Peninsula Prep Baseball
Oracle Week is upon us once again. As a result, some schedule shuffling had to be conducted to allow three PAL-Bay Division teams to play on Friday night in the home of the San Francisco Giants.
Before Half Moon Bay and Sequoia play at 5 p.m. and Capuchino takes on Burlingame in the nightcap, some juggling of the schedule was necessary, Cap coach Matt Wilson said.
Hillsdale's series with Burlingame will be played on Monday and Wednesday as will Capuchino's series with Menlo School. Meanwhile, Sequoia's originally scheduled game on Friday against Menlo-Atherton will be played on May 11.
Carlmont will take on Hillsdale on Saturday at Oracle Park.
Will the Oracle games and the reshuffling play a part in the Bay Division title chase? Consider that Burlingame, which is tied with The King's Academy for first place, will play three league games this week, while Menlo-Atherton, which is a game behind in the standing, will close the season with a three-game week.
That's not ideal for anyone. Meanwhile, Sequoia, Carlmont and maybe even Sequoia, all of whom have their sights set on CCS tournament invitations, will be play three-game weeks, too.
There's a thrill to playing baseball in a big-league ballpark and giving area kids, most of whom will never play beyond the high school level, the chance to do so is worth every concession required. It's a game every one of those young ballplayers will forever remember.
That might matter more than anything.
| Rank | Team | Summary | Upcoming Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Saint Francis (18-3) | In their 18 wins this season, the Lancers have shut out their opponent 14 times. That's a remarkable number, one that makes Saint Francis the team to beat in the WCAL and the CCS tourney. | This week: Tuesday vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral; Friday at Sacred Heart Cathedral. |
| 2. | St. Ignatius Prep (14-5) | The Wildcats played just once and throttled Sacred Heart Catheedral. They are dangerous on offense and if Leo Rhein continues to shine in the No. 2 spot in the rotation, these guys are a tough out. | This week: Tuesday vs. Serra; Friday at Serra. |
| 3. | Bellarmine (16-3) | The Bells feasted on Riordan pitching this week, getting a series sweep and running their win total to 16. This week will be a bigger challenge when they take on Mitty. | This week: Tuesday vs. Mitty; Friday at Mitty. |
| 4. | Los Gatos (17-3) | We shouldn't be shocked that the Wildcats finally lost a game in the De Anza Division. No team brings their A Game to every contest. Their biggest challenge might come in getting up for games they are expected to win. | This week: Wednesday at Mountain View; Friday at Santa Clara. |
| 5. | Serra (14-6) | Three straight wins in WCAL competition seems to have righted the ship. The Padres are playing a more even brand of baseball, it appears. With St. Ignatius this week and Saint Francis lurking on the horizon, we'll find out for sure. | This week: Tuesday at St. Ignatius Prep; Friday vs. St. Ignatius Prep. |
| 6. | Valley Christian (12-8) | The Warriors were shut out in two games against Saint Francisc this week. Then again, no one is scoring runs against the Lancers. The Warriors are still a team that can beat anyone on the Peninsula. | This week: Tuesday at Riordan; Friday vs. Riordan. |
| 7. | Archbishop Mitty (14-6) | A pair of losses to Serra send the Monarchs tumbling a bit, but it's hard not to like a team that never stops fighting. Barring a collapse, hey will be a CCS-Division II or Division III qualifier and will be a favorite to win. | This week: Tuesday at Bellarmine; Friday vs. Bellarmine. |
| 8. | Sacred Heart Prep (15-4) | Ten straight wins will cause people to notice. We notice you, Gators. They're the best team in the PAL-Ocean Division and it goes way beyond their dominant pitching staff. | This week: Tuesday vs. San Mateo; Thursday at San Mateo. |
| 9. | Palo Alto (12-8) | After making their season debut at No. 15 last week, the Vikings completed a 3-0 week and make the most dramatic jump -- six spots to No. 9. Pellizzari, Bader and Martin are RBI machines. | This week: Wednesday at Homestead; Friday at Los Altos. |
| 10. | Burlingame (11-7) | The runs come sparingly, but the pitching has been top-notch. Nash Trautwein and Daniel MacMillan have been a lights-out rotation, while junior Mark O'Grady is providing to be a dependable arm in the seventh inning. | This week: Monday at Hillsdale; Wednesday vs. Hillsdale; Friday vs. Capuchino at Oracle Park. |
| 11. | The King's Academy (12-6) | The Knights found a way to win with just on hit on Saturday. Ordinarily, they pound the ball. A split with Menlo-Atherton, a team that could win the Bay, is nothing at which to scoff. | This week: Wednesday at Carlmont; Friday vs. Carlmont. |
| 12. | San Mateo (15-5) | The Bearcats won three games last week by surrendering just a single run. This is a team on a heater -- a team that can take contro of the Ocean Division with a sweep this week. | This week: Tuesday at Sacred Heart Prep; Thursday vs. Sacred Heart Prep. |
| 13. | Menlo School (13-7) | No one doubts Menlo's lineup. It's bats are as lethal as any team in the Bay Division. It will come down to whether the Knights have enough pitching to go on a run. | This week: Monday at Capuchino; Wednesday vs. Capuchino. |
| 14. | Sequoia (10-7) | The Ravens are on a slide. They've lost four of their last six games after being swept by Burlingame. This comes despite getting big seasons from Cole Hymer, the Fausto twins -- Nolan and Mario -- and Morgan Winfield, who is tied for the Peninsula lead with seven home runs. | This week: Wednesday vs. Menlo-Atherton; Friday vs. Half Moon Bay at Oracle. |
| 15. | Wilcox (13-7) | The Chargers are officially back after a midseason slump. They've won six straight games and have moved into a tie for third place in the De Anza Division. A CCS berth looks almost certain with a solid finish. | This week: Thursday vs. Homestead; Friday at Mountan View. |
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