With district championship teams crowned, the FHSAA state softball playoffs are about to kick off.
The regional brackets were released on Friday afternoon for each region in the state, and 13 Southwest Florida teams made the cut.
There are a lot of intriguing narratives this postseason with ECS looking to defend their state title, a formidable Bishop Verot squad looking to make some noise and a very crowded Class 5A region that features some of the area’s best teams.
Teams in bold denote district champions. Teams in italics denote local squads.
Class 1A-Region 3
(1) Evangelical Christian vs. (8) Sarasota Christian
(4) St. Stephens vs. (5) Shorecrest Prep
(2) St. John Neumann vs. (7) Northside Christian
(3) SFCA vs. (6) Babcock
Analysis: The Sentinels will look to make it out of the region to have a chance at a third consecutive Class 1A state championship. Their road could include a couple familiar teams in St. John Neumann and SFCA. The Celtics cruised to the Class 1A-District 11 title and have won eight of their last nine games. Despite this ECS squad having to rely on their offense more than teams in years past, they haven’t had any issues when facing Neumann or SFCA in previous meetings this season, including their dominant district championship win against the King’s.
Dustin’s Pick: ECS
Class 2A-Region 3
(1) Calvary Christian (Clearwater) vs. (8) Berkeley Prep
(4) Tampa Catholic vs. (5) Cardinal Mooney
(2) Bishop Verot vs. (7) Oasis
(3) Avon Park vs. (6) Clearwater Central Catholic
Analysis: The Vikings have impressed all season, and they are the only Southwest Florida team that has yet to lose to another Lee or Collier county team. Their path begins with a familiar team in Oasis, and Verot defeated the Sharks 16-0 for the Class 2A-District 12 title on Tuesday. It gets tougher from there as this region is considerably top heavy. The top four teams will have a case for making it out of the region, although the top seed in Calvary Christian is riding a 12-game winning streak into the postseason.
Dustin’s Pick: Calvary Christian
Class 3A-Region 4
(1) Cardinal Gibbons vs. (8) Mater Lakes
(4) St. Brendan vs. (5) Calvary Christian (Fort Lauderdale)
(2) Somerset Charter vs. (7) Aubrey Rogers
(3) Coral Springs Charter vs. (6) Pompano Beach
Analysis: The Patriots earned their spot in the state playoffs with their 2-1 Class 3A-District 13 championship win against LaBelle, which essentially knocked the Cowgirls out. Aubrey Rogers will hit the road to face Somerset in Miami. The Stallions have put together a 20-5 record and have only given up 55 runs all season.
Dustin’s Pick: Coral Springs Charter
Class 4A-Region 3
(1) Osceola vs. (8) Zephyrhills
(4) Gulf vs. (5) Clearwater
(2) Seminole vs. (7) Pasco
(3) Estero vs. (6) Hudson
Analysis: The Wildcats put together a sensational month of April, culminating in the Class 4A-District 12 championship win against Port Charlotte. In the first round, they will face another district championship in Hudson, a team with an 8-12 record. If Estero can keep their momentum going behind freshman pitcher Kennedy Manetta, they definitely have a shot to go far in this region. The top seed in Osceola is the biggest threat — the Warriors have strong pitching in junior Ava Inman, who has a 13-4 record on the season.
Dustin’s Pick: Osceola
Class 4A-Region 4
(1) American Heritage vs. (8) Barron Collier
(4) Archbishop McCarthy vs. (5) Okeechobee
(2) Key West vs. (7) Lourdes
(3) Somerset Academy vs. (6) Jensen Beach
Analysis: The Cougars punched their ticket by dominating Lely 15-0 for the Class 4A-District 13 title. Their reward is a trip to face one of the top teams in the state in American Heritage. The Patriots will be the toughest team Barron has faced all season.
Dustin’s Pick: American Heritage
Class 5A-Region 3
(1) North Fort Myers vs. (8) Gaither
(4) Charlotte vs. (5) Gulf Coast
(2) Braden River vs. (7) Riverdale
(3) Fort Myers vs. (6) Mariner
Analysis: With a 21-3 record and wins at LCAC and district tournaments, the Red Knights are a deserving top seed. However, this region is anything but straightforward. Riverdale is the epitome of this as the Raiders took down Gulf Coast for the Class 5A-District 12 title to secure their playoff birth, likely knocking Cape Coral out of the playoff picture. This region could wind up as a rubber match between rivals North Fort Myers and Fort Myers. However, teams like Gulf Coast, Riverdale and Mariner have terrific pitching that will always give them a chance. The No. 2 seed Braden River hasn’t faced the hardest schedule, but the Pirates have a 20-3 record and have only surrendered 41 runs this season.
Dustin’s Pick: North Fort Myers
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: FHSAA softball brackets are out. Which SWFL teams made the postseason?
Reporting by Dustin B Levy, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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