Open Division champion Patrick Henry will start SoCal Regional baseball playoffs with home game

Emotions play a huge part in sports.

Patrick Henry High School baseball coach Sheldon Watkins and Cathedral Catholic’s Gary Remiker will have to deal with opposite sides of the emotional scale this week, when Southern California Regionals begin.

Cathedral Catholic, the No. 1-ranked team in San Diego all season, was knocked out of the section playoffs by Henry. The Dons still made the SoCal playoffs, where they’re the No. 8 in Division 1 and will travel to Bellflower St. John Bosco, the No. 1-ranked team in the state.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed,” Remiker said after losing to Henry. “Now we have to get ourselves ready to play again. Nobody wants to end the season on a loss, so we need to get it together and play like the great team we are.”

Henry entered the San Diego Section Open Division playoffs as the No. 5 seed. The Patriots beat Cathedral Catholic twice, then survived Saturday’s emotional championship game, beating Eastlake 7-6 before a packed stadium at USD Fowler Park.

The Patriots were rewarded with the No. 2 seed in Division 1. They’ll host No. 7 Huntington Beach on Tuesday.

Henry (24-9) is ranked 20th in the state, while the Oilers (22-8-1) are ranked 10th. The teams played on April 19 on the fourth day of the Boros Classic at JSerra High School. Henry won 4-3.

Watkins said Sunday that Huntington Beach is “loaded” and “a fantastic team.”

“We lost to St. John Bosco last season in the SoCal playoffs in the championship game, so we know what to expect at this level,” he said. “It will be tough, so I told the players to enjoy a day off Sunday, then focus and get after it in practice on Monday.”

Of the 10 divisions - five in baseball, five in softball - San Diego Section teams were awarded three No. 1 seeds.

Mt. Carmel is the top seed in Division 3 in baseball while the Mater Dei Catholic softball team is No. 1 in Division 1 and has a first-round bye. Madison is No. 1 in Division 4.

"We're happy to have it," Mater Dei Catholic (29-3) co-head softball coach Mike Centrullo said of the top seed. "These girls deserve that recognition, and it's always nice to play at home."

The Crusaders will start Arri Romero, who is 25-3 record with an 0.98 ERA in the circle Thursday.

"She's about as competitive as they get,” Centrullo said. “She has a dynamic personality. She still wants to be a kid and have fun. She's a bit of a momma bear, making sure everyone's taken care of, being a leader. But when she steps into that circle or that box, she is all business."

Madison made the SoCal playoffs in softball and baseball. The softball team beat Grossmont to capture the Division 4 title.

"I'm excited for the girls and the team,” said Madison softball coach Tom Kamfonik. “They earned every bit of that."

Freshman Aniyah Shelby will get the start Tuesday vs. Arieta. She has pitched 176 2/3 innings, all but three innings of the entire season. She's 20-8 with a 2.26 ERA and 186 strikeouts.

"She's our dog, man, her enthusiasm and energy,” said Kamfonik. “She just builds the team and nothing rattles her. Her energy is electric."

The Madison baseball team beat Mt. Carmel for the Division 1 championship, the first baseball title for the Warhawks in 50 years. The club was rewarded with a No. 7 seed in Division 2, traveling to Newport Harbor.

“We’re on a nice roll and we’re confident,” said Madison coach Robert Lovato of a team that has won 15 of its last 16 games. “We have two No. 1 starters (Jeremiah Jennings, who beat Mt. Carmel, and Colin Gallagher, who figures to start Tuesday). So we’ll be ready.”

Mt. Carmel, which lost to Madison, is the No. 1 seed in Division 3 and hosts Fontana Kaiser on Tuesday.

Helix, the San Diego Section Division 3 baseball champion, is seeded No. 3 and is on the same side of the bracket as Mt. Carmel.

“I don’t even know if my team knows we have another playoff,” said Helix coach Diego Reynoso. “But I guarantee we’ll be ready to play.”

Don Norcross contributed to this story

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 4:00 PM.