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SOFTBALL TOP 25

(Records through May 9)

1. Villa Park (24-4): Shortstop Mikayla Maher’s two hits against Vista Murrieta last week were good signs for the Spartans and their Division 1 showdown with Orange Lutheran on Tuesday.

2. Esperanza (19-11): Sophomore Taylor Shumaker takes her sizzling bat (10 for 12 with seven extra bases hits in recent games) into the Aztecs’ Division 1 clash with visiting Camarillo on Tuesday.

3. Canyon (23-6): The Comanches, who did not get into the Division 3 playoffs, were ranked No. 16 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports last week and expected to remain in the top 20 this week.

4. Pacifica (25-4): The Mariners play host to South Torrance in Division 1 on Tuesday after edging Great Oak 1-0 in 11 innings in the first round.

5. Huntington Beach (21-8): Sophomore ace Zoe Prystajko fired a two-hitter with 15 strikeouts in a 2-1 loss to La Serna in 11 innings in the first round of the Division 1 playoffs.

6. Los Alamitos (21-7): The Griffins play host to Beaumont and sophomore ace Cambria Salmon in the second round of the Division 1 playoffs on Tuesday.

7. Mater Dei (17-10): The Monarchs will graduate two key seniors — Madison Rodriguez and Anika Ewert — but return several starters next season, including pitcher Justice Alcaraz.

8. Orange Lutheran (20-8): Don’t forget about sophomore ace Brianne Weiss (17-4, 0.62 ERA) as a player to watch against Villa Park on Tuesday.

9. Mission Viejo (22-5): The Diablos take on Sonora in the second round of the Division 2 playoffs after edging El Segundo 1-0 on a sacrifice fly last week.

10. La Habra (19-7): The Highlanders play at Millikan in the second round of the Division 2 playoffs on Tuesday.

11. Kennedy (18-10)

12. JSerra (19-10)

13. Whittier Christian (18-9)

14. Marina (10-15)

15. Fountain Valley (21-4-1)

16. Segerstrom (22-1-1)

17. Tesoro (17-11)

18. Newport Harbor (18-6)

19. El Toro (17-9)

20. Capistrano Valley (18-8-1)

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21. San Juan Hills (15-11)

22. Sunny Hills (16-9-2)

23. Sonora (13-11)

24. Beckman (20-7)

25. Aliso Niguel (15-13)

Also considered: Yorba Linda (17-9), Rosary (12-16)

Please send feedback on rankings to Dan Albano at [email protected] or @ocvarsityguy on Twitter