We now know which teams are in the 2nd Region softball touranment, and Friday morning we will know the pairings for the tourney, which gets underway Monday. It appears that this could be one of the most wide open events in many years, with several teams having legitimate shots to earn the trip to the state sectional game June 1st.
Here is a quick rundown of the teams in the tournament.
Lyon County – The Lady Lyons will enter the tournament as the champions of the 5th District. They had to go extra innings against a solid Trigg team in the district final. The Lady Lyons are the 2nd Region All A champs, and can put runs on the board. Question will be whether or not they can slow down opponents. They have a win over Christian County, but lost big to Caldwell County and Madisonville.
Possible 1st round opponents – Henderson County, Hopkinsville, Caldwell County
Trigg County – The 5th District runners-up have played the sox off some of the regional teams, but have not been able to get that marquee win. With Hannah Colbert in the circle, they have the shot at keeping the game close, so this could be your dark horse team that will not be fun for someone to play on Memorial Day.
Possible 1st round opponents – Webster County, Christian County, Madisonville
Webster County – The Lady Trojans won the most exciting district final with their heart pounding extra inning win over Henderson County. Webster comes in as the slight favorite in the tournament, but emphasis on the word “slight.” Last year, they got a super opening game from Karlie Keeney, but still lost 1-0 to Caldwell County. Somewhere you know the Lady Trojans are working to prevent that again.
Possible 1st round opponents – Trigg County, Caldwell County, Hopkinsville
Henderson County – Everyone expected Henderson County to be better this season, but they surprised many with just how much better they were. They picked up a road win against Christian County, but did lose at home to both Caldwell County and Madisonville. This is a talented, very dangerous team, and some district winner is going to have to face them in the opening round. Some prize for winning the district, eh ?
Possible 1st round opponents – Lyon County, Madisonville, Christian County
Madisonville – In the middle of the season, the Lady Maroons looked like they were in a lot of trouble. Now, the 7th District champions look like they could be a whole lot of trouble for someone. This team still has Courtney Patterson and some big bats, and they have late season wins over Webster County and Caldwell County. It would dangerous to discount this team headed into the regional tournament.
Possible 1st round opponents – Trigg County, Henderson County, Hopkinsville
Caldwell County – A very familiar situation for the Caldwell County Lady Tigers. They enter the region tourney as the 7th District runners-up, just like they did last year. In 2018, they upended Webster and Crittenden, before losing a nine inning heartbreaker in the regional championship game. A tough early schedule has paid off, as the Lady Tigers have won 10 of their last 12.
Possible 1st round opponents – Lyon County, Webster County, Christian County
Christian County – A late season injury to Reni Shemwell has put the Lady Colonels in a position of adjustment for the regional tournament. While it was not a factor at all in the 8th District tourney, Shemwell’s absence could well be felt next week. How this team adjusts could tell the story as to whether or not they get the chance to repeat as regional champions.
Possible 1st round opponents – Trigg County, Henderson County, Caldwell County
Hopkinsville – Not to lessen the improvements that the Lady Tigers made, but they are the longest shot in the field. Hoptown played only three games so far against regional tourney teams, and went 0-3 in those games, losing twice to Christian County and once to Henderson County. The Lady Tigers have some bats, but they will need to keep things close early in a game to have a shot at pulling off a stunning upset.
Possible 1st round opponents – Lyon County, Webster County, Madisonville.
