Beware of Pool B.

That appears to be the toughest of the two brackets as Class 5A Division II begins its double-elimination baseball tournament on Saturday (April 30).

The Desert Valley Region was one of the strongest in the state this season and three of the powerhouse teams are in Pool B – second seeded Scottsdale Chaparral, third-seeded Scottsdale Desert Mountain and No. 6 Phoenix Horizon. The fourth Desert Valley school – No. 4 Phoenix Pinnacle – carries the region’s banner in Pool A.

First-round games in Pool A are No. 16 Tempe Marcos de Niza at No. 1 Anthem Boulder Creek, No. 9 Yuma Gila Ridge at No. 8 Goodyear Millennium, No. 12 Gilbert Perry at No. 5 Yuma and No. 13 Yuma Cibola at Pinnacle.

First-round games in Pool B are No. 15 Phoenix Sandra Day O’Connor at Chaparral, No. 10 Surprise Valley Vista at No. 7 Tucson Ironwood Ridge, No. 11 Tucson Sunnyside at Horizon and No. 14 Tolleson at No. 3 Desert Mountain.

All games begin at 11 a.m. except for Gila Ridge-Millennium and Perry-Yuma, which begin at 1 p.m.

Boulder Creek also has been playing consistent baseball, and Ironwood Ridge and Sunnyside are capable of advancing deep into the tournament.