Although the Pioneer High School varsity baseball team just lost the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division III Championship to Central Catholic this past Thursday, they find themselves with no time for sorrow as they prepare for a trip to Carmel High School, for the opening round of the 2023 CIF NorCal Baseball Championship.

Following their heartbreaking extra-inning, 3-2 walk-off loss last week, the Patriots believed there was a chance their season wasn't quite over. Luckily for them, as the runners-up of the CIF SJS D3 playoffs, their season-long resume was enough to be invited to the CIF NorCal tournament.

"It's like playing with house money," Pioneer head coach Craig Marquez said. "We get to play another game. It's just an awesome experience for the kids. We wanted a different outcome on Thursday night, but it is what it is. We get to represent the city of Woodland and keep playing baseball."

The Patriots qualified for the NorCal tournament as the No. 8 seed and will face stiff competition against No. 1 seed Carmel.

"It's fun that we get to keep playing," Marquez said. "Just being in this tournament puts the school on a platform for exposure. Now that we have had a few days off since the loss, the kids are really excited to extend their season and make more memories."

Carmel earned the No. 1 seed following a 12-9 league season in the PCAL — Gabilan Baseball Standings and a CIF Central Coast Section Division III Baseball Championship when they defeated Branham High School 4-2 this past Friday.

Other schools in the NorCal tournament include Liberty High School as the No. 4 seed taking on No. 5 seed Oakmont, who defeated Woodland High School in the CIF SJS D4 title game this past Wednesday.

The other two matchups include No. 3 seed Chico taking on No. 6 seed Arcata and No. 2 seed Central Catholic against No. 7 seed Colusa.

While the NorCal tournament is still in its early stages, Pioneer is the first Woodland area squad to qualify or be invited. As a longtime Pioneer head coach and former Woodland High School player, Marquez is aware of the magnitude of the achievement for such a baseball-rich town.

"I think it's a cool opportunity to be the first team from Woodland to go to the NorCal Championships," Marquez said. "It's a relatively new tournament and the state is still trying to figure out the dynamics of it, but being the first team from Woodland to play in it is great. The group we have here loves playing with one another, and playing one more game is fun for everyone involved.

"Any time you get to play to competition outside of our section is fun, and if you do well, we can show how good our program is," Marquez continued. "It gives you a little justification of the kids' hard work and what we have been putting together over the years at Pioneer High School."

The Patriots will depart from Pioneer High School at around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning and embark on a three and half hour bus ride to Carmel High School. The first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.

After suffering through a bus breakdown right before their game three semifinal showdown against Ponderosa on Thursday, May 18, and being promptly saved by the Woodland Joint Unified School District, a long bus ride is nothing to Marquez and his players.

"The kids are really excited to get a bus," Marquez said. "We had the bus breakdown against Ponderosa, so who cares if we have to face a three and half hour drive? Let's go down there and play some baseball. The kids will talk about this playoff run forever. It's good for the community and good for the kids. Win or lose. It's all about the memories."