Manteca, East Union and Ripon are hosting first-round games Wednesday when the Sac-Joaquin Section playoff begins.
No area teams were part of play-in games on Monday.
Lathrop is back in the postseason after qualifying for the first time last year. The Spartans are on the road to face a powerhouse, as is Sierra.
Fourth-seeded Manteca (16-8) and No. 12 Sierra (7-10) can meet for a third time this season in the Division III quarterfinals. The Buffaloes will welcome No. 13 Buhach Colony (14-11) of Atwater, while the Timberwolves travel to No. 5 Dixon (13-8), which captured three Division IV titles from 2022 to 2024. The winners of each game collide on Friday.
The Division III bracket has the two remaining undefeated teams in the SJS. Destiny Christian Academy (24-0) is not only the top seed in D-III, but No. 1-ranked overall in the section, according to MaxPreps, and 16th in the state. The Lions were elevated after winning the Division IV section championship last year. Second-seeded Ponderosa (25-0) is ranked third in the section and 21st in the state.
In Division IV, No. 8 East Union (14-12) will face off with No. 9 Yuba City (15-12) at Northgate Softball Complex. It will be their third meeting in two years after they split one-run games last season — the latter a 9-8 upset win for EU in the second round.
If the Lancers win, they’d take on another familiar opponent in top-seeded Pioneer (17-8), which knocked them out of the semifinals last year. The Patriots have a first-round bye.
Also in D-IV, No. 15 Lathrop (15-8-1) heads to No. 2 Central Catholic (19-8). The Valley Oak League champion Raiders boast multiple NCAA Division I prospects such as Florida-committed shortstop Samantha Nichols.
Ripon (17-8) is seeded sixth in the Division V bracket, which is topped by Trans Valley League rival Hughson (19-3). The Indians start with No. 11 Lincoln (14-12-1), the Pioneer Valley League co-champion.
Championship games for all Divisions are on May 23 at Sacramento State, Cosumnes River College and Delta Junior College.
