No. 8-ranked Walled Lake Northern celebrates an extra-innings win over South Lyon East in the Lakes Valley Conference tournament title game last week. The Knights made the quarterfinals a year ago, but have a tough district draw this season, heading to Novi. (MATTHEW B. MOWERY — MediaNews Group file photo)
It seemed weird not to have an Oakland County representative on the field at Michigan State’s Secchia Stadium last spring, but the quarterfinals proved to be the high-water mark for all of the area contenders, making for an empty final weekend.
It could happen again, certainly, but there are a handful of teams that have realistic shots at making it to the final weekend of play.
First, though, they need to get through districts, then regionals, before they start making room reservations in Lansing hotels.
Here’s a look at how we think the softball districts might play out:
DIVISION 1
District 17
Host: Brighton
Teams: Brighton, South Lyon East, Howell, South Lyon
The rundown: This is no longer the ‘district of death,’ in part because No. 5 Hartland, the two-time KLAA champion, got moved out to its own district, and in part because the two South Lyon teams and Howell aren’t quite what they were at their peak a few years back. Howell finished third in the competitive KLAA West, while South Lyon and East both made it into the four-team Lakes Valley Conference postseason tournament, with the Cougars finishing a strike or two away from upsetting regular-season LVC champ Walled Lake Northern. South Lyon has been competitive without injured star pitcher Ava Bradshaw, despite a stacked schedule, but they’re not the favorite they’ve been in years past.
Pick: South Lyon East
District 18
Host: Hartland
Teams: Milford, Lakeland, Fenton, No. 5 Hartland, Holly
The rundown: The Bronchos of Holly and Fenton Tigers were both contenders in a solid Flint Metro League, while Lakeland and Milford both held their own in the always-tough LVC, with the Eagles finishing in a third-place tie. But it’s gonna be tough for any of those teams to get past pitcher Kyle Swierkos and the Hartland Eagles, especially on their home field.
Pick: Hartland
District 19
Host: Novi
Teams: Novi, Walled Lake Western, No. 8 Walled Lake Northern, Walled Lake Central
The rundown: Reganne Bennett was everything we remembered she could be in the circle, leading Novi to a second-place finish in the KLAA West, while last year’s quarterfinalist, Walled Lake Northern, made a find of its own in the circle in freshman Lyla Turmell, who led the Knights to regular-season and postseason titles in the LVC. It would be an upset if those two teams were not squaring off for the district title on Novi’s field. That’s where the Knights clinched their first regional title a while back, but the Wildcats have done pretty well on that field, too, and would like to win back-to-back district titles, after breaking a long postseason drought last year.
Pick: Walled Lake Northern
District 20
Host: Farmington Hills Mercy
Teams: North Farmington, No. 4 Mercy, Farmington, West Bloomfield
The rundown: The North Farmington Raiders survived their move up to the OAA Red, but still finished near the bottom of the pack with Farmington, while West Bloomfield was a bit improved, but still finished near the bottom of the White. None of that gets any of them closer to pulling an upset of one of last year’s quarterfinalists, Mercy, with its three-headed pitching monster, led by sophomore Kaitlyn Pallozzi.
Pick: Mercy
District 22
Host: Royal Oak
Teams: Royal Oak, Southfield A&T, Berkley, Birmingham Groves
The rundown: The RO Ravens finished just behind the Groves Falcons at the top of OAA Blue standings, while Berkley was third in the OAA White. That difference in strength of schedule should pay off for the Bears, who won this district a year ago.
Pick: Berkley
District 23
Host: Ferndale
Teams: Detroit Mumford, Detroit Renaissance, Ferndale, Oak Park
The rundown: The host Eagles finished middle of the pack in the OAA Blue, but made it to the title game of last year’s Royal Oak district with a young squad, and that postseason success should pay off in a district that doesn’t have the other OAA powers in it.
Pick: Ferndale
District 25
Host: Auburn Hills Avondale
Teams: Birmingham Seaholm, Bloomfield Hills, Troy, Auburn Hills Avondale
The rundown: Saturday’s first semifinal between OAA White contenders Seaholm and Bloomfield Hills should go a long way in deciding the eventual district champion. Troy finished near the top of the OAA Blue, but Avondale struggled in the White Division on the other side of the bracket. Led by freshman Gigi Hill, Seaholm still has a pair of games against Berkley to decide the White Division title, needing a sweep to win it outright. A split would share it with the Black Hawks, with whom the Maples split the regular-season twinbill.
Pick: Bloomfield Hills
District 26
Host: Utica
Teams: Utica Ford, Sterling Heights Stevenson, Utica, Troy Athens
The rundown: Utica and Stevenson were both middle-of-the-pack teams in the MAC White, just like the Athens Red Hawks were in the OAA White, while Ford finished in the second division of the MAC Red. Really, any of these teams could win it, with a good day.
Pick: Troy Athens
District 29
Host: Oxford
Teams: Davison, Oxford, Lapeer, Port Huron, Port Huron Northern
The rundown: The districts at Oxford used to be must-see, with top-five state title contenders almost every year, but this year’s lineup isn’t quite that caliber, making it almost anybody’s to take. The two Port Huron teams were both middle-of-the-pack in the MAC Blue, with sub-.500 records, while Davison and Lapeer both struggled in the Saginaw Valley League. Oxford was 14-17-1, finishing fifth in the always-tough OAA Red with a really young squad, so it wouldn’t be a shocker to see them win it on their home field — or fall in Tuesday’s pre-district game against Davison.
Pick: Oxford
District 30
Host: Lake Orion
Teams: Clarkston, Waterford Mott, Rochester Adams, Lake Orion, Waterford Kettering
The rundown: While both Mott and Kettering struggled in the tough LVC, Clarkston and Adams both finished in the upper tier of the OAA Red. But it’s tough to think any of them will be able to knock off the Dragons, who were second in the Red, on their home field, especially if Rylee Limberger is on in the circle.
Pick: Lake Orion
District 31
Host: Romeo
Teams: Romeo, Utica Eisenhower, No. 10 Stoney Creek, Rochester
The rundown: District host Romeo was third in the MAC Red, but Ike went winless in the same division. Rochester was middle-of-the-pack in the OAA White. But 30-win Stoney Creek, with its one-two punch of Erin Flynn and Maddie Laviolette in the circle, is going to be really hard for any of these teams to beat.
Pick: Stoney Creek
DIVISION 2
District 57
Host: Pontiac Notre Dame Prep
Teams: Ortonville Brandon, Notre Dame Prep, Macomb Lutheran North, Armada
The rundown: The Irish went a week into May before taking their first loss, to Country Day, and — with 19 wins on the eve of the start of June — they’ve got enough experience and talent to handle this lineup of teams, including an Armada team with a winning record in the stacked Blue Water Conference, and a Lutheran North squad that was middle-of-the-pack in the CHSL Central.
Pick: Notre Dame Prep
District 58
Host: Orchard Lake St. Mary’s
Teams: Birmingham Marian, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood, Detroit Country Day, OLSM
The rundown: If both teams have their aces — Lola Bagby for DCDS and Maddy Anson for OLSM — this could be a heck of a district semifinal showdown. But eventually Country Day is going to get past its quarterfinal hurdle, and if the Yellowjackets want to do that, they need to get out of districts first. The Eaglets won a district title in their first season of competition a year ago, but jumping from Division 4 to D2 is a big jump.
Pick: Country Day
District 59
Host: Hazel Park
Teams: Warren Fitzgerald, Madison Heights Lamphere, Hazel Park, Center Line
The rundown: Hazel Park posted a 25-win regular season, and finished second in the MAC Silver, ahead of fourth-place Fitzgerald, while Center Line and Lamphere were both middle-of-the-pack teams in the MAC Gold. But Lamphere handled Hazel Park pretty handily early in the season, and split with Center Line, so the Rams certainly have the ability to bring home the district trophy.
Pick: Lamphere
DIVISION 3
District 85
Host: Wixom St. Catherine
Teams: Dearborn Heights Robichaud, St. Catherine, Canton Prep, Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard
The rundown: Both St. Catherine and Gabriel Richard finished near the bottom of the CHSL Central Division, but the Stars have some stars to lean on, in Soseh Broglin, Libby Schlack and Katie Hans, and beat Gabriel Richard in a pair of high-scoring games in the regular season, so there’s every reason to think SCA could bring home the trophy on its home field.
Pick: St. Catherine
District 87
Host: Clawson
Teams: Madison Heights Bishop Foley, Detroit Pershing, Warren Lincoln, Detroit Communication Media Arts, Madison Heights Madison, Clawson
The rundown: While Madison was a middle-of-the-pack team in the MAC Silver, well ahead of last-place Lincoln, district host Clawson finished in the lower tier of the MAC Gold Division. Bishop Foley finished middle of the pack in the CHSL’s AA Division, but probably faced the toughest strength of schedule on the season.
Pick: Bishop Foley
District 88
Host: Almont
Teams: No. 2 Algonac, Clinton Twp. Clintondale, New Haven, Auburn Hills Oakland Christian, Almont, Memphis
The rundown: The Muskrats of Algonac are ranked No. 2 for a reason, with state-title aspirations after a run to the semifinals a year ago, and — despite a talented lineup of teams in this district — should have no problem adding the district trophy to their first-ever BWAC crown.
Pick: Algonac
DIVISION 4
District 123
Host: Sterling Heights Parkway Christian
Teams: Royal Oak Shrine, Parkway, Southfield Christian
The rundown: The Eagles of Southfield Christian haven’t won a district title since 2016, but led by Central Michigan-bound shortstop Rachel Cairo, and sophomores Sophie and Chloe Paryaski, that drought could be broken this weekend, a huge stride for a program that couldn’t even field a team two years ago.
Pick: Southfield Christian
District 124
Host: Dryden
Teams: Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes, Marine City Cardinal Mooney, Rochester Hills Lutheran Northwest, Dryden
The rundown: Oakland Christian and Lutheran Northwest (the defending district champ at Parkway Christian) split in the MIAC regular season, while Our Lady of the Lakes made it all the way to the CHSL Cardinal Division championship game after finishing second in the AA Division regular season. Lakes’ goals were to finish over .500 and see what happened in the postseason, and there’s every reason to believe that Bella Asai and company could come home with a district trophy this weekend.
Pick: WOLL