All the hard work. The blood, sweat and tears.
For this.
The chance to call yourself a champion.
Thirty-nine San Joaquin County baseball and softball teams entered the postseason with that dream.
Now, just four are left standing.
St. Mary’s in Division I baseball. Ripon Christian in Division VI baseball. Escalon in Division V softball. Elliot Christian in Division VII softball.
Now comes the biggest question.
Can any of them finish the job?
Here’s a full preview of all four San Joaquin County championship matchups — who they’ll face, how they got here and what to know before first pitch.
St. Mary’s opens things at 6 p.m. Friday, May 22, at Sacramento City College. The other three title games follow at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 23.
Division I | Baseball
No. 3 Franklin (22-8-1) at No. 1 St. Mary’s (26-6), 6 p.m. May 22, Sac City College
Unfinished business awaits St. Mary’s. The setup almost feels scripted. In 2024, the Rams won the Section title as the No. 1 seed against No. 3 Rocklin. One year later, back as the top seed, another No. 3 stood in the way — Franklin. That time, the ending was heartbreak. St. Mary’s carried a 1-0 lead through four innings before Franklin erupted for four in the fifth to steal a 4-3 win. On paper, though, this version of Franklin may not be quite as dangerous. Last year’s Wildcats were Delta League champions and a top-20 team in California. This year, they arrive as a third-place league finisher ranked just inside the top 50. Then again, rankings do not decide championships. St. Mary’s finished No. 17 in California a year ago and now sits just inside the top 30. So what wins out — revenge, or history? A sixth Section title would join championships from 1989, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2024. Franklin, of course, has other plans.
Division V | Softball
No. 7 Escalon (14-11) at No. 5 Casa Roble (16-10), 10 a.m. May 23, Cosumnes River College
A 1-9 start. Four wins last season. Six wins in both 2023 and 2024. None of that screams Section finalist. Yet here is Escalon. In its first Section playoff run since the 2019 championship that capped the program’s three-peat, the Cougars have carved through one of the toughest paths imaginable — first Sierra Delta League champion No. 10 Woodland Christian, then Mother Lode League champion No. 2 Calaveras, which had only two losses at the time, and finally No. 3 Sutter. Waiting now is a Cinderella of its own. Casa Roble, a fifth-place Golden Empire League finisher, has knocked off the No. 12 seed, county power No. 4 Liberty Ranch and No. 8 Orestimba, which had already done the Rams a favor by eliminating top-seeded Hughson. One more twist? This exact Division was won by a No. 7 seed last year. Destiny, maybe?
Division VI | Baseball
No. 2 Amador (24-5-1) at No. 1 Ripon Christian (28-3), 10 a.m. May 23, Delta College
Ripon Christian has been here before. A Section title in 2023. A runner-up finish in 2024. Now another trip back, its third in four years. Yet somehow, this one feels different. A year after going 14-11 overall and finishing .500 in their first season in the Trans Valley League, the Knights turned into a machine — winning the league at 11-1, setting a new program record for wins and stacking 17 straight victories. Even its biggest postseason stumble barely lasted, as No. 5 Colfax took the opener before Ripon Christian stormed back to take the next two by a combined 16-3. Then again, championship baseball laughs at records. And Amador has authored its own remarkable run. Since 2004, they had never won more than 15 games, finished above .500 only four times and reached double-digit wins just six times. Now? Twenty-four wins. Eight straight victories. A third-place Sierra Valley Conference finisher playing the best baseball in program history.
Division VII | Softball
No. 2 Elliot Christian (11-3) at No. 1 Le Grand (18-7), 10 a.m. May 23, Delta College
Back like they never left. From 2005 through 2012, Elliot Christian built a dynasty, winning eight straight Sac-Joaquin Section titles — and there may have been more before that. Yet despite all that history, the Eagles have only reached the championship game twice since — in 2013 and 2015 — losing both. Now comes another chance. The twist? Le Grand knows a thing or two about that too. Three straight Southern Athletic League titles. A perfect 40-0 in league during that span. Five Section championships, including one just two years. One side wants redemption after falling short last year. The other wants to end a championship drought that has lasted more than a decade.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Four San Joaquin County baseball, softball teams eye CIF SJS titles
Reporting by Dylan Ackermann, The Stockton Record / The Record
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