First-year head coach Miranda Grooms and her improving West Union Lady Dragons will begin their tourney trail on May 10 with a trip to Oak Hill. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
Coach Doug McFarland and his defending Division IV district champion Peebles Lady Indians will open 2022 sectional tournament play on May 11 at Miller High School. (Photo by Mark Carpenter)
By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
The softball regular season is winding to an end and postseason action looms on the horizon for the quarter of county squads, three of whom are led by first-year coaches. On Sunday, May 1, the Southeast District Athletic Board released the Division III and IV sectional tournament brackets, giving each team a peek at where there tournament trail might lead them
(The records shown here are those which were turned in at the time of the tournament draw.)
In Division III, first-year head coach Miranda Grooms has her West Union Lady Dragons (3-7) headed in the right direction, winning two straight after the draw and the Lady Dragons will open sectional play on Tuesday, May 10. Number 26 seeded West Union will be on the road with a trip to face #23 seeded Oak Hill (3-11) n the super sectional format. If the Lady Dragons pull off a win, they will move to a sectional title game on May 12 at #2 seeded Portsmouth West (17-2).
Also in Division III, first-year head coach David Shipley and his North Adams Lady Devils (0-10) have had heir share of struggles but it will be a new season on May 10 when the #31 seeded Lady Devils travel to face #18 seeded New Lexington (7-10). If Coach Shipley’s squad pulls off the upset, they will play fr a sectional crown on May 12 at #7 seeded Ironton (11-3).
In Division IV, first-year head coach Matthias Applegate and his Manchester Lady Greyhounds (9-3) are in the midst of a fine season and that has earned them a #5 seed in the sectional championship game with #12 seed Paint Valley (5-9) on May 11 in Manchester. If the favored Lady Hounds win that one, they will advance to the district tournament semi-finals on May 16 at the University of Rio Grande. There they would battle the winner of the sectional final game between #4 seed Symmes Valley (9-6) and #13 seed Whiteoak (6-6).
Finally in Division IV, Coach Doug McFarland and his defending district champion Peebles Lady Indians will set out to defend that crown on May 11. The Lady Indians (6-7) are a dangerous #9 seed but will have a sectional final road game at #8 seeded Miller (8-4). If the Peebles girls win that sectional crown, they move on to the district semis at Rio Grande where they could face a possible May 17 match up with #1 seeded Portsmouth Notre Dame (13-1) for the third season in a row, Peebles eliminating the Lady Titans in the previous two tournaments.
All of the softball brackets can be found at ohsaa.org/Southeast-Sports-Tournaments/Softball.
