CIF NorCal baseball, softball: Top storylines as regional games begin Tuesday

There will be no shortage of Bay Area teams in this year s California Interscholastic Federation Northern California regional baseball and softball playoffs The CIF NorCal brackets were disclosed on Sunday and De La Salle - headlines the Division I baseball bracket The Spartans have been almost untouchable this season frequently winning games by or more runs Granada the reigning NorCal champs and only Bay Area association to beat De La Salle this season is not in this year s playoffs after suffering a quarterfinal loss to Casa Grande in the NCS quarterfinals The Spartans could face No Valley Christian - - which will trip to face St Mary s of Stockton in the NorCal opening round St Mary s - is one of two teams other than Granada to beat De La Salle this year Valley Christian's Quinten Marsh hits an RBI single against Serra in the third inning of their Central Coast Section Division I final at Excite Ballpark in San Jose Calif on Saturday May Nhat V Meyer Bay Area News Group De La Salle is looking for its third NorCal title in the regional competition s fourth edition The Spartans won the first two Division I tournaments in and and lost to Granada in the semifinals Elsewhere in the Division I bracket No Serra - will host No College Park - in an all-Bay Area battle No Los Gatos - will tour to Elk Grove to face No Franklin - NON-LOCAL TEAMS PULL DOWN TOP TWO SOFTBALL SEEDS St Francis cheers on their batter against Willow Glen in the eighth inning during CCS Open Division softball championship tournament at West Valley College in Saratoga Calif Saturday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group The Bay Area has several pretty good softball teams this year but neither of the two best in Northern California That was the determination of the CIF seeding committee in the Division I bracket St Francis fresh off an extra-inning win over previously undefeated Willow Glen in the CCS Open Division championship was the highest-seeded Bay Area band at No The top seeds are No Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills and No Del Oro of Loomis In fairness to the committee there are valid arguments to be made in defense of those teams being named the two best in NorCal Oak Ridge - is fresh off a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I title where it beat top seed Del Oro - thanks to a three-run rally in the sixth inning The seedings also generally align with MaxPreps California state softball rankings Del Oro - is the No company in the state and Oak Ridge is No St Francis - comes in at No St Francis celebrates winning against Willow Glen during CCS Open Division softball championship championship at West Valley College in Saratoga Calif Saturday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group The margins are slim Del Oro s rating is Oak Ridge s is and St Francis is The Lancers are the only Bay Area Division I squad to get a home match in the first round They will host Rocklin at p m on Tuesday No Willow Glen - will tour to Del Oro for its quarterfinal matchup and could do the Lancers a big favor by knocking off the Golden Eagles No Capuchino - will have a similar undertaking as it travels to face Oak Ridge Willow Glen s Elizabeth Dilbeck hits the ball against St Francis in the fifth inning during CCS Open Division softball championship battle at West Valley College in Saratoga Calif Saturday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group SANTA CLARA GETTING THE RESPECT IT CRAVES We indicated that we didn t belong in D-IV or being the eighth seed I thank all those guys in that room who doubted us Those were the words of Santa Clara pitcher Drew Diffenderfer and coach Pedro Martinez after the Bruins the lowest seed in the field dominated St Francis SCP - to win the CCS Division IV championship Now Santa Clara is right back in Division IV This time the Bruins - were seeded No in NorCal and will get their first home match of the postseason They will host No Oakland Tech - the champions of the Oakland Section Santa Clara s Connor Houle and Santa Clara s John Kepner jump in celebration after scoring against St Francis SCP in the sixth inning during the Division IV CCS championship meeting at Santa Clara University s Stephen Schott Stadium in Santa Clara Calif Friday May Shae Hammond Bay Area News Group Another all-Bay Area matchup in D-IV features No Las Lomas - and No Menlo School - Las Lomas is the NCS Division IV champion while Menlo won the CCS Division V title The match will be played at Acalanes High School Etc No Foothill - - will have an uphill battle right from the get-go in the Division II softball tournament but it won t be the first time The Falcons will passage up Interstate to take on top seed Vanden of Fairfield - in their opening-round matchup but Foothill just won the NCS Division I third-place encounter as the No seed in the bracket Elsewhere in the D-II bracket No Liberty the NCS Division I champion will host Central Catholic of Modesto No King s Academy the CCS Division I champ will journey to Sacramento to face Destiny Christian No St Francis is positioned for back-to-back home games in the D-II baseball bracket hosting No Central Catholic-Modesto Opposite them in the bracket is No Acalanes which could clinch a home contest or a trip to Mountain View with a fruitful trip up to No Chico No Hillsdale gets a free pass to the semifinal round in D-III softball where the Fighting Knights will await the winner of No Foothill-Palo Cedro and No Liberty-Madera No Carondelet will host No Pleasant Valley on the other side of the bracket California baseball earned itself a trip to the Sacramento area in the D-III bracket where the Grizzles will face No Roseville Woodside is in the same boat in D-IV softball taking a trip to Nicolaus to face top seed East Nicolaus If the Wildcats win they could meet No Northgate which hosts No Gridley at p m No San Leandro the runner-up in NCS Division III will host No University-Redding No Oakland will make the short trip to No Miramonte which won its first-ever section championship on Saturday in the D-V softball bracket Liberty starting pitcher Kate Skinner leaps after the final out is made in a - preeminence over Casa Grande in the NCS Division I softball championship at St Mary s College in Moraga Calif Friday May Karl Mondon Bay Area News Group