SOFTBALL
CLASS 6A
WHEN Today-Saturday
WHERE Bryant and Benton
DEFENDING CHAMPION Bentonville
TITLE FAVORITE Bentonville
OTHER KEY CONTENDERS Cabot, Rogers, Bryant
SLEEPER Conway
FIRST-ROUND INTRIGUE Conway vs. Rogers Heritage
NOTEWORTHY Like Harding Academy's and Woodlawn's baseball teams, Bentonville will be looking to win a third title in a row. The Lady Tigers have won five of the past six championships in the state's largest classification. ... Cabot won its first 18 games of the season before losing to defending Class 5A champion Benton. The Lady Panthers also ended the regular season with a loss to Greene County Tech, which was last year's Class 5A runner-up. ... Half of Rogers' losses have come to Bentonville. ... Both of Little Rock Central's 6A-Central Conference wins were against Little Rock Southwest. ... North Little Rock's last title came in 2015. ... Fort Smith Northside is 2-8 over its past 10 games. It's lone victories in the stretch were against Fayetteville and Springdale.
CLASS 5A
WHEN Today-Saturday
WHERE Marion
DEFENDING CHAMPION Benton
TITLE FAVORITE Benton
OTHER KEY CONTENDERS Greene County Tech, Van Buren, Beebe
SLEEPER Greenwood
FIRST-ROUND INTRIGUE Greene County Tech vs. Mountain Home
NOTEWORTHY After losing to Bentonville 4-0 on April 14, Benton, the reigning two-time champion, has won 10 straight – five of which were shutouts. ... A second-round matchup between Sheridan and Greene County Tech looms. The two played in the semifinals a year ago, in which the Lady Eagles won 9-1. ... White Hall and Beebe face off in the first round nearly two months after playing one another on March 10. Beebe won that game 13-2. ... Van Buren has come out on top in 11 of its last 12 ballgames. The Lady Pointers were beaten in the semifinals last year by Benton. ... Sheridan has won four titles since 2016. ... Donald Hart won nearly 70% of his games at Paris before taking over at Greenwood for Ronnie Sockey last summer.
CLASS 4A
WHEN Today-Saturday
WHERE Lonoke
DEFENDING CHAMPION Valley View
TITLE FAVORITE Gravette
OTHER KEY CONTENDERS Pea Ridge, Bauxite, Ashdown
SLEEPER Farmington
FIRST-ROUND INTRIGUE Nashville vs. Brookland
NOTEWORTHY Someone new will win the state championship since Valley View, last year's titlist, is now in Class 5A. Nashville, which finished second last season, does return to the fold. ... Gravette's two defeats were to Class 6A teams Bentonville West (7-4) and Bentonville (5-1) in late March. The Lady Lions have won 14 consecutive games. ... Bauxite outscored its opponents 42-6 during its three-game sweep through the 4A-East Regional Tournament. ... Farmington is 20-3, but two of its defeats were to Gravette in league play. ... Three of Brookland's past four games have resulted in losses, including a 14-1 rout by Bauxite. ... Ashdown has averaged nearly nine runs per game during its five-game winning streak.
CLASS 3A
WHEN Today-Saturday
WHERE Lincoln and Farmington
DEFENDING CHAMPION Ashdown
TITLE FAVORITE Mayflower
OTHER KEY CONTENDERS Atkins, Hackett, Lincoln
SLEEPER Baptist Prep
FIRST-ROUND INTRIGUE Tuckerman vs. Baptist Prep
NOTEWORTHY Tuckerman is hoping to win a third straight title, albeit in a higher, deeper classification. The Lady Bulldogs, who were Class 2A champions in 2021 and 2022, have won 12 straight. ... Michaelyn Freeman has nine triples and is batting .573 for Hackett. Makenzie Freeman has also pitched 10 perfect games in her career, which is a state record. ... Mayflower has beaten every Class 3A team it's played. The Lady Eagles avenged losses to Atkins and Baptist Prep. ... Lincoln sophomore Brinkley Moreton has hit 18 home runs on the season. The Lady Wolves are 17-1 since March 22. ... Dumas has held four of its last six foes scoreless, including Genoa Central on May 6 in the regional title game.
CLASS 2A
WHEN Today-Saturday
WHERE Greenland
DEFENDING CHAMPION Tuckerman
TITLE FAVORITE East Poinsett County
OTHER KEY CONTENDERS Woodlawn, Riverside, Mansfield
SLEEPER Magnet Cove
FIRST-ROUND INTRIGUE Mount Vernon-Enola vs. Cotter
NOTEWORTHY Pitcher Zoe Donahue has 100 strikeouts on the year for Cotter, which has lost three of its previous five games. The Lady Warriors are in the state tournament for the third year in a row. ... Lavaca and Quitman will square off in the first round, but the teams met in the second round last season. Quitman won 8-5. ... East Poinsett County and Riverside have met five times this year, with the Lady Rebels winning the last two meetings. ... Woodlawn received a bye into the second round after Des Arc forfeited its regional consolation game against McCrory. Woodlawn will play the Lavaca-Quitman winner. ... Mansfield's Alyson Edwards crushed two home runs during the Lady Tigers' regional semifinal win over Cotter.
CLASS 1A
WHEN Today-Saturday
WHERE Taylor and Bradley
DEFENDING CHAMPION Taylor
TITLE FAVORITE Taylor
OTHER KEY CONTENDERS Bradley, Wonderview, Midland
SLEEPER Calico Rock
FIRST-ROUND INTRIGUE Midland vs. Shirley
NOTEWORTHY Wonderview is riding a 10-game winning streak. The Lady Daredevils last lost on March 30 to Midland. They got revenge against the Lady Mustangs last week in the regional final. ... Bradley and Taylor have split four head-to-head games this season. ... Bradford, which has been outscored 27-1 in its past two games, is 4-7 over the Lady Eagles last 11 battles. ... Emerson has gone 2-7 since April 3. In that stretch, the Lady Pirates were beaten 22-2 and 15-0 by Bradley. ... Taylor has won every Class 1A title since 2017. The Lady Tigers have captured five consecutive championships (no final was played in 2020 because of covid-19). ... Shirley went 1-3 against Calico Rock this season.