Clovis West tops in baseball, El Diamante in softball

Clovis West and El Diamante high schools — the cream of the Central Section crop all season — were awarded top seeds Saturday for the Division I baseball and softball playoffs.

Other top seeds went to Clovis North (D-II), Fresno (D-III), Kerman (D-IV), Corcoran (D-V), Mendota (D-VI) in baseball, and Garces (D-II), Ridgeview (D-III), Taft (D-IV), Exeter (D-V) and Sierra Pacific (D-VI) in softball.

The baseball playoffs begin Tuesday and continue Thursday, with semifinals on May 22 and championships on May 24. Softball runs Wednesday, Friday and May 23 before the finals on May 25. The D-VI finals are May 22 (baseball) and May 23 (softball).

The Golden Eagles baseball team won a section-best 28 games, captured the Tri-River Athletic Conference title and went a combined 13-3 against teams in the D-I bracket.

The Miners softball team went a section-leading 29-1, won the West Yosemite League title and went a combined 10-1 against teams in the D-I field. El Diamante split two games against second-seeded Central.

Defending champs are Buchanan (D-I), Frontier (D-II), Hanford West (D-III), Bakersfield Christian (D-IV), Corcoran (D-V) and Mendota (D-VI) in baseball, and El Diamante (D-I), Frontier (D-II), Ridgeview (D-III), Chowchilla (D-IV), Liberty-Madera Ranchos (D-V) and McFarland (D-VI) in softball.

The Fresno Bee