The UIL softball players start on Thursday, and several teams from the Fort Worth-area will begin their quests for a state championship in the bi-district round.
Here are rankings, things to watch, players to watch and more ahead of the softball playoffs.
Class 6A
No. 1 Keller
The Keller Indians (21-7-2) have won 12 in a row and finished first in District 4-6A play with a perfect 12-0 record. Keller is the only Class 6A team in the Fort Worth-area to be ranked in the Texas Girls Coaches Association state softball poll.
Senior Sadie Beck is the player to watch. She has a batting average of .462 and has secured 18 wins as a pitcher. Beck, a Tarleton State commit, has held opponents to a .180 average this season.
Keller will face Paschal (19-15) in the bi-district round and game one will start at 5 p.m. on Thursday at Saginaw High School. Last season, the Indians made the regional finals.
No. 2 Southlake Carroll
Southlake Carroll (26-6) earned a second place finish in District 4-6A and only lost to one team: Keller. The Dragons, in the bi-district round, will face Boswell m(22-7), and game one of the series will start at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Boswell High School.
Junior Scarlett Kuhn is one player to watch. Kuhn has a .446 batting average and has power, tallying nine home runs. Kuhn has scored a team high 44 runs. Last season, the Dragons were eliminated in the regional semifinals.
No. 3 Euless Trinity
Euless Trinity (22-10-2) suffered a loss to Boswell on April 16 but bounced back with two consecutive wins to secure a first place finish in district 3-6A.
One player to watch for the Trojans is Peyton Hosey, who hit a walk off home run vs. Hurst L.D. Bell to clinch Trinity’s first ever district championship. Hosey also picked up the win as a pitcher, allowing zero earned runs.
Trinity will be looking for redemption following a bi-district loss in the 2023 season.
No. 4 Arlington Martin
Arlington Martin (20-6-1) secured a second place spot in district 8-6A following a tiebreaker loss against South Grand Prairie.
Still, the Warriors are a team to watch. Arlington Martin defeated every team in its district at least once, proving it has the ability to make some noise in the postseason.
One player to watch is Izabell Astran, who leads the Warriors with 16 home runs. Martin will hit the road to play Irving Nimitz on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the bi-district round.
Martin, in the 2023 season, lost to Guyer in the area round.
No. 5 Boswell
Boswell (22-7) secured a big win against Trinity but failed to end the regular season strong with consecutive losses that lost the Pioneers the district title.
Still, Boswell finished third place in a competitive district 3-6A and have the potential to get back to its winning ways. The Pioneers will have their hands full with Southlake Carroll, one of the best teams in the Fort Worth-area.
Game one of the series will commence at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Boswell High School.
One player to watch is pitcher Harley Malone, who stymied Euless Trinity with a complete game shutout on April 16. If Malone can replicate that type of performance, Boswell will have a fighting chance against any team in region one.
Class 5A
No. 1 Aledo
Aledo (27-3) has been a force out of district 5-5A and clinched a district title with a perfect 12-0 run.
The Bearcats are the only 5A team in the Fort Worth-area to be ranked in the Texas Girls Coaches Association softball poll and will enter the playoffs with the No. 3 rankings in Texas.
Aledo has scored a whopping 261 runs while allowing 47, and the Bearcats are loaded with versatile talent. One player to watch is Anna Flores, who has a batting average of .463 and nine home runs.
Aledo is facing Everman (11-14) in the bi-district round, and game one will start at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday at Aledo High School.
Following a 12-0 finish in district in 2023, Aledo fell to Richland in the area round. Will the Bearcats avenge the loss this year?
No. 2 Burleson Centennial
Burleson Centennial (23-6) only suffered one district loss en route to a District 8-5A championship.
The Spartans are one of the top teams in the Fort Worth-area and will be a problem for any opponent in Class 5A. In the bi-district round, Centennial will face Richland (22-8-3), and game one will start at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Centennial High School.
Bailey Lindemuth, a Texas Tech commit, is one of the premier players in Dallas-Fort Worth with a .565 batting average and 15 home runs.
The elite Spartan offense will have to deal with Richland star pitcher Jacey Lees, one of the best strikeout pitchers in the area.
No. 3 Grapevine
Grapevine (16-5) finished second in district 7-5A with an 11-2 record. The Mustang’s recent play, however, makes them ultra dangerous; Grapevine has won 11 in a row and have all the momentum heading into the bi-district round.
The Mustangs will play Joshua (25-9) at Joshua High School at 7 p.m. on Thursday. One player to watch is Gisele Rayngay, who has a .484 batting averaged and a team high four home runs.
Grapevine lost in the bi-district round to Burleson Centennial in 2023 and will look to make a deeper run this season.
No. 4 Azle
Azle (19-11-1) finished second in District 5-5A, and that’s a big accomplishment considering Aledo took the top spot.
The Hornets won nine district games, solidifying themselves as a top team in the area. They’ll face Fort Worth Arlington Heights (14-13) in the bi-district round.
Arlington Heights and Azle met in the bi-district round in 2023 and Azle secured the series victory. The Hornets, however, lost in the area round to Argyle.
No. 5 Fort Worth South Hills
South Hills is the District 6-5A champion, and secured two big wins over Fort Worth North Side en route to claiming the title.
The Scorpions have been on a roll since March 2, winning 12 games in a row. In those 12 wins, South Hills has scored 10 or more runs 10 times.
The offense has been outstanding. The big question: How will South Hills fare in the postseason against tougher competition? In 2023, the Scorpions fell in the bi-district round along with the other Fort Worth ISD playoff teams.
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