Orange Lutheran’s consistency could pay off in CIF Southern Section baseball playoffs

Twenty-three of the 25 teams ranked in The Times’ top 25 baseball rankings are in the Southern Section Division 1 or 2 playoff brackets, which provides a clue as to how tough the path will be to winning a championship.

Last season, Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley and Encino Crespi emerged victorious in their respective divisions, led by dominating pitchers in Tyler Matzek and Ryon Healy.

Matzek became a first-round draft choice. Healy returned for his senior year but hasn’t been able to pitch since an early season arm injury. The big question for the tournament is whether there’s another Matzek ready to put the team on his back?

The baseball pairings were released on Monday. Wild-card games are scheduled for Tuesday and first-round games set for Thursday and Friday.

The finals for Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 4 are June 5 at the Lake Elsinore Diamond, and the finals for Divisions 5, 6 and 7 are June 4 at the Riverside sports complex.

Here’s a rundown on the divisions:

Division 1

Top seeds: 1. Orange Lutheran, 2. Simi Valley Royal, 3. Lakewood, 4. Huntington Beach Edison.

The scoop: There are top teams with one outstanding pitcher who are going to try to see how far they can proceed. Edison and Henry Owens, Santa Ana Mater Dei and Cory Hahn and Royal and Cody Buckel come to mind. In the end, however, a No. 2 pitcher has to come through to win it all. Orange Lutheran has been the most consistent, relying on right-hander Andrew Thurman (7-1) and left-hander Bobby Wheatley (8-1) to win the Trinity League title. But there’s also young hitters who could disrupt matters. Sophomore R.J. Ybarra of Riverside Poly batted .568 with eight home runs. Sophomore Trey Williams of Valencia hit nine home runs. If fielding matters, Lakewood won’t make many errors and won the tough Moore League. Camarillo and JSerra are upset possibilities.

Prediction: Orange Lutheran.

Division 2

Top seeds: 1. Glendora, 2. Encino Crespi, 3. Redlands East Valley, 4. Cypress.

The scoop: This is the toughest division in Southern California this season. There are going to be some extremely tough opening matchups. La Mirada has won 11 consecutive games. Glendora, Redlands East Valley and El Toro have top pitchers in Adam Plutko ( UCLA), Griffin Murphy (San Diego) and T.J. Kendzora (San Diego State). Mission Hills Alemany is relying on two sophomore starting pitchers, plus a sophomore closer. Crespi won the National Classic and the Mission League without its standout pitcher, Healy.

Prediction: Alemany.

Division 3

Top seeds: 1. Irvine Beckman, 2. Alhambra, 3. West Covina South Hills, 4. Hemet.

The scoop: Beckman is 25-1 but has rarely tested itself outside of Orange County teams. This division isn’t particularly strong, and that makes South Hills the team to beat. The Huskies have a good mix of talented young and veteran players, combined with having played a competitive schedule.

Prediction: South Hills

Division 4

Top seeds: 1. La Puente Bishop Amat, 2. Palm Desert, 3. Santa Fe Springs St. Paul, 4. Covina Northview.

The scoop: Bishop Amat is loaded from top to bottom. The Lancers have proven themselves against the best, with wins over Mater Dei, Palm Desert, Chatsworth, Lakewood and Royal. They have top pitching, a great sophomore shortstop in Rio Ruiz, lots of speed and good hitting. But there are enough good teams in this division that the Lancers could lose in a one-game situation. St. Paul and Fullerton, in particular, have pitchers capable of winning big games.

Prediction: Bishop Amat.

Division 5

Top seeds: 1. Riverside Woodcrest Christian, 2. Hemet Tahquitz, 3. Pasadena Maranatha, 4. Van Nuys Montclair Prep.

The scoop: Good luck to the opponent that draws Maranatha and pitcher Dylan Covey. But Covey can’t pitch every game, and that’s going to be the challenge for Coach Brian DeHaan. Woodcrest Christian has won 22 consecutive games since a season-opening loss to Rancho Cucamgoa. Montclair Prep relies on freshmen and sophomores.

Prediction: Montclair Prep.

Division 6

Top seeds: 1. Lancaster Desert Christian, 2. Simi Valley Grace Brethren, 3. Cypress Oxford Academy, 4. Acton Vasquez.

The scoop: Left-hander Taylor Aikenhead has led Desert Christian with a 9-1 record. Grace Brethren has the Southern Section career leader in doubles in Paul Schmidt, who has hit 55.

Prediction: Grace Brethren.

Division 7

Top seeds: 1. Camarillo Cornerstone Christian, 2. Atascadero North County Christian, 3. Los Angeles Milken, 4. Santa Monica Pacifica Christian.

The scoop: The 6-foot-4 Aaron Roth of Cornerstone Christian led his team to a 22-0 record last season and is even better this season, with a 9-0 record on the mound while batting .479 with six home runs. Most interesting is that there could be a first-round matchup between Camarillo Cornerstone Christian and Wildomar Cornerstone Christian. Lots of T-shirts to be sold.

Prediction: Camarillo Cornerstone Christian.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com