Sacramento-area teams win high seeds in NorCal softball and baseball playoffs
The final week of the high school sports season for Sacramento-area teams is this week with the CIF Northern California baseball and softball playoffs. All other sports for this academic year are over.
Baseball and softball regional openers are Tuesday with the semifinals on Thursday and the championships on Saturday, all at home sites and all with a 4 p.m. first pitch. There is not a CIF state championship in these sports, not with graduations and senior trips consuming so many teenage lives.
The softball bracket in the Division I is especially stacked, including four Sierra Foothill League rivals packed into the field in the CIF’s “competitive-equity” format, meaning that enrollments do not matter as much as strength of program and schedule.
Three-time defending Sac-Joaquin Section large-school champion Oak Ridge of El Dorado Hills is the top seed in D-I with Del Oro of Loomis seeded second. Del Oro for several weeks was the top-ranked softball team in the state by Cal-Hi Sports before Oak Ridge toppled the Golden Eagles in the section finals.
Whitney is the No. 4 seed in the bracket and Rocklin is the sixth seed. Whitney beat its cross-town Placer County rival Rocklin for the section D-II championship.
Oak Ridge is the only local program to play for a NorCal D-I championship since the CIF introduced regional play in 2022, falling to Amador Valley of Pleasanton in the finals last season by a wild 13-11 score.
In D-II softball, Destiny Christian Academy of Sacramento is the No. 3 seed, though Lions coaches said they pleaded with the CIF to be moved up to D-I after rolling to a D-IV section championship. Formerly known as Capital Christian, DCA seeks a NorCal championship three-peat, having won it in D-IV in 2023 and in D-II last season.
DCA, riding a 12-game winning steak, has a 1-0 nonleague win over Rocklin, a 3-1 setback to Del Oro and a forfeit win over Oak Ridge when the Trojans pulled out of a late-season contest to rest for the playoffs.
East Nicolaus of the Northern Section is the top seed in D-IV, having just won the program’s 16th section championship.
Foresthill of Placer County is the No. 2 seed in D-V.
Here are the top baseball seeds
Three Sacramento-area baseball teams earned top seeds with Bee No. 1-ranked Franklin of Elk Grove the No. 2 seed in D-I behind De La Salle of Concord, the two-time defending NorCal champion.
Franklin beat St. Mary’s of Stockton for the section D-I crown. St. Mary’s is the No. 4 seed, and section D-II champion Del Oro is the No. 8 seed and will open Tuesday at De La Salle.
Yuba City is the top seed in D-II, Roseville is the No. 1 seed in D-III and defending NorCal champion Woodland Christian is the top seed in D-IV. All of those programs won section crowns at Sacramento City College.
CIF Northern California Regional Tournament
Baseball
Listed by seed
Tuesday home openers
No. 8 Del Oro at No. 1 De La Salle
No. 5 Valley Christian-San Jose at No. 4 St. Mary’s-Stockton
No. 6 College Park at Serra
No. 7 Los Gatos at No. 2 Franklin
Division II
No. 8 Hollister at No. 1 Yuba City
No. 5 Lodi at No. 4 Casa Grande
No. 6 Acalanes at No. 3 Chico
No. 7 Central Catholic at No. 2 Saint Francis
Division III
No. 8 California at No. 1 Roseville
No. 5 Lincoln Zebras at No. 4 Fowler
No. 7 Kingsburg at No. 3 Rancho Cotate
No. 7 Morro Bay at No. 2 Carmel
Division IV
No. 8 Durham at No. 1 Woodland Christian
No. 5 Menlo School at No. 4 Las Lomas
No. 6 Oakland Tech at No. 3 Santa Clara
No. 7 Arcata at No. 2 West Valley
Division V
No. 8 Maxwell at No. 1 Etna
No. 5 Swett at No. 4 Los Molinos
No. 6 Lincoln-SF at No. 3 Vacaville Christian
No. 7 Torres at No. 2 Stevenson
Softball
Listed by seed
Tuesday home openers
Division I
No. 8 Capuchino at No. 1 Oak Ridge
No. 5 Clovis North at No. 4 Whitney
No. 6 Rocklin at No. 3 Saint Francis
No. 7 Willow Glen at No. 2 Del Oro
Division II
No. 8 Foothill at No. 1 Vanden
No. 5 Central Catholic at No. 4 Liberty
No. 6 King’s Academy at No. 3 Destiny Christian Academy
No. 7 Casa Grande at No. 2 Salinas
Division III
No. 5 Liberty at No. 4 Foothill
No. 6 Pleasant Valley at No. 3 Carondelet
No. 7 Calaveras at No. 2 Cardinal Newman
Bye: No. 1 Hillsdale
Division IV
No. 8 Woodside at No. 1 East Nicolaus
No. 5 Gridley at No. 4 Northgate
No. 6 University Prep at No. 3 San Leandro
No. 7 Aptos at No. 2 Argonaut
Division V
No. 8 Willits at No. 1 Biggs
No. 5 Oakland at No. 4 Miramonte
No. 6 Torres at No. 3 King City
No. 7 Balboa at No. 2 Foresthill
▪ For complete brackets, tickets and an online program, visit the CIF state site here.
This story was originally published June 1, 2025 at 6:15 PM.