The Sac-Joaquin Section released its postseason brackets for all seven divisions of softball on Friday.
The top-seeded team of all local schools comes as no surprise in the Hughson High program, who capped off an undefeated Trans-Valley League campaign on Tuesday.
Also slated to have home games next week are last year’s championship runner-up Denair and TVL program Hilmar. Turlock, after finishing third in the Central California Athletic League, will also host a play-in game for its bracket.
DIVISION I PLAY-IN: No. 15 Turlock vs. No. 18 Edison (Stockton)
The postseason officially gets underway at 4 p.m. Monday with play-in games across multiple brackets, including in Division I where Turlock will play host to Edison of Stockton.
The Bulldogs went 13-11 in the regular season, including 11-4 against conference opponents in the CCAL, which earned them the third and final automatic berth to the postseason. The Vikings also claimed third in the San Joaquin Athletic Association with an 11-3 record. The program was 17-9 overall in the regular season.
The winner will advance to play No. 2 Sheldon of Sacramento in the first round on Wednesday. The Huskies sport a 16-9 record and were 8-4 in conference play to finish runner-up in the ultra-competitive Delta League.
DIVISION V: No. 1 Hughson vs. PLAY-IN WINNER
As expected after finishing the regular season with an 18-3 overall record and 12-0 in the TVL, plus being ranked by MaxPreps as the top team in Division V, Hughson has been named the No. 1 seed in the bracket.
The Huskies will have to wait till Monday to know their first round opponent. It will either be No. 16 Mesa Verde of Citrus Heights or No. 17 West Campus of Sacramento.
Regardless of who they play, Wednesday’s playoff opener is set for a 4 p.m. first pitch at the Hughson High softball facility.
DIVISION VI: No. 5 Hilmar vs. No. 12 Mariposa
A 5-7 record in the TVL did not tell the whole story of Hilmar’s season. The Yellowjackets went 16-9 overall with wins against strong non-conference opponents such as Denair (11-0), Central Valley (11-1) and Carmel (6-4). The efforts earned a fifth seed and a home game in the Division VI.
The Lady ‘Jackets are set to host Mariposa on Wednesday. The Grizzlies achieved a 12-13 overall record and went 8-4 in the Southern Athletic League.
The winner will advance to play either No. 4 Bradshaw Christian or No. 13 Riverbank on Friday.
DIVISION VII: No. 5 Denair vs. No. 12 Aspire Langston Hughes Academy (Stockton)
A year after falling just short in the Division VII championship game, Denair is back near the top of its bracket.
The No. 5 Coyotes went 11-11 in the regular season and 6-6 in the Southern Athletic League, finishing fourth in a conference that proved competitive.
Waiting in the wings is Aspire Langston Hughes Academy of Stockton, seeded No. 12 after a 1-8 regular season and 1-7 finish in the Central California Athletic Alliance.
The winner will face either No. 4 Leroy Greene Academy (Sacramento) or No. 13 Humphrey Able Charter Legacy (Stockton) on Friday.