After finishing in third place in the South Coast Conference, the Cerritos College softball team was seeded #11 for the Southern California Regional Playoffs. The Falcons (23-17) will travel this weekend to play a best 2-of-3 series against College of the Canyons, who was seeded  #6 for the post-season. The first game is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Saturday with the second game slated for noon on Sunday. If a third game is needed, it will be played immediately following the conclusion of the first game on Sunday.

The Cougars (28-10-1) finished in second place in the Western State Conference Blue Division. This will mark the second meeting of the season between the two teams, with Canyons posting a 4-3 win in eight innings on February 20 at Nancy Kelly Field.

Cerritos was seeded as high as they were due to their RPI, which represents the strength of their schedule. Of the other 15 teams that reached the post-season, the Falcons have faced 11 of them and have a 5-14 record, with six of those losses by one run. As for the Cougars, they have a 6-7-1 record against eight of the teams in the playoffs.

The Falcons are led by sophomore infielder Crystal Cano (Norwalk HS/Lynn (FL) University), who leads the team with 13 home runs, 56 RBI and a .459 batting average, while freshman pitcher/infielder Jennifer Navarro (Warren HS) is hitting at a .364 clip with four home runs and 33 RBI. She is also 12-9 in the circle. Sophomore catcher Krystal Purkey (Gahr HS) has also provided power at the plate with eight home runs, while the pair of freshman shortstop Jenny Collazo (Paramount HS) and sophomore first baseman/outfielder Haley Petruccelli (Torrance HS) have each clubbed six round-trippers. Collazo is also batting .356, while the team leads the state with 186 walks, with sophomore outfielder Joanna Perruccio (Long Beach Wilson HS) leading the state with 33 free passes and Collazo (30) and Petruccelli (30) tied for second in the state.

College of the Canyons is led by catcher Lauren Anderson, who has 12 home runs, 54 RBI, 19 doubles and is batting at a .562 clip. Cheyenne Steward is batting .489 with nine home runs and 39 RBI, while Jennifer Metcalf (4 HR, 36 RBI) and Kaitlyn Shreves (.409, 31 RBI) have also been productive. Ashley Russo has been the team's top pitcher with a 12-4 record and a 2.42 ERA with 55 strikeouts. Milana Casillas (8-3) and Kaitlyn Reed (7-3) also see time in the circle.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGIONAL PLAYOFF PAIRINGS

#16 Cuesta (14-16) @ #1 Palomar (33-3-1)
#9 Santiago Canyon (26-12) @ #8 Saddleback (26-12)

#13 San Bernardino Valley (26-1) @ #4 Citrus (30-9)
#12 Fullerton (23-16) @ #6 El Camino (30-10)

#14 Rio Hondo (22-17-1) @ #3 Cypress (32-8)
#11 Cerritos (23-17) @ #6 College of the Canyons (28-10-1)

#10 Santa Ana (24-13) @ #7 Mt. San Antonio (29-11)
#15 San Diego Mesa (17-15) @ #2 Allan Hancock (33-2-1)