Fourteen area teams have earned spots in the softball playoffs, which begin Tuesday with preliminary games in most regions.
The coaches of some of those area team say that dominant teams in most regions will make the path to the regional and state finals difficult to navigate.
Here is a class-by-class look at the upcoming softball postseason:
CLASS A
Oxford Hills (15-1) earned the top seed on Class A North by beating Skowhegan on a walk-off home run by Tristen Derenburger in the regular season finale. The Vikings will open the postseason with a quarterfinal matchup with No. 8 Edward Little (8-8). They defeated the Red Eddies 10-0 and 12-0 in the teams’ two meetings this season. Those victories accounted for two of Oxford Hills’ nine shutouts this season.
The Vikings allowed only 16 runs in 16 games this season. Their offense scored 10 or more runs in a game 10 times.
“We have been playing well,” Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard said. “I think in some ways that’s really good, and the games that have been really fun, too, have been the close ones. The game we ended our season with against Skowhegan was awesome, but we have had some good games this year.”
Despite outscoring Edward Little 22-0 so far this season, Goddard said the Vikings are expecting a different Red Eddies team in the postseason.
“They are a rival in so many different sports; you can’t overlook them because they fight right to the end,” Goddard said. “I am just looking forward to a good game. It’s nice it’s two local teams, so there should be a good crowd. Elaine Derosby does a great job with her team.”
Derosby, Edward Little’s coach, said the Red Eddies earned their 17th game this season.
“They worked hard all year long, and we talked about how it’s a reward for the things they have done, not just in the offseason, but during the season, and really focusing on trying to come together,” Derosby said. “Any game after game 16 is a reward for your hard work. I think they have been given the right to Game 17.”
The winner will advance to the semifinals, where it will face the victor between No. 4 Brewer (10-6) and No. 5 Brunswick (10-6). Oxford Hills beat both teams, while Edward Little lost to Brewer and beat Brunswick.
In the other half of the bracket, No. 2 Messlonskee (12-4), which has defeated Oxford Hills and Skowhegan this season, welcomes No. 7 Bangor (7-9). The winner will take on either No. 3 Skowhegan (14-2) or No. 6 Hampden Academy (9-7).
“The top teams have some pretty dominating pitchers,” Derosby said. “Cindy’s pitchers are pretty dominant, and Morgan (Willis) at Messalonskee. She showed at the end of last season when she’s in the circle and is in command — she can make things happen, and she has done that this year, too.
“I think it will depend on who can really put the ball in play against some of those top pitchers and play some really good defense.”
Willis led Messalonskee to last year’s A North region title and state runner-up despite the Eagles entering the postseason as the eighth seed.
This year’s A North final will take place June 13 at the University of Maine in Orono.
The top four teams in the South are No. 1 Biddeford, No. 2 Windham, No. 3 Kennebunk and No. 4 Gorham. The state championship is at the University of Southern Maine on June 17.
CLASS B
Fourth-seeded Poland (13-3) will open the postseason against No. 5 Morse (11-5) in the Class B South quarterfinals. If the Knights get through, they like will face No. 1 York (15-1) in the regional semifinals.
York will take on either No. 8 Fryeburg Academy (8-8) or No. 9 Wells (10-6) in the quarterfinals. The Knights lost to York 4-1, beat Wells 8-5 and split their regular season series with Fryeburg.
Second-seeded Gardiner (14-2) has a bye into the regional quarterfinals, where it will face No. 7 Leavitt (11-5) or No. 10 Greely (6-10). The Hornets haven’t faced the Rangers this season and lost both games against the Tigers.
Leavitt dealt with injuries and the flu down the stretch, and went 4-4 in its final eight games of the regular season.
Coach Kevin Leonard said the Hornets will be ready for the postseason.
“We feel pretty good,” Leonard said. “Looks like the bats are finally coming around and pitching is finally coming back to play.”
Leonard said he doesn’t mind playing a prelim game because the Hornets were going to play a scrimmage, anyway.
Lake Region (12-4), the third seed, battles No. 6 Medomak Valley or No. 11 Yarmouth (7-9) in the quarterfinals. St. Joseph’s College will be hosting the regional final on June 13.
Leonard said he doesn’t know too much about the WMC teams.
“Not much, other than looking at their scores,” Leonard said. “… We don’t know much; we are comfortable where we are, and we will hope for the best.”
The top four teams in B North are No. 1 Nokomis, No. 2 Hermon, No. 3 Lawrence and No. 4 Old Town. The state championship is June 17 at Brewer High School.
CLASS C
There are two heavyweights in Class C South: No. 1 Monmouth (15-1) and No. 2 Hall-Dale (16-0).
“The top two teams are the top two teams for a reason,” Dirigo coach Scott Roberts said. “They have some dominant pitching and some great hitting, and they have had some great seasons.”
Monmouth (15-1) has a bye into the Class C South quarterfinals, where it will take on either No. 8 Madison (8-8) or No. 9 Sacopee Valley (9-7). The Mustangs beat Madison 19-2 on May 22 and haven’t faced Sacopee Valley this season.
Fourth-seeded Spruce Mountain (12-4) awaits the preliminary round winner between No. 5 Oak Hill (9-7) and No. 12 Lisbon (4-12). The Raiders defeated the Greyhounds twice this season. Spruce Mountain swept Oak Hill and defeated Lisbon once in the only meeting of the season between the schools.
The Phoenix have been building toward being a factor in the Class C South playoffs for the past two seasons.
“We are pretty excited for the opportunity to be there,” Spruce Mountain coach Lisa Dube said. “We have made a complete turnaround, it seems like, of the program this year. The girls have been talking about it, especially my junior class. When they were freshmen, we went something like 3-and-11, and I kept telling them, ‘You have to trust the process, this doesn’t happen overnight. It’s going to take some time. By the time you are juniors and seniors, we will be contenders.'”
It its quarterfinal, Hall-Dale will face the winner of the prelim between No. 7 Winthrop (8-8) or No. 10 Telstar (5-9). The Ramblers beat the Rebels 11-5 on May 5. The Bulldogs shut out Telstar 12-0 this season and beating Winthrop twice, 8-0 and 17-1.
Third-seeded Maranacook (13-3) will take on No. 6 Dirigo (9-7) or No. 11 Mt. Abram (5-11) in the quarterfinals. The Cougars shut out the Roadrunners 5-0 on May 5.
“When you play someone early on, you think, OK, we are better, we are definitely better, and we are definitely a lot better team than we were then; but they probably are, too,” Robbins said. “I look for a good matchup.”
Maranacook is moving from the KVAC to the MVC next year but didn’t face any MVC teams this season.
The regional final is at USM on June 17.
In the North, the top four schools are No. 1 Bucksport, No. 2 Mattanawcook, No. 3 Narraguagus and No. 4 Maine Central Institute. The regional champions will face each other at USM on June 17.
CLASS D
Buckfield (14-2) earned the third seed in D South and will battle No. 6 St. Dom’s (8-8) in the quarterfinals. Despite the close proximity of their schools, the Bucks and Saints have faced each other this season.
“If we can continue pitching the way Carmen Crockett has been pitching and play defense the way we have been playing defense, when people do put the ball in play against us, we will do all right because our offense has put up a large number of runs this season,” Buckfield coach Shawn Prokey said.
The Bucks played a mostly Class C schedule this season. Their only two losses were in close games against C South powers Monmouth and Hall-Dale. The Mustangs beat Buckfield 6-4, while the Bulldogs topped the Bucks 4-3.
After losing eight seniors from last year’s team that went to the regional final, this has been a rebuilding year for the Saints.
“We have had a really hard-working team of scholar-athletes and did a great job of working on improvement,” St. Dom’s coach Scott Berube said. “We have two seniors (Ava Apodaca and Natalie Reed) on our team right now that we will miss their leadership next season, but we have no juniors. We look forward to absorbing all of this season, the playoffs, and next season for experience to get back to the regional championship — that will be realistic in 2025.”
The winner between Buckfield and St. Dom’s takes on No. 2. Searsport (9-5) or No. 7 Forest Hills (8-5) in the regional semifinal. Pitcher Ana Lang has led Searsport to the past two Class D state titles.
No. 4 Valley (12-2) faces No. 5 Richmond (9-7) in the quarterfinals. The winner will face a rested No. 1 North Yarmouth Academy (15-1) in the semifinals.
“The last two seasons, the girls have faced Searsport, so these girls that are juniors and seniors, and the sophomores, have seen Searsport, the defending state (champions),” Prokey said. “So we know they will be competitive, and Ana Lang is an amazing pitcher. That team is very well-coached, as well. That’s a team, if we do end up past St. Dom’s, will be tough to beat. I know NYA is playing some really good softball, as well, this season, and they only have one loss. Richmond, they have a chance to sneak one past NYA, as well.”
The regional final takes place on June 13 at St. Joseph’s College.
The top four schools in the North are No. 1 Hodgdon, No. 2 Penobscot Valley, No. 3 Southern Aroostook and No. 4 Woodland.
Brewer High School will host the state championship on June 17.
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