Tucson and Canyon del Oro are the only teams from last year’s final eight to make a repeat performance. The Dorados defeated Tucson 3-1 to claim the Division II championship last year but there are six new teams in the round of eight, hoping to claim those two final spots.

The playoffs for D-II are now in the double-elimination phase which always makes for an interesting dynamic but three of the last four champions have come out of the winner’s bracket, including the last two.

Here are the matchups scheduled for Wednesday, May 4:

 

No. 9 Tucson vs. No. 1 Thunderbird at Tempe Diablo Stadium (6:30 p.m.)

Tucson (18-8) defeated No. 24 Notre Dame 2-1 in 11 innings to make it out of the first round and then No. 8 Verrado on Tuesday to make it to the final eight. Junior Jacob Federico is leading the team at the plate with a .349 average with four doubles, four triples and two home runs. Senior Rick Martinez (.370) has 25 RBI with four doubles, one triple and two home runs.

Senior Jose Contreras (5-2) and sophomore George Arias (4-1) are leading from the mound. Contreras has 61 strikeouts in 58 innings of work.

Thunderbird (24-5) beat No. 16 Valley Vista 4-0 on Tuesday to qualify for the double-elimination round. The Chiefs earned a first-round bye.

Sophomore Haydn McGeary (.466) has 42 RBI with 11, doubles, two triples and eight home runs. Senior Alex Sevensky (.438) has 42 RBI, 10 doubles, two triples and six home runs. The Chiefs have combined for 19 home runs. Sophomore Sasha Sneider (9-1) has 70 strike outs in 56 innings of work.

 

No. 4 Paradise Valley vs. No. 5 Greenway at Tempe Diablo Stadium (4 p.m.)

Paradise Valley (24-8) is making their first playoff appearance since 2008 and the team advanced after beating No. 13 Kellis 8-4. Head coach Shae Clark gave three reasons for his team’s success and that list includes Camaraderie, energy and winning close games.

“Jeremy Griffith has emerged as one of the top hitters in our division this year,” Clark wrote about his leaders. “He is hitting over .400, with four home runs, and a 1.285 OPS. He solidified his spot as the starting catcher this year after bouncing around the infield the last two years.”

Wake Forest commit Rhyse Dee (5-1) is the ace on the squad.

Greenway (19-9) beat No. 12 Bradshaw Mountain 4-2 in the second round. Senior Kona Quiggle (.427) has 25 RBI with eight doubles, five triples and four home runs while senior pitcher Jared Kenyon (6-1) and senior Bryce Mackey (6-3) are the leaders on the mound. The Demons have 54 stolen bases.

Greenway won the state championship two years ago and have gone 106-23 in the last four years.

 

No. 6 Canyon del Oro vs. No. 19 Westwood at Maryvale Stadium (4:30 p.m.)

Canyon del Oro (22-7) beat Cactus Shadows 8-3 on Tuesday after earning a first-round bye. 12 seniors return from last year’s championship season with catcher Tristan Peterson leading the way.  The Dorados have won three games in a row and five of their last six.

Westwood (20-8) traveled to Tucson twice and beat No. 5 Catalina Foothills 7-5 in the first round and then No. 3 Salpointe 8-7 in eight innings on Tuesday. Catalina Foothills and Salpointe were in the round of eight last year.

The Warriors only won eight games last year and eight games the year before that. It’s been 12 years since the Warriors have made it to the playoffs and they are now among the elites.

 

No. 2 Apollo vs. No. 10 Ironwood Ridge at Maryvale Stadium (6:30 p.m.)

Ironwood Ridge beat No. 23 Marana Mountain View 5-3 in the first round and then No. 7 Sunnyside 3-1 in eight innings on Tuesday.

Ironwood Ridge (20-7-2) is a hitting team with a combined 28 home runs on the year. Derek Daly (.596) has been flirting with a .600 batting average all year and Nick Estrella (11 home runs) and Jake Engel (eight home runs) are providing the power.

Estrella is also 7-2 on the mound with 54 strikeouts.

Apollo (29-6) only has two home runs as a team but pitching has been the key for the Hawks this year. A 3-2 win in eight innings over No. 15 Prescott on Tuesday will put the pitching staff to the test against the Nighthawks.

Senior Brett Aker (8-0) and senior Devin Scholl (6-2) are the keys to earning a high seed this year. Head coach Jerod Aker is approaching 400 career wins.