Santa Ana, Orange Empire Conference dominate 2022's first CCCSIA State Top 25 Baseball Poll

CCCSIA Top 25 Poll

PASADENA - Three Orange Empire Conference teams, not including 2019 state champion Orange Coast, topped this year's first CCCSIA State Top 25 Baseball Poll. Santa Ana College earned 11 of 15 first-place votes to take the top position, followed by fellow OEC foes in Saddleback at #2 and Riverside City at #3. 

Sierra was the highest North team thus far in the #4 slot. 

Here are short capsules of the sports information professionals view of the current top California Community College baseball teams.

1 SANTA ANA (9-0-1): The Dons were one of only two undefeated teams left going into Thursday's action. Santa Ana's offense is formidable as it has reached double figures in runs eight times in 10 games, including a season-opening 28-5 rout over Compton. Cerritos stopped SAC's 6-game winning streak on Feb. 10, but couldn't beat the Dons who scored five runs in the bottom of the ninth, highlighted by Christian Thompson's 2-RBI single with his team down to its final out, in earning an 11-11 tie. Thompson leads the state in hitting with a sizzling .621 average. Santa Ana leads the state in runs scored with a 13.3 average per game and is tied for home runs with 12. The Dons were a powerhouse back in 1995-96 when known then as Rancho Santiago College won back-to-back state championships. Twenty-six years later, SAC hopes it can return to the winner's circle.   

2 SADDLEBACK (9-1): The Gauchos  Bobcats are off to a great start, including a pair of wins over Canyons and victories over Glendale and Long Beach. Saddleback had a 6-game win streak snapped at Palomar, 6-5, on Feb. 9 for its only loss. SC won its only state title back in 2004. Third baseman Michael Davinni (.417) was tied for the region's lead in RBI with 16.

3 RIVERSIDE CC (8-2): Yet another OEC school that started 2022 well are the Tigers who rattled off seven straight wins only also getting beat by Palomar, 8-7, on Tuesday. The RCC pitching staff posted back-to-back shutouts over Chaffey, 11-0 (Giancarlo Flores, 7 innings, 4 hits, 10 Ks) and East Los Angeles, 8-0, as Jon Mocherman (5 innings) and Chaz McWilliams (4 innings) combined for a no-hitter and 13 strikeouts. Riverside started the 21st century in style with three straight state championships (2000-2002) and last won the crown in 2007.

4 SIERRA (9-1): The Wolverines have won seven in a row, including scoring 38 runs in a 2-game series v. De Anza. Sierra has five starters batting .333 or better and none of them is RBI leader and centerfielder Alex Johnson (.314, 14 ribbies). Sierra won its only state title back in 2008.  

5 EL CAMINO (8-2): State runner-up at the last state tournament in 2019, the Warriors figure again to challenge for the South Coast Conference title. ECC always has outstanding pitching and this year is no different with Thomas Bainton (3-0, 1.52 ERA, 27 Ks) and Julian Diaz (four saves, 1.80 ERA) leading the staff.

6 REEDLEY (8-1): From the Central Valley Conference, the Tigers started the year on an 8-game win streak just broken in a 5-3 loss to Cuesta on Tuesday. Power-hitting leftfielder Leo Arreguin (.448, 2 HR, 10 RBI) was Reedley's early top hitter. 

7 SAN JOAQUIN DELTA (5-2): Maybe the most talented team from 1-9 in an explosive batting lineup, the Mustangs averaged just under 14 runs a game in posting victories over South opponents Ventura, LA Harbor, Cerritos and Pasadena as they won the Harbor Rawlings SoCal Challenge Tournament. First baseman Blaine French has a powerful lefty bat at .455 with 3 HRs and 13 RBI. Delta has three state championships to its credit, including in 2018.

8 SKYLINE (9-1): With the state's current longest win streak, the Coast Conference North Division Trojans shook off a loss to Fresno in their season opener to rattle off nine straight victories. They swept 3-game series againsta both Butte and Shasta. Starting ace Conor Hourigan allowed just one hit in each of his first two starts and is 3-0 with 0.98 ERA in 18.1 innings with 23 Ks.

9 SANTA ROSA JC (7-1): On a 5-game win streak, the Bear Cubs are paced by slugging outfielder Zane Bennett, who hit 2 homers in a win over Canada and has 4 overall. SRJC won state titles in 1952, 2005, and 2016. 

10 MODESTO JC (8-0): As the other only undefeated team in the state, the Pirates are one of four Big 8 Conference teams in the top 10. Modesto and No. 1 Santa Ana are both 1-2 in team batting average (.377 leads state) and 2-1 in runs scored (Pirates have 114, Santa Ana leads with 133...and #3 Saddleback is third in this category at 113). Shortstop Alex Gouviea is batting a team-high .560 with 16 RBI. 

11 MT. SAN ANTONIO (7-2): The Mounties, from the South Coast, opened the season with six consecutive wins before Fullerton (lost 10-2) and Riverside (lost 12-7) cooled them off. Mt. SAC won back-to-back state titles in 1964-1965.

12 SACRAMENTO CC (6-2): The Panthers, yet another Big 8 squad, have won five state titles in their history, the last to cap back-to-back crowns in 1999. Twice this season, Mateo Lake hit 2 HRs in a game, including in a 16-13 wild one over Contra Costa on Feb. 15. 

13 OHLONE (7-2): From the Coast South, the Renegades have won five straight and outscored their opponents, 58-6, in the last four wins. Starting pitcher Max Gonzales has been the King of the quality start with all four of his appearances five innings or more, recording a 3-0 record and 1.29 ERA in 21 innings. Ohlone won the state crown in 2010.

14 GLENDALE (7-3): After opening the year with five wins, the Vaqueros have stumbled a bit, dropping their last two contests. However, outfielder Joey Craig has homered in three of the last four games, is 13-for-his-last-23 at bats, including two triples. 

15 LASSEN (8-2): Bolstered by 3-game sweeps over Hartnell and Yuba, the Golden Valley Conference-hosted Cougars had a hitting performance for the ages from third baseman Gavin Graham, who went 6-for-7 and drove in 10 RBI in a 22-4 victory over Yuba on Feb. 12. Graham, who had two doubles, a triple, and three singles, drove in runs in six different innings. 

16 GOLDEN WEST (6-2): The Rustlers are on a 5-game win string, scoring 10 or more runs in all five games with two triumphs each over Santa Barbara and Pierce in the binge. Shortstop Steven Casas is hitting .484 with 12 RBI and is on a current torrid 11-for-16 streak in the last four games. 

17 ORANGE COAST (6-4): The Pirates, who won the last state title in 2019, won six in a row before suffering losses against Southwestern, 11-5, and Long Beach, 8-6. OCC has seven state titles to its credit and can never be counted out as a title contender in any season. Since Feb. 3, centerfielder Cameron Mahaffy is 11-for-18 with 2 homers, 3 doubles and 11 RBI. The OEC race this year will be a hotly contested one.

18 RIO HONDO (8-2): The Roadrunners, from the South Coast, have won six of their last seven games. Catcher Rafael Flores has hit safely in all 10 games, batting .550 with 4 HR and 16 RBI--his 22 hits lead the state. 

19 SAN MATEO (5-3): Two of the Bulldogs losses went extra innings including a 4-3 loss to Solano in 12 innings and a 5-4 defeat v. Sierra in 11. 

20 LA MISSION (7-2): From the Western State South, the Eagles have won four in a row behind the hitting of centerfielder Alex Sepulveda, batting .425 and a 2-HR game v. San Bernardino Valley to his credit. 

21 FULLERTON (8-3): Another formidable OEC team, the Hornets have two wins each against Cerritos and Chaffey and two of their losses were 1-run defeats against Mt. San Antonio (4-3, 10 innings) and Palomar, also 4-3. Slugging centerfielder Garet Crenshaw is tied for the state lead in home runs with 4 and has 13 RBI. 

22 IRVINE VALLEY (8-3): As the seventh of eight Orange Empire squads on the State Top 25, the Lasers have won seven in a row since an 11-6 loss to Pasadena City on Feb. 4. Closer Austin Chapman is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA in six appearances.

23 PALOMAR (5-3): From the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, the Comets may be moving up this poll sooner than later with wins over #2 Saddleback, #3 Riverside, #14 Glendale, #16 Golden West and #21 Fullerton. Even their three losses are high pedigree with defeats v. Golden West, Fullerton and #17 Orange Coast. 

T24 ALLAN HANCOCK (6-3): The Bulldogs, from the Western State North Division, have won 4 of their last 5. 

T24 MERCED (7-3): The Blue Devils, from the CVC, also have won 4 of their last 5 and are riding the arm of closer Cesar Avila, who is 1-0 with 4 saves and a 0.00 ERA.

OTHERS: MISSION (8-2), CYPRESS (4-5), FRESNO CC (5-3), PASADENA CC (6-3), GROSSMONT (5-3), CERRO COSO (8-3).

Release/Poll Coordinator by Robert Lewis, CCCSIA Executive Board