Peninsula Prep Baseball
The Central Coast Section tournament is a constant theme these days. Everyone has an opinion of why their teams should be included, while mentioning others who they say haven't done enough to be garner one of the precious 48 postseason invitations.
Frankly, we just don't know how it's going to play out.
The math is complicated and this rabbit hole is deep. And in addition, there are enough meaningful games and series left to be played in the next 13 days to cause seismic shifts in the way they might look today.
Here's what we can guarantee: The WCAL has six teams – Saint Francis, Bellarmine, St. Ignatius Prep, Serra, Valley Christian and Mitty – that will hear their names called on May 15.
Los Gatos, which has a huge lead in the SCVAL-De Anza Division, will be there, too. And Sacred Heart Prep, which has a two-game lead in the PAL-Ocean Division with four games to play, will be there, too.
Everything else is up for grabs. We can see as many as six PAL-Bay Division teams getting in, while the Ocean and De Anza Divisions are likely to have two and as many as three teams get in.
But it's all a guessing game right now. We prefer to focus more on the baseball to be played and let the other stuff be sorted out after the final pitch has been thrown. There are some games this week worth noting.
Carlmont plays a big series with Burlingame, which leads the Bay Division, while over the next two weeks, Terra Nova has two big Ocean Division series with Sacred Heart Prep and Half Moon Bay that will determine the fate of both the Tigers and Cougars.
At this point, our uneducated guess goes something like this:
Bay Division (five teams): In: Burlingame, Menlo School, The King's Academy, Menlo-Atherton and Carlmont. On the bubble: Sequoia.
Ocean Division (two teams): In: Sacred Heart Prep, San Mateo. On the bubble: Terra Nova, Half Moon Bay.
De Anza Division (three teams): In: Los Gatos, Palo Alto, Wilcox. On the bubble: Los Altos.
WCAL (six teams): In: Saint Francis, Bellarmine, St. Ignatius Prep, Serra, Valley Christian and Mitty. On the bubble: Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Drop us a line, or comment below and tell us why we're right or wrong. We welcome the conversation.
| Rank | Team | Summary | Upcoming Games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Saint Francis (20-3) | The Lancers have been the best team on the Peninsula this season. They pitch. They play defense. They hit. And they run the bases. Congrats to Jack Leeper for breaking the single-season stolen base record he broke last year. | This week: Tuesday vs. Bellarmine; Friday at Bellarmine. |
| 2. | Bellarmine (19-3) | You should never read too much into Saturday games, but four errors and spotting Ann Sobrato a five-run lead was not a good look for the Bells. We still like them -- a lot. Especially with Vincent Kim being on a heater. | This week: Tuesday at Saint Francis; Friday vs. Saint Francis. |
| 3. | St. Ignatius Prep (15-6) | A series split with Serra is not a bad thing. Friday's win in San Mateo snapped a three-game losing skid to the Padres. Keep an eye on Tycco Giametti's left arm. He matters down the stretch. | This week: Tuesday at Valley Christian; Friday vs. Valley Christian. |
| 4. | Los Gatos (19-3) | Ethan Williams has been as much of a sure thing on the mound as any pitcher on the Peninsula. His presence, coupled with an offense that swings the bats as well as anyone, makes them a threat. | This week: Wednesday vs. Homestead; Thursday vs. Los Altos; Saturday at Homestead. |
| 5. | Serra (15-7) | The Padres are a better team than they were a month ago. Offensively, they have come around. Nate Hui might be the most overlooked big-time player on the Peninsula. The senior shortstop does everything well. | This week: Tuesday vs. Riordan; Friday at Riordan. |
| 6. | Valley Christian (14-8) | Getting Logan Mull back into the lineup this week makes a difference. He joins Christiann Nevarez and Colton Hadfield to give the Warriors a big three. | This week: Tuesday vs. St. Ignatius Prep; Friday at St. Ignatius Prep. |
| 7. | Archbishop Mitty (14-8) | The Monarchs had two tough losses to Bellarine last week, one coming when they were three outs from a win only to see Vincent Kim hit a game-tying homer in the seventh to force extra innings. | This week: Tuesday vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral; Friday at Sacred Heart Cathedral. |
| 8. | Sacred Heart Prep (17-5) | The Gators pushed their winning streak to 12 with two impressive shutout wins over San Mateo that all but locked up the Ocean Division. A loss to Palo Alto ended the run, but there's nothing to worry about. | This week: Tuesday vs. Terra Nova; Thursday at Terra Nova. |
| 9. | Palo Alto (14-9) | Coach Pete Fukuhara predicted to us in March his team would begin playing better as soon as the clocks were turned forward. More sunlight. More practice time. He wasn't wrong. We like this team. | This week: Wednesday vs. Wilcox; Friday vs. Santa Clara. |
| 10. | Burlingame (14-7) | The Panthers played a rare four-game week and came away with three wins in the Bay Division to climb to the top of the standings. The bats, led by Slade Flores, are starting to come around. | This week: Wednesday vs. Carlmont; Friday at Carlmont. |
| 11. | Menlo School (15-7) | The Knights find themselves in striking distance of a Bay Division crown in their first year of playing "up." This team can hit. Chuck Wynn leads the Peninsula with nine homers, while Zach Roeder is coming off a week worthy of the Hot List. | This week: Wednesday at The King's Academy; Friday vs. The King's Academy. |
| 12. | San Mateo (16-7) | A 10-inning 1-0 loss to Sacred Heart Prep might have been the best pitcher's duel of the year. Another loss on Thursday hurt, but Christian Louie continues to impress. They have a chance to regain some momentum this week. | This week: Tuesday vs. Mills; Thursday at Mills. |
| 13. | Wilcox (15-7) | The Chargers ran their winning streak to eight before getting shut out on Saturday, but they are sitting pretty for a CCS invitation. Sophomore Josh Porda has been a godsend for this team. He hasn't had a bad start since his promotion from the JV team. | This week: Wednesday at Palo Alto; Friday vs. Los Altos. |
| 14. | The King's Academy (12-9) | Three losses last week, including two Bay Division setbacks to Carlmont, dropped the Knights out of first place. The good news is that Nate Plata is hot. He has the kind of bat that can carry a team. | This week: Wednesday vs. Menlo School; Friday at Menlo School. |
| 15. | Sequoia (12-9) | A late-season skid has cost the Ravens any chance at a Bay Division crown, but they still hold their CCS fate in their own hands, but a strong finish is necessary. | This week: Wednesday at Hilldale; Friday vs. Hillsdale. |
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