Softball | General | 4/28/2022

HS Playoff Preview: Midwest

Jerry Miller

Photo: Perfect Game

Oklahoma

The always-competitive Oklahoma High School Fastpitch season is traditionally held in the fall. The 2021 season ended in October as the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association crowned seven champions at the USA Hall-of-Fame Softball Complex.

At the Class B level, Roff and Moss met up after both captured heart-stopping, one-run semifinal victories. In the final game, Roff took a 5-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth only to see a very game Moss club score four in the next two innings. Roff held off the Moss nine to ensure a 6-4 win and the Class B title.

At the Class A level, Caddo rode the strong right arm of Emily Robinson, who tossed a complete game no-hitter, to a 3-0 championship victory over Cyril.

Morrison and Silo met up in a tightly-contested and highly-entertaining game for the 2A title. Silo scored one in the top of the first and that was all they could muster as Morrison scored single tallies in the second, third, and fifth innings, and rode steady defense to the 3-1 victory and the 2A crown.

In Class 3A, Washington High School ran roughshod over the field, scoring 32 runs in their final three games. The Warriors defeated Comanche 10-0 in the quarterfinals. They then rolled over a very good Coalgate club, 12-0, in the semifinals. The title game was just as lopsided, as Washington cruised to a dominant 10-0 win over North Rock Creek (Shawnee). WHS, which had been defeated the previous three years in the finals, was on a mission that they completed with unquestionably the most dominant performance of any team at any level.

Lone Grove captured the 4A crown with a 3-2 win in the championship over upstart Tecumseh. Tecumseh advanced to the title game with a hard-fought 5-4 semifinals victory over traditional powerhouse Tuttle HS. Lone Grove wasn’t truly challenged until their finals matchup against Tecumseh, as they scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh to break a 2-2 tie and take the crown back to Carter County.

Piedmont scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to take home the 5A championship banner with a 2-1, hard-fought victory over an equally-talented, and defending state champion, Coweta HS.

Finally, at the 6A level, Southmoore (Moore) scored two runs in each of the first two innings and then rode solid pitching and steady defense to a 5-1 victory over Owasso to take home the big school crown.

Kansas

The Kansas State High School Activities Association fastpitch softball playoffs begin in earnest in May with regional tournaments in all corners of the state. State champions will be crowned the weekend of May 26-27 at five different locations around the Sunflower State. The Shawnee Mission District Softball Complex will play host to the 6A finals, while the 5A championship will be determined at Wilkins Stadium on the campus of Wichita State University.

The Bill Burke Complex in Salina will host the 4A tournament while Manhattan and the Twin Oaks Complex will see the 3A finalists roll into town. Finally, the 1A/2A crown will be contested for at the Green Sports Complex in Pratt.

Heading the way this spring at the 6A level are Shawnee Mission North, Edgerton (Gardner), North (Olathe), West (Olathe), and Blue Valley (Overland Park). Schools in the traditionally strong softball areas of Shawnee Mission, Olathe, and Overland Park are prevalent in the top-20 rankings and while the aforementioned have posted the best records this spring, there are a number of programs that could find their way to the Shawnee Mission Complex at the end of May.

In the 5A division, Linwood (Basehor), Spring Hill, Blue Valley Southwest (Overland Park), Seaman (Topeka), St. Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park), and Piper (Kansas City) have had fine springs and will head into post-season play with some momentum. The 5A level looks fairly balanced and a number of clubs could find their way through the early playoff games with an opportunity to play for the crown in Wichita.

Wameko, Bishop Miege (Shawnee Mission), Eudora, Holton, and Chanute appear to be solid choices to bring home the 4A crown. Although there are a few other programs that could be included in the “favorites” category, these five programs have separated themselves with solid showings this spring and at least one of them could very well walk away from Salina with the championship banner.

The 3A competition will be fierce as Columbus, Girard, and Frontenac have put up some impressive numbers this spring and have separated themselves from the majority of the 3A programs. Galena and Cherryvale could figure into the mix, also, but the top end of the 3A competition appears to be headed for a showdown in Manhattan.

The 1A/2A competition, divided into regions, has two strong favorites to advance to Pratt with the opportunity to capture the small school championship. Brookville-Eli-Saline HS is currently 14-0 and heads up the Belleville-RC region. The Wathena-Riverdale region is currently lead by 15-0 Troy. The Burden-Central region is a dog fight between one loss clubs, Howard-West Elk and Oxford. Northeast (Arma) and Uniontown are the frontrunners out of the Cherokee region, while Jayhawk Linn (Mound City), Yates Center, and Central Heights (Richmond) look to be in a three-way tussle to come out of the Lebo region.

Bluestem (Leon) and Moundridge are solid clubs and appear on a collision course in the Marion region. South Central (Bucklin/Coldwater), Spearville, Ellis, and Medicine Lodge look to be evenly matched in the Spearville region. Finally, Burlingame and Mission Valley (Eskridge) are strong contenders out of the St. Mary’s region.

Nebraska

The Nebraska School Activities Association held their state softball championships from October 13-15 in Hastings. Three champions were crowned at the Class A, B, and C levels.

Two Lincoln-area school matched up in the Class A finals and a very strong Lincoln Southwest club defeated Lincoln East 16-7 to claim the crown.

Skutt Catholic (Omaha) bested Hastings 14-2 to take the Class B championship, while Bishop Neumann (Wahoo) shutout Yutan/Mead, 6-0 to take home the Class C gold trophy.

Missouri

Although the state of Missouri plays a limited spring softball schedule with a reduced number of schools and classes, the vast majority of programs play a highly competitive fall season, that is not unlike the championships held in Oklahoma and Nebraska. The Missouri State High School Activities Association awards trophies to five class champions and this past fall handed out hardware to the deserving victors. Springfield, the traditional host of the state finals, saw a number of outstanding players and programs come to town during the last weekend in October.

In Class 1, Maysville completely dominated the field, scoring 37 runs in the regional finals, the state semis, and the championship game while only allowing five. Their 4-0 victory over LaPlata was the closest game they played the entire postseason.

Marceline captured the Class 2 championship with a hard fought 4-1 win over a tough Sherwood program, while Briar Oaks held off Chillicothe 3-2 to win the Class 3 crown.

Another dominant club, Washington, ran roughshod over the Class 4 field outscoring their opponents 27-1 in their final three tourney games on the way to securing the championship, with an 11-0 shutout win over Rolla.

Lastly, in the Class 5, big school competition, Lee’s Summit West outlasted Francis Howell Central, 6-5, to take home the winner’s banner.

Iowa

Unquestionably the most unique competitive high school fastpitch championship season is held in Iowa. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, the governing body for interscholastic competition in Iowa, holds its season in the summer. Young female athletes across the Hawkeye State are gearing up for their 2022 season as most other states have either finished their competition or are winding down.

Softball practice begins in Iowa on May 2. Regional playoffs start on July 1 and end on July 12. The state championships, as tradition holds, will take place at the Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge from July 18-22 where five champions, from 1A to 5A, will be crowned.

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