Coyotes, Hawks earn home playoff dates
Tyler Takeda/The Madera Tribune
Liberty’s Nathanael Samarin makes a catch in foul territory against Kerman with shortstop Chase Schellenger backing up. Samarin and Schellenger will help lead the defending Div. V champions into the playoffs this week. After a first-round bye Wednesday, the Hawks host either Coalinga or Washington Union on Friday.
When the Central Section baseball and softball playoff seedings were announced Saturday, the Liberty Hawks softball and baseball and the Madera Coyotes baseball teams earned home dates.
The Hawks’ softball team, who finished with a co-North Sequoia League championship after finishing 8-2 in league, earned the No. 4 seed in the Div. III playoffs. They hosted No. 13 Sunnyside-Fresno on Tuesday in the first round at 4:30 p.m.
With a win, the Hawks will host No. 5 Mission Oak-Tulare or No. 12 Tehachapi on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Madera South Stallions softball team, who finished 5-5 in the County/Metro Athletic Conference, earned the No 9 seed in the Div. IV playoff and began its playoff run at No. 8 Hoover-Fresno on Tuesday. The winner receives a quarterfinal date with top seed Dos Palos on Thursday.
The Madera Coyotes softball team, who was 8-2 in the CMAC and placed second to Bullard-Fresno, did not get the respect it deserved after finishing the season with a 20-8 record. The Coyotes earned the No. 13 seed out of 15 in the Div. I playoffs. They play at No. 4 Clovis with the winner facing No. 5 Bullard or No. 12 Frontier-Bakersfield on Thursday.
The defending Div. V Central Section baseball Champions, the Liberty Hawks, begin their playoff run with a first round bye after gaining the No. 2 seed. The Hawks will host the winner of No. 7 Coalinga and No. 10 Washington Union-Easton on Friday.
The Coyotes baseball team also earned a home game after earning the No. 6 seed after a 15-13 overall record and a 7-8 record in the CMAC. The Coyotes host No. 11 Tulare Union today at Mel Parker Field at 4:30 p.m. The winner will head to Fresno High to face the Warriors in the quarterfinals.
The youthful Stallions baseball team, who didn’t win a game in the CMAC, earned the final seed in the Div. IV playoffs. The 16th seeded Stallions get a first-round date today against top-seed Sierra Pacific-Hanford.
