Sutter opens D-V title defense Wednesday: No. 3 Huskies host No. 6 Bret Harte
May 7—Sutter Union High baseball team's title defense begins today in the quarterfinals of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division V playoffs at four different locations.
For Sutter (21-6-1), champions of the Pioneer Valley League, it opens as the three-seed at home against No. 6 Bret Harte (11-9), a school based out of Angels Camp in Calaveras County.
The two have never met in the MaxPreps era. The Bullfrogs finished second behind D-V No. 4 seed Summerville in the Mother Lode League. This year the team is stepping up a division when it fell to Le Grand in the D-VI quarterfinals in 2023.
As for Sutter, it won the SJS D-V finals a year ago with a thrilling 13-inning win over Bradshaw Christian at Sacramento City College. The Huskies return a lot of its corps, starting with Hawaii commit Jagger Beck, who will be counted on again largely from the hill where the 6-foot-6 fireballer went 6-1 with a .40 ERA in over 30 innings pitched. He is one of three from Sutter with over 30 innings — and one of four — with over 20 innings. The depth on the hill should pay dividends for Stewart Peterson's program as it looks to repeat not only as SJS champs but as Northern California Regional D-IV champions as well. Wednesday's quarterfinal winners advance into a best-of-three semifinal series where Sutter will likely get a rematch with No. 2 Hughson (25-2) beginning on the road Monday. Game two is set for May 15 at the lower seed while a winner-take-all game three will be played (if necessary) on Thursday at the higher seed. The other side of the bracket is headlined by Bradshaw Christian (25-1), the No. 1 seed in the SJS D-V playoffs.
In D-IV, Wheatland (16-10) received the No. 2 seed and a bye into the quarterfinals where it will host the winner of the 7-10 matchup between Liberty Ranch and Venture Academy at Galt Community Park on Thursday at 4 p.m. at WUHS. Liberty Ranch and Venture Academy meet in the D-IV first round today.
Wheatland finished second to Sutter in the PVL and possesses a .400 hitter in Joshua Rivera and a right-handed arm with an under two ERA in Adrian Villar.
Wheatland was a No. 9 seed a year ago after it finished 12-12 and in fourth place in the PVL in 2023.
The semifinal series begins Monday at the highest seed.
To purchase playoff tickets visit https://gofan.co/app/school/CIFSJS.
