It's tournament week in the WCAL – a showcase of the Peninsula's elite programs – while the PAL Bay and Ocean divisions continue jockeying for CCS tourney bids with one more week of series.

A few series to watch this week included Hillsdale versus Menlo-Atherton and Carlmont against Sequoia. We have to believe both Sequoia and Menlo-Atherton have done enough to warrant CCS berths.

However, Hillsdale, Carlmont and The King's Academy, which plays two against Sacred Heart Prep, find themselves on the bubble – and in need of big weeks.

There's a chance for all eight WCAL teams to qualify for the CCS tournament. The WCAL tourney gets underway Tuesday with No. 8 Riordan visiting No. 1 Serra, No. 7 Sacred Heart Cathedral traveling to No. 2 Valley Christian, No. 6 Mitty going to No. 3 St. Ignatius Prep, and No. 5 Bellarmine visiting No. 4 Saint Francis.

Keep an eye on Mills, which scheduled a Tuesday game with Design Tech before a Thursday-Friday series with Terra Nova. The Vikings (9-10) need at least two wins – and most likely three – to find their way into the postseason.

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Rank  Team Summary
1. Valley Christian (21-5-1) No. 1 in the polls, but No. 2 in the WCAL. The Warriors are playing their best baseball of the season and appear to have their pitching set up for a deep playoff run. Just as important, the offense has come alive in the last month.
2. Serra (22-5) The Padres wrapped up the WCAL regular-season crown by outscoring Riordan, 25-0, in a series sweep. In those two game, their pitching allowed just three hits. Outfielders Tyler Harrison and Aaron Minton have had strong second halves, which has lengthened Serra's lineup even more.
3. St. Ignatius Prep (16-8-2) A series sweep of Saint Francis spoke volumes last week. The Wildcats outscored the Lancers, 18-4, in the two games and have been battled tested by the toughest schedule on the Peninsula.
4. Saint Francis (19-8) The Lancers have lost three of their last four years, but a young lineup is starting to find its groove. Any concerns about how many innings Landon Kim and Nick Chow have thrown this year are unfounded, says coach Erik Wagle who adds their fastballs are still alive.
5. Menlo-Atherton (18-7) The Bears have clinched a tie for the PAL Bay Division crown and can wrap sole possession with a win over Hillsdale on Wednesday. Menlo-Atherton is one of those teams where the whole is vastly greater than the sum of its parts. The Bears may not have a great player, but have a very good player at every position.
6. Capuchino (16-10) The Mustangs had a six-game winning streak snapped on Friday, but they've done enough to show they are one of the Peninsula's best programs and a team that could make a run in the CCS tournament, depending on where it falls in the draw.
7. Menlo School (16-8) The Knights close the season with a series against Aragon. One win will wrap up at least a tie for the PAL Ocean Divsion crown. Two wins and it's theirs alone. Jack Freehill is on the short list for player of the year in the Ocean Division.
8. Terra Nova (17-5-1) The Tigers have won six straight and have sewn up a CCS tourney berth. There's still an outside chance at a share of the Ocean Divsion crown, but it will take at least one Menlo School loss and a sweep of Mills later in the week. Aiden James might be the Tigers' most underrated player.
9. Bellarmine (12-12) The Bells split a series with Mitty and had their biggest scoring output of the year -- 20 runs on 20 hits -- in drubbing The King's Academy on Saturday. They're the No. 5 seed in the WCAL tournament and will open on Tuesday at Saint Francis. A CCS berth is likely.
10. Sequoia (14-10) A win over Capuchino on Friday was helpful -- maybe the Ravens' best win since they beat Saint Francis last month. Unfortunately, a loss to a talented Los Altos squad, while nothing of which to be ashamed, showed the peril of a late-season Saturday game when pitching is thin. Morgan Winfield is piecing together a solid season on the mound and at the plate.

Creepers: Hillsdale (12-11), Mitty (12-14), The King's Academy (11-11).

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