Ninth Region softball: Everything to know ahead of Memorial Day weekend tournament

Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer

After the district tournaments cut the statewide field in half, it's time for the win-or-go-home final stretch of the softball season.

Highlands will play for its third straight regional title, a feat last achieved by Ryle from 2010 to 2012. Dayton is back in the regional bracket for the first time in three years while Conner and Holy Cross are making their first appearance since 2019. Lloyd Memorial advanced to the 34th District championship game, earning its first-ever regional tournament qualification.

The district winners host Sunday's first round. The semifinals are at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday at Thomas More and the championship is Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Best first-round game

The Dixie Heights Colonels and Conner Cougars didn't meet in the regular season, which makes this matchup all the more intriguing.

This certainly hasn't been the season that Sarah Osborne and the Colonels envisioned back in March. They're 13-19 but own wins over Notre Dame and Highlands. Senior pitcher Riley Hopkins missed some games at the start of the year coming back from shoulder surgery, but Dixie Heights has been hampered by a defense that allowed at least 10 runs in 10 games. Despite their struggles, the Colonels earned the advantage of a first-round home game by winning their fifth straight 34th District tournament.

Conner's Averie Lightner (19) leads the Cougars with a .464 average, 34 RBIs and 13 doubles.
Conner's Averie Lightner (19) leads the Cougars with a .464 average, 34 RBIs and 13 doubles.

Conner is one of the hottest teams in the field. After struggling to string together wins in the first month of the season, the Cougars have won 11 of 14 games entering the regional bracket. They have allowed more than two runs just four times in that span. Mollie Sharp is a dual threat as a left-handed power pitcher who also sets the offensive tone at the top of the order. Averie Lightner, Jalyn Cain, Bree Meredith, Addison Santiago and Kayla Ortiz have all come up with clutch hits this season.

Can Dixie Heights return to the regional championship for the third straight year? How far will Conner go in its first regional tournament since 2019?

Here's the full first-round schedule. All games are at 2 p.m. on May 26. Each school's most recent regional title is listed in parentheses.

  • Conner (2009) at Dixie Heights (2019)

  • Dayton (N/A) at Notre Dame (2017)

  • Holy Cross (N/A) at Highlands (2023)

  • Lloyd Memorial (N/A) at Cooper (N/A)

Dark horse: Cooper

The Cooper Jaguars own the most Ninth Region wins of any team this season with 14. Their two regional losses are a two-run setback to Ryle and a three-run loss to Highlands. They're also coming off their first district championship in school history.

In the circle, Lily Spraker uses a variety of pitches to fool hitters into weak contact. Even when teams do barrel up a pitch, the Jaguars' defense ranges from foul pole to foul pole (and beyond). Cooper is allowing less than two runs per game when they win.

Cooper's Lily Spraker is 9-6 with a 3.17 ERA for the Jaguars this season.
Cooper's Lily Spraker is 9-6 with a 3.17 ERA for the Jaguars this season.

Senior Ava Scott is a tone-setter at the plate. She not only gets on base (.490 average), she creates runs for the team (23 stolen bases). Kailey Milburn has six home runs and nine hitters have at least 10 RBIs.

The Jaguars have also shown the ability to win close games. Their 5-1 record in one-run contests is the best of any team in the field, and there will surely be some close games throughout the tournament.

Regional final prediction: Highlands, Notre Dame

I'm going with Highlands and Notre Dame, but some of my postseason picks in the last few months have been wrong, so don't be surprised if a different pair of teams take the field on May 29.

Highlands catcher Michelle Barth was the 2023 Ninth Region tournament Most Valuable Player. She is batting .569 this season.
Highlands catcher Michelle Barth was the 2023 Ninth Region tournament Most Valuable Player. She is batting .569 this season.

Here's my rationale: the Bluebirds are the two-time defending champions. They went almost two years without losing a regional contest. They lost to Notre Dame, Dixie Heights and Ryle within the past three weeks, but each of those were one-run games. In fact, nine of their 12 losses this season are by three runs or less. Senior catcher Michelle Barth rocks a .569 average while sophomore Peyton Brown has hit 12 home runs. Fellow sophomore Kaitlyn Dixon is one of the top pitchers in the tournament. Throw in Morgan Pompilio and Bailey and Cam Markus, and Highlands has power up and down the lineup.

Notre Dame's Abby Turnpaugh is 16-6 as a pitcher this year and has a .354 average as a hitter.
Notre Dame's Abby Turnpaugh is 16-6 as a pitcher this year and has a .354 average as a hitter.

When the Pandas beat Highlands on May 7, they were the first Ninth Region team to do so since May 20, 2022. Abby Turnpaugh can go toe-to-toe with any pitcher in the region. Notre Dame isn't quite the power-hitting team that Highlands is, but Turnpaugh and Addi Zinser each have eight doubles while Ava Auberger leads the team with a .417 average. The Pandas have a .307 team batting average and have received timely hitting on their way to a 17-7 record (12-1 in the Ninth Region).

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: KHSAA softball: Ninth Region tournament preview

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