The Central Coast Section softball playoffs begin this weekend for four local qualifiers hoping to go on a section title run to cap off their season.
Aptos, Scotts Valley and Watsonville will begin their quest for a championship starting on the road, while San Lorenzo Valley is the lone school in the county to host a game.
Below is a breakdown of each CCS quarterfinals matchup.
Division I
No. 6 Watsonville vs. No. 3 Monterey at Jack’s Park in Monterey, Saturday at 11am
Watsonville had one of the best turnaround seasons in the program’s history that resulted in a Pacific Coast Athletic League Mission Division crown.
The Wildcatz (15-4, 11-1) were awarded the No. 6 seed in the Division I playoffs. They’ll play defending CCS D-II champion Monterey (19-7, 12-2).
The No. 3 Toreadores—runner-up in the PCAL Gabilan Division standings—have big-time hitters in sophomore Denae Lee and junior Ella Myers.
Lee is batting a .446 average (37-of-83) with two home runs, 18 doubles, 19 RBIs and 26 runs scored, according to statistics on the MaxPreps website.
Myers has 31 hits, including five home runs and 13 doubles. She also has a team-best 27 RBIs and is second on the team with 21 runs scored.
In the pitcher’s circle for Monterey is Myers, who recorded 164 strikeouts and a 1.60 ERA in 118 innings pitched. She finished with a 15-4 overall record in 20 appearances.
The ‘Catz will rely on sophomore pitcher Amelia Martinez to lead them on Saturday morning. She recorded a team-best 132 strikeouts and a 1.37 ERA in 97 innings pitched, finishing with a 13-1 overall record in 2024.
Watsonville’s offense is slowly starting to heat up at the right time, especially senior infielder Julia Maldonado. She is currently batting a .426 average (23-of-54) with 10 doubles, 24 RBIs and 20 runs scored.
Other key Watsonville players to watch for are Esperanza Sigala, Jillian Lerma, Martinez, Audrina Gonzalez, Ashley Jimenez, Cameron Llamas, Mia Espinoza and Kiana Perreira.
Sigala is tied for a team-best 23 hits, including five doubles, four triples and one home run. She also has 19 RBIs, 16 runs scored and three stolen bases.
Division II
No. 5 Scotts Valley at No. 4 Milpitas , Saturday at 4pm
Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League champion Scotts Valley was awarded the No. 5 seed in the Division II playoffs. They will take on No. 4 Milpitas (17-9, 9-3)—runner-up in the Blossom Valley Athletic League De Anza Division standings.
The Trojans have nine players who finished with double digit figures in base hits. They are led by April Price, Sophia Delagado, Destiny Solis and Chloe Cabrera.
Milpitas star hurler Priyah Qinonez will most likely get the start in the circle. She finished with a 12-4 overall record, while racking up 137 strikeouts and a 1.58 ERA in 24 appearances this season.
The Falcons (14-6, 13-2) have ace hurler Sofie Seese and newcomer Chloe Kent. Both pitchers have been effective in the circle this season.
Seese recorded 86 strikeouts and a 1.04 ERA in 17 appearances, while Kent had 35 strikeouts and a 0.34 ERA in 10 appearances for the Falcons.
Kent was also a huge contributor at the plate with 22 hits, including three doubles and one triple to go along with eight RBIs and 14 runs scored.
Taylor Wilson is batting a .517 average (30-of-58) with six doubles, three triples, nine RBIs and 25 runs scored for the Falcons.
Fellow teammates Gracie Delgado, Jazzy Doubek, Abby Howell and Natalie Murry-Skalland each have double digit hits this season.
Delgado has a team-best four home runs to go along with five doubles, two triples, 15 RBIs and 20 runs scored for Scotts Valley.
No. 8 Aptos at No. 1 Valley Christian, Saturday at 1pm
SCCAL runner-up and No. 8 seed Aptos (16-6, 12-3) will travel over the hill to take on top seed Valley Christian (16-11, 6-4) in the D-II quarterfinals.
The Warriors placed third in the uber challenging West Catholic Athletic League. Key players for them include Mackenzie Daley, Charileen Pauneto, Savannah Hernandez, Talia Haskins, Lana Escarcega and Hannah Paquiz.
Haskins has a team-best five home runs and seven doubles to go along with 32 RBIs and 18 runs scored for Valley Christian.
Paquiz leads the Warriors with 52 strikeouts, followed by Makenna Sieling (42) and Ava Gonzales (21).
Aptos has ace hurler Mileena Carbajal, who will attend Indiana Institute of Technology on a softball scholarship. She has 80 strikeouts and a 1.65 ERA in 59 innings pitched.
On offense, the Mariners are led by Emma Burgueno, Bailey Fulton, Kailani Aguayo and Raegan Fulton.
Burgueno is batting a .614 average (27-for-44) with six doubles, one triple, 17 RBIs and 19 runs scored for Aptos.
Division IV
No. 2 San Lorenzo Valley vs. No. 7 Cupertino, Saturday at 11 am
San Lorenzo Valley came up short on winning its third straight SCCAL crown, yet the Cougars (15-10, 11-4) are right back in the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the Division IV playoffs.
They will host No. 7 Cupertino (14-6, 8-4) in what will be the only softball game in Santa Cruz County this weekend.
The Pioneers placed third in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League El Camino Division standings.
Players to watch on Cupertino’s offense include DJ Martinez, Purani Muthuvedi, Makailah Leslie, Shelby Apostolo and Dayoung Jung.
Martinez is batting a .613 average (38-for-62) with 10 doubles, four triples, two home runs, 29 RBIs and eight runs scored. She’s also the Pioneers’ leading pitcher with a 12-5 overall record, recording 127 strikeouts and a 1.98 ERA in the regular season.
SLV will turn to either Abigale Krepelka or Jori Fields-Rapley to start in the circle. Both pitchers have looked solid throughout the season.
On offense, the Cougars have power hitters Alyssa Struthers, Angie Fulkerson, Olivia Renouf, Ali Reger, Cheyenne Owen and Fields-Rapley.
Struthers has a team-best 31 hits, including seven doubles, two triples, two home runs and 12 RBIs, according to statistics on the Monterey Bay Preps website.
