Norco and Murrieta Mesa have been among the top softball teams in Southern California this season, and both teams were rewarded with a Top 4 seeding for the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
Norco earned the No. 3 seed after claiming another Big VIII League championship, and the Cougars host Great Oak or Torrance in a Division 1 first-round game May 7. Norco was Division 1 runner-up last season, falling 16-7 to Garden Grove Pacifica in the championship game.
Murrieta Mesa received the No. 4 seed after capturing the Southwestern League championship for a fourth consecutive season. The Rams host Chino Hills or Moorpark in a Division 1 opener May 7.
Orange Lutheran and Pacifica received the No. 1 seed and No. 2 seed, respectively, in Division 1.
Seven other Inland softball teams received a Top 4 seeding in their respective playoff divisions.
Ambassador League champion Aquinas is the No. 3 seed in the Division 3 bracket, and the Falcons will put their perfect record (27-0) on the line when they host Cajon in a first-round game Thursday.
Etiwanda, which shared the Baseline League championship with Chino Hills and Upland, earned the No. 4 seed in Division 3. The Eagles open at home Thursday against Long Beach Poly or Sonora.
Ganesha captured the Division 7 championship last season, and the Giants are in good position to add another title this year. The unbeaten Miramonte League champs are the No. 1 seed in Division 6 and will host San Gorgonio or Nordhoff in a first-round game Thursday.
Tahquitz, the Mountain Pass League runner-up, is the No. 2 seed in Division 6. The Titans will make the long trip to Acton to face Vasquez in a first-round game Thursday.
Three Inland teams are seeded in the first-ever Division 8 bracket.
Mountain Valley League champ Jurupa Valley is the No. 2 seed and hosts Compton Early College in a first-round game Thursday. United Christian Academy, the co-champion of the Arrowhead League, is the No. 3 seed and hosts Santa Ana Valley on Thursday. Mesa Grande Academy, the runner-up in the Tri-County Premier League, is the No. 4 seed and hosts Orange on Thursday.
CIF-SS SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS
(Games scheduled for 3:15 p.m. Dates, sites and times subject to change.)
Division 1
Thursday’s wildcard games
Roosevelt at Huntington Beach
Moorpark at Chino Hills
Torrance at Great Oak
Vista Murrieta at South Hills
First-round games (May 7)
Roosevelt or Huntington Beach at Riverside Poly
Chino Hills or Moorpark at Murrieta Mesa
Torrance or Great Oak at Norco
Division 2
Thursday’s first-round games
Grand Terrace at El Modena
St. Paul at Beaumont
Sunny Hills at Ayala
Temescal Canyon at Temple City
Cypress at Bonita
Yucaipa at Valley View
La Serna at Ramona
Division 3
Tuesday’s wild-card games
Dos Pueblos at King
Upland at Fountain Valley
Thursday’s first-round games
Claremont at West Torrance
Arlington at Northview
Sonora at Long Beach Poly at Etiwanda
Cajon at Aquinas
Division 4
Thursday’s first-round games
North at Oxnard
Northwood at Jurupa Hills
Hillcrest at Downey
Chaminade at Chino
Elsinore at Mira Costa
Hemet at La Quinta
Diamond Bar at Don Lugo
San Dimas at Orange Vista
Division 5
Tuesday’s wild-card games
Kaiser at Apple Valley
Thursday’s first-round games
Artesia at Carter
Palm Desert at Liberty
Linfield Christian at Western Christian
San Jacinto at Paloma Valley
Division 6
Tuesday’s wild-card games
Nordhoff at San Gorgonio
Flintridge Prep at Hamilton
Chaffey at Lancaster
Mountain View at Rancho Verde
Ontario Christian at Bell Gardens
Thursday’s first-round games
San Gorgonio or Nordhoff at Ganesha
Bethel Christian at Harvard-Westlake
Santa Ana Calvary Chapel at Santa Rosa Academy
Pioneer or Westminster La Quinta at Eisenhower
San Jacinto Valley Academy at University Prep
Edgewood at Canyon Springs
Colton at Paramount
Tahquitz at Vasquez
Division 7
Thursday’s first-round games
Oxford Academy at Notre Dame
Lancaster Desert Christian at Miller
Yucca Valley at Loma Linda Academy
Garey at Faith Baptist
San Bernardino at Vista del Lago
Nuview Bridge at Academy of Careers & Exploration
Division 8
Thursday’s first-round games
Redlands Adventist Academy at Cornerstone Christian
California Lutheran at Temecula Prep
Orange at Mesa Grande Academy
Santa Ana Valley at United Christian Academy
Calvary Baptist at Archer
Compton Early College at Jurupa Valley
