It was a cold May for area high school softball teams, but the good news is it looks like it’s finally going to heat up for the most important games of the season.
Spring sports always tend to fly by, and this week already represents the start of the state softball tournament, with district play beginning around the state Tuesday with pre-district contests.
Most district semifinal and final games will take place Saturday, with regional semifinal and final games slated for June 6. Whoever emerges from that round will advance to the state quarterfinals on June 9, with the semifinals and finals slated for June 11-13 at Michigan State University’s Secchia Stadium.
So, who has the best chances of being in East Lansing? Here’s a breakdown of the each division heading into the district round of the state softball tournament.
Division 1
Defending champion: Saline
Top 10 ranked teams in coaches poll: 1. Hudsonville; 2. New Baltimore Anchor Bay; 3. Saline; 4. Northville; 5. Traverse City Centra; 6. Grand Haven; 7. Walled Lake Northern; 8. Grand Blanc; 9. Salem; 10. Muskegon Reeths Puffer.
Best Metro Detroit-area district: It’s hard to argue against District 28 that will be hosted by Macomb Dakota. No. 2 Anchor Bay has been playing as well as anyone in the state, but will have to survive a tough district in order to play the regional round on its home field (pre-determined host site). Host Dakota (23-9), Macomb L’Anse Creuse North (23-11), Port Huron Northern (18-10) and Port Huron (unbeaten in the Macomb Area Conference Gold) are also in the district and are not pushovers at all. Dakota and L’Anse Creuse North will play in a pre-district game Tuesday, with the winner facing Port Huron in one semifinal. Anchor Bay and Port Huron Northern will play in the other semifinal Saturday.
Noteworthy: While the depth of the district at Dakota will be hard to match, the best district semifinal game on the area will be Salem against Northville in a matchup of ranked teams. The teams have played three times already this season, with Northville winning twice, including on Wednesday in the Kensington Lakes Activities Association championship game, 6-0. Northville senior ace Mary Gugala recorded a four-hit shutout, striking out 10. … A potential district final to watch out for will be Walled Lake Northern and White Lake Lakeland, which is an honorable mention in the Division 1 rankings. If that happens, Lakeland will hope to avenge two regular-season losses to its Bogie Lake Road rival.
Division 2
Defending champion: Richmond
Top 10 ranked teams in coaches poll: 1. Stevensville Lakeshore; 2. Goldwater; 3. Paw Paw; 4. Clio; 5. Carleton Airport; 6. Frankenmuth; 7. Saginaw Swan Valley; 8. Hudsonville Unity Christian; 9. Essexville Garber; 10. Escanaba.
Best Metro Detroit-area district: District 59 at Richmond. Defending Division 2 champion Richmond is always a threat to go far, but it will have to be at its very best to get out of an incredibly tough district on its home field. Armada and St. Clair both are honorable mention teams in the state rankings, Marysville won 24 games, while Macomb Lutheran North was the regular0season co-champion in the Catholic League Central Division and has one of the area’s best pitchers, senior Megan Rocker. Armada and Richmond will play in a 4:30 p.m. pre-district game Tuesday, with the winner facing St. Clair on one district final. Marysville and Lutheran North comprise the other semifinal in a district where any one of the five teams can win it and feel like it can make a deep run after surviving a gauntlet.
Noteworthy: Farmington Hills Mercy, which has gone through a rebuilding season this spring but still has talent, moved down to Division 2 this year after being in Division 1. Don’t be surprised if it is a threat to knock off some good teams along the way. … One prominent local team that has a friendly district is Catholic League champion Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, which will be in a district with Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Birmingham Marian, Detroit Country Day and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep. It would take a major upset to prevent St. Mary’s from moving on to regionals. … On a statewide level, two of the top six ranked teams will be paired in the same district, Clio and Frankenmuth. Barring upsets, the teams would play in a district final.
Division 3
Defending champion: Grass Lake
Top-10 ranked teams in coaches poll: 1. Evart; 2. Brooklyn Columbia Central; 3. Ravenna; 4. Grass Lake; 5. Morley Standwood; 6. Clinton; 7. Jackson Lumen Christi; 8. Laingsburg; 9. Lansing Catholic; 10. St. Mary Catholic Central.
Best Metro Detroit-area district: None. There isn’t an area team ranked or even honorable mention in the coaches poll, but there will be other intriguing districts around the state. The best one likely will be at Onsted, where Columbia Central and defending state champion Grass Lake are likely to play in a district semifinal Saturday. That game will happen barring an upset of Grass Lake by Onsted in a Tuesday pre-district game. Two more ranked teams that are paired in the same district, Laingsburg and Lansing Catholic, likely will meet in a district final at Laingsburg.
Noteworthy: Last season’s state runner-up, Clare, which lost by a run and had the tying run at third base in what was a thrilling final, moved up to Division 2 this year. Clare had a lot of returnees from that runner-up and likely would have been at or near the top of the rankings throughout the year, but will have to outlast better competition in Division 2 if it wants to make it back to East Lansing.
Division 4
Defending champion: Mendon
Top 10 ranked teams in coaches poll: 1. Mendon; 2. Hillman; 3. Unionville-Sebewaing; 4. Mount Pleasant Sacred Heart; 5. Bellaire; 6. St. Louis; 7. Beal City; 8. Fowler; 9. Brown City; t-10 Johannesburg-Lewiston, Gobles.
Best Metro Detroit -area district: There are only two districts total that involve Metro Detroit-area teams, and neither features a ranked or honorable mention squad. Royal Oak Shrine and Sterling Heights Parkway Christian are in one district at Lutheran Westland. Allen Park Cabrini, Allen Park Inter-City Baptist, Riverview Gabriel Richard and Taylor Trillium Academy comprise another district at Gabriel Richard. Statewide, as is the case with baseball, Beal City and Sacred Heart are in the same district, and likely will play in a district final, where the winner will have the ability to make a long tournament run.
Noteworthy: The big news last year was that Unionville-Sebewaing fell short in a bid to win its sixth straight state title, which would have been a record. USA was beaten in the final by Mendon (11-1 in six innings), which hasn’t had a drop-off this spring in staying on top of the rankings. Mendon and USA have met three straight times at the state’s final four, twice in the championship game and two years ago in the semifinals.
Keith Dunlap is a freelance writer.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Breaking down the Michigan high school softball districts
Reporting by Keith Dunlap, Special to The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
