Breaking down the 2023 San Diego Section Open Division playoff baseball bracket

The San Diego Section Open Division playoffs get underway on Wednesday.

Here's an overview of the CIF San Diego Section Open Division baseball bracket that gets started on Wednesday across San Diego County.

(Lead photo by Steven Silva)

SLEEPER PICK

Carlsbad opened the season 13-0 before dealing with a loaded North County Coastal League schedule that led to them finishing 6-9 over their final 15 games. The Lancers enter the Open Division playoffs as the five-seed, traveling to Torrey Pines in Wednesday's opening round. Carlsbad went through a stretch of 10 straight games in April facing Torrey Pines, Rancho Bernardo and La Costa Canyon, going 3-7. They'll now begin a bracket with the possibility of facing all three of those teams again and should be confident knowing exactly what to expect.

8 PLAYERS TO WATCH

James Theodore - La Costa Canyon OF

Theodore has raised his batting average over 150 points this season, finishing the regular season at .427. He has five doubles, two triples, a home run and has struck out just five times in 103 plate appearances. The Webster University-signee is as good of a defensive centerfielder as anyone in the San Diego Section.

MJ Sweeney - St. Augustine 1B

Sweeney, a Texas-signee, has improved his numbers across the board in each of his three varsity seasons. In 26 games during the regular season, he hit .375 with a .500 on-base percentage and has six doubles, four triples, and six home runs.

Peyton Rodgers - Torrey Pines RHP/OF

Rodgers finished his sophomore season by throwing a complete game shutout against Rancho Bernardo in the Southern California regional playoffs and has continued his upward trajectory as a junior. In 50.1 innings this season, the San Diego State commit has struck out 57 batters and holds an ERA of 1.39. He also leads the Falcons with three home runs and 16 runs batted in.

Jett Kenady - Carlsbad INF

Kenady has had a breakout sophomore season, wasting little time transitioning from basketball into baseball. He closed out the regular season by hitting .333 with five doubles, a triple and six home runs. He committed to Cal in April.

Kevin Takeuchi - Rancho Bernardo INF

Takeuchi is closing in on 90 career games at Rancho Bernardo and has made big improvements once again. In 26 games during the regular season, the USC-signee hit .532 with 12 doubles, two triples and a San Diego Section-leading 11 home runs. He's stolen nine bases and has walked 18 times, giving him a .621 on-base percentage.

Van Coughlin - La Jolla Country Day C/OF

Coughlin raised his batting average nearly 200 points from last season and cut his strikeouts in half. Entering the playoffs, the Holy Cross-signee is hitting .394 with eight doubles and is tied for third in the San Diego Section with seven home runs.

Daniel Mora - Eastlake INF

Mora is one of the San Diego Section's best unsigned seniors. He has a career .383 average in 92 games and has walked 15 times more than he's struck out over his three varsity seasons. During the regular season he had a .500 on-base percentage, stole 30 bases and had 10 doubles, four triples and two home runs.

Brenden Lewis - Granite Hills RHP/INF

Lewis broke out last season as a freshman and has continued as a top two-way player this season. The Arizona State commit struck out 55 batters in 43.1 innings during the regular season, finishing with an ERA of 0.48. He also hit .282 with four doubles, a triple and a home run.

CHAMPIONSHIP PREDICTION

La Costa Canyon over Rancho Bernardo

The Mavericks enter the postseason as the top-seed, are the reigning Open Division champions and have been atop the San Diego Section rankings for much of the season. La Costa Canyon has the best combination of pitching and hitting in this bracket and were tested last season, dropping their opening playoff game before rattling off five straight wins. They captured a Southern California regional championship two seasons ago before last season's CIF title and have the look of a group ready to chase the school's fifth section championship.