By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Four of the top teams in Class 3A softball, including defending state champion Rossville, are among the eight schools that battle it out for a state tournament berth on Tuesday and Wednesday at Hayden while Washburn Rural in 6A and Seaman in 5A will also host regional events.
The top four seeds in the Hayden regional are a combined 72-13, led by top seed Silver Lake at 19-2, No. 2 Rossville at 19-3 and No. 3 Santa Fe Trail at 20-4.
Seaman is the No. 3 5A West seed at 20-6 and will host a Tuesday four-school regional while Washburn Rural, the No. 4 West seed in 6A at 16-7, will host a Thursday regional.
Here's a look at regional tournament involving Shawnee County schools:
Topeka High junior Jo'Mhara Benning and the Trojan softball team will compete in a Tuesday Class 6A regional at the Three Rivers Youth Complex in Maize. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 6A
At Two Rivers Youth Complex (Maize) -- Topeka High is the No. 6 seed in the West at 16-10 and will be on the road Tuesday for a 3 p.m. semifinal game against No. 11 Wichita Heights (9-13) at TRYC.
The Trojans were 7-9 on the season before winning nine of their last 10 regular-season games.
Tournament host Campus, the No. 3 West seed at 14-6 will play a 4:30 p.m. semifinal against No. 14 seed Wichita South (6-18).
The two semifinal winners will play for the regional championship at about 6 p.m. on Tuesday, with the regional champion advancing to the state tournament May 23-24 at Arrocha Ball Park in Lawrence.
Topeka High won back-to-back 6A state titles in 2021 and 2022.
Washburn Rural's Justice McBurney is congratulated by her teammates after last week's grand slam home run against Manhattan. [Photo by Doug Walker/Special to TSN]
At Washburn Rural -- Washburn Rural, 16-7 on the season, is the No. 4 West seed and will open its postseason bid at 4:30 p.m. Thursday against No. 13 seed Liberal (6-18) in the second semifinal at Rural.
No. 5 seed Maize (18-8) will play Thursday's first semifinal at 3 p.m. against No. 12 Garden City (9-15).
The semifinal winners will clash at about 6 o'clock in the regional final, with the winner advancing to Lawrence's Arrocha Ball Park for the 6A state tourney on May 23-24.
Washburn Rural has been the 6A state runnerup the past two seasons.
Seaman senior Paige Glasgow and the Viking softball team will host a Class 5A regional on Tuesday. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 5A
At Seaman -- Red hot Seaman is the No. 3 West seed at 20-6 and will host a Tuesday regional tournament.
The Vikings, who have won seven straight games and 10 of their last 11, will play the second semifinal, 25 minutes after the conclusion of the first semifinal, against No. 14 seed Salina Central (10-16).
The first semifinal at 3 p.m. will match No. 6 Salina South (18-8) against No. 11 Arkansas City (13-11).
The semifinal winners will play for the regional title 25 minutes after the end of the Seaman-Salina Central semifinal, with the regional champ advancing to the 5A state tournament at Wichita State's Wilkins Stadium on May 23-24.
Junior Grace Proctor and Shawnee Heights softball will compete in Monday's Class 5A regional at Piper. [File photo/TSN]
At Piper -- Shawnee Heights and Highland Park will both compete in Monday's 5A regional at Piper.
Shawnee Heights is the No. 6 seed in the East at 16-7 and will play the 3 p.m. semifinal against No. 11 seed Kansas City-Turner (9-12), followed by the second semifinal between No. 3 seed Piper (18-5) and No. 14 Highland Park (8-15).
The regional title game will begin 25 minutes after the conclusion of the second semifinal, with the regional champion moving on to the 5A state tournament May 23-24 at Wichita State's Wilkins Stadium.
Shawnee Heights finished third in 5A last season.
Shawnee Heights split a regular-season doubleheader with United Kansas Conference foe Piper on May 7.
Silver Lake's Kendra Cook and the Eagles are the No. 1 seed for Tuesday and Wednesday's Class 3A regional at Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
CLASS 3A
At Hayden -- The eight-school Hayden regional will get under way Tuesday with four quarterfinal games before the semifinals and championship games are played on Wednesday.
No. 4 seed Perry-Lecompton (14-4) will open the tournament at 11:30 Tuesday against No. 5 Kansas City-Bishop Ward (8-8), while the second quarterfinal on that side of the bracket will match No. 1 seed Silver Lake (19-2) against host Hayden (3-14) at approximately 4 p.m. in the final quarterfinal.
Senior Emma Mitchell and the Rossville softball team will kick off their postseason bid on Tuesday at Hayden. [File photo/TSN]
No. 2 seed Rossville (19-3) will face No. 7 Wellsville (6-18) at about 1 p.m. Tuesday, followed by Game 3 between No. 3 seed Santa Fe Trail (20-4) and No. 6 Jefferson West (11-12).
Wednesday's semifinals will match the Silver Lake-Hayden winner against the Perry-Lecompton-Ward winner at 12 p.m., followed by the Rossville-Wellsville winner against the Santa Fe Trail-Jefferson West winner in the second semifinal at about 1:30 p.m.
The regional championship game will be played at approximately 3 p.m. on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to the 3A state tournament on May 23-24 at the Envista Softball Complex at Lake Shawnee.
