Burbank, Burroughs, Providence hit road for CIF baseball playoffs
Three local baseball teams qualified for the CIF Southern Section playoffs: Burbank, Burroughs and Providence highs.
For all three programs, their postseason openers will be on the road.
The Bulldogs will travel to Lancaster for a Division IV first-round contest Friday, while the Pioneers will be in Ventura for their Division VI opener against Foothill Technology. The Indians will compete in a Division II wild-card game against Santa Barbara.
All games are scheduled for 3:15 p.m. unless a change is agreed on by both teams.
“It’s the playoffs, so you have to play on the road as well as playing at home,” Burbank Coach Bob Hart said. “I was hoping to maybe get a home game for the first round, but that’s how it goes.
“If you are successful in the playoffs, every team is going to have to play on the road sometime.”
Providence earned the highest regular-season finish among the playoff trio, placing second behind Buckley in the Liberty League for the third straight season.
“We have a lot of guys who have been in the playoffs before and they know what it’s about and know what to expect,” said Pioneers Coach Steven Knez, whose squad is 8-13. “I know teams aren’t going to be scared of us when they see our record. But I think we have a very good squad and we have the potential to beat just about anyone.”
In the 2016 Division IV playoffs, Providence defeated St. Margaret’s in eight innings, 3-2, before falling to Flintridge Prep, 4-2, in the second round.
“Our No. 1 starter, Sage Del Castillo, I believe is one of the best pitchers in our division,” Knez said. “With him on the mound, we always have a chance to win.
“I don’t know much about our first-round opponent, but, other than them, all the other teams in their league have losing records.”
Foothill Technology (16-7) enters the playoffs after winning a championship in the Frontier League.
If Providence wins Friday, it would advance to the second round Tuesday where it would take on Dunn (17-3, freelance) or the wild-card winner between Santa Maria (16-11-1, tied for third Los Padres League) and New Roads (7-9, No. 3 Coastal League).
Burbank (14-9) qualified for the postseason after finishing third in the Pacific League behind champion Crescenta Valley and Arcadia.
In 2016, the Bulldogs competed in the Division II playoffs before dropping down to Division IV this season, losing to Mayfair, 3-2, in the wild-card round.
“We feel confident coming into the playoffs,” Hart said. “We know we can play with anyone, but we also know if we don’t come in and play with emotion we can lose to anybody. That has been our approach all year.
“This group of guys has just been so committed this year. They are really the embodiment of a team. We didn’t win 20 game this season, but I would say in terms of camaraderie and such, it couldn’t get any better.”
Lancaster (15-14) tied for second in the Golden League with Knight, as Quartz Hill won the championship.
Burbank will be looking to get out of first round for the first time since 2013, when it defeated Cajon, 7-4.
If Burbank is successful, it would advance to the second round Tuesday where it would face Capistrano Valley Christian (18-7, San Joaquin League champion) or Rancho Alamitos (15-10. No. 3 Garden Grove League).
Burroughs (14-12), which finished fourth in the Pacific League, is coming off an emotional extra-inning victory Friday evening against rival Burbank.
“We are happy to be in the playoffs and go wherever it takes us,” Indians Coach Craig Sherwood said. “Our focus is Wednesday at Santa Barbara and we will do the best that we can to get after it.”
A win would put Burroughs into the first round Friday, where it would take on host Newbury Park (20-9, Marmonte League champion).
In the 2016 Division II playoffs, the Indians lost in the first round to Rancho Cucamonga, 6-3.
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