Kentucky Softball Power 7 Enters the Postseason with a Clear Favorite Atop the Field

No changes. The teams remain the same.

The postseason now begins. Now comes the postseason separation.

And in all honesty, one team appears destined to be in the state championship game, but who their opponent will be is kind of unpredictable.

South Warren Looks Untouchable

The resume speaks for itself. The Lady Spartans own a 36-0 regular season record, which includes a victory over the No. 1 team in the nation.

In addition, the Lady Spartans own a win over Pace High School, ranked No. 3 in Florida, and defeated Green Hill High School, the top team in Tennessee.

Eighteen of South Warren's games ended in shutouts. That’s half their slate.

Not sure if Kentucky has ever seen a softball team this dominant, and it enters the postseason as an overwhelming favorite.

Mercy Is Built Around Freshman Pitching

The Jaguars have won 31 games, with just three losses spread across each third of the season. They seem ready for the road to state, but Bullitt East could be a Sixth Region roadblock.

Mercy is anchored by the pitching of freshmen Lauren Strange and Addie Henley.

Henley is 16-1 on the season, and her ERA is 1.23, which is 12th in the state. She has logged 128 Ks to 19 walks in 91 innings pitched.

Strange is 15-2 with a 2.28 ERA. She’s recorded 83 strikeouts to 32 walks.

Bullitt East Peaking at the Right Time

The Lady Chargers (26-4) have been playing well the past five weeks. The only setback was a 7-4 loss to Mercy April 28.

Bullitt East and Mercy are the clear favorites in the Sixth Region Tournament, and both teams should meet again May 27 in the tournament championship game at Ulmer Stadium on the campus of the University of Louisville.

Senior Mollie Johnston leads the Chargers at the plate with a .469 batting average, 10 home runs and 48 RBIs.

Freshman Allie Carter is hitting .490 with 36 RBIs, five home runs and 49 hits.

Daviess County Emerging as Top Challenger

The Lady Panthers (29-2-1) are heavily favored to win the Third Region Tournament and move onto states.

As of now, Daviess County is the most likely opponent for South Warren in the state championship.

The Panthers faced some formidable foes during the regular season. They prevailed against Gordonsville High School (Gordonsville, Tennessee), ranked No. 2 in Tennessee’s Division I Class 1A, and beat Page High School (Franklin, Tennessee), ranked No. 4 in Division I Class 4A. They also got by Crown Point High School (Crown Point, Indiana), which is ranked No. 2 in Indiana’s Class 4A.

Seniors Annie Newman and Storey Hume pace the Panthers.

With 102 at-bats, Newman is hitting .500 with 15 home runs (fourth in the state), 51 hits and 56 RBIs (third in the state).

From the circle, Hume is firing a 1.05 ERA and has notched 17 wins to zero losses (eighth in the state).

Ballard Still Dangerous

The Lady Bruins, along with Greenwood and Male, are competitive but perhaps a tier below the aforementioned four.

However, Ballard did shut out Mercy at the end of April. But overall, their offense and pitching don’t match that of the previously mentioned programs.

Of course, that’s the paper evaluation. On the field and in the postseason you can ignore regular-season trends.

Greenwood Faces Difficult Road

The Lady Gators are 22-11 and in the same district and region as South Warren. Despite putting together a strong May (7-1), but their postseason path runs directly through South Warren.

Male Trending Up Entering Postseason

On April 27, the Lady Bulldogs were 11-12 and their postseason outlook appeared bleak. But a 6-2 surge has set them on a winning trajectory without anything to lose.

Teams entering the postseason with momentum can be dangerous opponents. Male could conceivably win its side of the 7th Region bracket and face Ballard in the region title game. Though the Bulldogs lost to Ballard, 4-2, earlier in the season, the Lady Bruins would be facing a Male squad armed with confidence.

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