Mustangs, Falcons and Wolverines, OH MY!, lead sports information directors baseball poll

With the conference races getting tighter throughout the state, there are many teams that could argue their rating in this week's California Community College Sports Information Association State Top 20 Rankings. But it's San Joaquin Delta, at 26-5, continuing to impress SID pollsters as the Mustangs received a majority 13 first-place votes to remain No. 1 for the second straight week. Delta had a 9-game win streak broken by Big 8 Conference rival and No. 3 Sierra, 3-1, on Sunday.

New No. 2 Cerritos (24-8) had won seven of eight games before being tripped up on Monday by unranked Pasadena City, 6-0, in a completion of a halted game from March 13. The South Coast South Division power was swept in 2-game series by both PCC and No. 5 Mt. San Antonio from the SCC North as those two schools are responsible for half of the SoCal No. 1 in RPI Falcons losses. 

Saddleback, the original No. 1 team in the opening rankings, dropped to No. 4, losing back-to-back games last week against Orange Empire rival and No. 6 Orange Coast, a team that jumped five spots in the rankings. No. 7 Ohlone has won 12 of its last 14 and climbed a few places while No. 8 Santa Rosa and No. 9 Sacramento City remained on the state top 10 as part of the formidable Big 8 contingent. Moving up four slots was No. 10 Glendale, which had an impressive 10-game win streak snapped by Barstow, 8-4, on Saturday.

Big 8 and OEC teams make up a dominating 10 (five from each conference) of the top 16 teams in the poll. 

To show how hard it's been to keep winning streaks going, the current longest string is held by No. 13 Folsom Lake, on a modest 6-game win run, but still only the fifth place team from the Big 8. In the South, unranked Santa Ana has the next longest win streak at five games and also is in a 3-way tie for fifth in the OEC. 

Winners of eight of its last nine, Feather RIver is now No. 17 to join the top 20 while Sequoias returned to the rankings at No. 19. Moorpark was No. 16, but three straight losses knocked them out of the ratings along with San Mateo (was No. 17) after a 1-2 week.

Here is a current conference update, and the complete CCCSIA Top 20 Rankings.

NORTH
Bay Valley: No. 11 Marin is 10-2, but two games up in the win column on three teams.
Big 8: Delta, Sierra and Santa Rosa all are tied for first at 11-4 with Sacramento right behind at 10-5. 
Central Valley: Sequoias is 10-2, two games up in the win column. 
Coast Golden Gate: Unranked Chabot is 8-4, a half game ahead of Mission, one game over San Mateo. 
Coast Pacific: Ohlone is the state's only undefeated team in conference at 9-0, and is four games ahead in the loss column.
Golden Valley: Feather River (12-4) keeps a half-game lead over unranked Butte.

SOUTH
Orange Empire: Orange Coast and No. 16 Fullerton are tied for first, both at 8-4 while Saddleback is third at 7-5. No. 12 Cypress and No. 15 Riverside City, stuck in 4-game losing streak, take up the next two standings slots. 
Pacific Coast Athletic: Unrated San Diego Mesa (11-4) has a percentage points lead over No. 14 Palomar.
South Coast North: Mt. San Antonio (11-3) keeps a 2-game lead over unrated East Los Angeles.
South Coast South: Cerritos (9-5) has a half game lead over unranked Long Beach and one game ahead of No. 20 El Camino. 
Western State East: Glendale (10-1) is two games ahead of both No. 18 Canyons and unranked Citrus.
Western State North: Does not get any closer than Moorpark, Ventura and Santa Barbara all tied for first at 6-5 with Cuesta and Allan Hancock each 6-6, a half game back.
Western State South: Unranked Bakersfield (9-3) and Pierce (10-5) are battling it out for first.

(Robert Lewis, CCCSIA)