Prep baseball rankings: Rio Americano wins big series; McClatchy coach gets win No. 300

Last season, the Rio Americano High School baseball team finished with one of the best records in school history.

The Raiders went 25-2 during the COVID-19-shortened spring season and won 19 of their last 20 games. Rio Americano graduated 10 seniors from that team.

This team had six new starters who never played at the varsity level. After starting 1-2, Rio Americano has found a groove and won 10 of its last 14. That includes a series win over No. 5 Vista del Lago this past week. The Raiders lead the Capital Athletic League with a 7-2 league record.

“We did really well last year,” Rio Americano coach Ron Hall said. “We had some really talented kids and they put it all together. Going into (this season) I thought we would be really good on paper. We have been just struggling to find a groove… there was some inexperience (on the roster) that I didn’t even think of (before the season) because I see these kids all of the time.”

Rio Americano opened up the week last Monday with a 7-0 loss on the road to Vista del Lago but responded with an impressive 20-3 romp on Wednesday and a 5-2 win in the rubber match in Folsom.

In the second game, multiple players stepped up. Davis Grawney, Ryan Christiansen and J.T. Wright all had three hits. Brady Wilson, Christiansen, Wright, Jonnie Pierce, Caden Beloian and Chase Christenson all drove in multiple runs.

Ryan and Reese Christiansen, the sons of Sacramento State baseball coach Reggie Christiansen, are both on the Rio Americano roster. Ryan had a breakout performance in the second game with three hits and two RBIs. Ryan was the team’s starting catcher before a surgery forced him into a designated hitter role.

Reese, the kid brother of Ryan, was called up to the varsity level two weeks ago and has gotten starts in the outfield.

“It’s awesome,” Hall said on having them on the roster. “They’re both super good kids. One is quiet (Ryan) and Reese is more like the mayor. He is very talkative and just super kids. I like the kids themselves and they’re talented.”

Rio Americano will face Lodi and Ponderosa on Monday in a spring break tournament. The Raiders have a league showdown with Del Campo starting April 18.

“Super-competitive year in and year out,” Hall said about his league. “People get mad because we get four bids into the playoffs. I think some leagues don’t really like that … All these teams are so competitive.”

▪ After spending the last two weeks benched by the Sacramento City Unified School District teachers’ strike, McClatchy returned to the field and got two wins over Kennedy. In the second game, longtime McClatchy coach Mike de Necochea recorded win No. 300 at the school. He has been the head coach at McClatchy since 2005. It was also during that game where McClatchy star senior Malcolm Moore got the Barry Bonds treatment and was intentionally walked with the bases loaded.

▪ Welcome to the rankings, Marysville. For the first time this season, they’re in The Bee’s Top 25. Marysville is 16-2 and has won 13 straight and is currently atop the Pioneer Valley League standings with a perfect 9-0 league record. Jaxon Finely and Cole Tyler both have more than 20 hits and RBIs this season.

▪ Oak Ridge is 4-2 in Sierra Foothill League play after back-to-back series wins over Rocklin and most recently, Granite Bay. The Trojans lost the series opener at home 5-4 but responded with a 5-4 win in the second game and a 10-7 win in the rubber match. Oak Ridge senior Drew Oreskes had a game to remember in the series finale, trailing three hits that included a home run and five RBIs. Oak Ridge will play in the Boras Classic next.

▪ Whitney continued its breakout season with a sweep over Folsom and two wins on Saturday against Rio Americano. This comes after losing the series to Granite Bay two weeks ago. The Wildcats shut out Folsom in the first two games of the series and combined to score 30 runs on Saturday. Junior Jace Gilllmore leads his team in hits (20) and RBIs (15).

▪ After losing the series opener to Del Oro, Rocklin responded with a 8-1 win the next day and a 10-0 win in the series finale. Aiden Frost knocked in five runs in the second game of the series. Rocklin is currently tied for third place in the SFL with Granite Bay.

▪ With Jesuit’s series win over Sheldon, the Marauders moved into first place in the Delta League. After starting the season 1-5, Jesuit has won 10 of its last 11. Jesuit will play in a spring break tournament next against Bullard, San Joaquin Memorial and Redwood.

▪ Roseville improved to 7-2 in Capital Valley Conference play with a series win over Bella Vista. The Tigers won the first two games of the series 8-0 and 8-3. In the second game of the series, junior Parker Hellekson hit two home runs.

▪ Pioneer extended its win streak to six after sweeping Casa Roble. The Patriots outscored Casa Roble 21-10 over the three-game series. Carson Timothy had a dominant performance in game one, striking out 15 in a complete game effort.

▪ Christian Brothers recorded its biggest win of the season last weekend in knocking off No. 6 Vanden 12-7. It marked the Vikings first nonconference loss of the season. Jake Tranchina knocked in five runs and Cody Buckley had four hits in the win.

The Bee’s Top 25

With records as of Sunday

1. Woodcreek 12-1

2. Franklin 14-4

3. McClatchy 11-0

4. Elk Grove 10-5

5. Vista del Lago 14-4

6. Vanden 16-2

7. Oak Ridge 9-6

8. Del Campo 13-3

9. Whitney 14-3

10. Jesuit 11-6

11. Granite Bay 6-7

12. Del Oro 10-5

13. Rocklin 7-8

14. Oakmont 10-4

15. Rio Americano 11-6

16. Folsom 7-9

17. Vacaville 10-8

18. Ponderosa 10-8

19. Placer 10-6

20. River City 14-4

21. Alpha Charter 13-1

22. Bella Vista 10-7

23. Woodland 7-6

24. Pioneer 12-3

25. Marysville 16-2

Bubble teams: Bradshaw Christian (10-3), Christian Brothers (6-7), Casa Roble (8-8), Colfax (10-7), Cordova (7-4), Davis (6-9), Kennedy (8-6), Lincoln (9-5), Roseville (10-9), Sutter (13-3)