Softball playoff notes: Fans could get Central Catholic vs Oakdale round 3
Softball fans could see another Central Catholic-Oakdale rivalry matchup later in the postseason.
Their third meeting would have bigger implications than just bragging rights or a league championship, as a trip to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship would be on the line.
When the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section released its playoff brackets Friday afternoon, it revealed the Raiders as the No. 2 seed in the Division and the Mustangs as the No. 3 team. If the seeds hold, they will meet in the semifinals on Tuesday, May 19, at 4 p.m.
All rounds of the playoffs except the championships will be at host sites where the higher seed is the home team.
Central Catholic won both matchups this season, claiming a 2-1 win in Oakdale and a 14-2 win at home.
They have met in the postseason twice in the last four years, matching up in the Division III semifinals in 2022 and 2023, with the Raiders winning both games.
Of course, neither team is looking too far into the future.
Central Catholic hosts No. 15 Lathrop in the first round Wednesday. If the Raiders win, they face the winner of No. 10 Lindhurst at No. 7 Roseville in the quarterfinals. The Mustangs host No. 14 Placer and, with a first-round victory, the winner of No. 6 Del Campo and No. 11 Los Banos.
Both have had recent postseason success. The Raiders have played for blue banners in each of the last four seasons, finishing as the runner-up each time. The Mustangs were last in a section title game in 2024, when they beat Destiny Christian Academy, 3-2 in eight innings, to claim the Division III title.
CCAL race heated up
Once again, the race to the top of the Central California Athletic League down the stretch was among the best in the Stanislaus District. Enochs took the league title for the second straight season but could not afford to lose a game because Gregori, Turlock and Pitman were lurking.
The Jaguars and Pride matched up for a late-season contest with league standings implications. The Jaguars needed a win to lock up the No. 2 spot. The Jaguars won the game in five innings on senior day. The 11-1 victory essentially guaranteed Gregori a playoff spot. Senior Audrey Pacheco tallied two hits, a double and four RBI.
When it was all said and done, Enochs, Gregori and Turlock earned the league’s three automatic playoff bids, all in the Division I bracket.
Enochs is No. 11 and Gregori is a 12 seed. Turlock was given a 15 seed, meaning the Bulldogs hosted Edison of Stockton in a play-in game Monday. The winner of that travels to No. 2 Sheldon on Wednesday.
Here are their first-round matchups:
Monday play-in: No. 18 Edison-Stockton at No. 15 Turlock
No. 11 Enochs at No. 6 Franklin
No. 12 Gregori at No. 5 Inderkum
Turlock/Edison at No. 2 Sheldon
First-round home games
Of the 16 Stanislaus District softball teams in the 2026 postseason, nine earned first-round home games. No division will have more teams open their playoff journeys locally than the Division V bracket. Top-seed Hughson, No. 6 Ripon, No. 7 Escalon and No. 8 Orestimba all host Wednesday at 4 p.m. In Division IV, Central Catholic, the No. 2 seed, will maintain home-field advantage through the first three rounds.
Here are Wednesday’s home games:
Division III
No. 9 Vista del Lago at No. 8 Ceres
Division IV
No. 14 Placer at No. 3 Oakdale
No. 15 Lathrop at No. 2 Central Catholic
Division V
Mesa Verde/West Campus at No. 1 Hughson
No. 9 Union Mine at No. 8 Orestimba
No. 11 Lincoln at No. 6 Ripon
No. 10 Woodland at No. 7 Escalon
Division VI
No. 12 Mariposa County at No. 5 Hilmar
Division VII
No. 12 Aspire Langston Hughes Academy at No. 5 Denair
Both Ceres schools will host
Softball fans in Ceres have a lot to look forward to this week as both of their teams host playoff games. Central Valley will play in the Division I bracket and Ceres in D-III.
The teams matched up twice this season. The first matchup was a 3-2 Central Valley win that kept the Hawks in first place in the league standings. They also finished the regular season with a matchup on May 6, a 9-8 win for Ceres in nine innings that helped the Bulldogs wrap up a 13-1 Western Athletic Conference campaign and a league championship.
Central Valley hosted a Division I play-in game Monday. The second-place finisher in the WAC was awarded the 16 seed in D-I and hosts No. 17 Tokay, the champion of the San Joaquin Athletic Association. The winner of that game advances into bracket play and will travel to top-seed Whitney on Wednesday.
Ceres gets at least one playoff home game as the WAC champion Bulldogs are the No. 8 team in D-III. They host No. 9 Vista del Lago. Wednesday’s winner advances to the quarterfinals, where it likely will play nationally ranked Destiny Christian Academy, the No. 1 team in the division.
Hughson is a No. 1 seed, led by 200-K pitcher
Not only did Hughson claim its first Trans-Valley League championship since 2015, the Huskies also finished league play 12-0, earned the No. 1 seed in Division V and finished the regular season nearing a season-best wins total.
The 2015 season was magical for the Huskies. Not only was it their last league title, it was their last undefeated league season, their last section title and the last time before this season they won more than 15 games. They finished the 2026 regular season an impressive 19-3 overall, just three wins from tying their 22-win mark.
Junior pitcher Kylie Tangney has had a breakout season. She hit the 200 strikeout mark in one of the Huskies final league wins and entering the postseason sits at 15th in California and fourth in the Sac-Joaquin Section (211). Her 1.02 earned run average is seventh in the section, her 14 wins is 10th and she is one of just a handful of players in the section with a no hitter. She also gets it done at the plate, posting a .426 batting average with 20 hits.
