CIF baseball playoffs set to start Monday
Heading into the CIF-San Diego Section Divisional baseball playoff games, the Desert League champion Calexico Bulldogs and the Imperial Valley League champion Southwest Eagles both have drawn home games.
The official start of the CIF baseball playoffs is on Tuesday, but the IVL champion Eagles will host a play-in game on Monday as they were seeded outside the 12 power-ranked Division II playoff teams.
Southwest (13-15, 7-1 IVL) will host the 12-seeded Coronado High Islanders (14-15), who finished third in the CIF’s Eastern League with a 5-7 league mark.
Southeastern Conference CIF baseball representative Pedro Carranza, who represented the Valley at the CIF’s Zoom conference, reported that the Eagles are in a confusing and rather tongue-twisting scenario.
“Because they were league champions, Southwest was automatically in the playoffs and it was no surprise they have to play their way in on Monday,” Carranza said. “Tuesday begins the ‘play-in round’ for teams seeded fifth to 12th so they are playing a play-in game to get to the divisional play-in round.”
Coach Matt Redden’s Eagles are facing a week where they potentially have games Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, in what becomes a double-elimination tournament for all teams after Tuesday’s one-and-done, win-or-out games.
Speaking as the Southeastern Conference rep, Carranza said the seeding went pretty much according to what he had projected, but speaking as Brawley’s coach, Carranza said his team proved the only surprise of the day.
“We were mathematically power-ranked tied for sixth with Mission
Vista High and we got bumped to seventh based on winning percentage with common opponents,” Carranza said “So we went from the sixth seed playing a home game against El Camino High (Oceanside) to an away game at Maranatha Christian in San Diego.”
For Carranza, whose teams have made the playoffs 20 times in his 23year tenure with Brawley, the switch in venue is significant even though this will be the two teams’ third meeting this season.
“We know each other pretty well, and it’s the playoffs. Whoever keeps the heart rate down will be successful. ... If they would have come to Brawley, they would have needed to keep their body temperature down, too,” Carranza said. “Overall, we’re excited to be in the playoffs again. It’s nice not knowing when our season will end.”
Tuesday, Desert League champion Calexico Bulldogs of Coach Ricky Guzman will open the playoffs with a playin round game at Belcher Field.
The Bulldogs (20-7, 9-0 DL) are seeded seventh in Division IV. They will be riding a 13-game winning streak when they host Chula Vista’s High Tech High Bruins (16-7).
Both teams are league champions, but the Bruins, who were 6-0 in Summit League play, are seeded lower at 10th.
Another Valley baseball team with a home game on Tuesday are the Division V Calipatria Hornets of Coach CJ Perez. The Hornets (11-8, 6-3 DL) are seeded sixth. They’ll host the Hoover High Cardinals (10-18, 9-3 CL) of San Diego. The Cardinals finished second in the Central League.
All games are tentatively scheduled for 3:30 p.m.; however, with lights the times may be adjusted by mutual consent. Check with the schools to verify game times.