Get ready for toughest 32-team Division 1 baseball playoff bracket in history
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On May 12, the Southern Section will release its baseball playoff pairings. The 32 teams selected for Division 1 will get to say they were part of the toughest bracket ever.
This is the first season the Southern Section is using power rankings to place baseball teams in divisions based on current performance. Previously teams were put into divisions before the season based on their records of the past two years.
That means the best of the best will have to win five straight games to be the champion by beating top pitcher after top pitcher while playing no weak opponents.
Corona is the favorite with a 25-2 record and the best pitcher perhaps in the nation in Seth Hernandez, who never has been tagged with a loss in two years of high school baseball. The team has recorded 14 shutouts and hit 38 home runs. Just don’t bet the house on the Panthers winning it all when there’s no three-game, five-game or seven-game series to crown the champion. It’s a series of one-game matchups, and one great pitching performance against Corona could mean defeat.
That’s what happened two weeks ago when Cooper Berger of Corona Santiago helped his team defeat Corona 1-0.
So who are the likely contenders with two weeks left in the regular season?
The biggest surprise is St. John Bosco (20-4), which has clinched its first Trinity League title since 2017. The Braves have the most important impact transfers in twins James and Miles Clark, who came from Servite to start at shortstop and center field, respectively, and have changed everything as juniors. James, a Princeton commit, is batting .377 and keyed a three-game sweep of Orange Lutheran.
“We just couldn’t get him out,” Orange Lutheran coach RJ Farrell said.
Their athleticism, talent and ability to perform well in pressure situations have helped the Braves win close game after close game. St. John Bosco relies on strong pitching, good defense and clutch hitting.
Crespi (18-2) is playing Harvard-Westlake this week to decide the Mission League championship. Jackson Eisenhauer has allowed no earned runs in 52 innings. His development after pitching just 11 innings last season is extraordinary.
Second basmean Nate Lopez and shortstop Diego Velazquez, a USC commit, both are hitting better than .400. Catcher Landon Hodge is terrific defensively and first baseman Josh Stonehouse has supplied surprising power. Harvard-Westlake, last year’s Division 1 runner-up, is still dangerous with sophomore pitcher Justin Kirchner (7-0) and junior center fielder James Tronstein.
Huntington Beach is loaded with talent and experience, having lost to Corona in last year’s semifinals. The Grindlinger brothers, Trent and Jared, combined with Trevor Goldenetz, Ethan Porter and CJ Weinstein make the Oilers a formidable opponent. The key will be coach Benji Medure figuring out which of his many pitchers can deliver victory.
The Crestview League has been so evenly matched that no one knows who’s really the best team, which means that if you draw Cypress, El Dorado, Villa Park or Foothill in the early rounds, beware. Each has a top pitcher to deliver defeat.
The Inland Empire has strong teams besides Corona. Summit entered this week with an 18-game winning streak. Aquinas quietly is beating everyone with a 21-2 record and ready to earn respect. Norco has won 11 of its last 12 games and has top freshman pitcher Jordan Ayala.
La Mirada and Mira Costa are talented teams capable of making playoff runs. Orange Lutheran is in second place in the Trinity League and ready to unleash its one-two pitching duo of Colt Peterson and Gary Morse. Arcadia, at 23-2, is looking forward to the opportunity to take on the big boys.
There’s no place in the nation that will put together a better 32-team playoff bracket than the Southern Section. The seedings won’t really matter. Every game will be difficult. Calling a game an upset really won’t be accurate unless you can topple Corona.
So let the excitement build toward May 12 and the unveiling of the 32-team bracket, the best and toughest ever.
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