AND THEN THERE WERE THREE…

The 3C2A Super Regionals are set to begin this week and just three Orange Empire Conference teams remain standing as No. 2 Santa Ana College, No. 9 Saddleback College, and No. 14 Fullerton College continue their postseason runs.

What started as a 48-team playoff field across the state has now been trimmed down to 16 teams with eight teams from both Northern and Southern California battling for a chance to reach the 3C2A NorCal/SoCal Finals.

No. 2 Santa Ana College cruised through Regional play last week winning all three games in a bracket that also featured No. 15 Orange Coast College and No. 23 Cerro Coso. The Dons (36-6-1 overall) now prepare to host No. 7 Citrus College in the 3C2A Super Regionals from May 7-9. Game one is scheduled for Thursday at 2:00 pm.

No. 9 Saddleback College (27-17 overall) punched its ticket to the next round with a 7-2 win over College of the Desert on Monday. The Bobcats swept Cerritos College before dropping a game to the Roadrunners on Sunday setting up last Monday's winner-take-all matchup. Saddleback now heads to No. 1 Palomar College for the Super Regionals with game one also set for Thursday at 2:00 pm.

It took four games and plenty of late-inning drama, but No. 14 Fullerton College battled its way out of a three-team double-elimination regional featuring Southwestern and El Camino College. The Hornets (24-20 overall) advanced to the 3C2A Super Regionals and will now host No. 19 LA Pierce College in a best-of-three series beginning Thursday, May 7 at 2:00 pm on Hornet Field.

The winners of the Super Regionals will advance to the Finals next week with the top two teams from both the North and South moving on to the 3C2A State Championships at Great Park in Irvine on May 23-25.

Story by Phil Thurman, Fullerton College