The 2024 high school softball playoffs hit their stride this week as Classes 5A, 6A, and 7A open best-of-three first-round series across the Southern Six.
Things got off to a great start last week as every team in 3A and 4A advanced out of Region 8 with series victories.
In 3A, St. Patrick (16-12) swept Hazlehurst to advance to the second round. The Lady Irish host Southeast Lauderdale on Friday night before going on the road for Game 2 on Saturday.
In 4A, all four teams advanced with region champion Poplarville (15-8) sweeping McComb and advancing to host Mendenhall.
Runner-up Greene County (8-10) swept Raymond out of the playoffs as the Lady Wildcats have now won five of their last six games and open Round 2 at Northeast Jones on Thursday night.
Pass Christian improved to 13-12 as the Lady Pirates swept Richland and now face a tough Purvis squad with Game 1 in Lamar County.
No. 4 seed Bay High made it a clean sweep for Region 8-4A as the Lady Tigers took down Region 6 champion Lawrence County in Game 3 of their series on Monday night. Bay High (9-15) will face Sumrall on the road Friday night.
Classes 5A, 6A, and 7A all open play this weekend.
In 5A, East Central (19-4) opens at home, taking on Brookhaven with the winner advancing to take on the winner of the Wayne County-North Pike series. North Pike was the 4A South State champion last season.
The other side of the bracket has No. 2 seed Vancleave (13-7) taking on South Jones as the Lady Bulldogs look to make a championship run in coach Donna Bragg’s final season.
The winner of the Lady Braves-Lady Bulldogs series will meet the survivor of Stone High (14-13) vs. Florence. The Lady Cats travel to Florence to open the series.
The Southern Six has five of its six teams in the 6A playoffs.
George County captured the Region 4 championship while Pearl River Central won the Region 3 title.
The Lady Rebels (19-5), winners of 11 games in a row, host Hattiesburg on Thursday night with Game 2 in the Hub City on Friday.
The winner of that series will get the winner of the West Harrison-West Jones series, which begins in Soso on Thursday night. The Lady Hurricanes (15-10) defeated the Lady Mustangs in the regular season.
The most interesting first-round matchup is between Pearl River Central (18-7) and county rival Picayune (8-15). The two teams, less than 10 miles apart, did not meet in the regular season.
The survivor of that battle will meet the winner of the Hancock-Terry series. The Lady Hawks are 16-3 and open at home on Thursday night.
In 7A, everyone is looking for a shot to knock off the No. 1 team in the state, the unbeaten and nationally ranked Northwest Rankin Lady Cougars (26-0).
Harrison Central (13-11) gets the first shot with Game 1 of the series in Flowood. The winner of the Red Rebelettes-Lady Cougars series will take on the Brandon-D’Iberville winner.
The Lady Warriors come into the playoffs at 17-6 and are the Region 4-7A No. 2 seed.
The other side of the bracket sees Region 4 champion Ocean Springs (18-4), on an eight-game winning streak, playing Oak Grove.
Gulfport (17-7) is a dangerous No. 3 seed and opens the playoffs at Petal. The Lady Greyhounds and the Lady Admirals will meet next week if both teams advance.
