The San Joaquin County high school baseball regular season is wrapping up which means only one more Top 10 rankings remain.
With just a few weeks to go before the Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs, St. Mary’s maintains its first-place status. The Rams aren’t just first place in the Record’s rankings but they also sit atop the SJS rankings as the No. 1 team. This is their highest ranking of the 2023-24 season as they are playing some of their best baseball.
Here are some other teams who are peaking at the right time to earn their spot on the Record’s Top 10 SJ County prep baseball teams at the Week 9 point.
1. St. Mary’s (18-5) 50 points
Next game: at Tokay on April 24
The top dogs of the 209 this season are the Rams who hold a perfect Tri-City Athletic League record of 10-0. They haven’t lost a game since April 6 and have been bulldozing through league play winning three games since last week’s rankings.
St. Mary’s most recent dub came against Tokay on April 22 shutting the Tigers out 6-0. Leading its stingy defense was senior pitcher Beckett Bo. He racked up eight Ks and only allowed one hit all game. The Rams will look to ride this success to a TCAL championship and an SJS Divison 1 playoff appearance.
2. Manteca (18-5-1) 45 points
Next game: at Central Catholic on April 24
Similar to St. Mary’s, Manteca hasn’t let up this season and has maintained its No. 2 ranking. The Buffaloes are just a tie game behind the Rams and are just two games behind first place in the Valley Oak League.
Manteca holds an 8-4 league record and will have a chance to beef that up with three games remaining. Senior Rex Watson continues to be the guy for the Buffaloes offense leading them with a .456 batting average. He will look to lead Manteca to make its first SJS playoff appearance since 2019.
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3. Lincoln (13-8-2) 31 points
Next game: vs. West on April 24
Sitting in second place in the TCAL are the Trojans with a 7-3 record. They have battled for three clutch wins since last week’s rankings earning them their highest Top 10 ranking. Lincoln picked up a three-game series win over Tokay and most recently a 9-0 shutout over West on April 22.
Leading its defense was senior pitcher Raymond Olivias who was one hit off of a no-hitter. He picked up eight Ks and road the Trojans’ solid offense to the win. They will have a chance at upsetting their crosstown rivals St. Mary’s as they face them in the final week of the regular season.
4. Lodi (14-8) 33 points
Next game: at Tracy on April 24
These next few games for Lodi will determine who claims the last qualifying SJS playoff spot from the TCAL. Only the top three teams from the league will make the playoffs and the Flames are currently in third place with a 6-4 record. Their biggest opponent is Tracy who is in fourth place and who they are facing this week.
Lodi got the first punch in winning game one against the Bulldogs on April 22. Upperclassmen Charlie Casazza and Vance Haskins led the charge offensively combining for six runs and four hits. They went on to win the game 15-5 and will be looking for the knockout punch on April 24’s matchup against Tracy.
5. East Union (13-10) 35 points
Next game: at Kimball on April 24
Only the top four VOL teams will qualify for the SJS playoffs and the Lancers are sitting in fifth place. They hold a 5-7 league record just a game behind fourth-place Sierra and this week will determine if the postseason is in their future.
East Union’s scheduling will play a key role as they close out the season against a not-so-competitive Kimball team that has only won two games. While they look to sweep the Jaguars in a three-game series they will look for Sierra to get swept by the first-place VOL team Oakdale.
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6. Tracy (12-10) 32 points
Next game: vs. Lodi on April 24
It’s do-or-die time for the Bulldogs with the final TCAL playoff qualifying spot up for grabs. League play hasn’t been the kindest for them as of late landing them in the No. 5 spot after being ranked No. 3 last week. They are on a four-game losing streak and are desperately looking to stop the bleeding.
A key player in doing so will be sophomore David Goularte. The slugger leads Tracy’s offense with a batting average of .383 and an on-base percentage of 45%. He currently leads the team in hits and home runs.
7. Sierra (13-10) 17 points
Next game: vs. Oakdale on April 24
The Timberwolves will need to play a near-perfect end of the season to secure the last qualifying playoff spot from the VOL. It won’t be an easy feat as they take on No. 7 SJS-ranked Oakdale who has only lost three league games this season.
Sierra lost the first game of its three-game series against the Mustangs on April 22, 7-5. Senior Troy Morrow did all he could in the game finishing it with two hits, two runs and RBI. Morrow and the Timberwolves' other offensive weapons will need more to pull off an upset over the Mustangs.
8. Ripon (13-7) 16 points
Next game: at Hilmar on April 25
Ripon has dropped one spot since last week’s rankings after losing its two-game series against Hughson. The Indians are now sitting in third place in the Trans Valley League clinging to the final qualifying SJS playoff spot.
They have four more league games to go against Escalon and Hilmar and will need to pick up some wins to secure their third-place standing. Senior Dawson Downs will look to be the catalyst in Ripon’s bounce back as he has consistently led its offense. He has a .500 batting average and a team-high in hits (25), runs (20), and RBIs (17).
9. Bear Creek (11-10) 4 points
Next game: vs. Edison on April 25
At the top of the San Joaquin Athletic Association is Bear Creek which is currently tied for first place with Weston Ranch. The Bruins hold a 9-1 record and still have four league games to go as they look to capture an SJAA championship.
Their most recent league victory came against Franklin on April 18 as they beat the Yellowjackets 8-1. Leading them was sophomore Ethan Silva who finished the night with two runs, a hit and RBI. Silva and the Bruins will take on a tough Edison squad this week for a two-game series.
10. Mountain House (14-8) 2 points
Next game: at Lathrop on April 24
The Mustangs have worked their way back into the Record’s Top 10 teams rankings after shining in Western Athletic Conference play. They are currently tied for first place with Los Banos with an 8-2 record.
If Mountain House wants to stake a claim to the WAC championship it will need to get past Lathrop and Ceres. Senior Noah Elizondo will look to lead the Mustangs as they close out the regular season. He leads them in batting average (.396), stolen bases (7), and RBIs (16) so far this season.
On the bubble teams: Tokay, Ripon Christian and Escalon
Record reporter Shannon Belt covers sports. She can be reached at sbelt@recordnet.com or on Twitter @ShannonBelt3. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Here is the final Top 10 SJ County prep baseball teams rankings for the 2023-24 season
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