Final regular season baseball poll sets the table for an exciting postseason

PASADENA - San Joaquin Delta College ended the 2018 regular season as the No. 1-rated team in the California Community College Sports Information Association State Top 20 Baseball Rankings. Delta (34-6) earned 14 of 16 first-place votes as the Mustangs won their final seven games only to tie No. 2 Sierra, on an 8-game win streak, for the Big 8 Conference title.The Wolverines moved up two spots.

The two teams earned the North Region's No. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively as the Mustangs held the tiebreaker over Sierra. South Coast South champ Cerritos fell to No. 3 in the poll but will be the South No. 1 seed going into the postseason. Orange Coast won the Orange Empire crown and has the No. 2 seed while occupying the state No. 4 ranking. 

No. 5 Ohlone finished a perfect conference season and has a 12-game win streak. Rounding out the top 10 were No. 6 Mt. San Antonio, No. 7 Saddleback (2nd place in OEC), No. 8 Sacramento City (3rd in Big 8), No. 9 Feather River and No. 10 Glendale, 

The Big 8 kept its respect level despite skids that saw fourth-place Santa Rosa drop six spots to No. 14 and fifth-place Folsom Lake, in a 6-game losing streak, fall to No. 20 in the poll. 

The Orange Empire super competitive conference season resulted in a postseason knockout as No. 11-rated Riverside City made the playoff cut as the third place team, but No. 16 Cypress not only dropped five spots in the poll but their season-ending 8-6 loss to Fullerton caused a ripple effect in a 3-way tie for fourth with the Hornets and Santa Ana. The result was Cypress being blocked from the postseason with a 25-15 overall record because Fullerton held a tiebreaker and its under .500 record meant it was playoff ineligible.

A 9-game win streak by Fresno City allowed the Rams to move up another four spots and in just two weeks went from not ranked to state No. 12. Moorpark jumped on to the poll at No. 19 while San Mateo (previously No. 20) fell out of the rankings. 

The playoffs begin with play-in games on May 1 and Round 1 regional series on May 4-5. 

Conference Champions and the complete CCCSIA Top 20 Final Regular Season Rankings follow.

NORTH
Bay Valley: No. 13 Marin
Big 8: No. 1 SJ Delta and No. 2 Sierra, co-champs
Central Valley: No. 12 Fresno City.
Coast Golden Gate: No. 18 Mission
Coast Pacific: No. 5 Ohlone (perfect 18-0)
Golden Valley: No. 9 Feather River 

SOUTH
Orange Empire: No. 4 Orange Coast
Pacific Coast Athletic: No. 17 Palomar
South Coast North: No. 6 Mt. San Antonio
South Coast South: No. 3 Cerritos 
Western State East: No. 10 Glendale
Western State North: No. 19 Moorpark
Western State South: Unrated Bakersfield 

(Robert Lewis, CCCSIA)