Softball playoff notes: Brackets released Friday, Raiders hope to claim title
The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section on Friday released the 2025 softball playoff brackets. Divisions I through V have 16-team brackets with no play-in games. Divisions III-VI are 16-team brackets and Division VII has 10 playoff qualifiers. Division VI has a 15-team bracket where the No. 1 seed, Argonaut, has a first round bye. It will play the winner of the No. 9 at No. 8 game on May 16. Division VII is an eight-team bracket with the quarterfinals starting Tuesday, May 13.
In total, 13 Stanislaus District teams made the post season and one, Central Catholic in Division III, was awarded a No. 1 seed.
Here is how the playoff seeding committee seeded the teams:
Division I
No. 16 Turlock at No. 1 Del Oro
No. 9 Davis Sr. at No. 8 Mountain House
No. 12 McClatchy at No. 5 Sheldon
No. 13 Lincoln-Stockton at No. 4 Pleasant Grove
No. 14 Gregori at No. 3 Tracy
No. 11 Enochs at No. 6 Franklin
No. 10 Monterey Trail at No. 7 Folsom
No. 15 Stagg at No. 2 Oak Ridge
Division II
No. 16 Golden Valley at No. 1 Rocklin
No. 9 Laguna Creek at No. 8 Inderkum
No. 12 Bella Vista at No. 5 Elk Grove
No. 13 Tokay at No. 4 Vacaville
No. 14 Rodriguez at No. 3 Woodcreek
No. 11 Atwater at No. 6 Lodi
No. 10 Kimball at No. 7 Granite Bay
No. 15 Cosumnes Oaks at No. 2 Whitney
Division III
No. 16 Johnson at No. 1 Central Catholic
No. 9 Dixon at No. 8 Vista del Lago
No. 12 Bear Creek at No. 5 Oakdale
No. 13 Armijo at No. 4 Manteca
No. 14 Antelope at No. 3 Ponderosa
No. 11 Patterson at No. 6 Merced
No. 10 West Park at No. 7 Roseville
No. 15 Christian Brothers at No. 2 Vanden
Division IV
No. 16 Nevada Union at No. 1 Destiny Christian
No. 9 Rio Linda at No. 8 River Valley
No. 12 Oakmont at No. 5 Placer
No. 13 Los Banos at No. 4 Ceres
No. 14 Lathrop at No. 3 Yuba City
No. 11 Wood at No. 6 East Union
No. 10 Twelve Bridges at No. 7 Beyer at Johansen High
No. 15 Del Campo at No. 2 Pioneer
Division V
No. 16 Union Mine at No. 1 Casa Roble
No. 9 Ben Holt College Prep at No. 8 Hughson
No. 12 Sutter at No. 5 Wheatland
No. 13 West Campus at No. 4 Liberty Ranch
No. 14 Venture Academy at No. 3 Livingston
No. 11 Woodland Christian at No. 6 Ripon
No. 10 Orestimba at No. 7 Calaveras
No. 15 Lindhurst at No. 2 Linden
Division VI
BYE: No. 1 Argonaut
No. 9 Bret Harte at No. 8 Bear River
No. 12 Summerville at No. 5 Hilmar
No. 13 Colfax at No. 4 Amador
No. 14 Golden Sierra at No. 3 Buckingham Charter
No. 11 Stone Ridge Christian at No. 6 Big Valley Christian
No. 10 Mariposa County at No. 7 Millennium
No. 15 Bradshaw Christian at No. 2 Le Grand
Division VII
Quarterfinals: Tuesday, May 13
No. 8 Esparto at No. 1 Foresthill
No. 4 Leroy Greene at No. 5 Valley Christian
No. 6 Vacaville Christian at No. 3 Delta Charter
No. 7 Elliot Christian at No. 2 Denair
Big Valley optimistic headed into postseason
Despite a loss on the final day of the regular season to MLL top seed Linden, Big Valley Christian’s spirits are high as they look to win back-to-back softball section titles. The Lions were dominant in D-VII last season and this year are a No. 6 seed in the D-VI playoffs. Their first round matchup is against former CCAA rival, No. 11 Stone Ridge Christian. Their last postseason matchup was a 10-0 Knights win in the 2023 Division VII title game.
The Lions this year will enter the playoffs without their top offensive weapon, Fordham signee Morgan Merzon, who suffered a strained MCL in a league game against Calaveras. Despite the loss, Kailey Rivera, Cecily Fontana, Brynn MacWilliams and Madyx Mitchell are just a few of the players with multiple years of playoff and championship game experience. Each brings their own specialty, Rivera has a .422 batting average, Fontana has five home runs, Mitchell has pitched in every game and MacWilliams has eight stolen bases.
“I think we have every capability to be successful because this team doesn’t give up,” Fontana said after the regular season finale. “We’re scrappy. And I like it and it’s really fun.”
Drama atop WAC standings
Three teams finished tied for the top seed in the Western Athletic Conference after a dramatic final two weeks of the regular season. Ceres, Beyer and Livingston each finished with 12-2 records. To make things more confusing, they all beat each other. While having the teams play games to determine seeding was an option per the WAC bylaws, according to a WAC coach, it was not played because it was assumed all three teams would be in different leagues, Ceres in D-III, Beyer in D-IV and Livingston in D-V.
When the brackets were released Friday afternoon, Ceres was granted the No. 4 seed in Division IV and Beyer was the No. 7 seed in the division, both earning home games. Livingston also was awarded a home game in Division V, earning the No. 3 seed. Here are the WAC team matchups:
Division IV
No. 13 Los Banos at No. 4 Ceres
No. 10 Twelve Bridges at No. 7 Beyer at Johansen
Division V
No. 14 Venture Academy at No. 3 Livingston
Central Catholic is undefeated VOL champ with high hopes
It’s the time of the year Central Catholic has been waiting for. While they didn’t overlook any of their regular season opponents, Raiders seniors are eager to play in the postseason after suffering disappointment. They have made it to the section title game in either Division III or IV each of the last three seasons, playing Vista del Lago in 2022, Ponderosa in 2023 and Dixon in 2024, suffering losses each time.
This season, they went 23-5 overall, their fourth straight 20-win season, and went unbeaten in Valley Oak League play, their second unbeaten league title in three seasons. They are the No. 1 ranked team in Division III.
“I’m ready and focused for sections,” senior Jazmarie Roberts said after a league title-clinching win over Manteca. “I really want to take it home this time. We have a really good group this year, we have to stay focused, lock in and do our jobs.”
Their offense is prolific, led by Roberts, whose 52 RBI are seventh in California and Samantha Nichols, who has 45 runs, 25th in the state. Roberts, Nichols and Madie Harrison are all in the top 15 in the section in home runs and Taryn Calderon has 43 runs scored, fifth in the section.
They kick off the postseason against No. 16 Johnson. Their biggest obstacle the past few playoff runs has been finishing games, something head coach Sam Nichols has stressed on the team to improve all season.
Undefeated CCAL champion Enochs travels for first round
Enochs finished the regular season 21-4 overall and went a perfect 15-0 against Central California Athletic League opponents but will have to upset their way through the playoffs. The Eagles received the CCAL’s best seed in the D-I bracket, slotted at No. 11 with a first-round road matchup against No. 6 Franklin of Elk Grove. The Wildcats are 16-11-1 overall and finished fourth in the Delta League with a 6-6 record. Gergori earned a No. 14-seed and Turlock is a No. 16.
While Enochs has only hit three home runs as a team this season, the Eagles have had no problem getting runners on and scoring runs. Lillian Camarena is sixth of all Sac-Joaquin Section Division I players with a .533 batting average and teammates Soraya Mendoza (.513) and Camila Ramirez Quintana (.506) are both in the top 15 among SJS D-I players.
Pitcher Kaylee Ruiz is 22nd in the state and sixth in the section with 16 wins and Quintana and Makayla Alailima are seventh and eighth, respectively in the section in runs scored in (42).
There could be an all-CCAL May 16 quarterfinal that the Eagles would host. For that to happen, Enochs has to beat Franklin and No. 14 Gregori would have to upset No. 3 Tracy, a team that has just two losses on the season and enters the postseason on a 19-game win streak.
VOL sends six of seven teams to postseason
The Valley Oak League proved once again that it was one of the section’s deepest softball leagues, sending six of its seven teams to the 2025 postseason. In addition to 2024 D-III champion Oakdale returning to defend its title as a five-seed, the top D-III team is the VOL champion, Central Catholic, and No. 4 Manteca and No. 11 Patterson join from the league in the Division III playoffs.
In Division I, Mountain House is an eight-seed and in Division IV, East Union earns a first-round home game as a six-seed.
This story was originally published May 12, 2025 at 1:08 PM.
