Week 6 Power Rankings: Foresters Reclaim Top Spot, Oaks Ascend
by Micah Rodriguez
1| Santa Barbara Foresters (up 1)
Well, once again the Foresters are back at the top of my rankings. The Santa Barbara Club has a 22–5–1 record accompanied by a league-best .804 winning percentage.
This week, they had a dominant 14–10 win over the Barons, a big 10–2 win over the Blues, and ended the week with an 11–3 win over the Riptide.
They were also involved in the first tie of the summer with the Oaks. The game ended 9–9 after nine innings of play due to darkness, which was very unfortunate.
In their 10–2 win against the Blues – who held the top spot in last week's power rankings – the Foresters played a near-flawless game. Middle infielder Chris Newstrom led the club at the plate, finishing 4-for-5 with three RBIs and a big fly. Nick Salmon, who entered the game as a pinch hitter, launched two home runs, ending the day 2-for-4 with four RBIs.
Newstrom is now hitting .435 – the second-highest average in the CCL – in 73 plate appearances with 19 RBIs and 17 runs. After Salmon's first multi-home run game of the summer, he now has four home runs, tied with a plethora of players for the league lead.
Nick Weslocki debuted against the Blues and shut down the San Luis Obispo club through four innings. The right-hander only gave up two hits and one walk while adding two strikeouts.
Kaleb Rodgers worked the final three innings of the contest en route to earning his second save of the summer. The right-hander surrendered one unearned run and punched out six.
Through six weeks, the Foresters still have the best staff in the CCL, holding a league-leading 2.79 team ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Their 11.03 strikeouts per nine only trail the Blues.
The Foresters continue to pace the league offensively as well. They have the highest team average in the CCL at .294 and are the only club with an on-base percentage and slugging percentage north of .400.
The win against the Blues was a statement. They have reminded the rest of the CCL who the top dog is… for now.
2| San Luis Obispo Blues (down 1)
The Blues are having an incredible summer, but they had a difficult week six. The club went 2–4 on the week, by far their most losses in a seven-day stretch. However, they still hold a 25–9 record with a .735 winning percentage, good for the number one seed in the Northern Division. But now more than ever, the Crawdads are nipping at their heels, figuratively and literally.
Even in a bad week, the Blues still secured a 6–3 win over the Riptide and a 14–3 victory over the Crawdads.
In their 14–3 win over a division rival, the Blues offense had themselves a day at the dish. In the leadoff spot, outfielder Dominick Najar went 4-for-4 with an RBI. Najar's running mate in the outfield, Cesar Chavez, finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Chavez has 31 RBIs on the season to lead the CCL.
The infield duo of Diego Murillo and Brendan Comerford were not to be outdone by their outfield counterparts. Murillo finished 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Comerford ended the day 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and four RBIs. It was Comerford's first home run of the regular season, coming a week after he left the yard in the Showcase Game.
Looking ahead this week, the Blues clash with the Foresters three times. Three games in six days to likely determine who will hold the crown atop the week seven power rankings.
3| Conejo Oaks (up 3)
The Oaks are the biggest movers in this week's power rankings, and it is one of the biggest shakeups the rankings have seen in weeks.
The Oaks are now 16–9–1 after defeating the Blues 12–6 and tying the Foresters 9–9.
As the summer has moved along, the Oaks offense has become more and more of a threat. The club's team average has risen to .280, only trailing the Foresters and Blues. And the top half of their lineup can go toe for toe with the league's best.
Average-wise, the Oaks have three of the top eight hitters in the league. Outfielder Brandon Contreras has been a weekly staple at the top of the average leaderboard. The lefty is hitting .432 with 16 RBIs. Utility man Caden Stillwell has quietly been an elite middle-of-the-order bat. His .403 average is the fourth-best mark in the CCL and has flown under the radar. He has reached base in 17 of the 18 games he's played and holds a .513 OBP.
Third baseman Matthew Witkow has been a steady presence all season long. The lefty is hitting .371 with a .929 OPS. Dylan Jackson, who has started at first base and in the outfield, has four big flies, holding a share of the league lead.
And on the mound, the Oaks are dangerous. The starting pitching duo of Derek Turner and Hunter Hammond, along with bullpen arms Arnold Wu and Landon Martin, have cemented themselves as reliable arms.
And while this ranking may seem preemptive for the Oaks, everything has been coming together recently for the back-to-back champs on and off the diamond.
"People talk about team chemistry, but this is more about getting along with each other and pulling for each other," Oaks' Head Coach David Soliz said. "The day one speech was about team baseball, and it's been really nice to see it [come together]."
After losing four in a row in the middle of June, the Oaks have responded with winning (or tying) 14 of their last 17 games.
4| Orange County Riptide (up one)
The Riptide are 20–11 and still hold a .645 winning percentage, good for the second seed in the South.
After dropping their first two games of the week, the Riptide bounced back with a 6–5 win over the Foresters and a 12–5 victory over the Barons.
In their 6–5 win, they found themselves trailing 3–0 entering the home half of the seventh. Infielder Tatum Marsh ripped a two-RBI triple to make it a 3–2 game. In the eighth, infielder Alonso Reyes singled to center, plating two more runs to take a 4–3 lead. A wild pitch knotted the pushed their lead to two, and an RBI single from Cooper Clouser capped off the inning, giving the Riptide a 6–3 lead they did not relinquish.
Clouser, who has led the Riptide offensively all summer, finished 3-for-4 with an RBI. The catcher is hitting .372 in 21 games.
The Riptide continue to have a top-shelf staff in the CCL. Their team ERA sits at 3.38, only trailing the Foresters and Blues. They hold a 1.35 team WHIP, tied for the Crawdads as the third-best mark.
Looking ahead this week, the Riptide open with a massive clash against the Oaks and play the Foresters a few days later. The Riptide have dropped their last two matchups against the Oaks and are 2–3 against the club this summer. Their matchup will have major implications on the upcoming rankings.
5| Academy Barons (down one)
In a four-game week, the Barons did some damage. Although dropping two games, the club defeated the Blues 9–6 and 10–2 in two of their biggest wins of the summer.
Offensively, the club has the second-highest team average at .285 and OBP at .399. Infielder Nathaniel Williams is now the CCL-leader with a .446 average through six weeks. He has a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio with five doubles and a triple.
In their 10–3 win, outfielder Nik Sanders led the team with a three-hit day, finishing 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Outfielder Eiji Sawamura and middle infielder Elijah Clayton each finished with two-hit games. Infielder Jason Del Villar continues to hold his share of the league lead with four home runs.
Clayton and Sawamura are a dynamic, athletic duo at the front of the Barons lineup. Clayton leads the league with 23 stolen bases in 19 games, and Sawamura is right behind him with 19 stolen bases in 21 games.
Gabriel Lopez was excellent on the mound in the seven-run win. In his best and longest start of the summer, the left-hander dealt seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts. He only allowed two hits, lowering his WHIP to 1.15 and his ERA to 2.42 through 26 innings.
Although they currently occupy the fourth spot in the Southern Division, two big wins over the Northern Division-leading Blues show the Barons can make Waves come playoff time.
Yet, they did fall to the Riptide, which is the main reason the Orange County club slots in above them.
6| Walnut Creek Crawdads (down 3)
The Crawdads dropped three spots in the rankings, but it doesn't have as much to do with their performance as it does with the clubs around them. The Crawdads are still definitely the second-best club in the North. They hold a 19–8 record and .704 winning percentage – the third best mark in all of the CCL. They just haven't had the opportunity to play the teams in the upper half of the Southern Division, making it difficult to know how they would stack up.
This week, they did travel south for a two-game set with the Arroyo Seco Saints; the club dropped both contests. They finished the week 2–3. They did, however, open the week with a 19–4 win over the Menlo Park Legends.
In the 19–4 victory, the team totaled 19 hits and eight walks to only three strikeouts. Every starter registered at least one hit, and six had multi-hit contests. Catcher Brandon Clizbe led the team with a 3-for-4 day.
This week the club has a three-game set with the Stompers and a big midweek matchup with the Blues as they look to recapture the magic behind their 13-game winning streak.
7| Sonoma Stompers (––)
The Stompers have been playing elite baseball. The Sonoma club has reeled off eight wins in a row, including a perfect 6–0 week six.
Now, the Stompers did face the Seagulls and Philippines Baseball Group in five of their six wins, but they were dominant. They also defeated the Alameda Merchants in a 14–10 high-scoring affair. Their record now sits at 18–13, firmly holding the final playoff spot in the Northern Division.
Catcher Hunter Carlson finally lost his spot atop the RBI leaderboard, but the right-hander's production hasn't slowed. He has driven in 27 runs in 25 games. Right behind him is teammate Tino Vasell. The infielder has driven in 26 runs and is hitting .349 with five doubles, three triples, and four home runs – tied for the CCL lead.
In their 14–10 win, Vasell finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs. Outfielder Wesley Bass launched a three-run home run in the second inning; it was his second home run of the summer.
In a 14–1 victory over Philippines Baseball Group, seven different pitchers entered and were effective, striking out ten in the big win. Right-hander Mason Cortez opened the game with three scoreless innings in his first start of the summer. Cortez holds a 3.86 ERA through 14 innings.
8| Arroyo Seco Saints (––)
The Saints had an awesome week. They defeated the Crawdads twice and came back from a 4–0 deficit in the ninth against the Oaks to win, 5–4.
However, the Stompers have run off eight wins in a row, and it is difficult for the Saints to move up the rankings. The club is still on the outside looking in on the playoff picture in the South with a 10–16 record.
After being held scoreless and only recording three hits through the first eight innings against the Oaks, the Saints showed unbelievable resilience, reeling off five runs in the ninth on the road to stun the Oaks' crowd.
Infielder Dylan Immel brought home the Saints' first run on an RBI groundout. The Saints then sent up Bryce Robinette to pinch hit. The infielder delivered an RBI single to center field, trimming the deficit to two.
Infielder Braden Flores stepped up to the dish and smoked a two-RBI double into the left-center gap. Making it a tie ballgame at four apiece. Flores is fourth in the CCL with 24 RBIs and is hitting .340 with eight doubles, a triple, and two home runs.
After Flores advanced to third on a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly from infielder Zach Leite gave the Saints a 5–4 lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Saints clung to a one-run lead. With runners on first and second with one out, Rodgers induced a pop-out and a strikeout to secure a 5–4 come-from-behind victory.
Outfielder Evan Reiter had two wins in the victory. Reiter is now hitting .362 – leading the Saints – with four doubles, two triples, and a home run.
This week the Saints have two big contests with the Oaks and open with a battle against the Barons as they look to sneak into the second wild card spot in a tough Southern Division.
9| Menlo Park Legends (––)
The Legends ran off three straight wins to end their week. At 11–16, they would have to nearly win out and hope the Stompers and Merchants falter to have any chance at the second wild card seed in the Northern Division.
In an offensive outburst, the Legends defeated the Seagulls 14–11. The club had 16 hits and walked nine times.
Eight of nine starters recorded hits, and seven different Legends delivered two-hit games. Infielder Ryan Duron finished 2-for-5; he is now hitting .352 on the year with 17 RBIs. Outfielder Mason Griffin also had two hits, finishing 2-for-5 as well. Griffin, hitting in the leadoff spot, is hitting .266 with two doubles and a triple.
Ryder Kelly delivered an RBI in the big win and is currently fifth in the CCL with 15 stolen bases through 21 games.
10| San Francisco Seagulls (––)
It was another tough week for the Seagulls. The San Francisco club went 1–5. However, they did pick up their first win of July with a 7–6 extra-inning win over the Legends.
Right-hander Declan Mendel continued to prove he is a front-line arm for the Seagulls. Mendel went five innings, allowing three runs (one earned), and struck out two. He now has a 4.45 ERA over 28.1 innings this summer.
The Seagulls entered the ninth with a one-run lead, but the Legends brought home two runs in the visitors' half to take a one-run lead.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Seagulls evened the score. Outfielder Davis Germann scored on a passed ball to send the game to extras.
In the top of the tenth, the Legends scored one, taking a 5–4 lead over the Seagulls, who were in desperate need of a win.
Derek Waldvogel came through in the bottom of the tenth, ripping an RBI double to right field to tie the game. The following batter, infielder Christian LaMothe, sent Seagulls fans home happy with an RBI single to right field, giving the club their fifth win of the summer.