SOFTBALL POWER RANKINGS — No change at the top

By barstoolfanatics on May 8, 2024 • ( Leave a comment )

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – The Del Norte Warriors have received a No. 1 seed for this week’s Charles Lakin tournament.

By Ray Hamill — As we head into Thursday’s night’s Charles Lakin softball tournament semifinals, it’s time to update our Power Rankings.

So who are the best teams here on the North Coast as we close in on the conclusion of another exciting season for the H-DNL teams.

Big 5 champs Del Norte remain atop our Power Rankings after finally clinching the conference championship on Wednesday.

The Warriors, who won all four Big 5 series they played in this spring, swept a doubleheader against Arcata in Crescent City, winning both games 10-0.

They closed out the Big 5 with a record of 10-2 and are outright champs for the second straight season.

The Del Norte girls will play McKinleyville in one of Thursday night’s Charles Lakin semifinals and look like the team to beat in tournament play as they continue to build momentum for next week’s North Coast Section playoffs.

However, both Fortuna and McKinleyville have shown they can beat the Warriors, with each taking one of three games from them during conference play.

The Huskies are No. 2 in our rankings after taking two of three conference games from the Panthers earlier in the Big 5 schedule.

They could get another shot at Del Norte if they can take care of business against a St. Bernard’s team that is on a roll right now after winning its first Little 4 conference championship in eight years two weeks ago.

The Crusaders have been building momentum over the last month and have won seven straight games and 10 of their last 11 games, with their only loss in that run coming against Fortuna.

The Hoopa Warriors, meanwhile, are No. 5 in our rankings after placing second to SB in the Little 4.