Teams Staying Close to Home

Regionalization won’t end soon enough for 35 area softball teams that earned Southern Section playoff berths.

In Divisions I through III, only one team from the region in each division can possibly advance to the semifinals.

Moreover, the regionalization format has created several possible matchups between league rivals as early as the second round. There are three teams from the same league in the same eight-team region in Divisions I and IV.

Last month, prompted by complaints from scores of coaches, the Southern Section Council voted to end the two-year playoff format that limited team competition to geographic boundaries until the semifinal round.

But regionalization won’t be scrapped until the fall.

The format has made for some interesting first-round matchups. Highland (22-5), the Golden League runner-up, will play Marmonte League runner-up Simi Valley (23-6). Pacific League champion Crescenta Valley (23-5) will play Palmdale (19-8), which finished third in the Golden League. All four teams have been in The Times’ top 10 regional poll this season.

Wild-card games are Wednesday and first-round games are Friday. All games begin at 3:15 p.m.

More matchups of area teams could occur in the second round. In Division I, Marmonte League rivals Camarillo (18-5) and Thousand Oaks (17-7-1) could meet, as could Golden League foes Highland and Palmdale.

In Division III, Tri-Valley League teams La Reina (24-2) and Fillmore (11-7) could meet, as could Mission League rivals Alemany (17-10) and Louisville (14-10).

Four area teams were seeded. Camarillo, the region’s top-ranked team by The Times, is seeded No. 4 in Division I and will face Glendale (11-16) in the first round. Glendale beat Hoover in a playoff for third place in the Pacific League.

In Division IV, top-seeded La Reina could meet No. 2-seeded Chaminade (20-7-1) in the final.

Cornerstone Christian, which has a bye in the first round, is seeded No. 1 in Division VI.

Newbury Park (19-9), which has victories against top-10 teams Thousand Oaks, Crescenta Valley and Hart, missed the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The Panthers, who finished fourth in the Marmonte League, are in Division III where there are no at-large berths.

In Division V, Paraclete (18-5-1) will attempt to advance to a section final for the seventh year under Coach Margaret Neill. The Spirits, winless in six championship-game appearances, will face the winner of the Flintridge Prep-Maranatha wild-card game in the first round.