State baseball and softball tournament brackets set. Here are the seeds and schedules.

May 5—The road was always going to go through La Cueva. Now it's official.

The Bears on Sunday afternoon earned the No. 1 seed for the Class 5A state baseball tournament, which begins Friday. The state brackets in all five baseball divisions, plus 5A and 4A softball, were announced by the New Mexico Activities Association.

La Cueva and Alamogordo (softball) were 5A's No. 1 seeds.

Softball opens with single elimination next week; baseball opens with best-of-3 series.

The only two teams from New Mexico that solved the Bears (22-3) in the regular season are both in La Cueva's top half of the 5A draw, those being No 5 seed Sandia, which topped the Bears in the semifinals of the Rio Rancho tournament, and Eldorado, which on Saturday won the first game of a District 2-5A doubleheader from La Cueva.

The Bears open at home against No. 16 Mayfield.

Rio Grande had hopes that it would be a 6 or 7 seed and end up on the bottom half of the draw away from La Cueva. That did not happen.

The Ravens, the District 5-5A champion, earned the 8 seed. They will be home against No. 9 Eldorado in the first round series that begins Friday.

Rio Grande won an emotional 8-7 decision over the Eagles in late March. That was the first game the Ravens played following the death of Rio Grande player Isaac Venzor Prado.

The Ravens' pitching has been white-hot of late. They have not allowed a hit in 19 of their last 21 innings.

Defending 5A state champion Rio Rancho is seeded No. 2, ahead of No. 3 Cleveland. The Storm won the tiebreaker over the Rams for the 1-5A championship, but the NMAA has the latitude to seed either higher than the other based on overall criteria.

The Storm, ironically enough, drew Piedra Vista in the first round. Last year, Cleveland forfeited out of the tournament after violating the state's pitch-count rule in Game 3 of a first-round series last year against Piedra Vista.

Only two of the top eight seeds in 5A come from outside the metro area: Organ Mountain at No. 4 and Carlsbad at No. 7. Volcano Vista, at 6, gives 1-5A three of the top half-dozen seeds.

Goddard is the top seed in Class 4A baseball. Five of the Rockets' six losses came to 5A programs, including Rio Rancho and Cleveland. The only loss to a 4A team came in their regular season finale, against rival Artesia.

District 5-4A had seeds 2-4 with Grants (last year's No. 1), Belen and two-time defending state champion St. Pius. District 6-4A went 6, 7, 9 and 10 with Albuquerque Academy, Hope Christian, Valley and Bernalillo. The Spartans open against Hope in the first round.

Cobre has the 1 seed in Class 3A, followed by East Mountain. The Timberwolves last year got all the way to the state semifinals as an 11 seed.

Sandia Prep defeated district rival Ruidoso in last May's 3A state final; those two are squaring off in this year's first round, in Ruidoso. The top four seeds in 3A have a bye until the May 16 quarterfinals.

Santa Rosa (2A) and Logan (1A) are also No. 1 seeds. The Menaul/Oak Grove Classical Academy co-op is seeded No. 4 in 2A and has a bye until the May 16 quarters.

State baseball tournament seeds and schedules

CLASS 5A

First Round — Friday/Saturday

Best-of-3 Series

(16) Mayfield at (1) La Cueva(9) Eldorado at (8) Rio Grande(12) Las Cruces at (5) Sandia(13) Hobbs at (4) Organ Mountain(14) Piedra Vista at (3) Cleveland(11) Los Lunas at (6) Volcano Vista(10) Centennial at (7) Carlsbad(15) Clovis at (2) Rio Rancho

Quarterfinals

Thursday, May 16 — at Riordan Complex

Centennial-Carlsbad winner vs. Clovis-RR winner, 10 a.m.Sandia-Cruces winner vs. OM-Hobbs winner, 1 p.m.LC-Mayfield winner vs. Eldorado-RG winner, 4 p.m.PV-Cleveland winner vs. LL-VV winner, 7 p.m.

Semifinals

Friday, May 17 — at Santa Ana Star Field

Top half of bracket, 3:30 p.,m.Bottom half of bracket, 6:30 p.m.

Championship

Saturday, May 18 — at Santa Ana Star Field

Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.

CLASS 4A

First Round — Friday/Saturday

Best-of-3 Series

(16) Kirtland Central at (1) Goddard(9) Valley at (8) Bloomfield(12) Santa Teresa at (5) Artesia(13) Chaparral at (4) St. Pius(14) Aztec at (3) Belen(11) Los Alamos at (6) ABQ Academy(10) Bernalillo at (7) Hope Christian(15) Portales at (2) Grants

Quarterfinals

Thursday, May 16 — at Riordan Complex

KC-Goddard winner vs. Bloomfield-Valley winner, 9:30 a.m.ST-Artesia winner vs. Chaparral-SPX winner, 12:30 p.m.Aztec-Belen winner vs. LA-AA winner, 3:30 p.m.Bernalillo-HC winner vs. Portales-Grants winner, 6:30 p.m.

Semifinals

Friday, May 17 — at Riordan Complex

Top half of bracket, 1 p.m.Bottom half of bracket, 7 p.m.

Championship

Saturday, May 18 — at Santa Ana Star Field

Semifinal winners, 4 p.m.

CLASS 3A

First Round — Friday/Saturday

Best-of-3 Series

(9) Navajo Prep at (8) West Las Vegas(12) Zuni at (5) Santa Fe Indian(11) Sandia Prep at (6) Ruidoso(10) Hatch Valley at (7) Robertson

Quarterfinals

Thursday, May 16 — at Riordan Complex

NP-WLV winner vs. (1) Cobre, 1 p.m.Zuni-SFIS winner vs. (4) N.M. Military Institute, 10 a.m.SP-Ruidoso winner vs. (3) St. Michael's, 7 p.m.HV-Robertson winner vs. (2) East Mountain, 4 p.m.

Semifinals

Friday, May 17 — at Riordan Complex

Top half of bracket, 10 a.m.Bottom half of bracket, 4 p.m.

Championship

Saturday, May 18 — at Santa Ana Star Field

Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.

CLASS 2A

First Round — Wednesday, May 8

(9) Pecos at (8) Texico(12) Mescalero Apache at (5) McCurdy(11) Capitan at (6) Eunice(10) Laguna-Acoma at (7) Rehoboth Christian

Quarterfinals

Thursday, May 16 — at Riordan Complex

Pecos-Texico winner vs. (1) Santa Rosa, 6:30 p.m.MA-McCurdy winner vs. (4) Menaul/Oak Grove Classical Academy, 3:30 p.m.Capitan-Eunice vs. (3) Tularosa, 9:30 a.m.LA-RC winner vs. (2) Loving, 12:30 p.m.

Semifinals

Friday, May 17 — at Riordan Complex

Top half of bracket, 4 p.m.Bottom half of bracket, 10 a.m.

Championship

Saturday, May 18 — at Santa Ana Star Field

Semifinal winners, 10 a.m.

CLASS 1A

First Round — Wednesday, May 8

(5) Grady at (4) Mesilla Valley(6) Magdalena at (4) Melrose

Semifinals

Thursday, May 16 — at Riordan Complex

Grady-MV winner vs. (1) Logan, 10 a.m.Magdalena-Melrose winner vs. (2) Gateway Christian, 1 p.m.

Championship

Friday, May 17 — at Santa Ana Star Field

Semifinal winners, 12 p.m.

Softball

Alamogordo takes on 16 seed Cleveland in the 5A first round. The winner gets Albuquerque High or Piedra Vista. AHS got a tough draw despite being a district champ; the 21-win Bulldogs were seeded ninth and visit No. 8 Piedra Vista.

La Cueva is the No. 2 seed, but faces a potentially tricky opening-round assignment against No. 15 Volcano Vista, which started 1-6 but has won 10 of its last 18.

Cibola got the 5 seed, and opens at home against Farmington. Rio Rancho and Los Lunas are double-digit seeds and travel to Mayfield and Carlsbad, respectively

Gallup, which is looking to reach the state final for a fourth straight year, is the No. 1 seed in 4A. Lovington, Silver and St. Pius round out the top 4. Belen, the 8 seed, is home for No. 9 Valley.

The Class 1A-3A state softball tournaments will be unveiled next week.

State softball tournament seeds and schedules

CLASS 5A

Play-in Round — Friday/Saturday

Single Elimination

(16) Cleveland at (1) Alamogordo, Friday, 7 p.m.(9) Albuquerque High at (8) Piedra Vista, Saturday, 12 p.m.(12) Farmington at (5) Cibola, Friday, 4 p.m.(13) Organ Mountain at (4) Hobbs, Friday, 7 p.m.(14) Sandia at (3) Centennial, Field of Dreams, Friday, 7 p.m.(11) Los Lunas at (6) Carlsbad, Friday, 6 p.m.(10) Rio Rancho at (7) Mayfield, Field of Dreams, Friday, 7 p.m.(15) Volcano Vista at (2) La Cueva, Friday, 4 p.m.

Week 2

May 16-18 — at Cleveland HS/UNM

Double elimination, matchups TBD

Championship

Saturday, May 18 — at UNM

Noon (and if necessary, 4 p.m.)

CLASS 4A

Play-in Round — Friday/Saturday

Single Elimination

(16) Portales at (1) Gallup, Saturday, 11 a.m.(9) Valley at (8) Belen, Friday, 6 p.m.(12) Bloomfield at (5) Artesia, Saturday, 5 p.m.(13) Deming at (4) St. Pius, Friday, 5 p.m.(14) Miyamura at (3) Silver, TBD(11) Goddard at (6) Bernalillo, Friday, 4 p.m.(10) Los Alamos at (7) Aztec, Saturday, 1 p.m.(15) Albuquerque Academy at (2) Lovington, Friday, 5 p.m.

Week 2

May 16-18 — at Cleveland HS/UNM

Double elimination, matchups TBD

Championship

Saturday, May 18 — at UNM

10 a.m. (and if necessary, 2 p.m.)