For the 16th season in a row, the Cerritos College softball team has qualified for the Southern California Regional Playoffs. The Falcons (29-10), who finished in a tie for third place in the South Coast Conference, have been seeded #6 and will host #11-seeded Citrus College next weekend in a best-of-three series. Game 1 will be on Friday at 2:00 p.m. at Nancy Kelly Field.

This will be the first meeting of the season against the Owls (24-16), who were the Western State Conference South Division champions. It will also be the first time Cerritos has faced Citrus since the 2022 season, and back in 2017 the Falcons opened the postseason by defeating the Owls in two games in the first round. Cerritos also leads the overall series, 16-3. The team had 13 common opponents in 2025, with Cerritos going 17-7, while Citrus had a 12-10 record.

The Falcons are led by 1st Team All-South Coast Conference pitcher Tatyana Cortez (21-10), who is second in the state with 215 strikeouts and has tossed 23 complete games. At the plate, freshman third baseman Marley Cortez, another 1st Team All-SCC picks, leads the team with a .422 batting average, 13 doubles and 39 RBI to go with her three home runs. Sophomore first baseman Briana Zarate paces the Falcons with six home runs to go along with her .336 batting average and 31 RBI. 

As a team, Cerritos is batting .305, with freshman second baseman Amarie Encarnacion hitting at a .360 clip, while they are also solid up the middle with sophomore catcher Vicky Najera, sophomore shortstop Ayiana Cardenas and sophomore center fielder Morgan Fontela.

As for Citrus, they have leaned on Madelyn Hajj, who leads the state with 14 home runs and is second with 55 RBI to go along with a .370 batting average. Also providing power at the plate is Jaelynn Eaves, who has hit seven home runs, driven in 42 runs and is hitting .372, while Rylee Praytor leads them with a .405 batting average. The state leader in stolen bases with 45, Alivia Martinez is hitting .347. In the circle, the Owls have turned to Caitlin Kellety, who is 18-11 on the year with 16 complete games and 87 strikeouts.