By Loren Kopff
@LorenKopff on Twitter
With only three weeks left in the regular season, several baseball, softball, boys volleyball teams are not only seeking a berth in the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section playoffs, but they have sights on a potential league title. Here’s a look at how the final weeks of the spring season shapes up for the area teams. All baseball teams will play home and home series.
ARTESIA
Baseball will end the regular season with Mayfair and Bellflower and needs to win all four games and get some help to even have a shot of the playoffs. On the other hand, the softball team ends the season with five straight home games, beginning with John Glenn High on Thursday. The Pioneers are 6-7 overall, 3-4 in the Suburban League and in fourth place. Artesia has not made the playoffs since 1992.
CERRITOS
The baseball team can finish anywhere in the top five and will see Glenn, Norwalk High and La Mirada High in the final three weeks. Entering today’s action, La Mirada was in first place at 6-0 followed by Mayfair High (4-1), Glenn (4-2), Bellflower High (4-3) and then the Dons at 3-3. The softball team hosts Bellflower on Wednesday in its only game of the week. The Lady Dons are sitting at 13-5 overall, 6-1 in league and in second place.
The boys volleyball team is the top ranked team in Division 5 and sport an overall mark of 17-5 and a league record of 9-0. The Dons visit Glenn on Tuesday and Artesia on Thursday.
GAHR
The baseball team is tied for first place with Downey High and will see the Vikings in two weeks. Before that, the Gladiators (8-11, 4-0) will face Paramount High. The Division 2 top ranked softball squad is 17-0 and has a busy week coming up. The Lady Gladiators host Dominguez High on Tuesday, La Mirada on Wednesday and visit Lynwood High on Thursday. The game with La Mirada is the championship game of the La Mirada Tournament. The team is batting .415 with five players over .450 and the pitching staff has an earned run average of 1.38.
The boys volleyball team is in fourth place in the San Gabriel Valley League and will visit Paramount on Tuesday in a match that will probably decide third place.
JOHN GLENN
The final three opponents for the baseball team are against teams right with the Eagles for not only a league title but a very high spot in the league. First will be Cerritos, then Bellflower and finally Mayfair. The softball squad has lost six straight games to drop to 6-11 overall and 1-5 in the circuit. The Lady Eagles visit Mayfair on Tuesday and Artesia on Thursday.
NORWALK
Unless a miracle occurs for both the baseball and softball teams, neither figures to be in the playoff picture. Baseball is sitting at 9-9 overall but 1-7 in league and has La Mirada and Cerritos while the defending league champs for softball have five road games remaining beginning with La Mirada on Tuesday and Mayfair on Thursday. The Lady Lancers are 5-14 overall, 2-5 in league and in fifth place.
VALLEY CHRISTIAN
An Olympic League baseball title may be out of reach but the Crusaders face two teams they are battling with for third place and the final automatic playoff berth. The Crusaders (12-9, 2-4) will see Whittier Christian High, then second place Maranatha High before wrapping up the regular season with Heritage Christian High.
The softball team, at 6-10-1 overall and 1-3 in league, hosted Mayfair on Apr. 20 and will welcome Village Christian High on Thursday. The Lady Crusaders are in last place but there is a three-way tie for second place.
The volleyball team is 16-4 overall and 4-0 in the circuit as it visits Village Christian High on Friday and Whittier Christian on Tuesday before hosting Maranatha on Thursday.
WHITNEY
Despite a 7-7 record and being ranked third in Division 7, the baseball team is in fifth place in the Academy League with all seven losses coming in league action. The Wildcats have last place Calvary Chapel Downey High and fourth place Oxford Academy left on the docket.
The softball team will wrap up the home portion of its schedule with Oxford Academy on Tuesday and Calvary Chapel Downey on Friday. At 7-10 overall and 1-3 in league, the Lady Wildcats are in fourth place but a game out of third and two games out of second place.
