High school baseball rankings: Elk Grove is the new No. 1; Rocklin sweeps Granite Bay

For only the third time this season, there is a new top-ranked baseball team.

That would be Elk Grove High School, which has dominated the Sac-Joaquin Section playoff field for decades. The Herd are tied with Central Catholic for the most blue banners with 11.

Elk Grove took two of three from No. 14 Jesuit this week. The highlight of the series was the rubber match Saturday. The Herd trailed 5-4 in the last inning before Ryan Zamora tied the game with an RBI double. Three batters later, Korey Williams ended the game with a single to score Zamora.

After starting the season with a loss to St. Mary’s of Stockton, Elk Grove has won 15 of 17. The only other losses are to national baseball powerhouse De La Salle of Concord and Jesuit.

Other standout performers on this Herd team include Noah Canter, Kade Brown, Robert, Whittaker, Eddie Madrigal, Aiden Jimenez, A.J. Hutcheson and Sam Frizzi.

Quick Hits

▪ Coming into the week, Granite Bay was the top-ranked team and had only lost two games all season. League rival Rocklin changed that with a three-game sweep over the Grizzlies. Brandon Larson and Chase Meggers both provided key offense for the Thunder.

▪ Woodcreek moved up three spots to No. 4 after a sweep over Antelope. In the 15-4 win Thursday, Jake Harvey drove in five and Zack Malone and Caden Thompson had four RBIs each.

▪ After a dramatic comeback win by Folsom over Oak Ridge earlier in the week on a walk-off single by Ryan Stafford, the Bulldogs took the series over their rival with a 7-2 win Thursday. Stafford hit a grand slam and drove in five. Ryan Oaks got the win on the bump.

▪ Alpha Charter is ranked for the first time this season after wins over Roseville and Ponderosa. Isaac Hawthrone against Ponderosa struck out nine and only allowed four hits.

▪ Oakmont lost a series opener to Placer 10-0 but responded with a 3-2 win Wednesday and a 7-2 win Friday to take the series. The Vikings are lead by Adam Davies, Mason Roane, Ethan Gonthier and Kurt Marton

▪ Pioneer recorded a rare four-game sweep over Woodland. Joey Rodriguiez, Carson Timothy, Hunter Timothy and Austin McKinney pitched well during the series.

▪ Del Campo stayed hot this week with wins over Roseville and Franklin behind big performances from Jordan Jacobson, Matt Moses, Anthony Martinez and Will Tuter. The Cougars have won four in a row and 9 of 11.

▪ Nevada Union had a three-game sweep of Bear River and outscored the Bruins 26-7. Patrick Farrell drove in seven during the series and Lucas Mackey drove in three.

▪ After losing its first game of the season to Ponderosa on April 23, Rio Americano has won six in a row. That includes three-game sweeps over Christian Brothers and El Camino. Will Heron and Nolan Berry drove in six and Daniel Giberson added five RBIs during the El Camino series.

▪ Granite Bay beat Oak Ridge on Saturday 14-5 behind three RBIs each from J.R. Freethy and J.P. Smith. Nolan French drove in two. The series between these teams was canceled a few weeks ago after there was COVID-19 problems in the Trojans’ program.

▪ Stat watch from the Sacramento area, via MaxPreps: Roseville’s Josh Alger leads in batting average (.621) but will miss the rest of the season due to surgery. Cordova’s Matt Jernigan has the most hits (35). Rio Americano’s Will Heron has the most home runs (8). Pleasant Grove’s Bobby Blandford has the most RBIs (28). Cordova’s Eli Campbell leads in runs scored (35). Franklin’s Nolan Stevens leads in strikeouts (58). Granite Bay’s Thomas Meyer, Ponderosa’s Tyler Stewart, Elk Grove’s Sam Frizzi, Laguna Creek’s Noah Lucchesi and Bradshaw Christian’s Caiden Butler lead the area in wins with five each.

THE BEE’S TOP 25

1. Elk Grove (15-3)

2. Granite Bay (13-5)

3. Franklin (12-7)

4. Woodcreek (15-4)

5. Pleasant Grove (16-4)

6. Laguna Creek (13-1)

7. McClatchy (12-1)

8. Ponderosa (12-4)

9. Davis (13-5)

10. Cosumnes Oaks (10-9)

11. Folsom (9-8-1)

12. Rocklin (12-7)

13. Placer (13-8)

14. Jesuit (9-8)

15. Del Campo (9-5)

16. Roseville (15-7)

17. Vista Del Lago (7-7-1)

18. Oak Ridge (7-8)

19. Vanden (12-5)

20. Rio Americano (12-1)

21. River City (12-3)

22. Lincoln (11-8)

23. Bradshaw Christian (11-4)

24. West Campus (13-3)

25. Alpha Charter (8-5)

On the bubble: Bella Vista (8-9), Christian Brothers (4-8), Colfax (15-6), Cordova (11-7), Nevada Union (8-7), Oakmont (7-12), Pioneer (5-2), Vacaville (8-9), Yuba City (7-13)