The high school softball playoffs get underway this week with all four defending state champions poised and ready to defend their crowns as they all sit atop the Heal Points standings in their respective classes.
Play-in games begin Tuesday with regional championship games set for Tuesday, June 11 and state title games being played on Saturday, June 15.
Here are six storylines to follow across the state, beginning Tuesday.
Defending state champs, three other regional winners haven’t missed a beat
Defending state champ Windham is 16-0 in Class A South; York is 16-0 and the Class B South top seed; Hall-Dale of Farmingdale is 14-2 and the front-runner in C South and North Yarmouth Academy is 15-1 and the No. 1 seed in D South.
In addition, three of the four teams that won North titles and lost close state championship games are again having outstanding seasons and are looking to go one step further this season.
Oxford Hills of South Paris, a 3-1 loser to Windham in the state A final, is 14-2 and is second in the A North standings behind 15-1 Skowhegan.
Oxford Hills beat Skowhegan in the A North championship game a year ago, 4-3, and the two powerhouses have split their regular season meetings with each winning on the road.
Nokomis of Newport, which lost to York 2-1, is 14-2 and the top seed in B North.
In C, Bucksport was a 2-1 loser to Hall-Dale and is 15-1 and the No. 1 seed in the North.
Machias was the D North winner but was hit hard by graduation and is 8-6 and the eighth seed.
Perennial contender Penobscot Valley of Howland, which lost to Machias 9-4 in the D North final last year, is 12-2 and the top seed.
Oxford Hills, Skowhegan likely to meet again in A North final
There appears to be another collision course between powerhouses Skowhegan and Oxford Hills in the A final.
Skowhegan’s Kyeria Morse and Skowhegan’s Lily Noyes are two of the state’s best pitchers and there is no shortage of talent surrounding them.
Three vastly-improved teams follow them in the standings.
No. 3 Hampden Academy, led by senior pitcher Charlee Chute, sophomore shortstop-pitcher Cat Facchini and slugging senior third baseman Meghan Delahanty, has shown a three-game improvement over a year ago.
The Broncos are 12-4 under first-year coach Deb Colpitts after going 9-7 a year ago and they have won five straight, six of their last seven and eight of 10.
Camden Hills of Rockport, the fourth seed, is 10-6 following a 5-11 campaign in 2023 and No. 5 Edward Little of Auburn has gone from an 8-8 team to a 10-6 squad which owns a 7-5 win over Oxford Hills.
The youthful 10-6 Brewer Witches have won five of their last six and are solid in the circle with sophomore Sara Young throwing well.
Five could claim B North title
The top five seeds are all capable of representing the region in the state final in B North with Nokomis being a slight favorite thanks to University of Southern Maine-bound senior pitcher Mia Coots, a two-time Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Player of the Year.
The Warriors have won 11 in a row and have allowed two runs or less in 13 of their 16 contests.
Surging Old Town, 12-4, has won eight of its last nine to earn the No. 2 seed behind seniors Danica Brown, Lexi Degrasse and Saige Evans and sophomore pitchers Haley Sirois and Arabel Milligan.
No. 3 Ellsworth has won 12 of its last 13 to enter the postseason at 13-3.
The Eagles have a potent one-two punch in the middle of the lineup in juniors Sophie Lynch and Jayden Sullivan and a quality pitcher in Anna Stevens.
Hermon, 10-6 and the fourth seed, has two good pitchers in righty Braelynn Wilcox and lefty Mikelle Verrill, but the Hawks have struggled at the plate lately, scoring two runs or less in three of their last four losses during a 3-4 end to the season.
Belfast, 12-4, has won its most games since the 2007 season and has done so with 11 freshmen and sophomores on its 13-player roster.
The Lions have two exceptional young pitchers in Emma Tripp and Jordyn MacKay and they can hit up and down their lineup with center fielder Katience Parenteau, Tripp, MacKay and catcher Kloe Luce being among the catalysts.
Bucksport is on a tear
The Golden Bucks have won 15 in a row after losing to B contender Ellsworth 9-8 in their season opener.
Natalie Simpson is an outstanding pitcher and catcher Jetta Shook has paced a well-balanced offensive group.
No. 4 Washington Academy of East Machias and No. 5 Orono have top-notch sophomore pitchers in Bella Cirone and Jillian Severance who are capable of beating anyone.
The Bucks will have to face one of them in the semifinals if they win their quarterfinal game against either Central of Corinth or Maine Central Institute of Pittsfield.
Orono, 11-5, travels to East Machias for a Wednesday quarterfinal against 13-3 Washington Academy. Two of WA’s losses were to Bucksport.
Dexter, 11-5, and Sumner of East Sullivan, 10-4, are the second and third seeds.
Penobscot Valley clear favorite in D North
The Howlers returned virtually intact and had a three-year run of state title game appearances between 2017-19, triumphing in ‘17 and ‘19.
They are anxious to play in their first state game since 2019 and have a talented cast of players led by pitcher Lauren Veino and catcher Emma Potter.
Its only two losses have come to Class C Central and Dexter.
Hall-Dale only repeat state champ in 2023
Hall-Dale’s state C title a year ago was its third in a row while North Yarmouth Academy’s was its first; York’s was its first since 1989 and Windham captured its first in A after winning the B state crown in 1995.
