New OCVarsity So Cal Softball Rankings

[hotwheels]

What does young have to do with anything?...Just asking, that should have nothing to do with anything...You've already got me talking positively about HS softball...Damn you!

Fact of the matter is...Simply put...Santiago at this time is much, much better than Norco...Maybe not in 6 weeks but right now there is very little comparison...

[hotwheels]

Fact of the matter is...Simply put...Santiago at this time is much, much better than Norco...Maybe not in 6 weeks but right now there is very little comparison...

Then how come their game had to go to ITB? They should have taken care of them in 7

You will have to speak with Perez about that I guess...I know that watching that game they were up by 4 (I think) and walked 2 or 3 girls to load them up and stayed with their pitcher...Didn't work out so well but in the long run they ended up winning by 4 or 5 runs in ITB (I think)...

I know several kids on both teams and Norco is going to be a force to be reckoned with but I think it will be more for next year...I think Santiago is over achieving this season but I don't over rated is correct...I don't think anyone thought they would be undefeated this far in and in all honesty I don't they will do too well in the playoffs but I could be wrong...Wouldn't be the first time...Santiago was supposed to short on pitching this season but those 2 kids they have are doing very well to date...

Played against Rodriguez (Eliminators and Cal Lite) for several years with our older teams and she is good..The other kid (Erika??) throws hard!! Props to both teams for being this competitive during rebuilding years....

[DurfWerzel]

Fact of the matter is...Simply put...Santiago at this time is much, much better than Norco....

And that's based on one win in an ITB? Come on. Any of the top 5 teams could pull out a victory on any given individual game.

I don't think anyone thought they would be undefeated this far

I'm not surprised at all. It's pretty easy to stay undefeated when 2/3 of the teams you've played have a loosing record.You could probably swap any team in the top 10 into that schedule and end up with pretty close to the same record.

I have no idea how exactly all these polls are calculated, but IMO, it clearly looks like strength of schedule isn't getting quite the weight it should.

[Homer1wsrun]

Hey Carlos,

How can Orange Lutheran be on the bubble of the top 25 when they are 15-5 and have been finalists in three different tournaments, winning two of the three?

Brea Olinda tourney - CHAMPIONS
Laguna Hills tourney - FINALISTS (1-0 ITB vs Trabuco Hills)
Woodbridge tourney - CHAMPIONS (without 2 committed senior starters)

In our two years at OLU seems like they have been riding under the radar, which I suppose, has its advantages.

That said, I appreciate your work and recognize the challenges of covering a sport that has a broad geography, dozens of teams and limited resources to see everything that is going on at all times.

Thanks,

Bob

[Stan the Caddy]

Carlos,

Welcome to the shark tank buddy. Sorry for what you are about to receive...

[DurfWerzel]

Because they don't play in the big tournaments: Nike, Carew, Bullhead, etc.
Most of the SoCal teams ranked have played and performed in those events.
I'm sure past performance comes in to play as well. Teams that consistently go deep in CIF carry their bragging rites from one year to the next. No different than the top TB orgs vs the second tier teams.

Ah, maybe CIF is the secret ranking factor fueling the Santiago love fest. So if you make it to the ship one out of 3 years you were expected to you can play a scrub schedule and stay on the top of every national, state and regional poll.

[Carlos Arias]

Carlos,

Welcome to the shark tank buddy. Sorry for what you are about to receive...

It's cool. I have thick skin, can take a good shot and my head is always on a swivel.

[Blind Squirrel]

Santiago's rankings are the greatest outrage that I have known in my 50+ years on this Earth. I have never known the kind of pain that I am now in because of this. Thank God, at long last, someone has the guts to speak of this monumental injustice. An injustice of Biblical proportions and IMPLICATIONS. I can't believe others stand idly by and say nothing. God, how I wish someone cared as much as me and spoke of this. Again and again and again.

Convulsing with Anger Squirrel

[Homer1wsrun]

Hey Carlos,

How can Orange Lutheran be on the bubble of the top 25 when they are 15-5 and have been finalists in three different tournaments, winning two of the three?

Because they don't play in the big tournaments: Nike, Carew, Bullhead, etc.
Most of the SoCal teams ranked have played and performed in those events.
I'm sure past performance comes in to play as well. Teams that consistently go deep in CIF carry their bragging rites from one year to the next. No different than the top TB orgs vs the second tier teams.

Thanks that is interesting feedback. Seems that last year, or anything other than this season, should have absolutely nothing to do with current rankings. Seniors move on, new players come into the mix, injuries and even scholarships commitments can change the make up of a team from year to year.

I guess the real question should be, what is the actual criteria that is used to determine rankings? Obviously it is many things and cannot possibly be 100% accurate. It makes for interesting dialogue and "who is the smartest in the land" bickering. That said, it would be interesting to go down the current top 25 and apply your methodology to see if it would change anything. I also think it is more than playing in those tournaments, it's how did you finish. As an example, if El Modena hadn't lost to La Habra in semi finals of Woodbridge, they would have met us in the finals. We defeated LH 5-0 for the third time this year.

Like I said, interesting conversation...

[Homer1wsrun]

Whoa Nelly! As Keith Jackson used to say!!! Take a look at some of these "bubble" teams...At a minimum I would question Aliso Niguel (3 games over .500?), California (2 games over .500?), Vista Murieta (3 games over .500?) and Agoura (1 game over .500).

On the bubble (in aphabetical order):

* Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo) 9-6
* Agoura (Agoura) 7-6
* Bonita (La Verne) 12-1-1
* California (Whittier) 8-6
* Hart (Newhall) 11-2-1
* La Habra (La Habra) 10-5
* Orange Lutheran (Orange) 14-5
* Redlands (Redlands) 12-3
* San Pedro (San Pedro) 11-5
* Vista Murrieta (Murrieta) 9-6
* West Ranch (Valencia) 11-3-1

To quote John McEnroe, "You can't be serious!"