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Katie Stith, the softball coach at JSerra High, can finally take a bow and become the most famous Stith in the family — at least for a couple weeks.

Imagine being the daughter of legendary club softball coach Mike Stith (OC Batbusters), then going into coaching. Katie did just that and has earned the spotlight after guiding JSerra to its first Southern Section Division 1 championship.

She has been selected The Times’ coach of the year for 2026.

It was her eighth season, and if you want to play in Division 1 in Southern California, you have to go through the gauntlet of powerhouses, from Norco to Orange Lutheran to Murrieta Mesa.

JSerra navigated a difficult regular-season schedule, then avoided upsets in the playoffs. The team finished 25-8 and had wins over Norco, La Mirada, Oaks Christian, Orange Lutheran and Garden Grove Pacifica — all prominent programs.

She was able to rely on pitcher Liliana Escobar and catcher Annabel Raftery in those pressure-packed moments from the first game to the last.

Huntington Beach is making the most of its second chance in postseason high school baseball.

Eliminated in the third round of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs last month, the Oilers accepted an invitation to the Division I Southern California Regional and advanced to Saturday’s championship game with an 11-3 victory over Corona on Thursday.

Dane Cunningham hit a two-run home run, Maxx Hopkins homered and Jared Grindlinger had a triple, single and two RBIs. Tanner Brown struck out six in five innings.

Huntington Beach will face the winner of Friday’s game between La Mirada and Cathedral Catholic on Saturday.

In Division II, Newport Harbor will host Bakersfield Christian in the championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Division III

Kaiser will play the winner of Friday’s game between Glendora and Westview for the Division III title. Kaiser defeated Helix 7-5 in the semifinals. Tino Cuellar hit a two-run home run in a 7-5 win over Helix.

Division IV

North Torrance defeated Central Valley Christian 6-0 in the semifinals behind Mason Matsumoto, who thew six scoreless innings. They will face the winner of Friday’s game between South El Monte and Francis Parker.

Division V

Coastal Academy has won the Division V title by forfeit after Verdugo Hills and Roosevelt got involved in a bench-clearing brawl in the bottom of the sixth inning with Verdugo Hills ahead 5-1. Under CIF rules, players have to sit out the next game when leaving the bench. Verdugo Hills won’t be able to advance.

Softball

La Habra knocked off St. Paul 8-7 to advance to the Division I final, where it will play at Chula Vista Mater Dei. La Habra went to the seventh inning down 7-6 and won on a walk-off, two-run single by Milee Valencia. Alyssa Hernandez had a three-run home run.

Division II

Riverside Prep defeated Redwood 4-3 and will host Saturday’s final against the winner of Great Oak and Garces.

Division V

Rivals Arroyo Valley and San Bernardino will meet on Saturday at Arroyo Valley. San Bernardino defeated South East 18-2. Arroyo Valley defeated La Jolla 12-8.

Jared Grindlinger is not ready to say goodbye to his friends at Huntington Beach High. The likely first-round draft pick didn’t have to play for the Oilers in the Southern California Division I regional playoffs, let alone pitch. But he did both to help Huntington Beach knock off San Diego Open Division champion Patrick Henry 10-3 on Tuesday.

Grindlinger went four for four, including a home run, and finished with three RBIs. He also struck out five in three innings on the mound. Dane Cunningham had a three-run home run. Huntington Beach advances to play the winner of Wednesday’s game between Corona and Chula Vista Eastlake on Thursday.

Cathedral Catholic 4, St. John Bosco 2: The impressive two-year run of St. John Bosco’s baseball team has come to an end. The Braves had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the seventh but couldn’t push across any runs and were eliminated in a first-round Division I game. They won the Southern Section Division 1 title the last two seasons and the regional title last season.

La Mirada 7, Liberty 6: A three-run seventh inning helped the Matadores enjoy their bus ride home from Bakersfield. The big hit was a three-run home run by Justin Torres. La Mirada will face Cathedral Catholic on Thursday in the semifinals.

Arroyo Grande 4, Loyola 3: An RBI single in the eighth inning by Colton Gotchal pushed Arroyo Grande to victory over top-seeded Loyola in Division 2. Jack Murray had a home run and two RBIs for Loyola.

Newport Harbor 2, Madison 0: Gavin Guy threw the shutout with seven strikeouts.

South El Monte 3, Brentwood 2: South El Monte went on the road and pulled off the upset of Division 6 champion Brentwood. Anthony Mata had an RBI single and Gabriel Canchola limited the Eagles to four hits while striking out nine in six innings.

Westview 7, Carson 1: Leadoff hitter Eli Irvine had three hits for the winners.

North Torrance 2, Bell 0: Seth Narasaki and Joey Banuelos combined for the shutout.

Verdugo Hills 11, Rolling Hills Prep 2: Cutlor Fannon finished with three hits and three RBIs for the Dons.

SOUTHERN SECTION FINALS

At Bill Barber Park, Irvine

Thursday’s Results

DIVISION 7

Edgewood 4, Ramona Convent 1

DIVISION 6

Irvine 15, Arroyo 2

Friday’s Schedule

DIVISION 1

La Mirada vs. JSerra, 7 p.m.

DIVISION 2

Whittier Christian vs. Mater Dei, 4 p.m.

Saturday’s Schedule

DIVISION 3

Riverside Prep vs. Great Oak, 7 p.m.

DIVISION 4

Mission Viejo at Oxnard, 4 p.m.

DIVISION 5

Grace vs. Northwood, 10 a.m.

DIVISION 8

Arroyo Valley vs. San Bernardino, 1 p.m.

CITY SECTION FINALS

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

At Legacy

OPEN DIVISION

#1 Granada Hills vs. #2 Carson, 6:30 p.m.

DIVISION III

#5 South East vs. #15 Reseda, 4 p.m.

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE

At Birmingham

DIVISION I

#1 Venice vs. #6 Eagle Rock, 2 p.m.

DIVISION II

#1 L.A. Marshall vs. #6 Arleta, 11 a.m.

DIVISION IV

#4 Huntington Park vs. #14 Franklin, 11:30 a.m.

The Southern Section finalized its championship schedule for softball this week, and the Division 1 final between La Mirada and JSerra will take place Friday at 7 p.m. at Bill Barber Park in Irvine.

La Mirada is 26-4 and will be facing JSerra pitcher Liliana Escobar, the best in the Southland. La Mirada lost to JSerra 5-2 on March 7. The Matadores have been led by Riley Hilliard, who’s hitting .577 with 10 home runs.

JSerra (24-8), which began the school year winning the Southern Section flag football championship, is trying to end the year on top behind the arm of Escobar, who has 252 strikeouts in 146 innings. The top hitter has been sophomore catcher Annabel Raftery.

The Division 2 final will match Mater Dei against Whittier Christian on Friday at 4 p.m.

The Southern Section is waiting for the baseball semifinals to be played on Tuesday before announcing dates and times. The only certainty is the Division 1 final will be played on Friday at 7 p.m. at Cal State Fullerton unless either of the finalists has a scheduling issue on that date.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Lachlan Clark, a senior backup pitcher for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, wanted the ball so badly Friday against No. 1 Norco that he posted video from his Sherman Oaks Little League days, saying, “Bring it on.”

He more than lived up to the hype, throwing a four-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and zero walks in a 4-0 victory that advances the Knights to next Friday’s Southern Section Division 1 baseball quarterfinals. Notre Dame went 2-0 in Pool A. Norco must win Tuesday against Ayala to avoid elimination. The top two finishers in each pool advance.

Clark, who recently committed to Long Beach State, had been waiting for his turn in the spotlight. The last time he got a chance to shine was in the National Classic when he pitched 6⅔ innings against De La Salle and struck out 10. He thrives under pressure. An injury to Beckett Berg has made him the No. 2 pitcher for the rest of the season.

He was supported by Jacob Madrid, Notre Dame’s catcher who hit his 12th home run. After the game, 10 players went with co-coach Tom Dill to grad night at Magic Mountain.

St. John Bosco 4, Sierra Canyon 3: The Braves won their pool to advance to the Division 1 quarterfinals. A passed ball broke a 3-3 tie in the sixth inning. Noah Everly had two RBIs. Troy Sibolboro came through with 3⅔ innings of scoreless relief. Carl McMullan had two hits and two RBIs for Sierra Canyon, which will play in an elimination game Tuesday against Cypress.

La Mirada 9, Temecula Valley 2: Ian Aguayo hit a two-run home run during a six-run fourth inning for La Mirada, which next plays Huntington Beach.

Cypress 8, Oaks Christian 2: Noah Johnson had three hits to propel Cypress into an elimination game against Sierra Canyon on Tuesday. Tate Belfanti struck out eight in four innings.

Harvard-Westlake 6, Huntington Beach 5: Jake Chung escaped a bases loaded situation in the bottom of the sixth to help the Wolverines win Pool B at 2-0. James Tronstein went three for three, hitting his 10th home run. Jake Kim hit a key two-run home run.

Orange Lutheran 9, Corona 6: The Lancers won Pool D, rallying from a 5-2 deficit. Brady Murrietta hit three home runs and finished with six RBIs.

Ayala 7, Maranatha 6: A Jonah Boyd single in the seventh broke a 6-6 tie and kept Ayala alive in the Division 1 playoffs. Elijah Duarte had two hits and two RBIs.

Corona Santiago 8, Etiwanda 4: Troy Randall had two hits and two RBIs, Max Eldridge homered and Charlie Lemons finished with three hits for Santiago, which will play league rival Corona on Tuesday in an elimination game.

Arcadia 3, Simi Valley 2: Matt Manzo had a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh for Arcadia in the Division 3 game. Simi Valley lost a home run after Arcadia protested over a lineup error.

St. Francis 4, Crescenta Valley 2: Danny Izaguirre hit a two-run home run, Jake Smith had three hits and two RBIs and Caysen Sullivan threw a complete game as another Mission League team advanced. All seven entrants have won at least one playoff game.

Palos Verdes 7, Pacifica Christian 1: Franco Correa had four RBIs and Kai Van Scoyoc struck out eight in six innings.

Edison 5, Damien 1: Noah Hunter struck out 11 and gave up two hits.

Agoura 4, Oakwood 0: Donovan Anthony struck out 15 with one walk and Tyler Starling and Colton Mellinger homered for Agoura.

Softball

Cypress 4, Fullerton 2: Chach Stamper threw a five-hitter to help the Centurions upset No. 3-seeded Fullerton in the Division 1 playoffs.

Norco 2, Marina 1: The No. 2-seeded Cougars survived on a walk-off single by Leighton Gray in the seventh. Marina offered its expected tough challenge with pitcher Mia Valbuena. Peyton May and Coral Williams combined for 11 strikeouts for Norco.

As Kelsey Luderer rounded third base and headed home Thursday after hitting a game-tying home run that ignited Sherman Oaks Notre Dame to a 6-3 Division 1 softball playoff win over Anaheim Canyon, she was greeted by every teammate at the plate. They engulfed her in a sea of white, screaming, yelling and patting her head.

Looking on with pride was Brian Luderer, her father and Notre Dame assistant coach. Every moment he’s at a game or practice, it serves as a positive distraction from thinking about the fight his brother, Matt, the athletic director at St. Francis, has been enduring. For more than a year, Matt has been battling an uncureable brain cancer, glioblastoma.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame assistant coach Brian Luderer with his daughter, Kelsey.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

It’s hard for Brian to talk about his brother without crying. “These girls give me what I need,” he said. “They’re like my family. The more we can win, the better for me. I’m proud he’s been fighting his butt off.”

Three weeks ago, Matt suffered a relapse. The many Luderer family members (Brian has four children and Matt has six daughters) have united to keep the faith. And softball is their place for a moment away from life’s challenges.

“This is kind of our happy place, a good place to get away,” Kelsey said.

Haley Maldonado had a three-hit day for Sherman Oaks Notre Dame.

(Craig Weston / For The Times)

The Knights fell behind 3-0 after Canyon’s Mia Saenz hit a two-run home run and added another run on an error. The hitters started forcing Canyon pitcher Kelsey Perez to work extra hard, producing multiple three-and-two counts. Sophomore Haley Maldonado, who finished with three hits, contributed an RBI double in the second. But it wasn’t until Luderer’s home run to left field in the fourth that the Knights were set free, leading to a three-run inning and a comeback victory.

Brian and Notre Dame head coach Justin Siegel are best friends and former minor league baseball players who turned to softball when they had daughters. Brian has sophomore twins Kelsey and Keira in starring roles. In four years, they’ve built the Knights (22-3) into a Division 1 title contender. Next up is Marmonte League champion Oaks Christian on Saturday.

Every softball win brings a moment of peace to the Luderer family.

Oaks Christian 8, Chaminade 1: Sophia Debs struck out 13 and hit a home run for the Lions.

Murrieta Mesa 10, Valley View 0: Lilly Hauser had three hits and struck out 11 in a six-inning mercy rule win.

La Mirada 4, Los Alamitos 2: Alison Ortega struck out 10 for La Mirada.

JSerra 3, Yucaipa 2: Liliana Escobar struck out nine and walked one for JSerra.

Mater Dei 11, Foothill 3: Danica Lancellotti had a two-run double and finished with three hits for Mater Dei.

Wednesday was a day for big-time performances in the Big VIII League from Norco, Corona and Corona Santiago.

Jordan Ayala of Norco struck out 10 in five innings and finished with two hits and three RBIs in an 8-0 win over Eastvale Roosevelt.

Danny De La Rose went five for five with five RBIs in Corona’s 16-2 win over Corona Centennial. Logan Pascarella, Trey Ebel and Jesiah Andrade hit home runs.

Striker Pence hit a grand slam and finished with six RBIs in Corona Santiago’s 17-1 win over King. Troy Randall also homered and had two hits.

St. John Bosco 8, Santa Margarita 1: The Braves’ first four batters combined for nine hits. James Clark had three hits. Jaden Jackson homered.

Servite 9, Mater Dei 6: Eli Rubel contributed two hits and two RBIs for the Friars.

Orange Lutheran 3, JSerra 2: The No. 1 Lancers overcame a 2-0 deficit and won it on a walk-off sacrifice fly in the seventh.

St. Francis 3, Sierra Canyon 2: Jack Smith threw two innings of shutout relief to get the save for St. Francis. Cody Gallegos had two hits and two RBIs for Sierra Canyon.

Loyola 13, Crespi 4: Matthew Favela had two hits and three RBIs and Jack Murray drove in three runs for the Cubs.

Harvard-Westlake 1, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 0: Evan Alexander struck out 11 and gave up one hit to help the Wolverines pull into a first-place tie with the Knights.

Chaminade 7, Bishop Alemany 0: Jackson Schroeder struck out eight with no walks in six innings and Isaac Hearn had a double and triple for the Eagles.

Ganesha 15, Bassett 0: Logan Schmidt struck out 14 of the 15 batters and hit two home runs in front of scouts ready to make him a first-round draft pick this summer.

La Mirada 1, Warren 0: Kaden Corns threw five scoreless innings for La Mirada.

West Ranch 4, Valencia 2: A three-run rally in the seventh included a home run from Connor Clayton.

Banning 4, Carson 2: Jacob Fernandez hit a two-run single in the seventh to hand Carson its first Marine League defeat.

Palos Verdes 1, Mira Costa 0: Jonah Cohen threw the shutout striking out six with no walks.

Huntington Beach 3, Fountain Valley 1: Jared Grindlinger gave up two hits in five innings to keep the Oilers unbeaten in the Sunset League.

Birmingham 8, Chatsworth 3: Carlos Acuna threw six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and Adian Martinez had two hits and three RBIs.

El Camino Real 7, Taft 3: RJ De La Rosa went three for three with two RBIs and Ryan Glassman had three hits and two RBIs to lead El Camino Real. Jackson Sellz threw a complete game, striking out six with no walks.

Cypress 4, El Dorado 1: Landon Smith threw 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for Cypress.

Garden Grove Pacifica 3, Anaheim Canyon 2: Jack Waeger had two hits and two RBIs.

Royal 7, Camarillo 6: Tristen Hogan broke a 6-6 tie with an RBI single in the seventh. Matthew Stout homered.