HS softball: Pairings set for state tournament series

There are plenty of contenders on the area high school softball scene this season who could play deep into the postseason.

Those talented squads now know the path that it will take for them to try and earn their way to Purdue University and a spot in the state finals.

The IHSAA held its tournament draw Sunday night for the 38th edition of the event. Sectional play statewide, which includes 373 teams in four classes, is set for May 22-27. One game regionals are May 30, four team semistates June 3 and the four state title games June 9-10 at Purdue.

Penn softball has something special going on this season

The area's two premier teams both reside in Class 4A in Saint Joseph and Penn. The pair, who are slated to meet in an NIC clash on May 8 at St. Joe, will play in the Mishawaka and Penn sectionals respectively. Both teams are currently undefeated in NIC play.

The No. 12 Indians claimed the Class 3A state crown a year ago and were moved up to 4A this year due to the IHSAA success factor.

St. Joe drew a bye into the semifinals at Mishawaka and will play either the hosts or Plymouth. Coach Earl Keith's Indians sit at 13-1 after going 2-1 in the LaPorte Tournament Saturday with a loss to Adams. St. Joe did not throw star pitcher Berkley Zache in any of the three games on Saturday.

The Indians have outscored their 14 foes 137-29. Sophomore Berkley Zache has been impressive in the circle this season. The righthander, who was 17-1 as a freshman, is 8-0 with a 0.00 ERA. She has worked 47 innings, allowing eight hits and no earned runs with two walks and 117 strikeouts. Zache, one of the top players nationally in the Class of 2025, has a batting average against of .051.

St. Joe also boasts a dynamite offense, ignited by star junior Riley Zache. The catcher, who has committed to Missouri, is batting .500 with six homers. The Indians also boast the big bats of Berkley Zache, along with Selena Botello, Maya Newton and Madeline Wroblewski. St. Joe, which went 28-3 and beat Tri-West Hendricks 1-0 in nine innings in the 3A state title tilt in 2022, has seven seniors.

Penn is a huge favorite to claim its ninth straight sectional crown at home. The No. 5 Kingsmen are 13-3-1 versus a tough schedule with a pair of losses to No. 1 Center Grove. Coach Beth Zachary's team lost in the 4A semistate finale in 2022 with a team that had no seniors.

The Kingsmen will meet Northridge in a first round game at Penn. The Kingsmen blasted Northridge 18-1 earlier this season and beat the Raiders 17-4 in the regional in 2022.

Penn is led by star pitcher Aubrey Zachary. The junior and Purdue Fort Wayne commit is the oldest daughter of coach Zachary, who won a state title herself as a high school pitcher and later pitched at then IPFW. The deep and talented Kingsmen offense is led by the likes of Ava Zachary, Kiley Hinton, Izzi Hanna, Abby Widmar and Peyton Dwigans.

Penn, which has also won eight regionals in a row, has outscored its foes 156-45 and has won its last eight games

Penn could meet St. Joe in the one game regional and St. Joe would host that game. Penn defeated St. Joe 5-1 in a regular season game at Penn in 2022.

The other area team to watch is New Prairie. The No. 5 Cougars have been dominant and will face either Clay or Washington in a semifinal game of the Class 3A Jimtown Sectional. New Prairie has won 11 in a row since a 4-1 loss to St. Joe.

The Cougars, who have won two sectionals in program history, are 14-1 and have outscored their foes 183-25. They have scored 10 or more runs in 12 games.

Coach Derek Hicks' New Prairie squad, which lost to St. Joe in the sectional in 2022, is led by star pitcher Ava Geyer. The sophomore was all-state a year ago. The Cougars also boast a pair of heavy hitters in Abby Robakowski and Leeann Collins.

For complete pairings, including game dates and times, visit ihsaa.org.

Area Sectional Pairings

Class 4A

Dates and times TBD

At Penn

Game 1: Elkhart vs. Warsaw. Game 2: Penn vs. Northridge. Game 3: Concord vs. Game 1 winner. Game 4: Goshen vs. Game 2 winner. Game 5: Championship

At Mishawaka

Game 1: Michigan City vs. Adams. Game 2: Mishawaka vs. Plymouth. Game 3: LaPorte vs. Game 1 winner. Game 4: Saint Joseph vs. Game 2 winner. Game 5: Championship

Class 3A

At Jimtown

Game 1: Riley vs. Marian. Game 2: Clay vs. Washington. Game 3: Jimtown vs. Game 1 winner. Game 4: New Prairie vs. Game 2 winner. Game 5: Championship

At NorthWood

Game 1: Wawasee vs. Fairfield. Game 2: East Noble vs. West Noble. Game 3: Lakeland vs. Game 1 winner. Game 4: NorthWood vs. Game 2 winner. Game 5: Championship

At Kankakee Valley

Game 1: Knox vs. Culver Academy. Game 2: Glenn vs. Kankakee Valley. Game 3: Rensselaer Central vs. Game 1 winner. Game 4: Tippecanoe Valley vs. Game 2 winner. Game 5: Championship

Class 2A

At South Central

Game 1: South Bend Career Academy vs. Bremen. Game 2: LaVille vs. South Central. Game 3: Wheeler vs. Game 1 winner. Game 4: Hebron vs. Game 2 winner. Game 5: Championship

Class 1A

At Westville

Game 1: Westville vs. Culver. Game 2: Triton vs. Oregon-Davis. Game 3: Argos vs. Game 1 winner. Game 4: Michigan City Marquette Catholic vs. Game 2 winner. Game 5: Championship

At Lakewood Park Christian

Game 1: Elkhart Christian Academy vs. Lakewood Park Christian. Game 2: Fremont vs. Hamilton. Game 3: Championship

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Area softball teams know now how their postseason paths begin