The state softball tournament begins on Friday at Aurora Sports Park. The semifinals and championship game are expected for Saturday.
The Class 5A, 4A and 3A tournaments are single-elimination brackets featuring 16 teams.
Cherokee Trail is the top seed in 5A, while Lutheran and Eaton are the No. 1s in 4A and 3A.
Below is a quick preview of each classification.
Class 5A
Top four: Cherokee Trail, Broomfield, Columbine and Valor Christian.
What to know: Cherokee Trail (21-4) kept the No. 1 seed over No. 2 Broomfield (25-0) despite having more losses during the season, including one against the Eagles in the final game before regionals.
That could be something of note, especially with Broomfield eyeing the possibility of a second-round matchup against defending champ No. 7 Chatfield.
Not that Cherokee Trail’s second-round game against either No. 8 Fruita Monument or No. 9 Grand Junction Central looks to be easy.
Broomfield has been perfect so far, beating such 5A juggernauts as No. 1 Cherokee Trail and No. 3 Columbine (19-6). If the Eagles finish on top Saturday, they’ll be the first undefeated 5A softball team in at least 15 years.
Columbine, meanwhile, is tested. This past month, it beat Valor Christian, which has been led this season by Kendall Ferguson’s .681 batting average 24 home runs, and it lost to Chatfield (19-6).
Outside the top four, No. 5 Legend (21-3) is on a 14-game winning streak. The Titans beat No. 1 Cherokee Trail this month and last beat No. 11 Erie, 13-1, in their regional final. Lucy Thompson hit her eighth home run of the season and drove in four in their latest win.
Class 4A
Top four: Lutheran, Windsor, Pueblo County and Berthoud.
What to know: Lutheran (23-1) has won 20 straight since its loss to 5A No. 4 Valor Christian in August.
The Lions are aiming for their fourth straight state title and third in a row in 4A. After graduating its longtime ace, Haley Maestretti, junior Ella Faries has filled into the top spot in the circle nicely, touting a 2.06 ERA across 78 innings.
Windsor (24-2), meanwhile, has won 21 of its last 22, with a lone blip to 5A No. 6 Riverdale Ridge earlier in the month.
The Wizards are looking to nab its first since 2006. They’re led by Molli Magaña’s 4A-most 13 home runs and 57 RBIs.
Below them, Pueblo County (23-2) had won 21 straight before falling to Discovery Canyon (12-14) in the final game of the regular season.
Though that loss doesn’t look great for the Hornets, the overall resume is solid. They’re led by the pitching tandem of senior Olivia Nesbit and (1.98 ERA in 67 1/3 IP), who is 9-2, and Makayla Parlett (2.94 ERA in 47 2/3 IP), who is 10-0.
Berthoud (23-2) lost to No. 7 Severance (20-4-1) earlier in the month. But the Spartans still have one of the best pitchers in the bracket in Lily Dodd. The senior ace is 17-2 with a 1.67 ERA across 100 1/3 innings.
Behind the Spartans, No. 5 Holy Family (19-6) could make a run at a fifth state title and first since 2021 behind star senior Isabella Arroyo. The senior has 1.38 ERA in 396 2/3 career innings. She switched from batting right-handed to left not long before the season and is hitting .541.
Class 3A
Top four: Eaton, Strasburg, University and Lamar.
What to know: The only 3A team Eaton (22-3) lost to this fall was No. 5 Southeast Colorado last month.
The Reds, who are looking to three-peat, beat No. 2 Strasburg, 8-0, No. 3 University, 22-9, and No. 4 Lamar, 12-2. Their other notable wins include beating 4A No. 4 Berthoud by 11 and No. 7 Severance, 13-4.
Sterling (20-5) lost to University (18-7) in the final game of the regular season, 15-3. Junior Jasi Cole had four hits and seven RBIs for the Bulldogs. She is hitting .580 with eight home runs and 52 RBIs.
Lamar (20-5) has won nine straight since its loss to Southeast Colorado (14-6) back in September.
The Angels split their two-game season series against Lamar. And while they beat Eaton earlier in the regular season, they lost to Strasburg, University, No. 6 Rocky Ford (16-8) and No. 15 La Junta (10-15).
