The Sac-Joaquin Section high school softball playoffs begin Tuesday with 83 teams starting the week hoping to capture a section title.
Six of the seven champions from 2023 return to defend their titles. Being the No. 1 seed does not guarantee a title, only one top-seeded team brought home a crown last spring and that was
Stone Ridge Christian (Merced) in Division 7.
Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills) (No. 3),
Whitney (Rocklin) (No. 2),
Ponderosa (Shingle Springs) (No. 2),
Capital Christian (Sacramento) (No. 3),
Orestimba (Newman) (No. 4), and
Summerville (Tuolumne) (No. 5) did not let their seeding slow them down.
Below is a preview of each division.
After capturing the section title in Division 2 last year, Whitney looks to repeat in Division 1 this season. (Photo: Dorie Anderson)
This is one of three brackets with a pair of returning section champs. Whitney and Oak Ridge, two Sierra Foothill League foes, not only return as the top two seeds, but they are also looking to make it back-to-back titles. The Wildcats moved up to Division 1 after winning the SFL. They took two of three games from the Trojans, decided by five runs. Seniors
Hannah Duncan,
Mya Flindt, and junior
Tylie Kitchen are three of the top players in the section.
The Trojans, no strangers to section titles with 10 overall, returned every starter from 2023, including pitcher
Ellison Schroeder, and added a major arm in freshman
Kennedi Freeland.
The fourth-seed
Gregori (Modesto) features ace
Kailey Estes. The senior has struck out 739 batters during her three-year varsity-level career and boasts a 0.95 ERA.
Seventh-seeded
Sheldon (Sacramento) is a bit of a sleeper in the bracket. Coach Mary Jo Truesdale's squad lost to Whitney recently 2-1 and beat Pleasant Grove earlier in the season.
With Whitney in Division 1, this bracket is wide open for anyone.
Tracy locked up the No. 1 seed after finishing 21-3-1 and ranked No. 7 overall to close out the regular season. The Bulldogs have a young team who can do damage. Freshman
Taylor Sansaver leads the team with a .538 batting average.
No. 2
Bella Vista (Fair Oaks) had an incredible regular season capturing the Capital Valley Conference title. Last year the Broncos missed the playoffs and finished 2-10 overall in conference play. Senior
Alyssa Dethlefson and junior
Hailey Shiflet have been strong at the plate and in the circle.
The Troubadours have solid bats with junior
Claire Krotine, sophomore
Alexis McFarland, and seniors
Francesca Guerrera and
Alexandra Garcia leading the way. Senior
Kiley Shea can bring it in the circle.
Division 3
Division 3 is another bracket with two defending champs in Ponderosa and Capital Christian. The Cougars won the Capital Athletic League and moved up from Division 4. They also will be the No. 1 seed this season as they have one of the most stacked teams in the section, led by arguably the top pitcher in California in sophomore
Ayla Tuua. This team could be considered one of the top teams in the entire state.
Oakdale was awarded the No. 2 seed after tying for a Valley Oak League title with Central Catholic. The Mustangs have a pair of seniors in
Raegen Everett and
Presley Barnes who are two of the top 2024 players in the section.
Pioneer (Woodland) is the No. 3 seed after closing out the regular season with 11-straight wins, which included beating Dixon, Vanden, Vacaville, Central Catholic and St. Francis. Sophomore
Marisa Bryson smashed 11 home runs and leads a strong Patriot lineup.
The Bruins of Ponderosa are the defending Division 3 champions and slip down to the No. 4 seed. Seniors
Brynn Escobar,
Chase Mueller, and
Iris Perez are hoping for another deep run. Yuba City, and a potential early-season rematch with Rosemont, won't be easy games.
Keep an eye on the 8 vs. 9 game between
Christian Brothers (Sacramento) and
Roseville. Both these teams are playing well and the Falcons won 6-5 earlier in the season.
Division 4
Although Capital Christian is in Division 3,
Central Catholic (Modesto, Calif.) fell to Division 4. The Raiders fell to Ponderosa in the Division 3 section title game last year, 1-0. The Raiders can hit against any opponent, as the team has combined to smash 25 home runs. Leading the way with six home runs is freshman
Samantha Nichols.
Like Central Catholic, the No. 1 seed
Dixon fell in a heartbreaker in the section final last season to Capital Christian. The Rams are loaded with solid seniors like
Ashley Garcia,
Audrey Graham,
Felesha LePenske, and
Camryn Elliot, who want nothing more than to go out on top.
Senior ace
Kharime Caratachea of
Ripon is a beast in the circle. The workhorse has pitched in 130 innings so far this season and has 209 strikeouts.
Kimball (Tracy) is a team to keep an eye on due to the tough competition they face in the Valley Oak League and readiness for a playoff run.
Orestimba, the 2023 Division 5 section champs, moved up to Division 4 this season based on enrollment placement.
Division 5
It's pretty easy to see why
Sutter was given the No. 1 seed after finishing 24-0 and ranked No. 4 overall in the section. The Huskies have it all with power hitters like
Alexa Carino and a pitcher like
Olivia Bauer, but they know well not to assume anything. They were upset last season by the four-seed Orestimba in the semifinals.
Sonora is the Mother Lode League champs and finished the season with eight-straight wins. The team can hit the long ball, blasting 34 total. Junior
KodIie Townsend hit 15, and senior
Cheyenne Matyshock added nine.
Calaveras (San Andreas) is the three seed in Division V. They played three tough games against Sonora, winning one and losing the other two 6-4 in both games.
Division 6
Summerville missed the playoffs this season after an incredible run to a section title last season, which included three upsets along the way.
Stone Ridge Christian is the top seed primarily because they beat Le Grand, the two seed, 8-3 in early March.
Cali Cole has struck out 143 batters this season and leads the team with a .574 batting average.
Le Grand finished the season with a 20-2-2 overall record. Their last loss was March 15 to Stone Ridge Christian. Junior
Haiden Priddell has been on fire in 2024, as she is hitting .620 with four home runs.
Bear River (Grass Valley) made a great run to close out the spring, winning some big games over Twelve Bridges and Wheatland to secure a spot in the playoffs and the three seed.
Taryn Cleek is a player to watch on the Bruins.
Division 7
Division 7 is led by CCAAL champs
Big Valley Christian (Modesto). The Lions went out and played a tough preseason schedule against bigger schools. In the end, it paid off closing the season with nine-straight wins and the No. 1 seed.
