SBLive’s California Baseball Top 25: Southern Section playoffs get underway on Tuesday

The Southern Section baseball playoffs will begin with several Division 7 wildcard games on Tuesday.

The Southern Section baseball playoffs are set to begin this week. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), last season's runner-up in the Division 1 championship game, will begin their playoff run against Hart on Thursday. Huntington Beach, who captured the Southern California Division 1 Regional title a season ago, will open up the playoffs with a home game against Warren.

You can view the Southern Section baseball playoff brackets here.

Here’s a look at the top baseball teams in California. SBLive’s statewide California high school baseball rankings are compiled by SBLive reporter Bodie DeSilva and are released weekly throughout the season.

(Lead photo by Alyson Boyer Rode)

SBLIVE CALIFORNIA TOP 25 BASEBALL RANKINGS

May 1, 2023

1. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) (26-2)

Notre Dame closed out their regular season with a three-game sweep of St. Francis. They'll begin the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs when they host Hart on Thursday afternoon.

Next game: 5/4 vs. Hart

2. Huntington Beach (20-8)

Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode

The Oilers wrapped up the Sunset Surf League title with two wins over Los Alamitos last week. Their Southern Section Division 1 draw matches them up with Warren in round one.

Next game: 5/4 vs. Warren

3. JSerra (19-9)

JSerra lost to Orange Lutheran on Monday before ripping off three straight wins including two against the Lancers to finish the regular season. They'll head to Yucaipa in the opening round of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

Next game: 5/4 at Yucaipa

4. Aquinas (22-4)

Aquinas wrapped up their dominant run in the Ambassador League with consecutive 16-0 wins over Ontario Christian last week. They'll get their playoff run in the Southern Section Division 2 playoffs on Friday, awaiting the winner of Wednesday's play-in game.

Next game: 5/5 vs. TBD

5. Cardinal Newman (21-0)

The Cardinals went 2-0 last week, taking both games from Rancho Cotate in league play. UC Davis-signee Mason Lerma tossed a one-hitter, striking out 14 batters in Tuesday's win. They'll close out the regular season with two games against Windsor this week.

Next game: 5/3 at Windsor

6. Santa Margarita (22-6)

Santa Margarita got back on track and swept three games against St. John Bosco to finish 14-1 in the Trinity League. They'll host Los Alamitos on Thursday in round one of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

Next game: 5/4 vs. Los Alamitos

7. Harvard-Westlake (18-7)

The Wolverines had their 12-game winning streak snapped against Crespi on Thursday after Harvard-Westlake had taken the first two games of the series to clinch second place in the Mission League. They'll head to Palos Verdes on Thursday for round one of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

Next game: 4/24 vs. Crespi

8. Valley Christian (San Jose) (22-3)

Valley Christian has recorded four shutouts during their current 10-game winning streak. They'll take on Bellarmine College Prep and Archbishop Mitty this week looking to close out the West Catholic League title.

Next game: 5/2 at Bellarmine College Prep

9. Orange Lutheran (17-10-1)

Orange Lutheran dropped the final two games of last week's Trinity League series against JSerra but were able to make their way into the Southern Section playoffs. They'll start on the road with a trip to Arlington in round one on Wednesday.

Next game: 5/3 at Arlington

10. Cypress (21-7)

Cypress split their final two games of the regular season against Pacifica, tying for first in the Empire League at 9-1. The Centurions advanced to the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs and will host Mira Costa on Thursday.

Next game: 5/4 vs. Mira Costa

11. San Dimas (20-6)

San Dimas beat Charter Oak twice by a score of 4-3 last week to wrap up an unbeaten Valle Vista League title. The Saints will host El Dorado in round one of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs on Thursday.

Next game: 5/4 vs. El Dorado

12. La Serna (23-2)

La Serna closed out an unbeaten Del Rio League title with two wins over Whittier last week. The Lancers struck out 19 Whittier batters during the two-game series. They'll host Long Beach Wilson in round one of the Southern Section Division 3 playoffs on Thursday.

Next game: 5/4 vs. Long Beach Wilson

13. La Costa Canyon (18-4)

La Costa Canyon took two of three games from Carlsbad in last week's North County Coastal League series. The Mavericks won the first and third game, shutting out the Lancers at Petco Park on Saturday.

Next game: 5/1 at Torrey Pines

14. Torrey Pines (17-4)

Photo by Steven Silva

The Falcons took two of three games from Poway last week, scoring a league-high nine runs in Friday's road win. They'll play three games with rival La Costa Canyon this week in what will likely decide the league title.

Next game: 5/1 vs. La Costa Canyon

15. La Mirada (20-7)

La Mirada put together a run in the Gateway League, winning two of three against Gahr last week to clinch the league title. They'll host Ayala on Thursday in round one of the loaded Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.

Next game: 5/4 vs. Ayala

16. Franklin (Elk Grove) (21-4)

The Wildcats swept three games from Pleasant Grove last week to extend their winning streak to 10 games. They'll be off this week and will learn their playoff seeding on Saturday afternoon.

Next game: TBD

17. De La Salle (18-4)

De La Salle has been cruising over the past few weeks, beating Dougherty Valley twice last week to extend their winning streak to eight games. They'll play two games with California this week having already clinched the East Bay League title.

Next game: 5/3 at California

18. Eastlake (18-3)

Eastlake split two games in league play with Olympian last week, dropping Friday's game in extra innings. Four league games and one non-league game are left over the final two weeks of the regular season.

Next game: 5/1 at Olympian

19. Bishop Amat (21-4-1)

Bishop Amat wrapped up their unbeaten Del Rey League title with two one-run wins over La Salle last week before dropping a non-league game against Fullerton. The Lancers will host Sierra Canyon in the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs on Thursday in one of the best first round matchups.

Next game: 5/4 vs. Sierra Canyon

20. Whitney (20-5)

Whitney took two of three games from Del Oro to take control in the Sierra Foothill League and added a non-league win against Woodcreek for a 3-1 week. They'll conclude the regular season with a three-game series against Oak Ridge.

Next game: 5/1 vs. Oak Ridge

21. Montgomery (17-2)

Montgomery allowed a season-high 10 runs in Monday's loss to Christian. They bounced back with two dominant shutouts in league play and will face league rival Eastlake on Wednesday.

Next game: 5/3 vs. Eastlake

22. Archbishop Mitty (19-5)

Mitty split their two league road games last week, falling two games behind unbeaten Valley Christian in the West Catholic League standings. They'll close out the regular season with two games this week including a trip to Valley Christian on Friday.

Next game: 5/2 vs. St. Ignatius College Prep

23. Gahr (21-6-1)

Gahr dropped two of their three games to La Mirada last week, finishing second in the Gateway League. They'll host Newport Harbor on Friday in round one of the Southern Section Division 2 playoffs.

Next game: 5/4 vs. Newport Harbor

24. St. Mary's (Stockton) (20-5)

The Rams have put together 12 straight wins, surging to first place in the Tri-City Athletic League with two games left. They'll play second place Lincoln (Stockton) this week before playoff brackets are announced over the weekend.

Next game: 5/2 vs. Lincoln (Stockton)

25. Bullard (Fresno) (19-3)

Bullard has rattled off 17 wins in a row after opening the season 2-3. They'll squeeze in four league games over the final two weeks of the regular season, ending with two games against Sanger next week.

Next game: 5/2 vs. Edison (Fresno)