The LHSAA high school softball playoffs brackets were released on Thursday afternoon. Twenty-seven local teams qualified for the playoffs from Division III to Division V.
Of the 27 teams, five teams received first-round byes. The defending state champion Calvary Lady Cavaliers received the No. 1 seed in the Non-Select Division III bracket. Calvary will begin with a rest and wait for the winner of No. 16 Catholic-New Iberia and No. 17 Isidore Newman to play next week. Logansport Lady Tigers grabbed a No. 3 seed in the Non-Select Division IV playoffs. They moved up from a No. 5 seed last year. The Lady Tigers reached the quarterfinals in the ‘22 season. Cedar Creek also received a first-round bye in the Select Division IV playoffs with a No. 4 seed. Division V saw three local teams receive first-round byes. No. 2 Quitman, No. 3 Florien, and No. 4 Converse. Florien was the only team of the three bye teams that reached the state tournament last season.
Eleven teams will host a first-round playoff game.
Five of the first-round matchups will be local teams facing each other. Mansfield Lady Wolverines will have to travel to Winnfield and will be the only non-Division V local matchup. The two district rivals did not face each other this year. Four local matchups are set in Division V. Three of those matchups are Class B v. Class C. After reviving their team after 20 years, the Gibsland-Coleman Lady Bulldogs make the playoffs on the last rung of the playoffs at No. 26. The Lady Bulldogs will have to travel to Desoto Parish to face the Stanley Panthers. Castor and Calvin will meet for the second time this season as the Lady Tigers will be traveling to the Lady Cougars. Calvin won the first matchup 13-9. The Zwolle Lady Hawks and Summerfield Lady Rebels were to meet earlier this season but the game was canceled. The Lady Rebels will now get a crack at Zwolle as they will have to travel to Sabine Parish. Doyline and Choudrant will also meet for a second time this year. The first meeting saw the Lady Aggies shutout Doyline 14-0.
The Haynesville Golden Tornado squad will win the award for the longest road trip as they will travel from the top of the state to the coast. Haynesville’s first round trip to South Plaquemines will be a 397-mile trip that will take them over 7 hours to play. If they win, its second round trip will only be a little over a quarter of that trip to No. 1 Lasalle.
All the fun will start later this week. Stay tuned to Under the Radar NWLA on the latest update from softball playoffs
Nonselect Division III
No. 25 Avoyelles (12-15) at No. 8 Many (17-14)
No. 22 Mansfield (13-7) at No. 11 Winnfield (13-15)
Select Division III
No. 1 Calvary Lady Cavaliers (22-10) (Bye)
No 19 Episcopal (10-9) at No.14 Loyola (10-9)
Nonselect Division IV
No. 3 Logansport (20-10) (Bye)
No. 17 Haynesville (9-10) at No. 16 South Plaquemines (9-12)
No 24 Centerville (4-11) at No 9 Lakeside (19-10)
No 19 Plain Dealing (7-10) at No.14 Grand Lake (7-14)
No. 23 Jonesboro-Hodge (9-13) at No. No. 10 Merryville (16-9)
Select Division IV
No. 4 Cedar Creek (16-13) (Bye)
No. 22 St. Martin’s Episcopal (9-6) at No. 11 St. Mary’s (19-12)
No. 19 Hanson Memorial (7-13) at No. 14 Glenbrook (14-11)
Nonselect Division V
No. 2 Quitman (26-5) (Bye)
No. 3 Florien (18-8) (Bye)
No. 4 Converse (21-7) (Bye)
No. 26 Gibsland-Coleman (7-8) at No. 7 Stanley (11-18)
No. 24 Doyline (7-10) at No. 9 Choudrant (20-7)
No. 23 Castor (6-14) at No. 10 Calvin (14-15)
No. 20 Maurepas (9-19) at No. 13 Saline (16-9)
No. 17 Summerfield (10-13) at No. 16 Zwolle (18-9)
No. 18 Simsboro (19-9) at No. 15 Starks (15-7)
No. 22 Negreet (15-11) at No. 11 Hicks (18-9)
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