Top-ranked Lancers posting zeroes

After two weeks off, the WCAL season resumes this week and, with all due respect to the Peninsula Athletic League and the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League, we missed the Catholic school battles.

On the slate this week are two big series: No. 5 Serra versus No. 2 Bellarmine and No. 4 St. Ignatius Prep against No. 1 Saint Francis. Both should be epic.

The Lancers have earned the top spot with a pitching staff that has allowed 14 runs in 17 games. Saint Francis brings a string of three straight shutouts into Tuesday's game with the visiting Wildcats, who feature the best group of seniors on the Peninsula – and probably the best player in Stanford signee Archer Horn.

St. Francis right-hander Brody Larocque might be the best rags-to-riches story in the entire state. This is a kid who was the No. 5 pitcher on the junior varsity team three years ago, someone who kept grinding to find his way into the rotation.

Life is about opportunities and Larocque is take advantage of his.

He's 7-0 and has yet to give up an earned run this season. He's the first to admit his stuff isn't overpowering, but attacking the strike zone and pitching to contact is pretty smart when you have a Division I-caliber players at each defensive position.

Serra finds itself nursing a 1-3 WCAL record but took a week off after finishing third at the Boras Family Classic in Sacramento, which coach Mat Keplinger hopes righted the ship.

Bellarmine, meanwhile, has shaken off losing its ace Preston Pera to an injury by pounding the baseball. The Bells' lineup is deep, and everyone is contributing to an offense that is averaging more than eight runs and nearly 10 hits per game.

Rank	Team	Summary	Upcoming Games
1.	Saint Francis (15-2)	The rotation of Brody Larocque and Kyle McMillan has been lights out. Throw in a lineup that returned seven of eight starters from last year and this the Lancers have become the team to beat.	This weeK: Tuesday vs. St. Ignatius Prep; Friday at Saint Ignatius Prep.
2.	Bellarmine (13-2)	A new offensive hero seems to emerge each game. One day it's Nathan Chew. The next might be Vincent Kim, Drew McClelland, Isiah Beyah, Emmet Arnott or Ollie McNamara. This team is legit.	This week: Tuesday vs. Serra; Friday at Serra.
3.	Los Gatos (14-2)	The Wildcats passed their test in Sacramento two weeks ago and won both games in Tennessee last week. We don't see them getting tested in the De Anza Division the rest of the way so this team is going to have to challenge itself.	This week: Friday vs. Santa Clara; Saturday at Santa Clara.
4.	St. Ignatius Prep (11-4)	A win over Soquel this week was impressive. Jack Callen is turning into one of St. Ignatius Prep's unsung heroes, seemingly always getting a hit when it's most needed.	This week: Tuesday at Saint Francis; Friday vs. Saint Francis.
5.	Serra (11-5)	The Padres have dug themselves a hole in the WCAL standings. But with upcoming series with virtually every team that's ahead of them, they have control of their destiny. But there is no margin for error.	This week: Tuesday at Bellarmine; Friday vs. Bellarmine.
6.	Valley Christian (10-6)	Two losses in Arizona won't hurt the Warriors, but Valley makes more errors than were accustomed to seeing. It's relying on a lot of young players who are making contributions.	This week: Tuesday at Sacred Heart Cathedral; Friday vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral.
7.	Archbishop Mitty (12-4)	The Monarchs are coming off their biggest offensive output of the year when they scored 20 runs on 22 hits against a not-too-shabby Santa Cruz team. Keep an eye on Mitty. They give the opposition fits.	This week: Tuesday vs. Riorday; Friday at Riordan.
8.	Sequoia (9-4)	Maybe the biggest bit of intrigue for the Ravens was wondering if Morgan Winfield would put one in the seats at Oracle Park on Friday night. That topic was put on hold by the rain and the game will be played May 1. As a result, Sequoia sat idle this week.	This week: Wednesday at Capuchino; Friday vs. Capuchino.
9.	Sacred Heart Prep (11-4)	The Gators took care of business by hurling two straight shutouts in a series sweep of Mills. They take a week off from Ocean Division play with a chance of added to their win total.	This week: Tuesday at Gunn; Saturday vs. Mountain View.
10.	San Mateo (10-4)	It's time to start taking the Bearcats seriously. They have enough pitchng and enough hitting to challenge for the Oceana Division crown. And they have a few quality wins as well.	This week: Tuesday vs. South San Francisco; Thursday at South San Francisco; Saturday at El Camino.
11.	Menlo School (9-6)	The Knights had a relatively quiet week, winning on Monday in Palma and then taking the rest of the week off. If Menlo's pitching holds up, it has the offense to make some noise in the Bay Division.	This week: Wednesday at Burlingame; Friday vs. Burlingame.
12.	The King's Academy (8-6)	The Knights are close to getting shortstop Justin Cho back from a thumb injury. He'll make a difference on defense and in lengthening a pretty good lineup. Add him to Plata, Myung and Petersen and we like their chances.	This week: Wednesday vs. Hillsdale; Friday at Hillsdale; Saturday at Homestead.
13.	Burlingame (7-5)	There's no shame in a loss to a WCAL school. The 4-2 loss to Riordan will have no bearing on the Bay Division race, but it would have been a nice get for CCS purposes.	This week: Wednesday vs. Menlo School; Friday at Menlo School.
14.	Carlmont (7-8)	Much like Burlingame's plight last week, a loss to a WCAL opponent won't hurt their league standings, but compiling wins is the goal this time of year. The Scots are in need of a run.	This week: Wednesday at Menlo-Atherton; Friday vs. Menlo-Atherton.
15.	Aragon (10-4)	There comes a point when you have to ackowledge that a team isn't going away. Today, we're doing just that. The Dons deserve to be ranked by winning eight of their last nine games. We'll learn if they are truly for real this week when they take on Terra Nova.	This week: Tuesday at Terra Nova; Thursday vs. Terra Nova.