The playoff season is underway for Little League baseball.
As you might remember from last year, things can get pretty exciting.
Yes it has been about a year since the Petaluma National set this area on its ear as they became the first District 35 team to ever make the Little League World Series.
The District 35 territory covers from Willits to Petaluma and everything west of that all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The District has 16 little leagues with four programs in Santa Rosa and three in Petaluma. The league all have decided its league champions in the past week who will compete in the Tournament of Champions, which is a single elimination tournament that begins on Monday June 17th.
The opening round is played in eight different locations. The longest trip belongs to Mark West of Santa Rosa, who travels to Fort Bragg. There are two intercity rivalry games Santa Rosa American at Westside of Santa Rosa and Petaluma American at Petaluma National.
There are games each day until June 20th when championship game will be played at Monroe School in West Santa Rosa, the home of Santa Rosa American Little League.
The two teams that make the championship game will be playing their fourth game in four days and their last of the season.
These are teams that were picked at the beginning of the season and have been playing with each other since the season began three months ago. For most of the players, a loss or winning the tournament championship will be there last game of the season. For others they move onto the All Star Tournaments.
The Five All-Stars teams are picked by each league. The five divisions are 9-10 year olds, 10-11, 11-12, Senior and 50/70. No the 50/70 isn’t a age range of that division, it is the first year of a field size which is a stepping stone from a little league field and the Seniors which plays on a field the same as high school, college and pros. This is the first year of this division.
All but one of the divisions starts the double elimination tournament on Saturday June 29th. There are games from Willits to Petaluma and the winner of the double elimination tournament advances to the District playoffs. The 11-12 year old division is the only one that goes as far as a Little League World Series.
The only division that doesn’t start on June 29th is 50-70. That division starts in a Sectional playoff on June 29th in Walnut Creek.
TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPION SCHEDULE
FIRST ROUND (ALL GAMES ON JUNE 17th at 5:30 PM)
Cloverdale at Coast Youth (Pt. Arena Area0
Rincon Valley at Rancho Cotati
Mark West (Santa Rosa) at Fort Bragg
Ukiah at Willits
Healdsburg at El Molino
Petaluma American at Petaluma Valley
Santa Rosa American at Westside (Santa Rosa)
Petaluma National at Sebastopol
WINNERS MEET ON TUESDAY at Rancho Cotati, Ukiah, Petaluma Valley, Westside (Santa Rosa)
SEMI-FINALS ON WEDNESDAY at Ukiah, Westside (Santa Rosa)
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ON THURSDAY at Santa Rosa American
If you want to help become eyes of these games email me.
My email address is jacpasquini@comcast.net