West Union head baseball coach Joe Kramer, left, will lead his troops into postseason play on May 11 with a trip to Adena to battle the number two-seeded Warriors.  Photo by Mark Carpenter
West Union head baseball coach Joe Kramer, left, will lead his troops into postseason play on May 11 with a trip to Adena to battle the number two-seeded Warriors. Photo by Mark Carpenter

By Mark Carpenter

Even though a lot of the local softball and baseball squads still have regular season games to complete, tournament time has crept up and all eight county teams found out their postseason paths on Sunday as the Southeast District released the Division III and Division IV tournament pairings and seedings.

In Division III softball, Coach Tony Fowler and his West Union Lady Dragons, 2-11 at the time of the draw, were given a number 10 seed and will open sectional tournament play on May 10 at 5 p.m. The Lady Dragons will face a familiar foe in fellow member of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference, the Eastern Lady Warriors, 6-8 and a number seven seed. If the West Union girls survive round one, they will move into a sectional final contest versus number two seeded Valley.

Also in Division III, first-year head coach Kami Lewis and the North Adams Lady Devils (7-5) drew a number five seed and will be on the road on May 13 for a 5 p.m. match up with number four seed Piketon (7-9) in what will be a sectional championship game. A win there sends the Lady Devils into district play at Unioto High School on May 19 at 4:30 p.m., likely facing number one seeded Wheelersburg.

Division IV softball will have Coach John Kennedy and the Manchester Lady Hounds, 2-10 and a number 11 seed, traveling to Sciotoville East on May 9 at 5 p.m. to face the 6-10 and number six seeded Lady Tartans. A win there sends the Lady Hounds to a sectional title game on May 12 at third seeded Paint Valley.

The top local team in Division IV is Coach Doug McFarland’s Peebles Lady Indians, who recently pulled off a 10-game winning streak, and with an 11-4 record, earned a number four seed and a first-round bye. The Lady Indians will see their first tourney action in a sectional final game on May 12 at 5 p.m. when they will host the winner of number five seeded Notre Dame and number 12 seeded Ironton St. Joseph. A win there catapults the Peebles girls into the district tournament on May 19 at Minford High School, likely battling number one seed Symmes Valley.

On the baseball side of the Division III brackets, Coach Joe Kramer and his 3-14 West Union Dragons are a number 15 seed and will kickoff tourney play on May 11 at 5 p.m. with a trip to Adena to face the 13-4 and number two seeded Warriors. An upset win there sends the Dragons to the sectional finals on May 14.

Also in Division III, Coach Rob Meade and his 9-4 North Adams Green Devils grabbed a seven seed and will host number 10 seeded Piketon (6-11) on May 11 in Seaman. A win by the Devils in their opener would send them to the sectional finals on May 14, facing the Adena-West Union winner.

“We were placed about where I thought we would be,” said Coach Meade. “We were hoping for the six seed but I think our lack of games played took a toll on us.”

In Division IV baseball, Coach Kyle Brewer and his 5-6 Manchester Greyhounds earned a number six seed and will travel on May 10 to face the number three seeded Green Bobcats (11-9) in a sectional title battle. A win there send the Hounds to district play at Chillicothe Paints Stadium on May 15 at 7 p.m., probably facing number two seed South Webster.

Finally in Division IV, Coach Scott Lovett’s Peebles Indians, 5-7, are a number seven seed and will have a home game on May 7 at 11 a.m., facing off with number 10 seeded Western Latham (0-10). A win there sends the Indians to the sectional finals on May 10 where a tough task would await them in number two seed and fellow member of the SHAC, the 11-5 Fairfield Lions.

All of the softball and baseball tournament brackets for the Southeast District can be found at www.seodab.org.