Irvine Valley's baseball team won three of its final four games, including the final two in a row over Santa Ana to clinch a spot in the 2015 CCCAA Southern California regional playoffs.
IVC is one of four teams in Southern California opening the playoffs on Tuesday with a single elimination play-in game.
Irvine Valley, seeded 17th, will travel to take on No. 16 Los Angeles Mission at 2 p.m.
The winner will move on to a best of three regional against either No. 1 Palomar or No. 2 Oxnard this weekend.
The Lasers are in the playoffs for the first time since 2008 when IVC was a No. 4 seed in the regional playoffs.
Irvine Valley finished the regular season with a record of 20-16 overall and were 10-11 in the Orange Empire Conference. IVC finished tied for fourth in the conference standings with Fullerton and Saddleback, but was placed as the sixth team out of the conference after dropping season series to both Fullerton and Saddleback.
Irvine Valley ranked 17th in the state in earned run average this season with a team ERA of 3.19.
The Lasers were paced on the mound by starting pitchers Justin Zielinski and Ryan Abady.
Zielinski, a sophomore right-hander, finished the regular season with a 1.21 ERA in 97.0 innings. Zielinski ranks sixth in the state in ERA.
He had a record of 7-2 during the regular season. Zielinski allowed just 79 hits and 13 earned runs on the season. Opponents are hitting just .224 against him.
Abady, a freshman lefty, finished with a 1.87 ERA through the regular season, which was 25th best in the state.
He went 7-3 and gave up just 64 hits and 17 earned runs in 82.0 innings pitched. Opponents are batting just .223 against him.
Freshmen Cole Millerd and Joseph Chacon are the top relievers for the Lasers. Millerd pitched 3.2 scoreless innings last Thursday in Irvine Valley's come from behind 7-6 win at Santa Ana to close out the regular season schedule.
Irvine Valley is hitting .262 as a team. Freshman first baseman Lucas Tancas, who has signed with Long Beach State, leads with way with a .353 average. He has one home run, three triples, seven doubles and 12 RBI. Tancas has also scored a team-high 21 runs.
Speedy freshman designated hitter Trey Ryan finished the season strong and heads into the postseason with a .342 batting average.
Sophomore right fielder Brett Hamilton is batting .298 with two home runs, four triples, five doubles and a team-best 18 RBI.
Freshman Dillon Millar is batting .281 with six doubles, 16 runs scored and 14 RBI.
Freshman left fielder Clint Jack, freshman designated hitter Robbie Espinosa and sophomore third baseman Adam Vargas are among the other weapons on offense for the Lasers.
Los Angeles Mission enters the postseason with a record of 22-14 overall. Mission had a record of 14-7 in the Western State Conference South Division to finish second behind Glendale. Mission has won nine of its last 10 games and three in a row.
The Eagles won their final three games all in extra innings, beating Citrus, 4-3, in 14 innings, Antelope Valley, 12-8, in 10 innings and Antelope Valley, 3-2, in 14 innings.
Mission is batting .274 as a team.
Brendan Holler and Andrew Mallon lead Mission at the plate. Mallon finished fifth in the state in RBI with 42. Mallon also hit three home runs, 11 doubles and is batting .331.
Holler is batting .362 with 26 RBI and eight stolen bases. Jian Lee is batting .333 with 17 RBI, Colton Fletcher is batting .317 with 15 RBI, Adam Rios is hitting .306 with 19 RBI and Matt Hearn is batting .303 with six doubles, 11 RBI and eight stolen bases.
The Eagles have a team ERA of 5.01. Ricky Haste is 2-1 with three saves and a 3.57 ERA, Fletcher is 4-1 with two saves and a 3.69 ERA and Zanye Patino is 4-0 with a 4.09 ERA.
