UPDATE — Checking back in with Division III and IV news.

Kern County is well represented in D-III, but I don't know how far any of the teams will go. South, which reached the championship game last year before falling to Dinuba, is the highest-seeded K.C. team at No. 5. The Rebels host Tehachapi in the first round, with the winner likely traveling to No. 4 Selma on Thursday. Elsewhere in D-III, Highland and Garces were given first-round home games as the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds. Hmm. Neither had a great season, but that's what you get for being a D-III team in a league full of D-I teams.

In D-IV, a couple of SSL teams, Taft and Wasco, are the Nos. 5 and 7 seeds in a 9-team bracket.

ORIGINAL POST

They've just unveiled the Central Section baseball brackets, and we've got a bit of a surprise. Stockdale, which got blasted 19-10 by Centennial on Wednesday and split the league title with the Golden Hawks, got the No. 1 seed in Division I anyway.

My guess is the Mustangs did enough before this last week to merit the top seed. They lost three times all year — to Centennial, Liberty and Bakersfield High.

Meanwhile, Clovis was given the No. 2 seed and Centennial slid to the No. 3. Tough luck for the Golden Hawks, who'll have to go on the road perhaps in each of the final two rounds if they're to defend their section title. Of course, the No. 3 seed is the same post CHS started from last year.

Liberty was rewarded for a strong season with the No. 5 seed and will open at home against No. 12 Visalia-Golden West on Tuesday. BHS is a surprising No. 7 seed and drew perennial power Clovis-Buchanan, the No. 10, in a first-round home game Tuesday. Stockdale and Centennial have byes into Thursday's quarterfinals.

Other notable seeds: Div. II, North is a No. 2 and Ridgeview a No. 10, so they could meet in the quarterfinals. I'll update this when the D-III, iV and V brackets are relased, which should be shortly.

In softball playoff brackets, which were released earlier today, SWYL champion Centennial is a No. 2 seed and Stockdale a No. 3. If they meet in the semifinals, CHS will be looking for its third victory over a tough team. Not easy to do. Madera is the No. 1 seed.

Kern County has a team seeded to make the softball finals in every division but V, with North the No. 1 in D-II, Garces the No. 1 in D-III and Wasco the No. 1 in D-IV.