Softball: Division I playoff preview

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Champion: Valencia

Top teams: 1. Simi Valley (27-0), 2. Corona Santiago (24-3), 3. Valencia (24-5), 4. Norco (26-5).

Dark horse: Rosary (20-9) is a longshot in the truest sense. It could lose in the first round, or make noise throughout. It got off to a poor start, but the young pitching, in particular Alex Peyton, has come around and the Royals have won 10 in a row.

How it shakes out: The three likeliest candidates to emerge are Santiago, Norco and Hart because they have superior pitching in Kamerin May, Teagan Gerhart and Destiny Rodino. Losses the past two weeks show a vulnerability in Santiago which is hard to ignore, even though it won the 2006 title after losing three of its last five games heading into the playoffs. Still, it has an easier path than Norco and Hart, who could meet in the quarterfinals. Simi Valley must deal with the pressure of being No. 1 – and unbeaten – after having not been challenged much outside its league.

-- Martin Henderson