Prep softball rankings: American Canyon's reign at No. 1 continues; Rancho Cotate joins top 7

With less than a month until the start of the playoffs, we've entered the home stretch of the 2026 prep softball season in the North Bay.

It's been a dominant year so far for American Canyon, which stays atop The Press Democrat's team rankings for another week. The Wolves defeated Napa and finished off the Vine Valley Athletic League sweep of No. 2 Vintage last week to push their winning streak to 10 games. They're also now the top-ranked North Bay team in the MaxPreps North Coast Section rankings, checking in at No. 7 overall.

The Wolves have seven games left in VVAL play and look well on their way to capturing their first league title since 2021.

Vintage is currently alone in second place in the VVAL standings, but need a few miracles to have a chance at the league crown after dropping both of their games to American Canyon. Still, the Crushers have played a brutally tough schedule this season and should be in a line for a good seeding for the NCS playoffs next month.

The same can be said of No. 3 Casa Grande. The Gauchos are coming off a mixed week, beating rival Petaluma but also losing a game to Sonoma Valley for the first time since 2019. It's been a season of ups and downs for the Gauchos, but their tough nonleague schedule will have them battle-tested for the postseason.

Petaluma sticks at No. 4 after falling to Casa in their only action last week. The Trojans currently sit in third place in the VVAL behind American Canyon and Vintage and also own a quality nonleague win over Cardinal Newman, which is quickly rising up the ranks.

That loss will keep the streaking Cardinals at No. 5 this week. After a 2-6 start, Newman has found a spark in recent weeks and has won seven of its last eight, and four in a row, to take control of the top spot in the North Bay League-Oak race.

Hot on their tail is Rancho Cotate, a new addition to the rankings this week at No. 6. The Cougars have also won four in a row and are off to a 3-0 start in the NBL-Oak with quality wins over Maria Carrillo and Analy in the last two weeks. They were set to battle the Cardinals on Tuesday night for the top spot in the league standings.

Analy slides to No. 7 this week after falling to both Cardinal Newman and Rancho Cotate last week. The Tigers are still having a stellar bounce-back year after winning just three games last season and are well-positioned to make the NCS playoffs.

Maria Carrillo won both of its games last week, but the rise of Rancho Cotate means the Pumas will fall out of the top seven for the time being. Carrillo can absolutely get back in the hunt, as the team's next three games are against ranked teams – No. 5 Cardinal Newman on Thursday, No. 6 Rancho Cotate next Tuesday and No. 1 American Canyon next Wednesday.

Also outside of the rankings but certainly of note is the race for the North Central League I title. Once again it is coming down to St. Helena and Cloverdale, which are both 6-0 in league and will face off Friday in their first meeting of the season.

1. American Canyon (12-2)

Last ranking: 1

Since last ranking: 2-0, beat Napa 14-4 and No. 2 Vintage 7-0.

This week: vs. Sonoma Valley (4-7)*, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday; vs. No. 3 Casa Grande (7-10-1)*, 4:30 p.m. Friday.

2. Vintage (7-8)

Last ranking: 2

Since last ranking: 1-1, beat Sonoma Valley 15-4 and lost to No. 1 American Canyon 7-0.

This week: vs. Justin-Siena (7-8)*, 4:30 p.m. Friday

3. Casa Grande (7-10-1)

Last ranking: 3

Since last ranking: 2-1, beat No. 4 Petaluma 9-7, split with Sonoma Valley.

This week: vs. Napa (3-15)*, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday; at No. 1 American Canyon (12-2)*, 4:30 p.m. Friday.

4. Petaluma (9-7-1)

Last ranking: 4

Since last ranking: 0-1, lost to No. 3 Casa Grande 9-7.

This week: at Justin-Siena (7-8)*, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday; at Sonoma Valley (4-7)*, 4:30 p.m. Friday.

5. Cardinal Newman (9-7)

Last ranking: 5

Since last ranking: 1-0, beat Analy 11-6.

This week: Played Tuesday at No. 6 Rancho Cotate (8-8)*; at Maria Carrillo (10-6)*, 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

6. Rancho Cotate (8-8)

Last ranking: Not ranked

Since last ranking: 3-0, beat Windsor 12-10, then-No. 6 Analy 9-7 and Novato 10-5.

This week: Played Tuesday vs. No. 5 Cardinal Newman (9-7)*; at Redwood (10-5), 4 p.m. Thursday.

7. Analy (8-6)

Last ranking: 6

Since last ranking: 0-2, lost to No. 5 Cardinal Newman 11-6 and then-unranked Rancho Cotate 9-7.

This week: at Windsor (4-10)*, 4:30 p.m. Thursday.

Dropped out

No. 7 Maria Carrillo (10-6)

On the bubble

Cloverdale (11-2), Maria Carrillo (10-6), Montgomery (9-9), Piner (10-7), Ukiah (8-7)

* – league game.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.