The path to Purdue is now known for high school softball teams across Indiana.
Pairings for the state tournament series, which begins with sectional play the week of May 25, were drawn by the IHSAA Sunday, May 3.
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-states 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. 2 in Class 4A, will host a seven-team sectional. The Kingsmen are the heavy favorite to win the title and open play with a first-round game versus South Bend Riley. Penn sits at 15-2 on the season with losses just to Class 4A No. 1 Lake Central and Daviess County from Kentucky. The Kingsmen, with a team boasting 11 seniors, lost in the Class 4A semi-state title game to eventual state champion Crown Point 4-2 in 2025.
The Kingsmen have won 11 straight sectional titles and a state record best 11 consecutive regional championships too. This year’s Penn team is led by seniors Logan Rumble and Caitlyn Denny. Penn defeated conference foe Riley 8-1 and 18-3 in April.
Mishawaka, 10-3, meets New Prairie in the opener at Penn. The Cavemen, along with Riley (8-7) are the only teams other than the hosts with a winning record. The Cavemen lost 12-0 to Penn in April.
The Class 4A Northridge Sectional is headlined by Elkhart. The Lions are the defending champions and drew a bye in the five-team field. Elkhart, which lost 10-0 to Penn in the regional in 2025, faces either Concord or Warsaw in a semifinal game. Northridge, which plays Goshen, is 6-4.
South Bend Saint Joseph, No. 10 in Class 3A, is the favorite in the Plymouth Sectional. The Huskies, who are 8-5, meet rival Mishawaka Marian in a semifinal game of the five-team field. St. Joe beat Marian 3-0 and 13-2 in NIC action in April. The Huskies have lost four in a row, two to NIC foe Elkhart and a pair on May 2 at home (2-1 and 4-2) to Class 3A No. 3 ranked Logansport. John Glenn, the defending champion, faces the Plymouth-Culver Academies winner in a semifinal game.
Fairfield leads the field for the six-team NorthWood Sectional in Class 3A. The Falcons are 12-3 and face Wawasee in the sectional opener. Fairfield beat Wawasee 9-1 in April.
The Class 2A Bremen Sectional includes a pair of strong teams in Knox (14-3) and Winamac (10-1). Host Bremen faces Knox in the opener of the five-team sectional. Winamac plays LaVille in one semifinal. Jimtown (8-6) will play the winner of Knox-Bremen in the other semifinal.
The Class 1A South Central sectional has seven teams, with the hosts at 8-4. The Satellites play North Judson in a first-round contest. Elkhart Christian Academy meets Argos in the opener with Triton getting that winner in a semifinal matchup.
Marquette Catholic will begin sectional play in the opener at the Class 1A Washington Township Sectional. The Blazers face Hammond A & T.
For complete pairings, including dates and times for sectionals, visit ihsaa.org.
CLASS 4A
Note: Dates and times TBD by host sites.
At Penn
Game 1: Mishawaka vs. New Prairie; Game 2: South Bend Riley vs. Penn; Game 3: South Bend Adams vs. Michigan City; Game 4: LaPorte vs. Game 1 winner; Game 5: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner; Game 6: Championship
At Northridge
Game 1: Concord vs. Warsaw; Game 2: Northridge vs. Goshen; Game 3: Elkhart vs. Game 1 winner; Game 4: Championship
CLASS 3A
At Plymouth
Game 1: Culver Academies vs. Plymouth; Game 2: South Bend Saint Joseph vs. Mishawaka Marian; Game 3: John Glenn vs. Winner Game 1: Game 4: Championship
At NorthWood
Game 1: Fairfield vs. Wawasee; Game 2: Tippecanoe Valley vs. NorthWood; Game 3: West Noble vs. Game 1 winner; Game 4: Columbia City vs. Game 2 winner: Game 5: Championship
CLASS 2A
At Bremen
Game 1: Knox vs. Bremen; Game 2: Winamac vs. LaVille; Game 3: Jimtown vs. Game 1 winner: Game 4: Championship
CLASS 1A
At Washington Township
Game 1: Hammond A & T vs. Michigan City Marquette Catholic; Game 2: Westville vs. Morgan Township; Game 3: Washington Township vs. Game 1 winner; Game 4: Kouts vs. Game 2 winner; Game 5: Championship
At South Central
Game 1: Elkhart Christian Academy vs. Argos; Game 2: Culver vs. Oregon-Davis; Game 3: South Central vs. North Judson; Game 4: Triton vs. Game 1 winner; Game 5: Championship
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IHSAA softball sectional brackets set. See South Bend area pairings
Reporting by Scott Davidson, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
