Top 10 softball rankings
Top 10 softball rankings
1. Hollister: Seeded No. 2 in the Central Coast Section Open Division, the Gabilan Division champion Balers sealed their ticket to the State Northern California tournament after beating Valley Christian in the quarterfinals.
2. Monterey: Contributions throughout the lineup and the effort of Nicole Seal in the circle has the Toreadores back in the Division II finals after beating Burlingame.
3. Salinas: Morale victories do matter as building blocks for next spring, as the Cowboys took state-ranked and Open Division top-seed St. Francis to nine innings before falling 1-0.
4. Palma: Thrown into the Open Division in just their second season with just two seniors, might have created nervous energy in the Chieftains’ season-ending loss to Willow Glen.
5. Alisal: Earning their first postseason win in 35 years as the No. 7 seed, the Trojans are headed to the program’s first-ever CCS title game after shutting out Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League champion Aptos in the Division I semifinals.
6. Aptos: Saw its run of 19 straight wins end after being blanked for the first time all season in the CCS Division I semifinals by co-Mission Division champion and Gabilan Division-bound Alisal.
7. Soquel: Scoring 10 or more runs in three of their last four games, the Knights reached the CCS Division II semifinals as the No. 4 seed.
8. Carmel: A pitching staff that had recorded five straight shutouts to close the season en route to a share of the Mission Division title and the No. 1 seed in Division II, was upset in the opening round.
9. Pacific Grove: Having won three of their last four games after suffering through a 14-game losing streak, the Breakers are in the Division IV semifinals, facing No. 3 seed Branham.
10. North County: Winning their first league title in 31 years with a 15-game improvement from last spring, the Condors fell 17-16 to Santa Clara in the Division V semifinals.
On the bubble: Watsonville, North Salinas, San Lorenzo Valley, Scotts Valley, Rancho San Juan.
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This story was originally published May 27, 2026 at 9:07 AM.