Each week, Daily Herald sports experts Jared Lloyd and Darnell Dickson rank the top five teams in the Utah Valley in baseball, softball, boys soccer, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse and boys volleyball (records as of April 21):

BASEBALL

1. Maple Mountain (14-2)

Golden Eagles on a tear with 11 consecutive victories.

2. Timpanogos (16-6)

T-Wolves have 3-game series with Provo to finish Region 8 play.

3. Salem Hills (12-4)

Seven straight wins for the Skyhawks.

4. American Fork (11-5)

Cavemen swept Pleasant Grove in three games last week.

5. Springville (11-4)

Easton Barrett getting dangerous on the mound for Red Devils.

-Darnell Dickson

SOFTBALL

1. Spanish Fork (17-2)

The Dons have a big showdown at Springville on Thursday likely with the league title on the line.

2. Springville (15-4)

The Red Devils picked up a big non-region win by going on the road and knocking off Riverton.

3. Salem Hills (16-5)

The Skyhawks may not win Region 7 but they will be a dangerous team to face in the playoffs.

4. Pleasant Grove (12-6)

The Vikings are looking to virtually secure the league title and momentum with a big week this week.

5. Lehi (11-4-1)

The Pioneers are lurking near the top of the Region 3 standings with a big rematch at Pleasant Grove on Thursday.

-Jared Lloyd

BOYS SOCCER

1. Lone Peak (8-1)

The Knights are rolling and look to be very tough for anyone to stop.

2. Wasatch (8-0)

The Wasps remain one of the last unbeaten teams in the state.

3. American Fork (8-2)

The Cavemen can be impressive at both ends but certainly haven’t done it as consistently as they want yet.

4. Salem Hills (9-1)

The Skyhawks are keeping pace, staying just one game back in Region 7.

5. Pleasant Grove (7-3)

The Vikings are sneaky-dangerous and can knock off anyone on the right night.

-Jared Lloyd

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

1. Orem (17-2)

Past three wins for Tigers have all been sweeps.

2. Lone Peak (18-4)

Knights posted 4-1 record at Herriman Tournament.

3. Westlake (12-3)

Sophomore Kilika Tafa with 165 kills this season.

4. Maple Mountain (16-2)

Golden Eagles have 18-1 set record in past six victories.

5. Pleasant Grove (17-4)

Vikings will be tested this week with Skyridge and Lone Peak.

-Darnell Dickson

GIRLS LACROSSE

1. Pleasant Grove (9-2)

Vikings have been hot with nine wins in a row.

2. Payson (8-1)

Lions past three victories by a combined score of 43-16.

3. Skyridge (7-3)

Sophomore Tessa Jamison with 33 goals this season.

4. Timpanogos (8-2)

T-Wolves are No. 3 in this week’s 4A RPI.

5. Lone Peak (6-4)

Showdown with PG on Thursday is a big one for Knights.

-Darnell Dickson

BOYS LACROSSE

1. Orem (7-2)

Monday night’s showdown against Payson in Orem was for early control of Region 8.

2.  Skyridge (7-3)

The Falcons weren’t able to stay with Lone Peak, but have to be ready for tough games this week.

3. American Fork (7-4)

The Cavemen kicked off Region 3 action by beating Pleasant Grove, resulting in a jump up the rankings.

4. Spanish Fork (6-3)

The Dons picked up a nice win over Payson while also edging Salem Hills by 1.

5. Payson (6-4)

The non-region loss to Spanish Fork stung a little bit, but the Lions bounced back.

– Jared Lloyd

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