SBLive’s San Diego Section Baseball Top 10: No. 1 La Costa Canyon repeats as Open Division champions

The high school baseball season wrapped up in California this past weekend with regional championships being played in both Southern California and Northern California. Two San Diego Section teams, La Costa Canyon and Santana, reached the championship round in their respective divisions while a total of seven teams from the section won their first round games.

La Costa Canyon, who opened the season as the section's top ranked team, finishes the season on top after winning their second consecutive San Diego Section Open Division championship.

SBLive’s San Diego Section high school baseball rankings are compiled by SBLive California reporter Bodie DeSilva and were released throughout the season.

(Lead photo by Steven Silva)

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SAN DIEGO SECTION TOP 10 BASEBALL RANKINGS

June 5, 2023

1. La Costa Canyon (26-7)

The Mavericks were forced to come from behind in the final inning to win each of their first two games in the Open Division playoffs, beating St. Augustine and Torrey Pines. They beat Carlsbad in the semifinal round before taking down Eastlake 5-2 to repeat as the Open Division champions. In the Southern California regional playoffs, the Mavericks took down Sherman Oaks Notre Dame in round one and beat Eastlake for the third time in round two. They came up short in Saturday’s championship game, losing to Santa Margarita 3-2.

Last week: 1

2. Eastlake (29-6)

After beating Granite Hills in the opening round of the Open Division playoffs, the Titans lost to Eastlake. They were back in action a day later, beating Granite Hills once again in the elimination round. The Titans then returned to Rancho Bernardo the next week and beat the Broncos on consecutive days by a combined score of 25-10. Playing in the Open Division championship game for the fifth time, the Titans fell to La Costa Canyon 5-2. Eastlake walked off with a 2-1 win over Orange Lutheran in the first round of the Southern California regional playoffs before falling to La Costa Canyon for the second time in less than a week in round two.

Last week: 2

3. Rancho Bernardo (22-10)

Rancho Bernardo opened their playoff run by beating La Jolla Country Day and Eastlake to advance to the second week unbeaten. Tasked with needing one win over Eastlake to make the Open Division championship game, the Broncos struggled to contain Eastlake and dropped back-to-back games. They opened the Southern California regional playoffs on the road and took down Corona, 8-3. In the second round, the Broncos held Santa Margarita to one hit but couldn’t get on the board and ended their season with a 2-0 loss to the eventual champions.

Last week: 3

4. Carlsbad (21-12)

Carlsbad fought back from losing their opening game in the San Diego Section playoffs, winning two elimination games to advance to week two. They lost to eventual champion La Costa Canyon in the semifinal round and nearly pulled off a win over Santa Margarita in the regional playoffs, losing 4-3.

Last week: 7

5. Santana (21-11)

Santana played their best baseball of the season at the right time, cruising through the first three rounds in the San Diego Section Division 1 playoffs before beating Patrick Henry 8-0 in the championship game. The Sultans carried their hot streak into the Southern California Division 2 regional playoffs, beating Aquinas and Crespi, two of the state's top teams in the first two rounds. Santana fell just short of the title, losing to Calabasas 1-0 in eight innings in Saturday's championship game.

Last week: NR

6. Torrey Pines (19-9)

Torrey Pines walked off with a 2-1 win over Carlsbad in the first round of the Open Division playoffs and led La Costa Canyon 5-0 in the second round before surrendering six unanswered runs. Forced to play in Saturday’s elimination round, the Falcons lost to Carlsbad 4-3 after beating the Lancers in each of their first five matchups.

Last week: 4

7. Sage Creek (21-13-1)

Sage Creek put together one of the most memorable playoff runs in recent San Diego Section history. They won seven games in 11 days, all away from home and shutout Cathedral Catholic to win the San Diego Section Division 2 title. The Bobcats beat Apple Valley 7-1 in the opening round of the Southern California Division 4 regional playoffs before falling to Crean Lutheran in round two.

Last week: NR

8. Patrick Henry (21-13)

Patrick Henry lost their second round playoff game to Poway, 7-1, forcing them into the elimination side of the bracket. The Patriots responded by beating Helix and then shutout Poway in consecutive days to earn a trip to the Division 1 championship game. They were unable to get their bats going against Santana in the final and lost 8-0. In the Division 3 regional playoffs, Patrick Henry beat La Serna at home before falling at Bakersfield Christian to end their season.

Last week: NR

9. Cathedral Catholic (22-9)

The Dons played their best at the end of the season, winning each of their first three playoff games to extend their winning streak to eight. In the championship game of the Division 2 playoffs, the Dons ran into a Sage Creek team that would not be denied, losing 6-0 to complete their season.

Last week: 6

10. St. Augustine (16-12)

The Saints nearly took down top-seeded La Costa Canyon in the opening round of the Open Division playoffs, losing 3-2 in eight innings. In Friday's elimination game, St. Augustine scored four late runs but couldn't complete their comeback, falling to Carlsbad 5-4.

Last week: NR

Five others to watch: Granite Hills, La Jolla Country Day, Del Norte, Fallbrook, Maranatha Christian