Checking out potential area matchups ahead of the state softball tournament
CHILLICOTHE — Postseason softball is in the air.
This week, teams from around the state will begin their respective tournament runs with their first-round matchups, as set by the OHSAA's tournament draw last week.
As tournament time rears its head once again and area teams begin their race toward the state finals, it's time to take a closer looks at the brackets. Part of the fun of the postseason is unpredictability, and the potential matchups that can arise as teams advance, upset and break bracket predictions.
There's multiple ways each bracket can play out, so let's take a look at some matchups that, while not guaranteed, we'd like to see in the postseason softball tournament:
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OHSAA Softball Tournament: Where each Chillicothe-area high school softball team will begin its tournament run next week
Division I District Semifinals: No. 22 Chillicothe vs. No. 2 Lancaster
The Cavaliers have always struggled to break out in the Division I bracket, but their lineup this year has a chance to make a splash. They're young, hungry and had some key wins through their April schedule. Their first matchup in the playoffs comes against a struggling Dublin Jerome, which opens up a road to a sectional final with Westerville Central, which has struggled against other Division I programs so far.
It's not an impossible route, and it grants Chillicothe a chance to take a crack at one of the best programs in the state. Lancaster was ranked No. 1 in the Week 1 coaches poll released by the Ohio High School Fastpitch Softball Coaches Association, and it was ranked No. 5 in the most recent poll released on Monday.
What happens when a team on the rise meets a team already near the peak? It's hard to tell, but the Cavaliers might be able to give the Golden Gales a game.
Division II District Finals: No. 2 Unioto vs. No. 3 Hillsboro
Everybody loves a good rematch, especially when it's the same time and same place as last year. Unioto and Hillsboro already squared off in the district finals last season, and it ended with the Shermans claiming their first district title in almost three decades.
If there's any time for Hillsboro to lose, it's in the postseason. All four of their losses this year have come against nonconference opponents, and two of those losses have come in May. The Shermans haven't lost since they fell to John Glenn back in Mid-April. Four of the Shermans have at least seven home runs on the year. When the two teams faced off in last year's district finals, the Shermans powered through to a 6-2 win at Ohio University.
The chances for most teams to repeat as district champions is a long shot, but the Shermans have as good a chance as any. Those chances only go up if Hillsboro rises up to meet them once again.
Division III District Finals: No. 3 Adena vs. No. 9 Piketon
If there's one bracket for area teams to meet each other in the postseason, it's going to be Division III. Granted, six teams from around Chillicothe are crammed into three brackets, but that still guarantees a chance for two of the heaviest hitters in the Scioto Valley Conference to cross paths once again in the district finals.
Besides, who doesn't love a good grudge match? The Redstreaks' final loss in SVC play was against the Warriors, and was decided by just one run after 10 innings. Conference rivalries aside, the Redstreaks will want to settle the score if they can meet the Warriors again.
It won't be an easy road. Adena's path to the district finals include a potential matchup with Dawson-Bryant, which is on a nine-game win streak. Piketon, on the other hand, must contend with another SVC opponent in Zane Trace, and an unforgiving Wellston team, which was seeded No. 4 in the bracket. If both teams make the trek, however, it's bound to be a contentious district final.
Division III District Semifinals: No. 12 Huntington vs. No. 1 Wheelersburg
Every team wants to be David, and the Huntsmen are staring down a matchup with Division III's Goliath. Wheelersburg is the reigning back-to-back state champs and has won three times since 2016. It's only two losses this year have come against Sheridan, a formidable Division II team, and Cabell Midland, the No. 2 ranked team in West Virginia according to MaxPreps.
It's a tall order, but Huntington has performed better against nonconference opponents — it is 8-2 outside of conference play. If Huntington can get past a middling Crooksville, which has lost four of its last seven, it can lock in a showdown with the state champion. It'd be a tough fight, but Huntington might be able to shake up the bracket.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Looking at potential area matchups in the state softball tournament
