Squads Ready for 3C2A Softball State Championship

SARATOGA, CA — Eight squads are set to compete for the 2024 3C2A Softball State Championship this week.

Four teams from Northern California and four from Southern California will battle for the title taking place at West Valley College and San Jose City College

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Four games will be played on Thursday, May 16 at West Valley College. Four games will be played on Friday at West Valley and two at San Jose City. West Valley will host three games on Saturday and up to two games on Sunday.

The tournament will feature many familiar faces as five teams return from last year's championship. 

The top seed from the South, Fullerton College enters the tournament with a 40-5 record. The Hornets have been ranked No. 1 in the state for the last several weeks of the season. Fullerton has gone 4-1 in the playoffs so far, dropping only the opening game of the Super Regionals. South Player of the Year Jordan Elias and South Pitcher of the Year Macy Brandl lead the squad. The Hornets look to claim their first state title since 1980 and make their first appearance at the State Championship since 2019.

San Joaquin Delta joins as the top seed from the North with a 38-4 record. The Mustangs have cruised through the tournament with run-rule wins in three of their four games. They'll be guided by North Pitcher of the Year Ariel Nava and All-State selections Caitlyn Campbell, Jaylee Marshall, and Erica Tovar. The Mustangs make their way to the tournament for the first time since 2019 and look to capture their first state championship.

Defending 3C2A State Champions Cypress College opens this year's tournament as the No. 2 seed from the South. The Chargers are a regular site at the annual tournament boasting 10 state titles in their history, the most in the state. This year, Cypress enters with a 37-7 record and a pair of All-State selections in Kaitlyn Reynolds and Julia Doan. They've dominated their opponents in the first two rounds of the playoffs, winning their games by a combined score of 32-3. They look to be the first repeat champions since Mt. San Antonio College claimed back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. The Chargers have been to every contested state tournament since 2015.

The No. 2 seed from the North is the 2022 State Champions College of San Mateo Bulldogs. The 37-5 Bulldogs have battled for the top spot in the North all season. Let by North Player of the Year Ari Williams and All-State honorees Kennedie Magorian and Megan Barstad, the Bulldogs cruised in the regionals and super regionals, outscoring the competition 36-4. San Mateo has been to every state championship since 2013. 

The 2023 runner-up Palomar College Comets open the tournament as the No. 3 seed from the South. The Comets have been eyeing redemption since last year's title game and are poised to take another run. At 39-4 overall, Palomar sailed through the regional, and after a close game one in the supers, won their second game 5-1 to advance to the state tournament for the second year in a row. Palomar won its last state championship in 2015 and has claimed five overall. This year, All-State recipients. Guilianna "GiGi" Clavel, Breanna Lutz, and Itzell De Los Rios will look to make it six.

Cosumnes River College enters the tournament with a 37-8 record as the No. 3 seed from the North. All-State selections Malia Babasa and one of the best pitchers in the state Tatiana Blas look to lead the Hawks to their first-ever state title. After sweeping the regionals, the Hawks had to battle in game three to make their way back to the state championship for the first time since 2015. 

Regular state championship attendee Mt. San Antonio rounds out the representatives from the South as the No. 4 seed with a 36-9 record. The Mounties made it past the regionals with a pair of run-rule wins and after dropping the second game of the super regionals, responded with a 7-0 win. The Mounties, holders of six state titles, hope to capture their first championship since 2019. This is Mt. SAC's seventh straight appearance in the tournament. All-State honoree Janis Espinoza will guide Mt. SAC this week.

The No. 4 seed from the North Sierra College enters the tournament as this year's Cinderella team and is the lone squad in the field that did not enter the playoffs as a top-four seed. The Wolverines, 20-24, entered the regionals seeded 13th, upset No. 4 seed West Valley in four games, and then beat No. 5 seed San Jose City in three. It is the third straight appearance in the state tournament for the Wolverines who finished as the runners-up in 2022. They seek to claim their first state title since 2014 and second overall.