The CIF Southern Section Division 1 baseball playoff bracket on a yearly basis is considered the toughest in the state, if not the entire country.
And here is a fact to prove that point: the last time the No. 1 seed won the Southern Section’s Division 1 baseball tile was Camarillo in 2002.
Corona will be looking to end that lengthy drought this season. The Panthers received the No. 1 seed for this year’s Division 1 playoffs after going undefeated in the Big VIII League, and they open the postseason at home Friday afternoon against El Dorado.
The last time an Inland team captured the Division 1 baseball title was Murrieta Mesa in 2016. Corona is the first Inland baseball team to receive the No. 1 seed in the Division 1 playoffs since Norco in 2009.
Centennial, which finished second to Corona in the Big VIII League standings, is the top seed in the Division 3 playoff bracket. The Huskies host Lakewood in a first-round game Friday afternoon.
Ten other Inland teams received a Top-4 seeding in their respective playoff divisions.
Ivy League champion Paloma Valley and River Valley League champion Arlington are seeded second and fourth, respectively, in the Division 2 bracket. Paloma Valley hosts Crean Lutheran in a first-round game Thursday afternoon, while Arlington hosts Woodbridge on Thursday.
Summit, the Sunkist League champion, is the No. 2 seed in Division 3 and hosts Linfield Christian in a first-round game Friday.
Chino Hills finished third in the Baseline League standings but still earned the No. 2 seed in the Division 5 bracket. The Huskies will make a trip to Bellflower for a first-round game Friday.
Palomares League runner-up Colony and San Andreas League champion Grand Terrace are seeded second and fourth, respectively, in the Division 6 bracket. Colony hosts Carpinteria in a first-round game Thursday, while Grand Terrace hosts Hillcrest that same day.
Western Christian and Majestic League champion Cornerstone Christian are the No. 2 seed and No. 3 seed, respectively, in Division 7. Western Christian travels to Oxford Academy for a first-round game Friday, while Cornerstone Christian hosts Downey Calvary Chapel or Littlerock.
Skyline League runner-up Arroyo Valley and Mountain Valley League runner-up San Bernardino are seeded third and fourth, respectively, in the Division 8 bracket. Arroyo Valley hosts Calvary Baptist on Thursday, while San Bernardino hosts Noli Indian.
CIF SOUTHERN SECTION BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
(Games are scheduled for 3:15 p.m. Dates, sites and times subject to change.)
Division 1
Friday’s first-round games
El Dorado at Corona
Mater Dei at Damien
Garden Grove Pacifica at Aquinas
Santiago at Huntington Beach
Millikan at Vista Murrieta
West Ranch at San Dimas
JSerra at Bonita
Norco at Harvard-Westlake
Division 2
Thursday’s first-round games
Yucaipa at West Torrance
Woodbridge at Arlington
Ayala at La Serna
Temecula Valley at Anaheim Canyon
Warren at Citrus Valley
Crean Lutheran at Paloma Valley
Division 3
Friday’s first-round games
Lakewood at Centennial
Tahquitz at Arrowhead Christian Academy
Chaparral at Chaminade
Redlands East Valley at La Habra
Temescal Canyon at Beckman
Linfield Christian at Summit
Division 4
Thursday’s first-round games
Murrieta Valley at Elsinore
Apple Valley at Los Osos
Citrus Hill at San Marino
Roosevelt at Don Lugo
Palm Desert at Valley View
Ontario Christian at Burbank Burroughs
Heritage at La Quinta
Cajon at San Juan Hills
Division 5
Friday’s first-round games
Murrieta Mesa at Ganesha
Chino at Ramona
Hemet at Bloomington
Chino Hills at Bellflower
Second Round (May 7)
Montebello or Katella at Liberty
Division 6
Thursday’s first-round games
Diamond Bar at Savanna
Hillcrest at Grand Terrace
Orange Vista at Rancho Mirage
Santa Fe at Garey
Colton at Rialto
Carpinteria at Colony
Division 7
Friday’s first-round games
Rancho Christian at Vasquez
Miller at Banning
Artesia at Eisenhower
Temecula Prep at Oakwood
Downey Calvary Chapel or Littlerock at Cornerstone Christian
Carter at Jurupa Valley
Chaffey at Nuview Bridge
Western Christian at Oxford Academy
Division 8
Tuesday’s wildcard games
Academy for Academic Excellence at Crossroads Christian
Webb at Edgewood
Hawthorne at Santa Rosa Academy
Thursday’s first-round games
Animo Leadership or Mountain View at United Christian Academy
Redlands Adventist Academy at San Jacinto Valley Academy
Noli Indian at San Bernardino
Calvary Baptist at Arroyo Valley
Shalhevet or Santa Clarita Christian at Loma Linda Academy
California Lutheran at Rolling Hills Prep
