Texas high school softball playoffs: 2022 UIL Class 4A Softball State Tournament preview, players to watch
AUSTIN, Texas — The road to the Texas high school softball state championships ends this week at the University of Texas in Austin at the 2022 UIL Softball State Tournament.
The sixth and seventh rounds of the playoffs will get underway at Red & Charline McCombs Field, the Longhorns’ softball stadium, with the last teams left standing throughout the Lone Star State colliding to battle for six state titles.
The five-day state championship weekend is set to start with the UIL’s Class 4A Softball State Tournament when state semifinal matchups begin Thursday (June 2) followed by the 4A state championship game on Saturday (June 4).
RELATED: Class 4A Texas (UIL) Softball State Tournament bracket
Here are the projected first-pitch times for each of those Class 4A state tournament games:
- Class 4A state semifinal — Sweeny Bulldogs (30-9) vs. Bullard Panthers (40-3), 4 p.m. Thursday, June 2nd
- Class 4A state semifinal — Liberty Panthers (36-6) vs. Iowa Park Hawks (37-3), 7 p.m. Thursday, June 2nd
- Class 4A state championship — Sweeny/Bullard vs. Liberty/Iowa Park, 1 p.m. Saturday, June 4th
SBLive Texas will be taking a closer look at the state’s top players, storylines and x-factors to watch in each classification level during the 2022 UIL Softball State Championships throughout the week.
We’ll begin by taking a deep dive to analyze the competition in the four-team Class 4A softball state tournament field, which features Bullard, Iowa Park, Liberty and Sweeny.
Here’s what you need to know about the Panthers, Hawks, Panthers and Bulldogs before they step onto the diamond to duel for a state title at the Class 4A UIL Softball State Tournament:
BULLARD PANTHERS
Season Record: 40-3 overall, Region II champions
How They Got Here: 10-2 postseason record
- Bi-district round — W 11-1; W 4-0 vs. Pittsburg
- Area round — W 13-1; W 14-0 vs. Brownsboro
- Regional quarterfinal — W 17-4; L 6-7; W 10-0 vs. Canton
- Regional semifinal — W 5-2; W 14-8 vs. Aubrey
- Regional championship — L 4-5; W 5-0; W 2-0 vs. Melissa
Head Coach: Julie Murry (2nd season)
Players to Watch: Senior RF Kaylee Paul; Senior CF Berlyn Grossman; Junior P/1B Hadi Fults; Sophomore 1B/OF Matti Nix; Sophomore P Anistyn Foster
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): Two (2021)
UIL Softball State Championships (Most Recent): None
Distance to Red & Charline McCombs Field: 237 miles
IOWA PARK HAWKS
Season Record: 37-3 overall, Region I champions
How They Got Here: 10-1 postseason record
- Bi-district round — W 16-4; W 13-0 vs. Stephenville
- Area round — W 8-0; W 2-0 vs. Krum
- Regional quarterfinal — W 11-1; W 12-0 vs. Glen Rose
- Regional semifinal — W 13-2; W 10-0 vs. Monahans
- Regional championship — W 4-1; L 0-9; W 10-4 vs. Argyle
Head Coach: Eric Simmons (4th season)
Players to Watch: Junior P Abby Dowell; Junior RF/P Madi Fulfer; Senior SS/P Raylea Parsons; Junior C Paige Gallegos; Junior CF Isabella Dickens; Senior 3B Gracyn Fields
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): Two (2021)
UIL Softball State Championships (Most Recent): None
Distance to Red & Charline McCombs Field: 314 miles
LIBERTY PANTHERS
Season Record: 36-6 overall, Region III champions
How They Got Here: 9-2 postseason record
- Bi-district round — W 13-3; W 19-4 vs. Vidor
- Area round — W 16-0; W 16-1 vs. Navasota
- Regional quarterfinal — L 0-4; W 4-0; W 2-1 vs. Bridge City
- Regional semifinal — W 7-0 vs. Taylor
- Regional championship — W 3-1; L 6-7; W 16-4 vs. Lake Belton
Head Coach: Karen Slack (21st season)
Players to Watch: Senior IF Kendall Daniel; Sophomore P/IF Kamdyn Chandler; Junior IF Reese Evans; Junior OF/P Alex Wiley; Sophomore OF Bailee Slack; Senior OF Maci Beam
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): Three (2021)
UIL Softball State Championships (Most Recent): Two (2021)
Distance to Red & Charline McCombs Field: 208 miles
SWEENY BULLDOGS
Season Record: 30-9 overall, Region IV champions
How They Got Here: 10-2 postseason record
- Bi-district round — W 8-0; W 8-6 vs. Ingleside
- Area round — L 0-2; W 16-2; W 7-4 vs. Fredericksburg
- Regional quarterfinal — L 0-2; W 4-2; W 1-0 vs. Sinton
- Regional semifinal — W 7-4; W 7-5 vs. Corpus Christi Tuloso-Midway
- Regional championship — W 2-1; W 5-0 vs. West Columbia Columbia
Head Coach: Darian Harris (1st season)
Players to Watch: Senior P/SS Corie Byrd; Junior C Karli Glaze; Junior OF TryNytie Clark; Senior 1B/3B Alyssa Boozy
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): Three (2011)
UIL Softball State Championships (Most Recent): One (1996)
Distance to Red & Charline McCombs Field: 178 miles
Stay with SBLive Texas all week and throughout the postseason for scores, game recaps, photo galleries, top performers and much more.
For complete statewide scores and schedules, check our Texas scoreboards below:
REGION I SCOREBOARD | REGION II SCOREBOARD
REGION III SCOREBOARD | REGION IV SCOREBOARD
Here are the brackets for every classification level this week at the 2022 Texas (UIL) Softball State Championships:
CLASS 6A SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
CLASS 5A SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
CLASS 4A SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
CLASS 3A SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
CLASS 2A SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
CLASS 1A SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT BRACKET
You can also download the SBLive Sports app to follow along on your phone:
Download iPhone App | Download Android App
More from SBLive Texas:
Vote for the Texas High School Athlete of the Week! (May 23-29)
(Feature photo by Andrew McCulloch)
