Posted: May 10, 2024
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis has earned the No. 4 seed and will host 13th-seeded Rodriguez in the first round of the 2024 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II softball tournament, the governing body's office announced Friday. The playoff opener will take place at 4 p.m. on Tuesday at the Troubadours' home Schuster Field diamond.
St. Francis holds a 16-8 overall record and finished third in the Delta League with an 8-4 record. The Mustangs enter the postseason with a 6-16 mark while placing fourth in the Monticello Empire League at 5-9.
The Troubies have hit .326/.398/.420 as a team, with three players – junior Claire Krotine (.470), senior Alex Garcia (.410) and junior Alexis McFarland (.403) – batting .400 or better heading into Friday's regular-season finale against Pioneer. Shortstop Francesca Guerrera leads her team with 10 extra-base hits (nine doubles, one home run) en route to a .970 OPS of her own. In the pitching circle, senior Kiley Shea paces SF with a 2.33 ERA, holding opposing batters to a meager .205 average.
Overall, four SF seniors committed to play collegiate ball: Shea to Pacific, Garcia to Utah State, Guerrera to Maine, and infielder Kasey McAtee to UT Dallas.
The Mustangs have put up similar team offensive numbers as their Tuesday hosts, entering the postseason at .325/.403/.417 overall. Leading the charge is senior corner infielder Hailey Permenter, who boasts a slash line of .520/.579/.660; while fellow 12th grader Juliana McClain comes into the playoffs with .463/.514/.641 and a team-best 10 XBHs (nine doubles, one HR). Right-hander Brooklyn Denina has pitched 88.2 of her team's 122.1 total innings to the tune of a 4.34 ERA.
Tuesday's playoff opener will be the first meeting between the Mustangs and Troubies since April 14, 2016, when senior Mel Baccay hit 4-for-4 and freshman Caitlin Caldwell fired a two-hitter in a 9-1 St. Francis victory.
Other top seeds in the tourney are No. 1 Tracy, No. 2 Bella Vista and No. 3 Elk Grove. The full D-II bracket is available at the section website at https://www.cifsjs.org/softball-D2-bracket.
St. Francis holds a 16-8 overall record and finished third in the Delta League with an 8-4 record. The Mustangs enter the postseason with a 6-16 mark while placing fourth in the Monticello Empire League at 5-9.
The Troubies have hit .326/.398/.420 as a team, with three players – junior Claire Krotine (.470), senior Alex Garcia (.410) and junior Alexis McFarland (.403) – batting .400 or better heading into Friday's regular-season finale against Pioneer. Shortstop Francesca Guerrera leads her team with 10 extra-base hits (nine doubles, one home run) en route to a .970 OPS of her own. In the pitching circle, senior Kiley Shea paces SF with a 2.33 ERA, holding opposing batters to a meager .205 average.
Overall, four SF seniors committed to play collegiate ball: Shea to Pacific, Garcia to Utah State, Guerrera to Maine, and infielder Kasey McAtee to UT Dallas.
The Mustangs have put up similar team offensive numbers as their Tuesday hosts, entering the postseason at .325/.403/.417 overall. Leading the charge is senior corner infielder Hailey Permenter, who boasts a slash line of .520/.579/.660; while fellow 12th grader Juliana McClain comes into the playoffs with .463/.514/.641 and a team-best 10 XBHs (nine doubles, one HR). Right-hander Brooklyn Denina has pitched 88.2 of her team's 122.1 total innings to the tune of a 4.34 ERA.
Tuesday's playoff opener will be the first meeting between the Mustangs and Troubies since April 14, 2016, when senior Mel Baccay hit 4-for-4 and freshman Caitlin Caldwell fired a two-hitter in a 9-1 St. Francis victory.
Other top seeds in the tourney are No. 1 Tracy, No. 2 Bella Vista and No. 3 Elk Grove. The full D-II bracket is available at the section website at https://www.cifsjs.org/softball-D2-bracket.
