Week Two Power Rankings

by Micah Rodriguez 

It's already week two, the regular season is a quarter of the way through, and there is a lot of shakeup in the power rankings. Riding electric weeks, the Foresters and Riptide shot up this week's rankings, while the Blues continued to stay hot.

1| Santa Barbara Foresters (up 4)

What a week for the Foresters. After occupying the fifth spot in my opening week rankings, the Foresters went 5–1 with a plus-27 run differential in week two. The Foresters defeated the back-to-back reigning champion Conejo Oaks twice – including a 19–2 showing – and their only loss came at the hands of the Orange County Riptide, 2–1.

Over two weeks, the Foresters have had one of, if not the, best pitching staffs in the CCL – the San Luis Obispo Blues can hold their own. The Foresters' team ERA is a minuscule 1.80, the lowest in the CCL. Their 1.11 WHIP and 10.16 K/9 both rank second, just behind the aforementioned Blues. The Foresters' success can be seen throughout all 15 of their qualified arms. 

"Throughout our history, we've always had strong arms," Head Coach Bill Pintard said. "That's something we focus on and take pride in. If you look at our players who have gone on to play in the Major Leagues, a lot of them are pitchers."

With more guys throwing more innings during their collegiate season, Pintard and his staff are obligated to split more innings in the summer.

"It's hard to get good arms now because everybody is shutting them down," Pintard continued. "But as you can see, we spread the workload pretty evenly, nobody's overworking. The coaches trust us with their guys."

Offensively, the outfield tandem of Makani Nabarro and Kurt Ippolito has posted some of the highest averages in the CCL. Nabarro is tied for the high mark with Andreas Nilsen from the San Diego Waves, hitting .60,0 and Ippolito is not far behind, hitting .500, good for fifth in the CCL. 

The duo is joined at the dish by incoming TCU freshman Marcus Gries. The shortstop has been a star at the top of the lineup. Through 26 at-bats, Gries is slashing .385/.484/.538 while leading the team with eight RBIs. He has only struck out one time.

"He's got advanced skills right now," Pintard remarked of Gries, who has yet to play a collegiate inning. "He's going to be an elite shortstop. In the future, he has a chance of playing professional baseball."

Pintard believes Gries' energy and excitement have eased the transition from high school to collegiate summer ball.

"He's a young kid with a lot of energy," Pintard continued. "He's a team guy, and he's really comfortable playing the gam,e and he plays with a vast enthusiasm."

And while the Foresters find themselves 7–1, perched at the top of the Southern Division, Pintard believes the Foresters' best ball is still ahead of them.

"I don't think we're [even] hitting our stride yet," Pintard said.

2| San Luis Obispo Blues (down 1)

The Blues had another phenomenal week. They did not drop in the rankings by their own volition, as they are riding a nine-game winning streak into week three. Wins against the San Francisco Seagulls, Menlo Park Legends, and Walnut Creek Crawdads have them sitting atop the Northern Division at 9–1.

On the pitching side, the Blues have showcased a stellar staff only rivaled by the Foresters. Their 2.95 team ERA ranks third best in the CCL, and their 1.08 WHIP and 12.57 K/9 are the highest marks in the league. The club has punched 149 tickets in 106.2 innings. 

Right-hander Spencer Gallimore was named CCL Pitcher of the Week from June 8 to June 14 thanks to his seven-inning, 14-strikeout performance against the Seagulls. Gallimore scattered three hits and only allowed one run en route to earning his second win of the summer. His ERA sits at a microscopic 0.53 through 17 innings. 

Not to be outdone by their performance on the bump, the Blues currently hoist the best offense in the CCL statistically. Their team batting average paces the CCL at .303, and they slug better than anybody with 36 extra-base hits. There is some swing and miss to their game. The Blues are second in the CCL with 100 strikeouts, but to this point, it hasn't proven to be an issue.

At the plate, the Blues have seen contributions up and down the lineup. Infielder Brendan Comerford is hitting an absurd .404 with six doubles and a triple in 47 at-bats. Behind the plate, catcher Miles Mador is leading the team in average, hitting .426 with two doubles and a home run. Outfielder Kyle Becker is hitting an even .300, and his 10 RBIs currently lead the team. 

The Blues are also a threat to run on the bases. Outfielder Alex Dolan is tied for the CCL lead with eight stolen bases, Comerford has seven, which is good for outright second, and infielder Cesar Chavez is tied for the third-most bags with six.

3| Orange County Riptide (up 3)

The Riptide are the second-biggest upward movers in this week's rankings. After a 3–1 opening week, the Riptide went 5–1 in week two, highlighted by a 2–1 victory over the Foresters. 

The Riptide's pitching staff has been its strongest trait early on. A 2.66 team ERA ranks second in the CCL, only trailing the Foresters. 

In their 2–1 win over the Foresters, left-hander Sammy Cova spun four scoreless innings, and right-hander Jackson Pace and left-hander Jack Wade combined to end the contest with 4.1 scoreless innings and five strikeouts, with Wade earning his first save of the season. 

Offensively, the infield duo of Tomas Cernius and Conner Barth, alongside outfielder Reid Montgomery, have established themselves at the top of the order. Cernius is the team's leader in average and RBIs, hitting .417 and driving in eight. Montgomery is tied with Cernius for the highest slugging percentage on the team at .500 while maintaining a .333 average. And Barth is hitting a cool .320 with seven walks. 

It might not be flashy, but a consistent pitching staff and lineup have jump-started the Riptide to a fantastic start.

4| Conejo Oaks (down 1)

The Oaks drop one spot after a 3–2 week. Both losses came at the hands of the Foresters, an 8–4 defeat and a 19–2 blowout. Sitting at 5–2, the Oaks are currently third in the Southern Division behind the Foresters and Riptide. Week one wins over the Riptide and Academy Barons are highlights for the club early on. 

At the plate, the Oaks have ten qualified bats hitting above .300, giving them one of the deepest lineups in the CCL. Outfielder Brandon Contreras has been a stud, hitting in the leadoff spot. Contreras is hitting .526 – tied for the second-highest mark in the CCL – with a .579 slugging percentage. In week two, Contreras went 7-14 with a double and three RBI,s including an RBI single that gave the Oaks the lead in their 9–4 victory over the Arroyo Seco Saints. Utility man Dylan Jackson has supplied the power in the Oaks line;p, his three home runs are the second most in the CCL. Infielder Matthew Witkow has shown off impressive bat-to-ball skills in the early going. The left-handed hitting Witkow is hitting .381 with an OPS just south of 1.000 while only striking out once.

The Oaks' pitching staff has also excelled during the opening quarter of the summer. A 4.50 team ERA is the fifth-best mark in the CCL, and is skewed by one big loss to the Foresters. Right-hander Will Kaczynski has been rock solid in his two starts. The rising sophomore has thrown seven innings, allowing one earned run and striking out eight in two Oaks victories.

5| Academy Barons (up three)

The Barons ended week two with a bang. After falling 6–5 to the Foresters on Saturday, the Barons defeated the Riptide 5–4 the following day. The Barons are 4–4, but three of their losses have been one-run games. 

At the plate, first baseman Jason Del Villar continued to mash. The right-hander leads the CCL with four home runs and has driven in eight runs. Second baseman Nathaniel Williams has been a run-producing machine. Williams is hitting .387 with 11 RBIs and three walks. Shortstop Elijah Clayton has been a pest for opposing pitchers. Clayton is hitting .348 with two doubles and is tied for the league lead in stolen bases with eight. 

On the pitching side, the Barons boast a moderate 5.72 team ERA. They have struck out 80 in just 72.1 innings for a 9.95 K/9. Rising sophomore Daniel Rivera has been unhittable in his three appearances in relief. Rivera has thrown nine innings and allowed no earned runs while striking out 11 and scattering four hits. 

6| Walnut Creek Crawdads (down 2)

The Crawdads kicked off the week with two big offensive outbursts, putting up 17 runs against the San Francisco Seagulls and 14 against the Menlo Park Legends, both in wins. However, the Crawdads dropped their final three games of the week, and this is cause for the subsequent drop in the rankings. 

In their 2–3 week, rising redshirt freshman Bryden Bull had himself a week. The infielder went 8-16 with nine RBIs en route to earning Hitter of the Week honors. Bull's performance was highlighted by a 4-5 day with a double and a home run against the Seagulls with six RBIs. The lefty swinging Bull followed up that performance with a three-run bomb against the Legends the following day. 

Bull is joined by infielders Peyton Rowles and Ryan Ellis, who both hold averages above .375. Rowles has ripped four doubles, and Ellis adds four doubles and two home runs to a strong Crawdads lineup. 

On the mound, Jeremy Jones has put up solid numbers in the early going. In two starts, Jones has gone eight innings and given up three earned runs with seven strikeouts. 

7| Sonoma Stompers (down 5)

The Stompers had a tough week. After placing second in the inaugural rankings, the Stompers finished week two 2–3, and their record now sits at an even .500. The Stompers dropped their final two games of the week to the Menlo Park Legends, who were previously winless.

Junior catcher Hunter Carlson has been a nonstop run producer for the Stompers. In just 31 at-bats, Carlson has driven in 15 runs courtesy of 13 hits with four going for extra bases. Carlson has also walked eight times compared to six strikeouts. He is joined in the lineup by utility man Trent Keys. With a .385 average and .556 on-base percentage, Keys has been a catalyst in the heart of the order.

On the bump, the Stompers have been middle of the pack. Their 6.08 team ERA ranks eighth behind the Academy Barons. Inana 8–4 victory over the Legends, right-hander Matthew Schallberger opened the game with three scoreless innings while adding three strikeouts. Through 5.2 innings, Schallberger has not allowed a run. 

8| Arroyo Seco Saints (down 1)

The Saints find themselves battling in a stacked top half of the Southern Division. The Saints suffered a winless second week and are now 2–6. However, a two-run loss to the Riptide, a one-run loss to the Foresters, and a two-run loss to the Barons suggest they are on the cusp of a big week. 

The staff has pitched to the tune of a 7.99 ERA. The Saints are allowed more than a hit per inning while walking 49 batters in 71 innings. If they can cut down on their walk rate and begin to lower their 1.76 team WHIP, they may start to see some better results. Left-hander Joe O'Regan has been a bright spot on the mound. The rising senior has made two starts spanning ten innings and given up four earned runs while striking out six and walking two. Right-hander Cash Carrol has showcased strikeout stuff, punching out 12 in only nine innings of work. 

Offensively, the Saints have put up good numbers. A .280 team average, followed by a .807 team OPS, puts their offense in the upper echelon of the CCL. 

The duo of Canon King and Bryaden Flores has gotten off to a phenomenal start at the dish. King, a rising sophomore outfielder, is hitting .400 with three doubles through his first 25 at-bats. Following closely behind, Flores, a rising junior infielder, is hitting .379 with four extra base hits and 11 RBIs. Flores has also walked three times compared to one strikeout.

9| Menlo Park Legends (up 1)

After a winless opening week, the Legends dropped their first three contests this week before taking back-to-back games from the Sonoma Stompers and finding themselves rising a little two-game win streak heading into week three.

In the Legends' first win of the summer, a 5–3 victory, they overcame a one-run deficit in the ninth inning thanks to a lead-off solo blast from Carlos Cruz Mar. With one out, Mason Griffin ripped an RBI triple, and Ethan Mooser scored Griffin from third on an RBI single. 

The very next day, in a 6–3 victory, right-hander Kai Maynick made his first start of the summer on the mound for the Legends and willed his team to their second win of the season. Maynick went seven strong innings, allowing only two runs while racking up ten strikeouts. 

Early on, offense has still been a struggle for the Legends. Their .196 team batting average leaves a lot to be desired. Ryan Duron has been a bright spot, leading the Legends with a .333 average and eight RBIs. 

10| San Francisco Seagulls (down 1)

The Seagulls dropped to the bottom of the rankings after a winless week, where the program has now lost seven games in a row. 

Offensively, the Seagulls lead the CCL in strikeouts with 112, 12 more than the Blues. However, the Blues have mashed 36 extra-base hits while the Seagulls only have 14. So far, they have not been able to make up for the swing and miss in their lineup with an influx of slugging. 

However, the trio of utility man Tanner Wall, catcher Blake Cowans, and outfielder Davis Germann have stood out at the plate. Germann, who leads the club with 31 at-bats, holds a .323 average with a .901 OPS. Wall and Cowans both boast averages above .350. Infielder Christian LaMothe leads the team with two big flies and a monstrous 1.132 OPS.

Pitching has been a weakness for the Seagulls in the early going. The team ERA of 8.54 is the highest of any non-affiliated club in the CCL. Left-hander Joesph Steidel has been the most reliable arm in the early going. Steidel owns a 1.04 ERA over 8.2 innings spanning three appearances and leads the Seagulls with 14 strikeouts. Right-hander Finn Whalen, a week removed from being named CCL Pitcher of the Week, is second on the club in punchouts with 13.