Brackets released for MIAA baseball, softball tournaments

By JEFF LAJOIE

Staff Writer

Published: 05-31-2023 2:18 PM

It’s time to play for a state championship.

The brackets for the MIAA baseball and softball tournaments were officially released on Wednesday, and a total of seven local softball and seven local baseball have qualified.

State title games for baseball and softball are scheduled for June 16 and 17 – baseball title games for all five divisions will be played at Polar Park in Worcester, home to the Worcester Red Sox.

Let’s take a look at who is in and where they’re seeded (dates and times for opening games were not immediately available):

Softball

Division 2

Defending state champion Westfield (17-1) is the No. 1 seed in the bracket, which features two local teams.

No. 37 Amherst put together an impressive 16-2 season, and the Hurricanes will open state tournament play on the road at No. 28 Norwood (10-8) in the preliminary round. The winner travels to No. 5 North Attelborough (15-5) in the Round of 32.

No. 38 Holyoke (11-8) will travel to No. 27 Holliston (9-11) in the prelims, with the winner going to No. 6 Walpole (17-1).

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Division 4

Last year’s runner-up Joseph Case is the No. 1 seed in the field (19-1), which features three Hampshire County schools.

No. 2 seed Hampshire (16-4) earned a bye and will host the winner of No. 31 Wareham and No. 34 Brighton in the Round of 32.

No. 6 Easthampton (15-5) will host No. 27 Monomoy (10-10) and No. 22 South Hadley (18-2) will travel to No. 11 Nipmuc (13-7) in Round of 32 matchups.

Division 5

Defending state champion Greenfield is the top seed after a 15-5 season, and the Green Wave lead a bracket chalked-full of local schools. Seven of the top 10 seeds in the Div. 5 field hail from Western Massachusetts.

No. 7 Hopkins (16-2) will host the winner of No. 26 Academy of Notre Dame and No. 39 Mystic Valley Regional Charter in a Round of 32 game in Hadley, while No. 15 Frontier (6-14) will host the winner No. 18 Monson and No. 47 Comm. Charter of Cambridge.

Baseball

Division 3

Top-seeded Taconic (17-2) sits atop the bracket, while No. 31 Belchertown (12-6) will host No. 34 Norwell (13-7) in the preliminary round. The winner gets No. 2 Medfield in the Round of 32.

Division 4

The No. 1 seed is Bellingham (13-7).

No. 19 Hampshire (15-5) will travel to No. 14 Tyngsborough (10-10) and No. 24 South Hadley (13-7) will travel to No. 9 Northbridge (11-9) in the Round of 32.

Division 5

There are four local sides in the Division 5 field, which is led by No. 1 seed is Georgetown (13-7).

No. 38 Smith Academy (9-9) will visit No. 27 Mystic Valley Regional (15-5) in the preliminary round Thursday at 4 p.m., with the winner traveling to No. 6 Ayer Shirley (14-5) in the Round of 32.

In Round of 32 action, No. 9 Hopkins Academy (14-4) will host the winner of No. 24 McCann Tech and No. 41 Springfield International, while No. 11 Smith Vocational (19-1) will host No. 22 Sutton (8-12). No. 14 Frontier (14-6) will entertain No. 19 Upper Cape Cod (14-6) in the same round.

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