Division IV at a Glance

Defending Champion: Atascadero.

Top Teams: San Bernardino Cajon (23-0), La Canada (20-2), Corona (21-4), Santa Maria St. Joseph (19-7).

Dark Horse: Corona Centennial (18-6).

Top Players: Carrie Breedlove (Burbank Bellarmine-Jefferson), Kim Bryant (Temecula Valley), Julie Ciccarelli (Bellarmine-Jefferson), Leticia Gamboa (Riverside La Sierra), Julie Gonzalez (San Pedro Mary Star of the Sea), Lindsey Kelly (Riverside Notre Dame), Christina Kilgore (Moreno Valley Valley View), Lana Moran (Cajon), Angela Navarrette (Cajon), Lindsay Parker (La Canada), Stefanie Ruiz (Aliso Niguel), Shakeya St. Julien (Valley View), Jackie Tenerelli (La Canada), Tara Thompson (Atascadero).

Best Draw: Mary Star opens with Aliso Niguel, then plays an overrated Corona team in the semifinals.

Worst Draw: Defending champion Atascadero (15-8) travels to Mountain View in the opening round, and a victory earns it a second-round game with second-seeded La Canada.

Notes: Cajon and La Canada feature the division’s two dominant pitchers. The top-seeded Cowgirls will ride the arm of sophomore Moran (21-0, 0.05 ERA, 272 strikeouts); the Spartans rely on junior Parker (18-0, 0.00 ERA, 230 strikeouts). . . Aliso Niguel, which has only one junior on an otherwise all-freshman roster, got in as an at-large team and will open at Mary Star, which has two-way threat Gonzalez (14-1; .493). . . Atascadero won the Division IV title last year and Thompson (10-4, 0.45) was the division’s player of the year.