Look out for El Toro, Rosary in Division I

The CIF-SS softball playoffs are upon us.

Here is a look at the playoff picture for Division I:

Seeded teams: No. 1 Simi Valley (ranked No. 3 in the state by CalHiSports.com); No. 2 Santiago of Corona (ranked No. 4 in the state); No. 3 Valencia of Valencia (ranked No.11 in the state); and No. 4 Norco (ranked No. 8 in the state).

Top county contender: Sea View League champion El Toro is coming off a loss to Trabuco Hills in the regular-season finale, but the Chargers remain a threat in Division I. El Toro is battle-tested after playing in three of the nation's toughest tournaments. It is in the same half of the draw as Valencia and Santiago. A potential second-round game against Los Alamitos will be very tough.

Darkhorse: Rosary closed out the regular season with 10 consecutive victories, including ones over Mission Viejo, El Modena, Beckman and Mater Dei (twice), and took the Trinity League title. The Royals have solid pitching and clutch hitters.

Best first-round matchup: Edison (10-16) at Trabuco Hills (17-11-1), Friday, 3:15 p.m. The Chargers beat Esperanza and Marina, so their record is very deceiving. The Mustangs are another tough team with a deceiving record. These two teams already hooked up on April 5 in the Woodbridge/Victory Softball Classic. Julianne Mendonca delivered a two-run double in the bottom of the 10th to give Trabuco Hills a 6-5 victory.

Players to watch: Lauren Chamberlain (El Toro, .324, 8 HR, 24 RBIs); Teagan Gerhart (Norco); Kendal Hennings (El Toro, .424, 22 R, 11 RBIs); Kelli-Jo Killingworth (Simi Valley, 14-0, 1.17 ERA, 99 K); Kayla Massey (Trabuco Hills, 14-6, 0.35 ERA, 215 K); Kamerin May (Santiago of Corona); Amanda Oliveto (Simi Valley, 12-0, 0.38 ERA, 99 K); Alex Peyton (Rosary, 13-7, 0.77 ERA, 124 K); Destint Rodino (Hart of Newhall, 22-4, 0.33 ERA, 213 K); Kelsea Roth (Esperanza, .459, 5 HR, 27 RBIs); Jessica Schults (Hart of Newhall, .500, 10 HR, 31 RBIs); Brittany Schutte (Mater Dei, .456, 5 HR, 30 R); Brittany Spalding (Los Al, .571, 15 HR, 53 RBIs); Chanelle Spalding (Los Al, .527, 6 HR, 36 RBIs); and Jessica Spigner (Valencia of Valencia, .467, 9 HR, 33 RBIs, 24-5, 0.75 ERA).
 

Contact the writer: carias@ocregister.com