The North Coast Section announced the seedings in both Baseball and Softball on Saturday, and for the first time since 2019 Dublin qualified for the postseason in both sports in the same season.
In Baseball, Dublin nabbed the final spot in tournament by landing the #16 seed by virtue of winning what amounted to “play-in” games for their final two contests. Dramatic come-from-behind walk-off home victories against both Dougherty Valley and Irvington in their final two games gave Dublin the edge for the committee’s final deliberations. The head-to-head victory over Irvington was a particularly decisive factor as the Vikings were also under consideration for the final spot as well. Dublin also had the edge over another team on the bubble (San Leandro) by virtue of a 6-0 shutout in the opening game of the season.
Dublin will now go on the road to face a familiar opponent, the top-seeded Granada Matadors. However, the Gaels played the East Bay Athletic League (EBAL) champions tough in both of their contests this season, losing 2-0 at home and 4-1 on the road. The game at Granada was closer than the final score would appear, as it was tied 1-1 in the 6th and Dublin had several chances with runners on base throughout the contest. If Dublin wins, they will go on the road to face the winner of the Monte Vista-James Logan game. The Gaels defeated Monte Vista earlier this year but have not faced James Logan.
Meanwhile, Dublin’s Softball team earned the #10 seed and will travel to face Liberty. Dublin just barely missed out on securing a 1st round home game after several 1-run losses earlier in the season. The Gaels do come into the postseason with momentum though with three consecutive victories to close the season to finish 13-7-1 overall. Two of those victories came against teams who also qualified for the tournament (Amador Valley and Foothill), and it was the most wins for the program since 2014.
Dublin’s first round opponent will be 7th-seeded Liberty High School of Brentwood. The Lions finished the regular season 16-3 overall and in 1st place of the Bay Valley Athletic League. Despite finishing with fewer wins than Liberty, Dublin did have a superior strength of schedule according to Maxpreps, so it should be an even matchup. If Dublin wins, it will likely travel to face #2 seeded Vintage, a squad which the Gaels tied in a tournament contest earlier this season.
The first pitch for both the NCS Baseball and Softball 1st round games will be on Tuesday, May 14th at 5:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased ahead of time on GoFan and the link is here.
