High school baseball playoffs: Top Sacramento-area teams in CIF section finals
The high school baseball season enters its final leg with the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section set to crown champions in Divisions I through VII this week at two of the nicest venues in Northern California.
Section finalists in the top three divisions will advance to the CIF Northern California Regional playoff bracket. In the other divisions, only the section champion will advance. There is no state championship finals in this sport.
Here’s a closer look at Sacramento-area teams still in the postseason, and their section championship opponents.
Division I
Section No. 1-ranked St. Mary’s of Stockton will play Franklin of Elk Grove for the blue banner 6 p.m. Friday at Sacramento City College. The baseball finals have annually drawn large, spirited crowds with games ending under the lights.
Franklin is led by star infielders and Sacramento Bee Player of the Year candidates Dylan Minnatee (.488 average) and Jason Harris (13 stolen bases, 37 runs); and pitchers Dylan Wood, Kyle Timmons, Kyle Pott and Tyler Cody. A four-time defending Delta League champion, Franklin (25-7) beat previous Bee No. 1-ranked Rocklin in the best-of-three semifinals by the scores of 7-4 and 4-1 while St. Mary’s swept Davis in the other semifinals, 4-1 and 3-2 to improve its record to 25-7.
Division II
Fifth-seeded Del Oro of Loomis and the Sierra Foothill League plays No. 6 Lodi on Thursday at Islanders Field in Lathrop, a cozy, state-of-the-art, 500-seat venue with lights that opened in 2019.
Del Oro has responded from having to forfeit nine games due to a school clerical error online regarding an ejected assistant coach, enraging the team, which beat Jesuit 10-8 and 10-6 in a semifinal. Del Oro’s 14-18 record is misleading because of those forfeits. Star catcher Masen Belding leads Del Oro with a .363 batting average, and he has eight home runs and 30 RBIs.
Lodi beat Rodriguez of Fairfield by taking two of three games in the semifinal. Lodi, with the fun mascot of the Flames, is 24-8 and is led by senior Landon Beasley. He has a .478 batting average and a 10-0 record on the mound with an 0.91 ERA.
Division III
No. 3 Yuba City takes its 10-game winning streak into Wednesday’s title game at Sac City against a Central Catholic of Modesto team that is 23-10 and is coming off a semifinal win over two-time defending section champion Oakmont.
The storied Honkers are led by senior star Brandon Pelechowicz, who does it all. He is batting .515 with six home runs, 22 stolen bases, 34 RBIs and 39 runs, and he is 9-1 on the mound with a 1.29 ERA. Teammate Ashton Decker is 7-2.
Central Catholic is led by Broden Thomas, who has 33 RBIs; and pitchers Kayden McHenry, Marcus Davenport and Will Magni.
Division IV
Bradshaw Christian seeks a third consecutive section banner and its first at this division.
The top-seeded Pride of Sacramento eliminated Del Campo in a semifinal in two games and will play No. 3 Roseville at 6 p.m. Thursday, bringing with them a 27-3 record and a roster of experienced players, including senior stars Landon Carter, Alex Crosno, Carter Tidwell, Ethan Rickert and David Wiser.
Roseville (20-11) has a five-game winning streak, including a 2-0 semifinal sweep over Oakdale. The Tigers allowed two runs in 16 semifinal innings. The Tigers are led by leading hitter Kyle Pettersen (.364 average) and pitchers Tyler Ritter, Colton Wolfe and Dustin Holcomb.
Division V
The top-seeded Lincoln Zebras play No. 2 Hughson, 6 p.m. Wednesday at Islanders Field.
Lincoln (23-9) is led by senior slugger and Bee Player of the Year candidate Landyn Plaut (.490 average, 15 home runs, 44 RBIs, 39 runs, and a 1.34 ERA on the mound). Zebras senior Rocco Pipia has 16 RBIs and 25 runs, and he has a 1.97 ERA on the mound.
Lincoln beat Woodland in three games to take the semifinal series, while Hughson (27-6) of the Trans Valley League beat Wheatland in the other semifinal. Hughson is led by senior shortstop Beau Blake (.510 average, eight homers, 45 RBI) and pitchers Max Mankins (8-1), Bryce McDaniel 8-1 and Benji Ocegueda (6-1).
Division VI
Top-seeded Bear River of Lake of the Pines/Grass Valley plays defending champion and second-seeded Woodland Christian at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Sac City.
The Bruins (19-7-1) advanced by eliminating Amador in a semifinal, while Woodland Christian beat Colfax to enhance its repeat chances. Bear River is powered by junior ace Kaden Nichols, a Cal Poly commit who has already earned the reputation as the best pitcher in program history for a school that opened in 1986.
The Cardinals of Yolo County take a 25-6 record and an eight-game winning streak into the finals behind leading hitters and pitchers Jordan Villanueva (.511 average, 7-1 on the mound, 1.67 ERA) and Jayden Badhesha (five homers, 41 RBIs, 7-0 on the mound).
▪ In Division VII, top-seeded Turlock plays No. 2 Vacaville Christian at Islanders Park at 6 p.m.
▪ Complete brackets and ticket information are available via the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section website.