Baseball: Not a good week to be No. 1

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It was the week in which being No. 1 was a jinx. Simi Valley Royal, ranked No. 1 in Southern Section Division I, and Encino Crespi, ranked No. 1 in Division II, both lost on Friday, so Lakewood and Glendora, respectively, could be the new No. 1 teams this week.

There were some interesting developments in Division I. Mission Viejo (16-3, 6-1) is starting to show signs of being a title contender after sweeping Capistrano Valley in a two-game South Coast League series. The Diablos don’t have a standout pitcher, but they can hit, led by junior infielders Ryan Raslowsky (.421) and Ryan Muno (.439).

The hottest team in Division II is West Hills Chaminade (15-3), which has won 11 consecutive games and taken over first place in the tough Mission League. The Eagles, however, had better not start celebrating quite yet. They have a season-ending two-game series against Alemany next month that should decide the league title. Alemany (15-5) is the team that beat Crespi and showcased two impressive sophomore pitchers in Cody Thompson and Ryan Paramo.

And here’s big news for coaches planning their playoff schedules: The opening round games in Division 1, 3, 5 and 7 will be played on a Thursday. That’s great news for teams that rely on one dominant pitcher, such as Huntington Beach Edison and Santa Ana Mater Dei. Both schools could use Henry Owens and Cory Hahn on a Thursday, have them come back on Tuesday to pitch and only need to have someone win a quarterfinal game the following Friday.

UPDATE: Chaminade won its 11th consecutive game on Saturday, rallying for an 11-8 win over Ventura.

-- Eric Sondheimer