Precarious playoff position for Padres

Since 1990, however, Serra has qualified for the section playoffs 31 straight years.

On paper, the loss to the Warriors Tuesday gives Serra an overall record of 13-14. With a sixth-place finish in the WCAL standings, the Padres missed out on a top-5 finish, which would have qualified them automatically. As such, the Padres will be looking to make the playoffs as an at-large team.

The first criteria of qualifying as an at-large team is to have .500 or better record in league, which, at 4-10, the Padres do not.

Or, a team needs a winning overall record. Again, on paper, the Padres don’t meet the requirement either.

There is a big caveat, however. CCS bylaws say, “Excluding any league tournament games.” It’s even italicized for emphasis.

And that’s what is allowing Serra to finish the regular season with an overall record of 13-13 and the chance to apply for a postseason berth. There are no guarantees, however, that a team with a .500 record will get the nod, but given the mounds of power points the Padres piled up in WCAL play and against an always tough non-league schedule, not only should Serra advance, the Padres have a pretty good chance of getting a home game. The CCS seeding meeting is Wednesday, May 18, with first-round games scheduled for Saturday, May 21.

While the present is a little dicey for Serra baseball, the Padres look absolutely set for the next several years is poised to become a juggernaut. The Serra junior varsity and freshman teams balled out this season, going a combined 25-0-3 in WCAL play and 39-0-3 overall this season.

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Meanwhile, the Peninsula Athletic League seems to have decided on seven of its eight automatic bids.

Undefeated Lake Division champion Terra Nova is in, as are two automatic bids from the Ocean Division — Half Moon Bay and Sacred Heart Prep — which will decide the division champion Thursday in Atherton. Bay Division champ Carlmont and runner-up Burlingame have locked up spots and, despite being swept by the Scots this week, Sequoia will grab a transfer spot as well, finishing Bay play at 7-7.

That leaves two automatic berths still in flux. Seventh-place King’s Academy and eighth-place Hillsdale have already been eliminated, but that still leaves Menlo-Atherton (7-6), Capuchino (6-7) and Aragon (5-8) battling for the final two spots.

M-A moved a step closer following an upset win over Burlingame, which, at the same time, hurt the chances of Aragon, who were upset by last-place Hillsdale. Even with a loss Friday, the Bears are guaranteed to finish at 7-7. Capuchino controls its own destiny and, even if the Mustangs lose to King’s Academy and Aragon beats Hillsdale, the Mustangs would grab the last spot by having swept the two-game series from the Dons.

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There is a new softball travel team in town and it is looking to raise funds for the upcoming summer season.

The U16 Eagles Fastpitch is a new travel-ball team playing under the umbrella of the San Mateo Youth Softball Association, but playing in higher level tournaments in the PFG and Alliance Fastpitch organizations.

The team — comprised of mostly freshmen and sophomore softball players from schools including Aragon, Carlmont, Design Tech, Hillsdale, Notre Dame-Belmont, and even a couple players from St. Ignatius and St. Francis — are hosting a golf fundraiser Monday, June 13 at Crystal Springs Golf Course, with a shotgun start at 1 p.m.

Tournament organizer Bob Johnson said while the sponsorships are going well, the event is still short of golfers. The cost of golf is $175 or you can have dinner and participate in an auction for $50, all of which is tax deductible.

If you are interested in playing or wanted to make a donation, you can go to the tournament website at eagles-fastpitch-golf-tournament.perfectgolfevent.com/location. If you want more information about how you can get involved as a sponsor, email Johnson at bjohnz18@gmail.com.

Deadline to register is June 1.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 344-5200 ext. 117. To report scores or tips, email sports@smdailyjournal.com.