Marmonte League well represented in Division I softball bracket
By Stephen Dorman sdorman@theacorn.com

Expectations are high for area softball teams heading into Friday's first round of the CIFSouthern Section playoffs.

In Division I, five schools from the eight-team Marmonte League made the postseason, including topseeded and undefeated Simi Valley High (27-0).

The Tri-Valley League has four teams in the Division III bracket, with three local squads making the cut- Oak Park, Oaks Christian and La Reina. Oaks Christian and La Reina both played wild-card games Wednesday afternoon.

Viewpoint, co-champions of the Liberty League, earned the No. 1 overall seed in Division VII and received a first-round bye, as did Simi Valley in Division I. Both teams will open the playoffs Tuesday at home.

Joining Simi Valley in the Division I field are Thousand Oaks, Royal, Agoura and Westlake. Pacific View League champion Camarillo and second-place finisher Rio Mesa are also in the mix.

"I'm extremely proud of these girls," said Agoura head coach Chance Redmond, who has the Chargers (14-11) in the postseason for only the second time in school history.

"They work hard, they work well together, and they just wanted it."

On Friday, Agoura will be on the road to play Sea View League champion El Toro, who's ranked ninth in the latest CalHiSports.com state poll. Senior pitcher Kimberly Green will start for Agoura.

"She's done very well," Redmond said of Green.

"Our defense is spectacular. Our pitching is above average, and, honestly, our hitting has been below average. If we can hit better and have a complete team, we have a real good shot."

Thousand Oaks (23-5) is at home against Northwood, the Sea View League's third-place team. The Lancers, ranked 19th in the state, have played a slew of quality teams throughout the year to prepare for this moment.

Senior pitcher Brittany Reynolds carries a 14-3 record and .892 ERA into the playoff opener. Tiffany Messerschmidt, the Lancers' senior center fielder, is hitting .484 with 28 stolen bases.

Thousand Oaks head coach Gary Walin said his team still hasn't played its best game.

"It's encouraging because I'm not sure if everyone has put everything together at the same time this entire season," Walin said. "From that standpoint, if we all play well at the same time, we're going to be a difficult team to beat."

Westlake head coach Lynn Baum applied for an at-large bid after her team went 14-12 during the regular season, so making the cut wasn't a big surprise for the Warriors.

After finishing with five wins in six games, Westlake could be a tough matchup for its first-round opponent, La Sierra.

Warrior senior pitcher Jenna Becerra, a Stanford commit, missed significant time with a broken finger but has since returned.

In her last start against Calabasas, Becerra struck out 15 batters. Second baseman Caylin Campbell, the team's leadoff hitter, has also returned from a sprained ankle.

"With everyone back healthy, I'm optimistic that we can do pretty well in the playoffs," Baum said.

In Division III, Tri-Valley League champion Oak Park (206) has also fought off the injury bug just in the nick of time.

Eagles standout junior pitcher Julia Rice is 140 with 13 compete games. In 101.2 innings, Rice has struck out 201 batters and given up a grand total of two earned runs.

Rice, however, has been nursing a sore shoulder the past few weeks. Other Eagle players have been hurting, too, including starting catcher Rose Zeolla, who's back from a finger injury.

According to OPHS head coach Roger Newell, Rice will start Friday's opener.

"She's ready to go," Newell said.

The Eagles enter the playoffs having won 12 of 14 games. Senior Sarah Rosenberg has been Oak Park's most consistent hitter with a .418 average.

Moving on to Division VII, Viewpoint is seeking the program's first-ever CIF softball title. After starting the year 0-4, the Patriots have won 15 of their last 16 contests.

Junior Michelle Lesser is Viewpoint's top hitter (.545 average, six HRs) and pitcher (9-4 record, 1.34 ERA).

The Berka sisters, Blaire (.516 average) and Brooke (.500 average), have excelled at the plate as well. Sophomore Kelsey Kaplan has been a versatile fielder and clutch hitter for the Patriots.

"We didn't start in the top 10, or even the 'other' category, for that matter," Viewpoint head coach Pam Oseransky said.

"But we ended up climbing our way to the top by beating some of the best teams in our division."