IHSAA softball postseason is near. Here are 9 takeaways on Central Indiana sectional draws.

It's been approximately three months (give or take a few weeks) since the brackets were drawn, but with softball sectionals slated to begin next week, now's the time to start crafting some takes and analyzing the road ahead.

Here are nine Central Indiana thoughts as we enter the final week of the regular season.

Sectionals: Central Indiana scores, schedule, updated pairings

The draw giveth!

>> Noblesville (13-9) — Sectional 8 at Hamilton Southeastern is wide open, but the Millers drew the bye and avoided No. 12 Hamilton Southeastern's side. That's a win-win (relatively speaking … it's not like Fishers or Carmel will be a pushover).

>> Sectional 9 (Pendleton Heights) — This bracket is actually trash, but assuming opening night goes chalk, how good will next Wednesday's semifinals be? Greenfield-Central and Mt. Vernon combined for 27 runs when they played last month, then we'll stifle those critiques of this janky postseason system and settle in for No. 3 New Palestine vs. No. 13 Pendleton Heights.

>> Sectional 13 (Center Grove) — Credit where it's due, the bingo balls got it right with Center Grove and Mooresville placed on opposite sides of the bracket. There are a couple gripes here based on records and head-to-head (CG best MoPi at the beginning of the season): Mooresville should've gotten the other bye and had to potentially face Bloomington South in the semifinal, but hey, at least we won't be subjected to watching two of the area's best duke it out in the first round.

>> Brownsburg (15-7) — There's a lot to like if you're a Bulldogs fan in Sectional 12 (Terre Haute North). Not only is the team on a roll (see below), they were placed opposite Plainfield and defending sectional champion Avon, which are on course for a semifinal showdown next Tuesday.

>> Eastern Hancock (19-2) — The Royals avoid No. 12 Union County until the final and will instead have to navigate Hagerstown, which they beat 15-0, and Shenandoah, which Tatem Adams shut out on four hits.

The draw taketh away.

>> Shelbyville (13-8) — Hoo doggy, the draw did the two-time defending sectional champions dirty, charting them a path through Columbus North and East Central. The Bull Dogs are always a tough out (they beat Shelbyville last week, but neither team threw its ace) and East Central played both teams close, with its game vs. the Golden Bears requiring extra innings (SHS prevailed).

>> Hamilton Southeastern (17-4) — Same “wide-open bracket” disclaimer as above, but HSE got an especially tough draw. The Royals were being no-hit into the fourth by Westfield’s Chloe Tanner last week and managed just three runs (one earned) on seven hits vs. Zionsville’s Kristin Evers on May 1 (sophomore standout Leah Helton did not pitch). Sophomore ace Grace Swedarsky is the great equalizer, but that’s a difficult path back to the sectional final.

>> New Palestine (18-2) and Pendleton Heights (15-8) — The Dragons and Arabians are two of the state's top teams and have the pieces for a run to Bittinger Stadium. So why not put them on a collision course for the second round of sectionals? Sheesh.

>> Roncalli (17-4) — I wrote about Franklin Central below, so we'll go with the Royals here. The fourth-ranked team in the state missed the bye and is left to contend with an upstart Flashes squad on opening night. Not really fair to either team, frankly.

>> Lapel (17-4) — On the upside, the No. 6 Bulldogs received the bye. But barring a massive upset, they'll have to face No. 15 Frankton for a third time in the semifinals. The teams split their regular-season series. Alexandria-Monroe, which went nine innings with Frankton, likely awaits in the final.

Parks and Arnett launch Plainfield into final week

The Quakers made a serious splash last week, bouncing back from losses to Brownsburg (2-1) and Cascade (5-0) with a two-game sweep of Mooresville, wherein they outscored the Pioneers 8-1.

Sophomores Ayva Mayes and Kylie Fish have both been solid at the plate, as have freshmen Kenzi Arnett and Riley Swanson, but pitching is invaluable this time of year and Plainfield has a pair of powerful arms with juniors Sidney Parks and Kami Arnett, both of whom have sub-1.30 ERAs and over 110 strikeouts. Arnett pitched a three-hit shutout vs. Mooresville on Wednesday; Parks struck out 13 over seven innings in an extra-innings loss to Tri-West.

Of Plainfield's six losses, only two have been by more than a run: 5-0 at Cascade and 12-7 vs. potential semifinal opponent Avon. It will be put to the test Monday vs. New Palestine, which has won the previous three meetings 34-2.

Franklin Central looks to shake up the 4A south

Franklin Central-Roncalli didn't really move the needle on selection day. The Flashes were four days removed from a 15-1 loss to the Royals and were in the midst of what snowballed into a run of seven losses in nine games.

The late April skid resulted in some "hard conversations" among the players and from coach Kathy Stricker, who put the onus on her players to turn their season around. She was confident in how her youthful outfit would respond and FC turned a corner in May, winning five straight, including a 10-0 triumph over Roncalli at the Marion County tournament. They're playing for each other instead of themselves, the players agreed, and have fully embraced their underdog status within Sectional 11.

This team can hit — a few standouts: Sarah Miller is batting .460 with six homers and 22 RBIs, Audrina Yorn has six doubles and 30 hits, Jadyn Tinsley has five bombs and a .429 average — but it's the pitching that makes this team especially dangerous. Franklin Central has double-barrel arms with senior Mallory Stinson and sophomore Kiley Renick, who proved unflappable in the county final vs. Lawrence North.

Roncalli remains the team to beat, but beware the Flashes. Winner here will be the favorite to advance to regionals.

Beware Brownsburg

OK, so this is another "so-and-so is heating up" deal, but not from a lack of creativity — and technically the Bulldogs aren't heating up, so much as they're already on an absolute tear.

When last we officially checked in with Brownsburg, it was coming off a wild 9-7 extra innings loss to Pendleton Heights on April 20. It lost to rival Avon a few days later, but has not lost since, putting together an eight-game win streak that includes Cascade, Plainfield, Hamilton Southeastern, West Lafayette Harrison, Lawrence North and Franklin Central.

The Bulldogs have scored 11-plus runs in four straight games, while ace Hailey Thompson has allowed only five runs and struck out 36 batters over her past 25.1 innings pitched (five appearances).

Brownsburg finishes the regular season against Southport, Fishers, Noblesville and Roncalli. That's a brutal stretch, but even a 2-2 final week would further enhance this team's stock with a favorable sectional draw ahead.

The return of Hines and Henson

A couple of the area's top arms could be building towards a postseason return.

Mt. Vernon's Graci Hines was limited to nine appearances and 43 innings pitched last season due to injury, but began easing her way back to pitching with the Marauders in mid-April, with appearances against Delta (5 innings) and Greenfield-Central (3). The junior went the distance vs. Shelbyville on April 30, allowing three runs on seven hits over seven innings, then pitched six shutout innings vs. Lawrence North last week. Hines has a 1.00 ERA, 17 strikeouts and nine walks over 21 innings (four appearances).

Center Grove's Riley Henson has been gradually building back from an arm injury she suffered last season, with the Indiana State-bound senior logging totaling over four innings during the Johnson County tournament last weekend. She pitched four innings in back-to-back games the week before. Henson has struck out 49 and issued only six walks over her 34.1 innings pitched.

More: After months of uncertainty, Riley Henson is back and 'a game changer' for Center Grove.

Last hurrah for Tri-West, Beech Grove seniors

The current class of seniors at Tri-West and Beech Grove are best described as transformational.

Lowry, Taylor Bennett, Emma Frye, Danica James and Michelle Wildman have led Tri-West to back-to-back 3A state runner-up finishes and three straight sectional championships, while Holly Garrett, Amira Mills, Kylee Robinson, Aubree Bailey, Malone Moore and Lillianna Jansen powered Beech Grove to its first sectional and regional championships as juniors.

Both teams are the odds-on favorite within their respective sectionals and are built for similarly deep runs later this month, with Lowry and Moore standing as two of the state's top pitching talents.

Boggs set to join Lutheran

The Saints rotation will add a reinforcement next week with Decatur Central transfer Gracie Boggs set to regain her eligibility. The sophomore went 3-4 for the Hawks last season with a 2.66 ERA and 38 strikeouts over 47.1 innings pitched. She's been able to practice with the varsity and will provide a much-needed boost alongside junior Brooklyn Barger, who's 10-7 with a 2.75 ERA and 124 strikeouts this season.

The odds-on favorite in its sectional, Lutheran is favored to reach semistate for a second consecutive season.

It could receive another boost if/when senior Mystic Means is able to return. The speedy utility player suffered tendon and ligament damage in her wrist after being hit by a pitch during her first at-bat against Mt. Vernon early last month.

More: Lapel's lone senior, Eastern Hancock rolling, Grace Gray, Saints and more

Eminence eyes first sectional title

The Eels are in their third different sectional in three years. And after being grouped in with Clay City or Lutheran, they're favored to advance for the first time in program history.

Eminence, which beat opening round opponent Bethesda Christian, 11-3, last month, has five players batting .500 or better (Bella Dittemore, Danica Myers, Jillian Henderson, Marriah Hamblen and Khloee Kirk) and a couple others batting above .450 in Sophia Saucerman and Abigail Dittemore.

Bella Dittemore and Saucerman also handle pitching duties, with Saucerman boasting a 2.62 ERA and 79 strikeouts.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA softball playoffs: Central Indiana sectional draw takeaways