The CIF Sac-Joaquin Section on Friday afternoon released the 2026 softball playoff brackets for Divisions I through VII. The first round begins Wednesday with games at home sites, hosted by the higher seed.
Play-in games are Monday at 4 p.m. for Divisions I, III, V and No. 1 seeds in Divisions II, IV and VI have first-round byes.
Central Catholic at No. 8 is the highest ranked Stanislaus District team in the MaxPreps Sac-Joaquin Section rankings. The Raiders are the No. 2 seed in the D-IV bracket and if they want to reach a fifth consecutive section title game, they will have to get through Valley Oak League rival Oakdale, which is the No. 3 seed in the division. Central Catholic will have home field advantage through the first three rounds…