NCS softball playoffs 2025: The matchups are set. Here’s what to know
MEET THE TOP SQUAD LIBERTY In a field as talented as the North Coast Section s Division I bracket Liberty has separated itself as the top company heading into the playoffs The Lions won straight games to end the regular season and captured the Bay Valley Athletic League title with ease as they outscored their league opponents - across games Liberty - - also has non-league wins over Granada College Park Castro Valley Archbishop Mitty and California Now the Brentwood school will be looking to win its first NCS title since Weber State-bound junior Kaitlyn Macias has had a monster season She leads Liberty in batting average on-base percentage slugging percentage and RBIs In the circle she s been just as dominant as she boasts a ERA and is undefeated through five starts Macias has formed a dynamic pitching duo with Illinois State commit Kate Skinner The junior totaled strikeouts through starts this season with an ERA of Talented hitters such as Isabella Rice Taylor Jennings and Madison Tuttle round out a lineup that averages runs per battle Since only had teams qualified for the Division I playoffs Liberty along with No seed Livermore has an opening-round bye The Lions will play the winner of a first-round competition between Vintage and San Marin in the quarterfinals Liberty High pitcher Kate Skinner threw seven innings and pitched a - shutout against Dublin High during their NCS softball playoff win at Liberty High School in Brentwood Calif on Tuesday May Jane Tyska Bay Area News Group TOP STORYLINES A likely Livermore-Granada second-round matchup could happen should the Matadors upset No seed Alameda on the road The crosstown rivals split their two-game series this spring with Livermore defeating Granada - in the East Bay Athletic League regular-season finale In Division II the bracket s top three teams Cardinal Newman Carondelet and James Logan all received byes into the second round Carondelet got hot in league play winning the EBAL s regular-season title The young band is led by all-league sophomore Angela Gates who leads Carondelet in batting average home runs three and slugging percentage After winning the Diablo Athletic League Foothill Division crown Clayton Valley will host San Ramon Valley despite being the lower seed The Ugly Eagles won nine of their last games to end the regular season San Ramon Valley is seeking its first-ever NCS title Last year s Division I champion Amador Valley did not qualify for this year s NCS playoffs The Dons came out of nowhere to win an NCS and NorCal Division I title last season but did not have a record overall in league play or in their base division this spring They needed to be in just one of those categories to qualify Under this year s new format the committee relied on the MaxPreps rankings to determine much of the seeding for each division But since there is no Open Division teams were only allowed to move up two brackets higher than their base enrollment divisions Like the baseball playoffs nine teams will make the regional playoffs The winners and runners-up in Division I and II all champions in Divisions III through VI and the winner of the Division I third-place event will punch their ticket to the NorCal playoffs Livermore pitcher Laine Macosky throws against Foothill High in the second inning of a softball event at Foothill High School in Pleasanton Calif on Tuesday April Ray Chavez Bay Area News Group Related Articles NCS softball playoffs First-round games in all divisions Prep roundup Valley Christian rallies to beat No St Francis share WCAL softball title High school softball rankings May Bay Area News Group top Mitty softball beats St Ignatius Cats walk off St Francis with grand slam Prep roundup Las Lomas continues upset run in NCS volleyball playoffs Livermore stuns Granada in baseball WHO CAN MAKE A SURPRISE RUN Alameda is getting hot at the right time The Hornets stunned Castro Valley in the West Alameda County Conference Foothill Division final and finished the regular season winning five of its final six games Sophomore standout Mia Wong and senior captain Aaliyah Soderlund lead a talented lineup that totaled extra-base hits Alameda will host Granada on Wednesday Benicia made it to the Division II semifinals last year and received the fifth seed in the same division this year The Panthers finished third in the DAL Foothill but notched impressive wins over Granada Carondelet San Ramon Valley and Alhambra Benicia will host Fortuna on Wednesday Piedmont won the WACC Shoreline Division regular-season crown but a loss to Mt Eden in the league tournament final bumped the Highlanders down to the th seed in Division V Still Piedmont has the talent to make a run Miya Fujimoto leads Piedmont in almost every offensive stat category and will likely be the driving force behind a deep playoff run Piedmont travels to Fremont to play the California School for the Deaf in its first round encounter on Tuesday Benicia s Emma French leaps to catch a high-thrown ball and manages to tag Deja Montgomery as she tries to steal second base during the Panther s - win in the sixth inning of the North Coast Section Softball playoffs on Friday Chris Riley Times-Herald
