Local high school spring sports teams have entered the final stretch of the season, with squads either wrapping up regular season play or beginning postseason action this week.
Those teams provided updates on their playoff outlook and recapped the week that was at Monday’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table Press Luncheon at Harry’s Plaza Cafe.
This week’s luncheon was guest-hosted by Dr. Addison Cook and Dr. Sean Shafi of UCLA Health.
Channel League Baseball Race
The battle for the 2024 Channel League baseball title is coming down to the wire, as four different teams can still take home the crown heading into the final week of the season.
Two-time defending champion San Marcos currently sit in first place with a league record of 8-3-1. A pair of wins over Rio Mesa this week would give the Royals the league championship.
Meanwhile, Rio Mesa and Santa Barbara High are tied for second place in the Channel League with records of 8-4.
The Dons will have a two-game series against Ventura (6-6) to round out the regular season this week. They are hoping for a sweep of their own and for the Royals and Spartans to split their series. If that happens, they will be named league champions.
Pacifica currently sits at 7-5 in league play and will take on Oxnard this week. The Tritons will need a sweep and some help from other teams in order to leapfrog the three teams ahead of them.
The Royals are on the road on Tuesday and will host Rio Mesa on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. Meanwhile, Santa Barbara High is at home against Ventura on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. before heading down south on Thursday.
Track & Field, Swim League Championship Meets
The local track & field and swim squads will compete in their league championship meets this week after stellar seasons all across town.
In track & field, the trio of Channel League schools in the area (Santa Barbara, San Marcos, Dos Pueblos) will head down to Rio Mesa for the league championship meet on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Carpinteria High track & field will host the Citrus Coast League championships on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
As for swim & dive, the Channel League championships will be held at Dos Pueblos High’s Elings Aquatic Center this week.
The prelim rounds will take place on Tuesday while the Channel League finals will begin at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
Carpinteria Swim & Dive will also be hosting their Citrus Coast League Finals this Thursday at Carpinteria Community Pool at 2 p.m.
CIF-SS Playoff Games this Week
While plenty of teams will be finishing off regular season action this week, there are also those who will begin, or continue, their quest for a CIF-SS title this week.
In girls beach volleyball, the only local team left standing is San Marcos, who will host a Div. 1 quarterfinal matchup against Huntington Beach on Wednesday at 3 p.m.
Meanwhile, an impressive seven local teams will be competing in the CIF-SS Boys Volleyball Playoffs this season.
The only two teams to open the postseason at home are San Marcos, who will host El Segundo on Thursday at 6 p.m., and Laguna Blanca, slated to take on Bolsa Grande at 5 p.m. on Thursday.
The rest of the boys volleyball first-round matchups can be found here.
Student-Athletes in Attendance
San Marcos Boys Volleyball: Koji Hefner, Cameron Earls, Landon Sheffey
Santa Barbara High Baseball: Peter Moschitto, Lucas Harris
San Marcos Baseball: Nate Jones, Steven Bradley
Bishop Diego Track & Field: Connor Boyd
Bishop Diego Softball: Anna Fittipaldi, Audrey Gayou, Gali De La Cruz
Carpinteria High Baseball: Joaquin Ramirez, Judah Torres
Carpinteria High Swim: Lilli Nemetz
Carpinteria High Track & Field: Joel De Lira, Ruby Cluderay
Santa Barbara High Softball: Madison Benedict, Ava Karman
Santa Barbara High Track & Field: Sierra Gronquist, Blaise Snow, Andreas Dybdahl, Magne Henriques, Bode Andrulaitis
San Marcos Track & Field: Ava Carter, Nicolly Oh, Gage Minne, Ethan Ball, Janelle Capuno
Dos Pueblos Baseball: Aden Blaney, Naveen Mortenson, Jackson Dreesmann, James Glanville
Dos Pueblos Track & Field: Leif Kylander, Harper Wolfe Lyons, Elliot McGuire, Clehann Howard
Dos Pueblos Swim & Dive: Grant Nelson, Adam Gelman, Riley Moore, Dasha Dzreeva
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