The article below originally appeared in the San Mateo Daily Journal and is being reprinted with permission.

Everyone is looking up at the College of San Mateo softball team.

And with the way the Bulldogs are playing ball, they’re disappearing in the distance.

The College of San Mateo’s women’s softball team has moved up to No. 1 spot among the state’s 85 teams in the current poll of the California Community College Fastpitch Coaches Association. The Bulldogs (25-1) are also a unanimous selection as the top team in Northern California.

CSM was No. 2 in the previous state poll but traded positions with Orange County-based Cypress (12-3), followed by Riverside (11-1), College of the Sequoias (16-2) and Mt. San Antonio (11-3). San Mateo gave No. 4 Sequoias its first loss, defeated No. 8 Fresno and shutout defending state champion College of the Siskiyous twice.

CSM sophomore pitcher Michele Pilster (Capuchino High) leads the state in wins (19-1) and is the only pitcher with more than 100 strikeouts (115).

San Mateo has the state’s best won-loss record and is the only 20-win team.

CSM has won 15 games in a row — the longest modern day streak for the Bulldogs.

That streak continued Tuesday with another mercy-rule win — this team against De Anza College.

Pilster gave up one hit while the Bulldogs pounded out 10 in a 9-0 win.

Jamie Navarro collected three hits and two RBIs and so did Kaylin Stewart. Talisa Fiame had a pair of knocks. Navarro leads the conference in RBIs with 31.

Last week, San Mateo won five games, defeating Coast North foe Mission, 14-1, then taking non-league twin bills from Yuba (22-0 and 4-0), and from Feather River (10-1 and 10-2).

Stewart (Hillsdale) slugged home runs in both Feather River games and had four RBIs. Fiame (Terra Nova) also had a home run — plus three RBIs and three hits — and scored three runs.

After a 2-7 start to the season, the College of San Mateo baseball team is a winner of six straight and is off to a 2-0 start in conference play.

They’re fresh off an 11-1 win over West Valley.

Down in the Pacific division, Cañada has lost four of its last five, but did beat Gavilan College for their first conference win.

And Skyline College is struggling at 4-11. But the Trojans are winners of two straight.