Piedmont Hills-North Salinas baseball

CCS Division I baseball playoffs
Wednesday's game, 4 p.m.
No. 16 Piedmont Hills (17-7) at No. 1 North Salinas (19-8)
 I'm not sure if North Salinas even expected to earn the top seed after dropping three games to Pacific Division co-champion Watsonville.
 But points dictate the seedings and the co-champion Vikings got some brownie points for playing a stronger non-league schedule.
 What does it mean?
 Well, nothing after the first round.
 Although, a fourth meeting with Watsonville could loom if both teams win on Wednesday.
 Don't be mislead by the Pirates No. 16 seed. It closed the season with four straight wins to finish second in the Santa Teresa Division.
 Eleven of Piedmont Hill's 17 wins this spring came on the road.
 Joseph Gutierrez will likely get the start in the postseason opener. Last year as a sophomore, he shut out Lincoln for North Salinas' first postseason win since the turn of the millennium.
 Tim Burkhardt has stung the ball all over the field this year for the Vikings while Rafael Perez has been a run producing machine. Gutierrez has 12 multiple hit games with five triples.