Updated baseball rankings, as of March 11:
Division I
1. Desert Mountain 7-1
2. Hamilton 6-1
3. Sandra Day O’Connor 7-0
4. St. Mary’s 9-0
5. Red Mountain 6-2
6. Mountain Pointe 3-1
7. Corona del Sol 4-2
8. Gilbert 6-3
9. Desert Ridge 5-3
10. Basha 5-2
The top three spots remain the same, as Desert Mountain, Hamilton and Sandra Day O’Connor are three preseason contenders who have started the season well. St. Mary’s has been dominating overmatched opponents, and these next two weeks will be interesting as the Knights face off against East Valley programs. Red Mountain run-ruled Brophy to jump into the top-5, and Mountain Pointe moved up a couple spots with a win last week heading into a showdown with Hamilton on Tuesday. Corona del Sol, Desert Ridge and Basha each lost a game last week to take some luster off their hot starts, but they stick in the rankings for now. Gilbert has won five in a row now and returns to the top 10.
Division II
1. Liberty 5-0-1
2. Notre Dame 6-2
3. Sunnyslope 7-2-1
4. Ironwood Ridge 9-0
5. Sunrise Mountain 6-3
6. Catalina Foothills 6-1
7. Greenway 5-1
8. Sahuaro 5-2-1
9. Gila Ridge 6-2
10. Williams Field 8-2
Liberty jumps to the top with its undefeated start, while Notre Dame stays at No. 2 because its loss last week came to Division No. 1 Desert Mountain. Sunnyslope has dropped two of its past four games to drop to No. 3, while Ironwood Ridge has been arguably the most impressive team early on and jumps to No. 4. Sunrise Mountain drops but stays in the top-5, followed by Catalina Foothills. Greenway enters the rankings after a big win over Sunnyslope, while Sahuaro, Gila Ridge and Williams Field all hold on near the bottom of the top-10.
Division III
1. Fountain Hills 10-1
2. Scottsdale Christian 1-0
3. River Valley 9-1-1
4. Estrella Foothills 5-1
5. Show Low 4-1
Fountain Hills finally lost, but had a late lead against Notre Dame and sticks at No. 1. Scottsdale Christian’s season started last week with a shutout of Northwest Christian, which keeps the Eagles at No. 2. River Valley had a perfect week to stay at No. 3, followed by an Estrella Foothills team which is off to a nice start. Show Low was idle last week and remains at No. 5.
Division IV
1. Phoenix Christian 4-1
2. Yuma Catholic 6-0
3. Tempe Prep 10-1
4. Pusch Ridge 7-1
5. Desert Christian 7-2
Preseason No. 1 St. David is off to a slow start with two losses in three games and drops from the rankings. Phoenix Christian takes over the top spot, followed by a surging Yuma Catholic team. Tempe Prep has won six straight to move up to No. 3, while Pusch Ridge and Desert Christian stay at Nos. 4 and 5 in the rankings.
Reach Kyle Odegard at (480) 898-6834 or kodegard@evtrib.com. Follow his blog at http://blogs.evtrib.com/varsityxtra, or find him on Twitter @Kyle_Odegard.
