Photo by Erick Fraser – The McKinleyville Panthers celebrate their Charles Lakin tournament championship on Friday night.

By Ray Hamill — Once again the new North Coast Section seedings system has left local fans scratching their heads in wonder.

The 2025 playoff brackets and seeds for baseball and softball were released on Sunday with 13 local teams making the grade.

But the brackets offer more questions than answers.

In softball, the Big 5 champion Del Norte girls received a favorable No. 1 seed in the Division-3 bracket, but the conference runner-up Fortuna Huskies, who lost two of three games to the Warriors, are seeded No. 12 the Division-2 bracket.

Likewise in baseball, where the Big 5 champion Del Norte boys are seeded No. 3 in Division 3, while the conference runner-up McKinleyville Panthers are placed in Division 2 and received the No. 9 seed.

Despite the Panthers losing two of three conference games to the Warriors, the NCS, which uses the MaxPreps ranking system, has McKinleyvile ranked 10 spots ahead of Del Norte.

And it’s the same for the Little 4 schools.

Ferndale, the smallest school in the H-DNL, received a 12 seed in the Division-4 baseball bracket, while Little 4 champion St. Bernard’s, which won three of four games against the Wildcats, is ranked seven spots behind them, receiving the No. 3 seed in Division 5.

However, Sunday’s announcement certainly wasn’t all bad news for the local teams.

The Hoopa Warriors are back in the section baseball playoffs for the first time in 14 years, receiving the No. 11 seed in Division 5.

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Fortuna catcher Faith Helms

The Warriors open at No. 6 Miramonte on Tuesday at 5, and if they win they would then play either No. 3 St. Bernard’s or No. 14 Piner, who also play at 5 p.m. on Tuesday at Crusader Field.

In Division 3 baseball, the Eureka Loggers are seeded No. 8 and will host No. 9 Washington on Tuesday at 5 p.m., as they look to end a 10-year wait for an NCS playoff win.

It was a good draw for both the Del Norte and McKinleyville girls, with both teams receiving a top seed and an opening-round bye.

The Warriors were placed in the Division-3 bracket and will host either No. 8 American Canyon or No. 9 Freedom next weekend.

The Panthers are in the Division-5 bracket and will open against either No. 8 Clear Lake or No. 9 Albany next weekend.

Little 4 champion South Fork, meanwhile, is seeded No. 5 in Division 5 and opens at home against No. 12 Hercules on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Fresh off their Charles Lakin tournament championship over the weekend, the No. 12 Fortuna girls open on the road at No. 5 Benicia in Division-2 action on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

The Del Norte girls received a favorable No. 1 seed in Division 3.

And rounding out the local softball teams included in the postseason, in Division 6, No. 7 Hoopa will host No. 10 San Domenico on Wednesday at 5 p.m., while No. 9 Ferndale will play at No. 8 Point Arena, also on Tuesday at 5 p.m.

In baseball, the Arcata Tigers, who placed fourth in this year’s Big 5, received a favorable No. 2 seed in the Division-5 bracket and will open at home against No. 15 Ygnacio Valley on Tuesday at 5 p.m..

If they win their opening two NCS games, the Tigers could end up playing either St. Bernard’s or Hoopa in the semifinals.

In Division 4, No. 12 Ferndale will play at No. 5 Moreau Catholic on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

In Division 3, No. 3 Del Norte opens at home against No. 14 Kelseyville on Tuesday at 5 p.m., while in Division-2, No. 9 McKinleyville opens on the road at No. 8 Amador valley on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

The McKinleyville girls are seeded No. 1 in the Division-5 bracket.