Baseball

Northern Section Baseball Playoffs Begin with High-Stakes Matchups

Play-in games set the stage for division championships on May 23

The 2026 Northern Section baseball playoffs opened on May 12, kicking off a series of play-in games that will determine the champions in Divisions II and III.

Division II Takes Shape

Pleasant Valley and Foothill entered the tournament as co-Eastern Athletic League champions, securing the top two seeds after a dominant head-to-head stretch that saw Pleasant Valley win two of three meetings. The pair will meet again on May 19, when Pleasant Valley hosts the Super Regional showdown.

The bracket also features a key matchup between No. 4 Las Plumas and No. 5 Shasta on May 12, with the victor earning a May 15 showdown against Pleasant Valley. Meanwhile, No. 3 Chico and No. 6 Enterprise will meet in a play-in round, the winner advancing to face Foothill.

Division III Outlook

West Valley claimed the No. 1 seed in Division III with a 19-5 record, while Orland secured the No. 2 spot, both receiving byes to the later stage. The next round will see the winner of the No. 5 Live Oak versus No. 4 Gridley contest take on West Valley later in the week, and the victor of No. 3 Lassen versus No. 6 Yreka will meet Orland.

Division II championships are slated for May 23 at a neutral site, with the Division III title game following later that day. Brackets for Divisions IV through VII have yet to be finalized.

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