NORTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PREVIEWS

-Saturday, May 4 winners of all 12 noon and 2 p.m. games play at 4 p.m.
(see COA's "Regional Pairings" web page for all games and times)

Here's a brief look at the four North sites, and what the host
coaches had to say during regional week:

WEST VALLEY (SARATOGA) - SATURDAY, MAY 4
12 noon, #1 West Valley (45-6) vs. #16 Merced (21-21)
2 p.m., #8 Redwoods (30-7) vs. #9 Fresno (27-15)

Once again, a Northern regional will run through Saratoga's West Valley
College.

West Valley's Les Hearn, 2002 North Coach of the Year, is no stranger to the playoffs. The 1990 state champs hare making their 15th regional appearance in 18 years.

This year, the Vikings have guided the ship to a 45-6 overall record and a 16-1 mark as Coast (South) champions.

Two high-caliber pitchers and plenty of offense have made West Valley a favorite to advance deep into postseason.

All-State pitcher Jessica Busick (25-1, 0.27 ERA) has struck out 179 batters in 153 innings.

Christina Yorkey, an All-State pitcher in 2001, earned All-NorCal her sophomore year after going 19-5 on the mound (0.89 ERA).

Three All-State players carry the Viking offense: freshman 2B Vicky Galindo, sophomore C Elyssia Sigala, and sophomore SS Samantha Quintero. Galindo, a North Player of the Year candidate, collected 94 hits in 159 at-bats for a gaudy .591 average. She also drove in 67 runs (1.000 slugging) as a leadoff hitter.

Sigala batted .531 with 63 RBI, while Quintero hit .494 and knocked in 49 runs.

"This is a fun group to coach," Hearn said. "It's a focused team. We hit, run well and play defense."

The Vikings won the Golden West Tournament and claimed the Sequoias Tourney (Silver Division) and gold brackets at West Valley and Merced. West Valley will open the regionals against No. 16 Merced. The other opener pits No. 8 Redwoods vs. No. 9 Fresno.

"Merced has a great coach and they always play well," Hearn said. "We won three of four against Fresno this year; they have a good-hitting team, good pitching and good speed. They'll be hard to deal with. And Redwoods has some good players as well.

"At this time, it's all about who steps up and plays. You never know which way the ball will bounce. You know how softball is."

SAN JOAQUIN DELTA (STOCKTON) - SATURDAY, MAY 4
12 noon, #2 San Joaquin Delta (37-8) vs. #15 Siskiyous (24-13)
2 p.m., #7 San Mateo (31-10) vs. #10 Santa Rosa (29-9)

Delta Coach Bucky Layland has a one-two punch any team would envy.

The Bay Valley Silver Champions (37-8 overall, 22-2 conference) are led by All-Americans Cheryl Evans (P/1B) and Gwen Arafilef (1B).

Evans, a two-time All-American, was voted 2002 Northern California Player of the Year after hitting a school-record 16 HR (.550 BA, 1.078 slug). Her 73 RBI in 45 games is also believed to be a NorCal record, says Layland.

On the mound, Evans went 19-4 (0.89 ERA) with 131 strikeouts in 130 innings. Arafilef (.500 BA, .817 slugging) belted 20 extra-base hits, including 10 homers.

Delta's team batting average of .374 is also a school record.

"We're a feared hitting team," says Layland, who guided the Mustangs to a third-place state finish in 1988.

Freshman pitcher Elena Rodriguez (17-4, 0.94 ERA) complements a strong pitching staff, which helped lead Delta to a No. 1 North ranking in March and a 14-game winning streak.

Delta has already faced the three schools in its bracket. The Mustangs beat Siskiyous (5-2) and Santa Rosa (6-2); and lost to San Mateo (5-1) in the Merced Tourney championship on April 22.

"In our bracket anybody can beat anybody," Layland said. No. 7 San Mateo (31-10) is led by NorCal Pitcher of the Year and All-American Rachel Pacheco.

No. 10 Santa Rosa (29-9) won the Bay Valley Gold title, giving Marla Greene Coach of the Year honors.

Meanwhile, No. 15 Siskiyous (24-13) is a solid all-around team, says Layland.

"They're a good hitting team, well-coached and play good defense."

SIERRA (ROCKLIN) - SATURDAY, MAY 4
12 noon, #3 Sierra (37-7) vs. #14 Diablo Valley (22-21)
2 p.m., #6 Chabot (34-9) vs. #11 Sacramento (30-15)

Sierra Coach Darci Brownell expects a tightly-contested weekend in Rocklin. All four teams in the bracket, she says, are "evenly-matched."

"We all know each other pretty well, so we should see some good ball games," Brownell said.

Sierra (37-7) finished second in the Bay Valley (Silver) with a 21-3 record. The Wolverines have qualified for postseason play in each of Brownell's four years.

The sophomore pitching duo of Taylor Sawyer and Katie Davidson are virtual mirror images.

Taylor, a lefty, earned BVC Pitcher of the Year and All-State honors after posting a record of 13-3 (0.63 ERA). Davidson, the right-hander, was a first-team BVC selection with a mark of 12-4 (0.67 ERA). Brownell refers to the Sierra depth as a key ingredient. The team's role players have pulled through in some clutch situations.

"We play all 18 players and are pretty solid one-through-14," she said. "Offensively, we don't have a whole lot of pop, but we're pretty consistent. It's nice to call on the bench at anytime."

What Sierra lacks in power, it makes up for with pure hitting. Sierra has outscored opponents, 284-54, and enters the regional with a .371 team batting average.

Sophomore 3B Annie Stevens (.379 BA, 2 HR, 26 RBI), heading for the University of Nevada-Reno, earned 2nd Team All-American, First-Team NorCal, and All-BVC honors.

She's protected in the line-up by freshman C Amanda Nino (.350, 18 RBI). Nino, an All-NorCal selection, is just as good defensively, throwing out 11 of 13 base-stealers.

The Wolverines, 19-1 at home this season, draw No. 14 Diablo Valley.

"They always play us tough," Brownell said. "We're 1-1 against them this year, including a 2-1 extra-inning loss."

Sierra had better luck against No. 6 Chabot and No. 11 Sacramento - going a combined 3-0.

"Sacramento is one of our rivals; our campuses are about 10 miles apart. And Chabot has been playing well down the stretch, which is why they earned a good seed."

COLLEGE OF THE SEQUIOAS (VISALIA) - SATURDAY, MAY 4
12 noon, #4 Sequoias (33-10) vs. #13 Ohlone (29-14)
2 p.m., #5 Shasta (33-12) vs. #12 San Jose (30-12-1)

The Sequoias Softball Giants, last year's No. 13 in this bracket, now find themselves as the No. 4 host.

Fifth-year Coach Michelle Bolt couldn't be more thrilled if her team was the top-seed.

"We're truly excited to host," said Bolt, who guided Sequoias to a 33-10 overall record, including an impressive 20-1 mark in the tough Central Valley Conference.

The Giants captured the CVC for the first time under Bolt, and did so by a five-game margin.

"Our players have earned the privilege to host a regional. And I feel blessed that we got it."

Bolt's enthusiasm is a reflection of her team's "high-energy" style of play, she says.

Sequoias may not overpower teams, but it uses all nine starters and key role players to get the job done.

"We've got the right mix of talent, cohesion, and love of the game," Bolt said. "Our players are excitable and hungry."

Sequoias will ride the arm of freshman Cori Janelli (22-5, 0.62 ERA), an All-State Team member.

The Giant line-up features All-American SS/P Starla Cota and 20-year-old 1B Sunshine Kenton.

Cota, a sophomore All-State selection, is batting over .400 from the No. 2 slot and is a run-scoring machine.

Kenton, the clean-up hitter, earned All-NorCal her sophomore year. She carried Sequoias in February (.500 BA), when the team faced tough opponents in South tournament play.

The Giants beat Cypress, and suffered four losses to Palomar (3) and Cypress (1). Two other defeats came against second-place teams: Cuesta and Fresno. "Our 10 losses may have hurt us in the seedings, but they made us a better team," Bolt said. "The South teams are winning the state championships." Sequoias is yet to play teams in its bracket, but Bolt expects a tough regional.

"Ohlone has nothing to lose. They're going to come in here fired up and ready to play," she said.

"Shasta is always a team to be reckoned with. They come out swinging the sticks, and you have to minimize your mistakes against them. "San Jose is a scrappy and confident group. They run well and take extra bases with their speed."

STATE NOTES:

• Results from all eight regional sites will be posted on the COA Web Site (www.coasports.org) and Fullerton College's Web Site (sports.fullcoll.edu)

• Long Beach, Cypress, Palomar, and Fullerton will host regionals in Southern California.

• Clovis' Buchanan High School will host this year's California Community College Softball Championships. The three-day, double-elimination tournament opens on May 10 and will feature the top four regional qualifiers from Northern and Southern California. More information, including banquet and tournament news, will be posted soon.

-Complied for the COA by publicist Eric Mendoza.

MEDIA: For Softball State Championship information, contact Fullerton College Sports Information Director Eric Mendoza at (714) 992-7391 or
emendoza@fullcoll.edu