SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS : Tustin Receives Top Seeding

Tustin High School’s baseball team is top-seeded and Laguna Hills is seeded fourth in the Southern Section 3-A division playoffs, which begin Friday.

Tustin (22-3) will play host to Etiwanda (10-12) in the opening round of the single-elimination tournament. Tustin advanced to the 3-A division semifinals last year before losing to eventual champion Kennedy, 7-2.

Laguna Hills (19-7) will play host to defending champion Kennedy (14-13) in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal game that Kennedy won, 7-2.

Estancia (16-10) and Woodbridge (12-11) drew wild-card games in the 32-team division, with Estancia playing host to the Warriors at 3:15 p.m. today. The winner travels to Bellflower (14-8) Friday.

Four county teams will be playing wild-card games today in the 4-A division. Santa Ana (12-13) is making its final playoff appearance under Coach Bill Ross, who is stepping down after 32 seasons. The Saints play host to Irvine (14-13), and the winner travels to Paramount (14-4) Friday.

Sonora (12-12) will play host to Anaheim (15-9-1), with the winner traveling to fourth-seeded Upland (21-4) Friday. El Toro (20-6) is the second-seeded team in the division behind Hart (22-1-2) and plays host to LaSalle (12-7) on Friday.

The 5-A division features one of the strongest fields in Southern Section history with 18 of the 33 teams having won 17 or more games. Westlake (24-1) is the top-seeded team, while defending champion El Dorado (13-13) failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Championship games in all divisions except small schools will be played June 2 at Anaheim Stadium.