No. 1
Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu) and No. 4
Melissa each cruised through the first three rounds of the Conference 5A Division 1 playoffs in Texas.
Melissa will take on
Walnut Grove (Prosper) while Barbers Hill will battle
La Porte with a trip to the state semifinals on the line. Just eight teams remain and these two squads could meet in the final if they win out.
Elsewhere in Texas, No. 15
Katy swept previous No. 16
Kingwood in the Conference 6A Division 2 regional semifinals last week. After winning the first game, Katy was up 1-0 in the sixth inning of the second game when
E.K. Smith,
Maddie Smith and
Evie Willemssen hit back-to-back-to-back jacks to take control of the game and the series.
Now the Tigers will take on
Clear Creek (League City) for a spot in the state semifinals. Looming large on the other side of the bracket are top 50 national programs
Byron Nelson (Trophy Club),
Guyer (Denton) and
Tomball.
In California, the playoffs get underway this week highlighted by a stacked bracket in the Southern Section. No. 8
Murrieta Mesa (Murrieta), No. 9
Norco and No. 17
Fullerton make Division 1 powerful along with several other squads that have been ranked in the MaxPreps Top 25 this season.
Division III of the Sac-Joaquin Section also begins this week and the final could be a matchup of undefeated teams. In one corner is No. 13
Destiny Christian Academy (Sacramento), led by MaxPreps National Player of the Year contender and LSU signee
Ayla Tuua.
On the other side of the bracket is No. 14
Ponderosa (Shingle Springs), led by sophomore slugger
Kate McCartney and freshman firearm
Lauren Klomp. If these teams win three straight postseason games, they would meet in the final May 23.
Maddie Smith of No. 15 Katy celebrates after hitting a double in the eighth inning of a 6-2 postseason win over then-No. 16 Kingwood last week. On the season the North Carolina State signee has a .462 batting average with 15 home runs and 53 RBI. (PHOTO: Jose Palomo)
1. Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas)
Record: 36-3 |
Last week: 1
Scores: Def. East View 9-1, def. East View 13-2
Next: Saturday vs. La Porte
2. Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport, La.)
Record: 37-1 |
Last week: 2
Season complete. Division III Select state champion.3. Lake Creek (Montgomery, Texas)
Record: 35-1 |
Last week: 3
Scores: Def. Weiss 7-2, 11-9
Next: Saturday vs. Georgetown
4. Melissa (Texas)
Record: 31-2 |
Last week: 4
Scores: Def. Midlothian 12-0
Next: Saturday vs. Walnut Grove
5. Orange Beach (Ala.)
Record: 42-1 |
Last week: 5
Scores: Def. Opp 14-0, def. Dale County 13-0
Next: Today vs. Geneva
6. Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia, S.C.)
Record: 28-0 |
Last week: 6
Scores: Def. Brookland-Cayce 12-0, def. Darlington 11-1, 16-1
Next: Playoffs (TBD)
7. South Warren (Bowling Green, Ky.)
Record: 35-0 |
Last week: 7
Scores: Def. Warren Central 22-0, def. Apollo 11-3, def. Graves County 15-0, def. Henderson County 16-1
Next: Thursday vs. Larue County
8. Murrieta Mesa (Murrieta, Calif.)
Record: 25-1 |
Last week: 8
Scores: Def. Chaparral 15-0
Next: Friday vs. Valley View
9. Norco (Calif.)
Record: 25-2 |
Last week: 9
Next: Friday vs. Marina
10. Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.)
Record: 42-1-2 |
Last week: 10
Scores: Def. Hillcrest 12-0, def. Bob Jones 10-0, def. Austin 6-1
Next: Playoffs (TBD)
11. Midway (Waco, Texas)
Record: 31-4-1 |
Last week: 11
Scores: Def. Bridgeland 16-8, 4-0
Next: Thursday vs. Grand Oaks
12. Kenton Ridge (Springfield, Ohio)
Record: 25-0 |
Last week: 12
Scores: Def. Northwestern 15-0, def. Jonathan Alder 9-0
Next: Thursday vs. Meadowdale
13. Destiny Christian Academy (Sacramento, Calif.)
Record: 24-0 |
Last week: 14
Scores: Def. Woodland 16-0, def. Pioneer 17-0
Next: Wednesday vs. Bear Creek
14. Ponderosa (Shingle Springs, Calif.)
Record: 25-0 |
Last week: 15
Scores: Def. Sheldon 5-3
Next: Wednesday vs. Johnson
15. Katy (Texas)
Record: 34-5 |
Last week: 20
Scores: Def. No. 16 Kingwood 6-2, 4-0
Next: Saturday vs. Clear Creek
16. Weddington (Matthews, N.C.)
Record: 21-0 |
Last week: 17
Scores: Def. Lake Norman 5-1
Next: Today vs. Mooresville
17. Fullerton (Calif.)
Record: 24-3 |
Last week: 13
Scores: Def. Segerstrom 9-1, lost to Millikan 4-3
Next: Friday vs. Cypress
18. Queen Creek (Ariz.)
Record: 30-1 |
Last week: 18
Scores: Def. Perry 7-0, def. Xavier College Prep 9-1
Next: Playoffs (TBD)
19. Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Record: 25-1 |
Last week: 19
Scores: Def. Mater Lakes Academy 10-0
Next: Today vs. St. Brendan
20. D.H. Conley (Greenville, N.C.)
Record: 21-1 |
Last week: 21
Scores: Def. North Brunswick 11-0
Next: Today vs. Wake Forest
21. Wetumpka (Ala.)
Record: 42-5 |
Last week: 22
Scores: Def. Theodore 15-0, def. Spanish Fort 7-3
Next: Today vs. Saraland
22. St. James (Murrells Inlet, S.C.)
Record: 27-1 |
Last week: 23
Scores: Def. Chapin 8-0, def. Conway 7-6, def. Westwood 10-0
Next: Wednesday vs. North Myrtle Beach
23. Marist (Chicago, Ill.)
Record: 27-1 |
Last week: 24
Scores: Def. Joliet Catholic 16-6. Def. Benet Academy 5-0, def. Saint Ignatius College Prep 8-3
Next: Today at Fenwick
24. Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.)
Record: 24-2 |
Last week: 25
Scores: Def. South Broward 18-1
Next: Today vs. West Boca Raton
25. Melbourne (Fla.)
Record: 26-1 |
Last week: 32
Scores: Def. Oviedo 2-0
Next: Today vs. Bloomingdale
Dropped out: No. 16
Kingwood (Texas)
