Softball Postseason Draw Breakdown: Could we see a Loudonville-Hillsdale district final?
The softball tournament draws were released over the weekend across the state. Let's breakdown what the matchups and potential paths for all nine Ashland County teams look like.
More: Ashland County Softball Power Rankings: Several teams continue high level of play
Division III
Wellington District
Division III features six of the nine Ashland County teams, and if you examine the Northeast 4 side of the tournament, you'll see quite a stock-piled field, where five teams (Hillsdale, Loudonville, Keystone, Akron Manchester and Tuslaw) are all currently ranked in the top 45 in Division III, according to MaxPreps. Hillsdale is the highest seed (No. 2) in that part of the sectional/district tournament, as Akron Manchester is the No. 3 seed, Loudonville a No. 4 seed, Tuslaw a No. 6 seed and Keystone as the No. 7 seed.
Hillsdale, ranked No. 10 in Division III, will play the winner or Orrville-Fairless on May 9 in the sectional final at home, while Loudonville will get the winner of Tuslaw-Garfield Heights Trinity also on May 9 at home in the sectional final. A Hillsdale-Keystone matchup (Hillsdale beat Keystone 7-6 on April 13) in the district semifinal would be something, then a Loudonville-Akron Manchester district semifinal could also be a delight. If all plays out, a Hillsdale-Loudonville district final in Wellington on May 16 would be juicy stuff and a game between two offenses that are capable of scoring a ton of runs when they get rolling.
Norwayne District
No. 9 seed Northwestern and No. 12 seed Black River will meet in a sectional semifinal at Northwestern on May 7. The winner will get the No. 8 seed Norwayne. Also on that side of the bracket, is the current Firelands Conference leaders Mapleton, who is the No. 5 seed. The Mounties will host the winner of Chippewa-Dalton on May 9 in a sectional final.
If the Mounties can get to the district semifinals, Norwayne (who the Mounties beat in the season) could be waiting for them. Get past them, and Triway, the No. 1 ranked team in Division III, would be standing in their way of winning a district title.
Shelby District
Crestview earned a No. 2 seed and a path to the district final is more than doable for the Cougars. In their sectional final on May 10, they will get the winner of Galion-Colonel Crawford at home. A matchup with No. 4 seed Upper Sandusky could be in play in the district semifinals, and if they happen to advance to the district final, No. 1 seed Huron could be their opponent. Or it could be No. 3 seed Margaretta, who they defeated in the regular season, as their district final opponent.
We shall see.
Division IV
Galion District
Don't look now, but an all-Firelands Conference district semifinal ball game could take place between No. 2 seed New London and No. 3 seed South Central on May 14, if both teams get past their sectional final home games on May 9. On the other side of the bracket is another Firelands Conference team in Monroeville, who is the top seed in this district. A 1 vs. 2 New London-Monroeville matchup in the district final on May 16 could be something.
Division I
Clyde District
The Ashland Arrows are the No. 18 seed, and will have a tough go of it against No. 4 seed Toledo Whitmer in their sectional final on the road on May 8.
jsimpson@gannnett.com
Twitter/X:@JamesSimpsonII
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Softball Postseason Draw: Loudonville, Hillsdale could meet in tourney
