The first softball and baseball aia365.com rankings powered by maxpreps.com have the preseason favorites perched atop the rankings.

Horizon grabbed a lot of attention locally and nationally last week with its baseball win over the nation’s former No. 1, California Harvard-Westlake, on its way to winning its tournament. But 9-0 Hamilton sits in the No. 1 spot in the power rankings this week, followed by two more state title contenders, Mountain Pointe and Chaparral.

Three of the top 4 spots in the Division II power rankings are occupied by northern schools Mingus, Flagstaff and Bradshaw Mountain. Mingus coach Bob Young said that he hasn’t seen this much talent up north in the 25 years he’s been at his school. But No. 3 Greenway and No. 5 Sahuaro have the best pitching in the state in D-II.

Another annual contender, Yuma Catholic, is ranked No. 1 in Division III. The top two teams in Division IV, Desert Christian and Pusch Ridge Christian, met last week, with Desert Christian winning 8-2.  

In softball, four-time defending Division I champ Red Mountain starts the year where it left off, ranked No. 1 in the state. Sabino is No. 1 in Division II softball.

In Division III, Payson is the No. 1 team, but No. 2 Winslow is this year’s favorite in D-III.

Division IV, Section 6 teams Superior and San Manuel are the first teams to grab the No. 1 and No. 2 power rankings, respectfully, this year.