The seeds have changed but not the opponent as for the second straight year the #9 Pasadena City College softball team will play at #8 Santiago Canyon College in a Southern California Regional Round 1 Playoff series this Friday-Saturday, May 3-4.
Last season when the teams met in the first round it was the Lancers as a No. 12 seed at a No. 5 Santiago Canyon squad. PCC went the distance in the 3-game series, losing 2-games-to-1. All the games last year were close and PCC had opened with a 4-1 win in game 1.
Fast forward to this season and the Lancers are an improved team that were ranked No. 10 in the Final Softball Coaches Association SoCal regular season poll. PCC is 26-14 overall and because of RPI moved up one spot to the #9 seed. PCC finished in second place behind CCCAA defending state champion and current No. 1 seed Mt. San Antonio in the South Coast Conference North Division. Santiago Canyon is the fifth place team from the Orange Empire Conference and is 23-16-1 overall. The Hawks lost their final four regular season games, including one against Cerritos, a team PCC defeated in the conference season.
Another encouraging sign for PCC is that the Lancers beat OEC opponent Santa Ana, 8-0, on April 20. Santiago Canyon lost their 3-game series v. the Dons, 2-1, and finished behind them in the conference standings (Santa Ana was fourth place).
Coach Monica Tantlinger's Lancers are looking to get past the first round for the first time in her six seasons in charge of the program. In 2017, PCC lost two 1-run playoff games at Palomar College. PCC has made the playoffs now in three straight seasons and the team's overall record is a sparkling 77-46-1 since the start of the 2017 season.
Lancers shortstop Kaylee Medrano was recently selected All-SoCal Region and leads PCC into this week's playoffs along with fellow All-SCC First Team selections in third baseman Samantha Diaz and second baseman Danielle Ruiz. Santiago Canyon is paced by All-State outfielder Rylie Seip, who hit .457, slugged seven home runs with 12 triples, 13 doubles, 36 RBI and stole 26 bases. Seip was a tough out last year v. PCC pitchers when she hit two home runs in the series.
Game 1 of the PCC-Santiago Canyon series is Friday at 2 p.m. Game 2 is Saturday at 12 noon and if necessary game 3 would be played following a short break at the conclusion of game 2.