBP) and Henderson .319 (.467 OBP).
6. Buchanan (LW: 7)
The Bears swept through Central last week in convincing fashion. Complete game outings from Colton O’Toole and Trent Hill and a five-hit week from freshman Austin Finegan highlighted the week for the red-hot Bears. Then, they handled Clovis West on Tuesday, 14-1, the Bears’ 7th straight win that included a two-run bomb from JP Acosta.
7. Frontier (LW: 5)
Frontier fell two spots after it dropped a pair of one-run games to unranked ball clubs Ridgeview and Garces. Upcoming games against Stockdale will be a measuring stick for where they stand in the Bakersfield-area baseball hierarchy.
8. Kingsburg (LW: 9)
Kingsburg did not drop in the rankings after losing a high-scoring affair to Santa Cruz. A big reason why was an emphatic 13-3 victory over Washington Union on Monday, led by two hits apiece from Houston and Holden Hirschkorn and a roundtripper off the bat of Garrett Perkins. It was a total team effort, including big games from Ayden Rocha (3-for-4) and Preston Ingrao (2-for-4). Cal State Fullerton commit Ethan Winslow recorded a hit, as well.
9. Tulare Western (LW: 10)
Tulare Western walked off Centennial for the third time this season, and they have 10 games in a row. They have the pitching to be considered a contender in Division I playoffs.
10. Liberty-Bakersfield (LW: 12)
Liberty beat Stockdale with its bevy of bats, the latest solid performance coming from sophomore Brady Baird, who smacked two home runs to outmuscle the Mustangs. Up next are four games against Centennial and Frontier that could help the Pats climb back up the River League standings.
11. Clovis East (LW: 16)
Clovis East is nearing the Top 10 after taking two of three from previously No. 8 Clovis West. Junior pitchers Austin Pasma and Rocco Gonzalez (1.94 ERA) were stout against Clovis West, and senior Mason Martino has six RBIs in 10 TRAC games. They narrowly lost to No. 5 Clovis on Tuesday, 4-2.
12. Righetti (LW: 19)
Righetti jumped the highest in the rankings because of two statement wins over previously No. 13 Arroyo Grande. With that and a 13-1 romp over Paso Robles on Tuesday, the Warriors are 11-0 in the Mountain League and, since losing in extras at the Ranchos on March 7th, they’ve won 15 of their last 16 games. Righetti is looking more and more like last year’s squad that made a run to the championship game.
13. Clovis West (LW: 8)
The Golden Eagles suffered a setback last week by dropping the series to Clovis East, followed by a 14-1 defeat in Game 1 to Buchanan. They are now two games behind Buchanan and Clovis with four to play — but they still control their own destiny, since those are the only teams they play the rest of the way. Tyler Patrick was the stopper for Clovis West last Friday with 8 strikeouts in 5 ⅔ innings.
14. Centennial (LW: 11)
Centennial’s losses to unranked Highland and No. 9 Tulare Western, along with Righetti’s rise, knocked them down a few spots. The Golden Hawks and Golden Eagles have fared similarly against common opponents, losing to Clovis East and Tulare Western but beating Clovis North and Central, so they sit beside each other in the rankings.
15. St. Joseph (LW: 20)
St. Joseph beat Templeton last week in two low-scoring games. Omar Reynoso twirled yet another complete game shutout, and Hunter Hammond followed that with seven innings of one-run ball on the mound. Then, Nickolas Peinado and Jayden Cervantez combined to two-hit Arroyo Grande on Tuesday, 1-0.
16. Arroyo Grande (LW: 13)
Arroyo Grande fell three spots with the losses to Righetti and St. Joseph. In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, they nearly erased a nine-run deficit to Righetti in the eighth inning before falling short, 9-7. The Eagles look to avoid another sweep from a Mountain League rival on Friday.
17. Central (LW: 14)
Coming off a strong Fresno Easter Classic, the Grizzlies are trying to snap a five-game skid. Sophomore Adan Flores is standing out with his team-leading .380 batting average. Despite a loss to Clovis North, Central stays ahead of El Diamante due to record vs. common opponent Redwood (1-1 vs. 0-3).
18. El Diamante (LW: 15)
El Diamante fell after two losses to Redwood, but considering that this pitching staff still sports a team ERA of 1.73, the Miners are considered a threat in Division II, although their recent run of success likely assures their elevation to Division I.
19. Kerman (LW: 17)
Injuries hit the Lions at the most inopportune time as they were dealt back-to-back losses to Kingsburg. The injury bug hurts the depth of Kerman, which is putting players in new positions, but the Lions look to get back on track with two against Central Valley Christian this week.
20. Madera (LW: 18)
After getting shut out by Sanger, the Coyotes returned the favor Friday. Francisco Espejo turned in yet another stellar start, fanning 10 batters over six shutout innings. On Tuesday, Madera held Bullard down for four innings until a five-run fifth helped the Knights pull away in a 12-0 victory. Both clubs meet twice more this week.
21. Clovis North (LW: 21)
Clovis North doesn’t fall at all after getting swept by Clovis, considering how hot the Cougars are at the moment — and how the Broncos bounced back with a 5-1 win over Central. Senior Nate Logan earned the win, and Brody Skinner shut the door by tossing two hitless inning while recording an RBI.
22. Lemoore (LW: 25)
Lemoore creeped closer to the Top 20 with three dominant wins over Mission Oak. Remember, Lemoore has wins over the Top 10-ranked Mustangs and No. 25 Fowler, to boot.
23. Fresno (LW: 23)
The Warriors stay in the Top 25 after taking care of business, beating Sunnyside last week 25-3 and 18-1. In the latter win, Dominik Espinosa went 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Then, Fresno High continued its tear Tuesday with a victory over Sanger West, 14-1.
24. Liberty-Madera (LW: 24)
Liberty-Madera beat previously No. 21 Fowler, but because Fresno High, above the Hawks, kept winning and Clovis North beat them earlier this season, there’s no room for them to climb. No worry for the Hawks, who look like favorites now to win the Northwest Sequoia League. Liberty-Madera further proved this by beating Yosemite on Tuesday, 9-2. That will keep them in the Top 25 and improve their chances of soaring toward the Top 20.
25. Fowler (LW: 22)
Fowler’s loss to Liberty-Madera means the Redcats need to win out AND another Hawk loss to clinch an outright Northwest Sequoia League title. But Fowler does lead comfortably in the West division of the league, and their dominant win over No. 8 Kingsburg is aging like fine wine.
Dos Palos, Cabrillo, and Pioneer Valley the next three up
