CCCAA Baseball State Championships

State Championship Brackets

The CCCAA Baseball State Championship is set for this weekend (May 28-30) at Fresno City College. Four teams remain and will be playing in this double elimination tournament for a shot at the state title. Below are summaries of each participating team.

The Baseball State Championship tournament will be broadcast LIVE with links available on the Schedules Page.

by John Van Gaston, CCCSIA

#1 North - Santa Rosa Junior College (35-8) - #1 Seed Overall
State Championships – 2 (1952, 2005)
Head Coach – Damon Neidlinger (13th Year)
Big 8 Conference Champion
Northern California Regional Playoffs – Round 1 – def. Reedley (3-7, 8-0, 6-2)
Northern California Regional Playoffs – Super Regional – def. Folsom Lake (1-3, 10-4, 7-1)
Northern California Regional Playoffs – Sectionals – def. Chabot (7-5, 5-0)

Making their first appearance in the CCCAA State Championships since 2013, the Bear Cubs are the #1 seed from Northern California, although they had a shaky start to their first two series. Dropping the first game against both Reedley and Folsom Lake, Santa Rosa has now won three games in a row after defeating Chabot in two straight to reach the state semifinals. The Big 8 Conference champion won the state title in 2005 after dropping their first game, so playing with their backs against the wall is commonplace for the Bear Cubs. They also reached the state semifinals in 2013 and finished in third place, with opening game opponent Cypress winning the title that season. Santa Rosa played in the first state championship game (1950) and then won their first title in 1952. They have also defeated Big 8 member San Joaquin Delta three times during conference play.

Santa Rosa has balanced a solid offense with their superb pitching, which ranks #1 in the state with a 2.51 ERA. At the plate, outfielder Bryce Nagata leads them with a .392 batting average, which is 15th best in the state, with shortstop Jake Scheiner driving in 56 runs, thanks to seven home runs and 18 doubles, which has produced a .381 batting average. He has driven in 13 of those runs in the post-season and enters the state tournament riding a 12-game hitting streak (23-for-47, .489). First baseman Ryder Kuhns (.341, 39 RBI) and outfielder Mitch West (.328, 32 RBI) have also been productive at the plate. On the mound, Alec Renaud leads the state in wins (13) and is second in innings pitched (107) and fourth in ERA (1.35). His control on the mound has resulted in 84 strikeouts and just nine walks, while he has allowed just 68 hits. When Renaud isn't starting, Santa Rosa has turned to both Ezio Bruchler (5-2, 3.88 ERA) and Matt Estes (7-1, 3.14 ERA), while the deep staff has combined for 11 saves. Jared Noonan leads the team with 22 appearances and is 3-1 with a team-leading four saves.

#2 North - San Joaquin Delta College (31-11) - #9 Seed Overall
State Championships – 2 (1959, 2011)
Head Coach – Reed Peters (9th Year)
4th Place Big 8 Conference
Northern California Regional Playoffs – Round 1 – def. Butte (3-0, 11-0)
Northern California Regional Playoffs – Super Regional – def. Mission (3-2, 13-9)
Northern California Regional Playoffs – Sectionals – def. Cosumnes River (12-7, 13-4)

Reaching their third consecutive CCCAA State Semifinals, and fifth in the last eight years, the Mustangs are the only team to go undefeated in the post-season (6-0) despite playing all three rounds on the road. In the last two seasons, San Joaquin Delta has reached the championship game, only to lose to Orange Coast College, which also happened in 2009. They won their state championships in 2011 and 1959, when they were known as Stockton Community College. The fourth place finisher in the Big 8 Conference, the Mustangs dropped all three of their meetings against Santa Rosa, who is the #1 seed from NorCal.

One of the better power hitting teams in the state, the Mustangs have received home runs from seven different players, including 1st baseman Chris Williams, who leads them with seven to go along with 36 RBI and a .328 batting average. Second baseman Carlos Moseley leads San Joaquin Delta in doubles (14), RBI (45) and average (.373), while outfielder Nik Poirier is batting .356 with eight doubles, five triples and four home runs on the season. Alex Dentoni ranks fourth in the state in innings pitched (104) and has an 11-2 record with a 2.77 ERA. The Mustangs have used six different starting pitchers this year, including Mikey Wright, who has made nine starts and is 6-1 with a team-leading five saves.

#1 South -  Golden West College (29-14) - #3 Seed Overall
State Championships – 0
Head Coach – Bert Villarreal (28th Year)
Tied 2nd Place Orange Empire Conference
Southern California Regional Playoffs – Round 1 – def. Rio Hondo (6-5, 6-1)
Southern California Regional Playoffs – Super Regional – def. Riverside City (7-6, 0-1, 10-6)
Southern California Regional Playoffs – Sectionals – def. Chaffey (11-6, 8-1)

The only team in the state semifinals to never win a CCCAA State Championship – and are making the first state tournament appearance in school history - Golden West was able to forge a tie for second place in the Orange Empire Conference with state participant Cypress by defeating them two out of three times in the final series of conference play. Prior to that the Rustlers had lost four games in a row.

Boasting one of the best hitters in the state is 2nd baseman Dylan Persinger, as the sophomore leads the state in batting average (.435), slugging percentage (.727) and doubles (20). He also has power numbers with three triples and six home runs, while he has driven in 39 runs. Persinger has hits in 36 of the 42 games in which he's played and has only gone two games in a row without a hit one time this year. He currently has an 11-game hitting streak and hits in 16 of the last 18 games. When Persinger isn't leading the team in almost every major hitting category, the Rustlers have turned to 1st baseman Cody Marshall, who has 15 doubles, 39 RBI, drawn 28 walks and is batting .359. Stepping in during the post-season has been outfielder Chris Rodriguez, who went 8-for-12 in the last three games from the leadoff spot in the batting order. Also a pitcher, Marshall is 5-5 with three complete games and a 3.94 ERA. Tyler Tungate is 8-2 with three complete games in 16 starts and leads the state in innings pitched (111), while striking out 97. Closer Joshua Gogue is tied for third in the state with seven saves and leads the team with 18 appearances and a 2.08 ERA.

#2 South -  Cypress College (30-13) - #4 Seed Overall
State Championships – 5 (1991, 1994 1997, 2003, 2013)
Head Coach – Scott Pickler (32nd Year)
Tied 2nd Place Orange Empire Conference
Southern California Regional Playoffs – Round 1 – def. El Camino (11-4, 4-3)
Southern California Regional Playoffs – Super Regional – def. Fullerton (0-5, 11-4, 5-4)
Southern California Regional Playoffs – Sectionals – def. Grossmont (6-5, 11-10)

The program with the most storied history (5 state titles), Cypress helped make their way into the state semifinals by winning four one-run games in the playoffs. They defeated Grossmont twice by one run, and on two occasions in the playoffs, scored in the ninth or 10th innings to win games. The Chargers last made an appearance in the state tournament in 2013 and opened with a win over state opponent Santa Rosa, who they will open with on Saturday. Prior to that title, Cypress lost in the finals to Riverside (2007) and Saddleback (2004), while they finished in third place in 2006. In three of their state championship years, Cypress has defeated an opponent from the Orange Empire Conference, with two of their other three finals appearances resulting in losses to conference foes. Head coach Scott Pickler has been at the helm for all five of the team's state titles.

Fifth in the state in runs scored (312), the Chargers have six regulars batting over .300 and have been led in the power categories by designated hitter Elijah Skipps, who has 10 doubles, eight home runs and has driven in 34 runs. Skipps and outfielder Aaron Case are tied for 10th in the state with 30 walks each, while Nick Reeser leads the team with 41 RBI. Third baseman Willie Aguilar (9 doubles, 4 HR, 34 RBI, .344 avg.) and outfielder Brandon Gonzalez (.355), who has gone 11-for-20 in the last five games, also come into the state championships with a hot bat. On the mound, Tylor Megill (3.46 ERA) is tied for second in the state with 11 wins (11-2) and is 11th in the state with 96.1 innings pitched. Andrew Quezada (3.43 ERA) has gone from a closers role to the starting rotation and is 9-3 with three saves and two complete games in 76 innings. Henry Martinez (5-4, 8 starts, 3.54 ERA) and Joseph Mercado (3-3, 12 starts, 4.80 ERA) are also part of the rotation.

Sectional Brackets 
[Northern CA][Southern CA] 

Super Regional Brackets
[Northern CA][Southern CA] 

Regional Brackets
[Northern CA][Southern CA]