The Trojans are the first team other than Cardinal Newman to be No. 1 since The Press Democrat started baseball rankings three seasons ago.
GUS MORRIS
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
After two-plus years of dominance, Cardinal Newman’s stay at No. 1 is finally over.
Amid one of its best starts in program history, and another strong week, Petaluma is taking over at the top spot. The Trojans are the first team other than the Cardinals to be No. 1 since The Press Democrat started baseball rankings three seasons ago.
While the Cardinals still undoubtedly have a stronger strength of schedule, they haven’t exactly fared well against the better competition. They went 1-3 at the prestigious Boras Classic last week and struggled mightily on offense. The Cardinals won the tournament in 2023 and finished as runners-up in 2024.
Petaluma, meanwhile, beat another top-10 team in the North Coast Section in Acalanes before finishing off the regular-season sweep of Vintage to push their winning streak to five games and season record to 14-1 overall.
1. Petaluma (14-1)
Last ranking: 2
Since last ranking: 2-0, beat Acalanes 3-1 and Vintage 10-6
This week: at No. 3 Casa Grande (14-3)*, Tuesday; vs. No. 3 Casa Grande*, Thursday
2. Cardinal Newman (9-8)
Last ranking: 1
Since last ranking: 1-3 at Boras Classic-North. Lost to St. Mary’s-Stockton 8-1, Granite Bay 1-0 and Oak Ridge 10-0, beat College Park 3-2
This week: vs. No. 6 Windsor (12-6)*, Wednesday; at No. 6 Windsor*, Friday
3. Casa Grande (14-3)
Last ranking: 3
Since last ranking: 2-0, swept Sonoma Valley 1-0 and 3-0
This week: vs. No. 1 Petaluma (14-1)*, Tuesday; at No. 1 Petaluma*, Thursday
4. Justin-Siena (14-4)
Last ranking: 4
Since last ranking: 2-0, swept Vintage 6-5 and 6-0
This week: at Napa (6-14)*, Tuesday; vs. Napa*, Thursday
5. Rancho Cotate (12-6)
Last ranking: 5
Since last ranking: 3-0, swept No. 7 Maria Carrillo 2-0 and 11-9, beat Kelseyville 5-3
This week: at Ukiah (8-9)*, Wednesday; vs. Ukiah*, Friday
6. Windsor (12-6)
Last ranking: 6
Since last ranking: 3-0, swept Ukiah 1-0 and 8-1, beat Vintage 5-4
This week: at No. 2 Cardinal Newman (9-8)*, Wednesday; vs. No. 2 Cardinal Newman*, Friday; vs. Oakland Tech, Saturday
7. Maria Carrillo (9-9)
Last ranking: 7
Since last ranking: 0-2, lost to No. 5 Rancho Cotate 2-0 and 11-9
This week: vs. De Anza (2-11-1), Tuesday; vs. Montgomery (8-9), Saturday
On the bubble: Ukiah (8-9), Vintage (8-10), St. Helena (13-4), Analy (10-8), Healdsburg (11-6)
* = league game
While reaching No. 1 is an impressive feat, keeping it will be even harder. The Trojans have a huge two-game series this week against crosstown rival Casa Grande (No. 3 in the rankings) in a battle for the top spot in the Vine Valley Athletic League.
Newman also has a key rivalry series this week against No. 6 Windsor. The Jaguars were an out away from knocking off the Cardinals a month ago and enter this two-game series as winners of four in a row and five of their last six.
No. 4 Justin-Siena has also won four in a row, a winning streak that was kick-started by a 3-2 win over Petaluma in extra innings at the start of the month. The Braves are currently ranked in the top 10 in the NCS computer rankings on MaxPreps and tied with Casa Grande and Petaluma for first place in the VVAL with six games to go.
No. 5 Rancho Cotate has also been hot of late, winning its last five games, including two against No. 7 Maria Carrillo last week to finish off the league sweep of the Pumas. The Cougars will look to keep it up this week against pesky Ukiah, which has defeated both Cardinal Newman and Casa Grande this year.
Maria Carrillo holds on to the No. 7 spot for now despite having lost seven of its last nine. The Pumas do have a head-to-head win over Vintage, which has lost five in a row, and two wins over Ukiah. Both of those teams would be the next two in.
You can reach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @JustGusPD.
