Austin area's top softball teams and pitchers heading into the UIL state playoffs

The state softball playoffs have begun. Here are the Austin area's top teams and pitchers heading into the postseason:

Area teams with the best shots at the state tournament

1. Cedar Ridge (25-1): The Raiders swept through District 25-6A with a 14-0 record, are the No. 2-ranked team in Class 6A and are No. 20 in the country. There are three solid pitchers in Caitlin Benningfield, Nicole McMann and Kendall Ward and a bevy of hitters. Since their season-opening 4-3 loss to Leander, the Raiders have won 25 straight games heading into the playoffs.

2. Dripping Springs (24-11): The Tigers, who once were 4-3 in District 26-6A, won their last nine games to capture the crown. Pitchers Haiden Anderson and Jai-Lynn Flores have been impressive in the circle and there are four freshmen starters, including catcher Lorelei Gamble, who had two hits in wins last week over Del Valle and Anderson.

3. Georgetown (28-7): The Eagles went 13-1 to defend their District 23-5A championship and have made it to the last three regional finals, with two trips to the state tournament. The Eagles rely on pitchers Cambree Creager and Maddy Hartley.

4. Liberty Hill (24-6): Panthers slugger Rylee Slimp leads a potent offense that won one of the most competitive Class 5A districts in the state. Addison Shifflet, Skylar Strable, Bella Nicholson, and Hadley McBeath had strong seasons offensively, but coach Kristen Brewer has stressed solid defense and good fundamentals. The Panthers have both.

5. Llano (19-2): The Yellowjackets enter the postseason ranked No. 4 in Class 3A and have Skylar Brown on the mound; she's responsible for all of the team's 19 wins and is hitting .611, though that's still only third-best on the team. Versatile Gwyn Burnett is hitting .712 and Emilie Clopton is hitting .639. Llano has won its last 10 games.

... and one TAPPS school to watch, too

Hyde Park (32-5): The Panthers are a powerful team, having hit more than 50 home runs this season led by Skye Perez, who has clubbed 12 of them. Pitcher Taylor Haywood has 25 wins and has notched 500 strikeouts this season.

The area's top five pitchers

Haiden Anderson, Dripping Springs: Anderson has won 16 games for the district champion Tigers, striking out 127 hitters while hitting .411 and driving in 43 runs.

Caitlin Benningfield, Cedar Ridge: A formidable pitcher and hitter, Benningfield is hitting .634 with four home runs, three triples and three doubles while driving in 18 runs. In the circle, she's 8-1 over 52 innings, having allowed 28 hits while striking out 66 and posting a 1.21 ERA.

Skylar Brown, Llano: Brown has a minuscule 0.71 ERA with 19 pitching wins. She's pitched 89 innings, striking out 196 opposing hitters for the district champions.

Cambree Creager, Georgetown: Creager has been a nightmare for opposing teams, going 12-0 with a 0.48 ERA with 140 strikeouts. Opposing batters are hitting just .080 against her this season.

Taylor Haywood, Hyde Park: Haywood is 25-2 with 255 strikeouts in 121⅔ innings with a 1.21 ERA.

This week's bi-district playoff schedule

Wednesday

Class 5A — Eastside Early College at Georgetown, 7 p.m. (one game)

Thursday

Class 6A — (1) Round Rock at Dripping Springs, 7 p.m. (best-of-three); (1) Johnson at Cedar Ridge, 7 p.m. (best-of-three); (1) Stony Point vs. Bowie, 7 p.m. at Noack (best-of-three)

Class 5A — McCallum at Elgin, 7 p.m. (one game); Crockett vs. East View, 7 p.m. at Manor (one game); (1) Liberty Hill vs. Seguin, 6 p.m. at San Marcos (best-of-three); (1) Smithson Valley at Rouse, 7 p.m. (best-of-three); (1) San Antonio Davenport at Navarro, 6 p.m. (best-of-three)

Class 4A — Smithville vs. Houston Washington, 5:30 p.m. (one game);

Friday

Class 6A — (2) Dripping Springs at Round Rock, 5 p.m. (best-of-three); (2) Cedar Ridge at Johnson, 7 p.m. (best-of-three); (2) Stony Point vs. Bowie, 7 p.m. at Noack (best-of-three); (3) Dripping Springs at Round Rock, 7:30 (if needed);

Class 5A — Bastrop vs. LASA, 6 p.m. at Noack (one game); (2) Liberty Hill vs Seguin, 6 p.m. at San Marcos (best-of-three); (2) Navarro at San Antonio Davenport, 6 p.m. (best-of-three)

Saturday

Class 6A — (3) Johnson vs. Cedar Ridge, 10 a.m. (if needed, site TBA); (3) Stony Point vs. Bowie, noon at Noack (if needed); San Antonio Davenport at Navarro, noon (if needed)

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin-area softball teams, pitchers head into UIL state playoffs