It’s now time for the second season for South Bend area high school softball teams.
Local sectional play is slated to begin on Memorial Day at some area sites for the 41st annual IHSAA state tournament series. There are 365 teams entered in play statewide.
Sectionals in the four-class format are set for May 25-30, with area hosts Penn and Northridge in Class 4A, Plymouth and NorthWood in Class 3A, Bremen in Class 2A and Washington Township and South Central in Class 1A.
Regionals, which are one game, are slated for Tuesday, June 2, with the winners of the even-numbered sectionals serving as the host school. The four-team semi-state are Saturday, June 6, with northern hosts Harrison (West Lafayette) in 4A, Twin Lakes in 3A, Kokomo in 2A and Frontier in 1A.
The state finals are Friday and Saturday, June 12 and 13, at Bittinger Stadium on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette. Game times are 5:30 and 8 p.m. on June 12 and 4:30 and 7 p.m. on June 13 with the matchups to be determined at a later date.
Penn, ranked No. 3 in Class 4A, will host a seven-team sectional. Coach Beth Zachary’s Kingsmen are the heavy favorite to win a 12th straight sectional title. They wrapped up a 24-3 season May 22 by downing Michigan power Lakeshore 6-0 and 5-4 at Penn. The Kingsmen face South Bend Riley in a first-round sectional game. Penn beat NIC foe Riley 8-1 and 18-3 in the regular season.
The Kingsmen have won a state record best 11 consecutive regional championships and lost 4-2 to Crown Point in the semistate title game in 2025 with a team sporting 11 seniors. Penn, which won the Northern Indiana Conference crown at 12-0, lost a 4-0 final at Crown Point on May 8.
South Bend Saint Joseph is the other area ranked team, as the Huskies were No. 11 in Class 3A in the May 18 poll. Coach Earl Keith’s team beat Concord 21-2 in five innings May 22 to move to 17-8 on the season. The Huskies will play in the Plymouth Sectional against rival Mishawaka Marian in a semifinal game of the five-team field. St. Joe, which lost in the sectional final to John Glenn 8-5 in 2025, beat Marian 3-0 and 13-2 in the regular season.
Elkhart looks to repeat as sectional champions. Coach Matt Walker’s team sits at 20-7 and was NIC runner-up to Penn at 10-2. The Lions drew a bye and will play either Concord or Warsaw in a semifinal game of the Class 4A Northridge Sectional in Middlebury. Elkhart lost 10-0 at Penn in a regional game in 2025.
Follow along below LIVE with all of the week’s results from Monday, May 25 through Saturday, May 30.
IHSAA SOUTH BEND AREA SOFTBALL SECTIONALS
CLASS 4A
(all times Eastern)
At Penn
Tuesday, May 26: 6 p.m.: Game 1: Mishawaka vs. New Prairie; Wednesday, May 27: 6 p.m.: Game 2: South Bend Riley vs. Penn; 7:30 p.m.: Game 3: South Bend Adams vs. Michigan City; Thursday, May 28: 6 p.m.: Game 4: LaPorte vs. Game 1 winner; 7:30 p.m.: Game 5: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner; Saturday, May 20: 12 p.m.: Game 6: Championship
At Northridge
Monday, May 25: 6 p.m.: Game 1: Concord vs. Warsaw; Wednesday, May 27: 5 p.m.: Game 2: Northridge vs. Goshen; 7 p.m.: Game 3: Elkhart vs. Game 1 winner; Friday, May 29: 6 p.m.: Game 4: Championship
CLASS 3A
At Plymouth
Monday, May 25: 6 p.m.: Game 1: Culver Academies vs. Plymouth; Tuesday, May 26: 5:30 p.m.: Game 2: South Bend Saint Joseph vs. Mishawaka Marian; 7:30 p.m.: Game 3: John Glenn vs. Winner Game 1: Thursday, May 28: 6 p.m.: Game 4: Championship
At NorthWood
Monday, May 25: 5:30 p.m.: Game 1: Fairfield vs. Wawasee; 7:30 p.m.: Game 2: Tippecanoe Valley vs. NorthWood; Tuesday, May 26: 5:30 p.m.: Game 3: West Noble vs. Game 1 winner; 7:30 p.m.: Game 4: Columbia City vs. Game 2 winner: Thursday, May 28: 6 p.m.: Game 5: Championship
CLASS 2A
At Bremen
Monday, May 25: 5 p.m.: Game 1: Knox vs. Bremen; Tuesday, May 26: 5 p.m.: Game 2: Winamac vs. LaVille; 7:30 p.m.: Game 3: Jimtown vs. Game 1 winner: Thursday, May 28: 6:30 p.m.: Game 4: Championship
CLASS 1A
At Washington Township
Monday, May 25: 11 a.m.: Game 1: Hammond S&T vs. Marquette Catholic; 2 p.m.: Game 2: Westville vs. Morgan Township; Tuesday, May 26: 5 p.m.: Game 3: Washington Township vs. Game 1 winner; Wednesday, May 27: 5 p.m.: Game 4: Kouts vs. Game 2 winner; Friday, May 29: 5 p.m.: Game 5: Championship
At South Central
Monday, May 25: 10 a.m.: Game 1: Elkhart Christian Academy vs. Argos; 12 p.m.: Game 2: Culver vs. Oregon-Davis; 2 p.m.: Game 3: South Central vs. North Judson; Tuesday, May 26: 4:30 p.m.: Game 4: Triton vs. Game 1 winner; Game 5: Wednesday, May 27: 4:30 p.m.: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner; Saturday, May 20: 10 a.m.: Game 6: Championship
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: All South Bend area IHSAA softball sectional results, stats
Reporting by Scott Davidson and Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
