Preseason Top 25 Sac-Joaquin Section high school softball rankings

Whitney (Rocklin) returns as the Division 1 section champions. It won't be easy defending the title, but the brutal Sierra Foothill League will have them ready. Four of the six teams in the SFL have a spot in the preseason rankings. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) and Granite Bay could find their way in as well during the regular season.

Coaches, please get your scores and stats in as soon as you can. We will also be honoring your athletes throughout the season. It started with the Sac-Joaquin Section players to watch in 2020.
Coach: Mary Jo Truesdale
2019: 19-7-1
Outlook: Coach Truesdale's team has the potential to have one of the top lineups in the section and state. Senior Kiannah Pierce, a North Carolina commit, returns after batting .498 last spring. The Huskies lost two senior pitchers but sophomore Breanna Romero and freshman Jaylee Ojo are up-and-comers.

2. Whitney (Rocklin)
Coach: Mike Mello
2019: 26-6, Division I section champions
Outlook: The Wildcats lost a few solid sticks to graduation and a senior pitcher, but the returning talent could lead Whitney back to another championship. Nia Trinidad went 15-3 in the circle as a junior. Montanah Hermosillo is back in the lineup after hitting seven home runs and batting .362.

3. Del Oro (Loomis)
Coach: Sean Erickson
2019: 21-10-2
Outlook: The Golden Eagles are loaded with a talented roster in 2020. Chico commit Katelyn Oldwin returns to the circle after a 20-13 career so far at the varsity level. The lineup will have some solid bats back, including Clemson commit Maddie Moore and Oregon State commit Jenna Birch.

4. Elk Grove
Coach: Amanda Buck
2019: 21-10
Outlook: The Thundering Herd have a four-year varsity starter in the circle. Ava Hand, a Humboldt State commit, is 37-11 and will be throwing to Brooklynn Pettis. The Boise State commit batted .467 last spring.

5. Tracy
Coach: Paulette Keeney
2019: 25-8
Outlook: The 2019 Division I runner-up should have another powerful lineup in 2020. The Bulldogs averaged seven runs per game last year. Bella Pahulu, Giavana Alegre and Aaliyah Jenkins combined to hit 11 home runs and all return.

6. Vacaville
Coach: Destinee Santistevan
2019: 17-4, Division II section champions
Outlook: Vacaville has to replace two senior pitchers who ate up the majority of the innings in the circle. The pitchers should have run support as several returners are back, including Boise State commit Acacia Anders, who hit .515 last spring. Her teammate, junior Mia Lopez, hit .359 with five home runs.

7. Vanden (Fairfield)
Coach: Anthony Trujillo
2019: 19-8
Outlook: The Vikings return young talent in 2020 and it starts in the circle. Sophomore Hazyl Gray won 16 games as a freshman and also batted .400. Shawnese Hogue-Lacy also returns for her sophomore season after batting .333 last season.

8. Oakdale
Coach: Larry Loger
2019: 29-1-1, Division III section champions
Outlook: The Mustangs will be without arguably the section's top player from 2019 in pitcher Lexy Webb. But Oakdale does have a ton of talent back in the spring. Six players return who had at least 70 at-bats last season.

9. Rocklin
Coach: Mallory Asaro
2019: 16-9
Outlook: Rocklin was in a lot of close games last year, including a 1-0 loss to Vacaville in the postseason. This could be a year where those games flip their way. UCLA commit Jayla Castro is back, so is Boise State commit Brooke Thompson. Both are looking for breakout junior seasons.

10. Bear Creek (Stockton)
Coach: Kirk Klucznik
2019: 25-4
Outlook: The pitching staff is back for a team that won 25 games in 2019. Senior Mia Zapata is 34-8 with 257 strikeouts during her first three seasons. Junior Logan Asia hit .564 with 38 RBI and three home runs last season.

11. Lodi
Coach: Michelle Guardado
2019: 13-7
Outlook: The Flames return talent in 2020. Junior SS Johnna Schroeder will be back for her third season. She has a career .490 batting average. Senior Ashlee Toy is back in the circle for Lodi after 81 innings pitched last spring.

12. Linden
Coach: Mark Miller
2019: 27-6
Outlook: The Lions return maybe the top player in the section in Oregon commit Gabby Herrera, who hit .515 with 10 home runs last spring. Junior pitcher Hannah Ortega is back after winning 21 games in 2019.

13. Ripon
Coach: Robert Vernon
2019: 24-2, Division IV champions
Outlook: It's hard to beat what Ripon did last spring, as they went 24-2 and won a section championship, but this year's squad may as talented, if not more so. Ace Sydney Thomason is back for her junior year after finishing 24-2 with 114 strikeouts. As a team, Ripon hit .417 with 32 home runs in 2019.

14. Folsom
Coach: Paige Braithwaite
2019: 17-8
Outlook: The Bulldogs lost a lot to graduation or transfers, but they always seem to reload. The pitching staff from last season is back along with some solid bats, including Concordia commit Shelby Pfeiler.

15. Vista del Lago (Folsom)
Coach: Robert Reed
2019: 22-6
Outlook: The Eagles return the majority of their roster from 2019. Lexi Holihan and Haley Fardanesh went a combined 20-6 in the circle. Tayler Biehl and Cal Poly commit Mia Perez are studs who return in 2020.

16. Oakmont (Roseville)
Coach: Hailey Stockman
2019: 14-8-1
Outlook: The Vikings lost a few solid bats and position players to graduation, but return two juniors who pitched every inning last spring. Madison Redinger had a breakout freshman season. She batted .431 with eight home runs.

17. Ponderosa (Shingle Springs)
Coach: Dwayne Brekke
2019: 13-8
Outlook: The Bruins won two playoff games on the road against Roseville and Vista del Lago before falling to Vacaville and Del Oro in the postseason. Ponderosa lost one starter to graduation and return pitching, good bats and young talent.

18. Roseville
Coach: Art Banks
2019: 17-9
Outlook: The Tigers' young ace Malaya Johnson went 13-4 with a 0.94 ERA as a freshman. She joins another sophomore star in Oregon State commit Shaylen McDowell. Returning senior Bella Ayala brings leadership during her fourth varsity season.

19. Yuba City
Coach: Trish Lucich
2019: 15-5-2
Outlook: Coach Lucich needs to replace Blake Craft, who went 13-0 and hit .483 in 2019. Yuba City returns some very good bats, including Delaney Amarel who hit .469 as a junior and 2020 teammate Jordy Martins who batted .426.

20. Rosemont (Sacramento)
Coach: Todd Mills
2019: 17-7
Outlook: Coach Mills has some holes to fill with graduation and transfers, but he has the pieces to have another solid season. Shaye Zlatunich will be back for her fourth varsity season. She is 12-1 overall in the circle and a career .395 hitter.

21. Woodland Christian
Coach: Jerry Miller
2019: 23-3-1, Division VI champions
Outlook: For a small school, Woodland Christian has big talent. Boise State commit Jordyn Hutchins has 35 career home runs. Sacramento State commit Anna Pires has hit .537 with 10 home runs during her first three years with the Cardinals.

22. Cosumnes Oaks (Elk Grove)
Coach: Lynda Bettencourt
2019: 17-6-1
Outlook: The Wolfpack return all pitchers who saw any innings in the circle last spring. Junior pitcher Kali Zoller went 9-3 overall. Lefty slapper Kennedy Echols caused defenses trouble last year, hitting .412 last spring as a junior.

23. Calaveras (San Andreas)
Coach: Mike Koepp
2019: 22-5
Outlook: Coach Koepp has to replace some senior talent, including 19-game winner Bri Head, but Calaveras still has a lot of firepower. Keelie Koepp will be a four-year starter for Calaveras. She has a career .496 average. Class of 2020 teammate MacKenna Steele is a Fresno State commit.

24. Pioneer (Woodland)
Coach: Linda Merrida
2019: 10-9
Outlook: The Patriots should have a very solid lineup in 2020. Cal State Northridge commit Tatum Wentworth has a career .492 average with 17 home runs. Junior Lauren Bryson hit .444 last spring and hit seven out.

25. Escalon
Coach: Art Brooks
2019: 19-8-1, Division V champions
Outlook: The Cougars went on a seven-game win streak to win the Division V championship in 2019. It will be tough to replace Arabella Strach who graduated, but Escalon has the pieces to make another deep postseason run.