Texas high school softball playoffs: 2022 UIL Class 6A 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.
RELATED: Class 6A UIL Softball State Tournament bracket
The five-day state championship weekend is set to wrap up with the UIL’s Class 6A Softball State Tournament when state semifinal matchups begin Friday (June 3) followed by the 6A state championship game on Saturday (June 4).
Here are the projected first-pitch times for each of those Class 6A state tournament games:
- Class 6A state semifinal — El Paso Americas Trailblazers (33-6) vs. San Antonio O’Connor Panthers (30-1), 4 p.m. Friday, June 3rd
- Class 6A state semifinal — Mansfield Lake Ridge Eagles (31-6) vs. Deer Park Deer (40-4), 7 p.m. Friday, June 3rd
- Class 6A state championship — El Paso Americas/San Antonio O’Connor vs. Mansfield Lake Ridge/Deer Park, 7 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 6A softball state tournament field, which features Deer Park, El Paso Americas, Mansfield Lake Ridge and San Antonio O’Connor.
Here’s what you need to know about the Deer, Trailblazers, Eagles and Panthers before they step onto the diamond to duel for the 6A UIL Softball State Championship:
DEER PARK DEER
Season Record: 40-4 overall, Region III champions
How They Got Here: 9-2 postseason record
- Bi-district round — W 12-0; W 11-0 vs. Galena Park North Shore
- Area round — L 2-3; W 4-3; W 11-1 vs. Alvin
- Regional quarterfinal — L 0-8; W 9-4; W 3-2 vs. Clute Brazoswood
- Regional semifinal — W 10-0 vs. Katy Seven Lakes
- Regional championship — W 7-5; W 3-0 vs. Pearland
Head Coach: Amy Vidal-Bush (2nd season)
Players to Watch: Senior 2B Kayla Zaid; Senior CF Emma Overla; Junior 1B Angelina Morales; Senior P Reanna Nieman; Senior P Madison Applebe
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): Six (2021)
UIL Softball State Championships (Most Recent): Three (2021)
Distance to Red & Charline McCombs Field: 181 miles
EL PASO AMERICAS TRAILBLAZERS
Season Record: 33-6 overall, Region I champions
How They Got Here: 10-3 postseason record
- Bi-district round — L 7-8; W 4-2; W 9-5 vs. Abilene
- Area round — W 10-2; W 5-4 vs. Keller
- Regional quarterfinal — W 5-3; L 2-5; W 4-0 vs. Midland
- Regional semifinal — W 11-1; W 6-4 vs. South Grand Prairie
- Regional championship — W 2-1; L 1-8; W 4-1 vs. Flower Mound Marcus
Head Coach: Roxanne Luna (9th season)
Players to Watch: Senior CF/SS Sydney Saenz; Senior P/2B Mia Perez; Senior SS/CF Brianna Garcia; Junior 2B/SS Christalynne Sepulveda
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): First UIL Softball State Tournament appearance in school history
UIL Softball State Championships (Most Recent): None
Distance to Red & Charline McCombs Field: 568 miles
MANSFIELD LAKE RIDGE EAGLES
Season Record: 31-6 overall, Region II champions
How They Got Here: 9-0 postseason record
- Bi-district round — W 15-1; W 5-2 vs. Bryan
- Area round — W 6-3 vs. Tyler Legacy
- Regional quarterfinal — W 8-3; W 5-2 vs. Harker Heights
- Regional semifinal — W 11-0; W 5-0 vs. Cypress Ranch
- Regional championship — W 12-2; W 4-3 vs. The Woodlands
Head Coach: Bobbi Cruff (2nd season)
Players to Watch: Senior P/1B Brooklyn Morris; Junior CF Tia Warsop; Junior LF Paris Johnson; Freshman P/OF Avery Hoang
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): First UIL Softball State Tournament appearance in school history
UIL Softball State Championships (Most Recent): None
Distance to Red & Charline McCombs Field: 184 miles
SAN ANTONIO O’CONNOR PANTHERS
Season Record: 30-1 overall, Region IV champions
How They Got Here: 7-0 postseason record
- Bi-district round — W 18-0; W 12-0 vs. Laredo United South
- Area round — W 11-8 vs. Los Fresnos
- Regional quarterfinal — W 12-3 vs. San Antonio Brennan
- Regional semifinal — W 3-1 vs. Round Rock
- Regional championship — W 5-1; W 7-6 vs. Weslaco
Head Coach: Caitlin Bollier (7th season)
Players to Watch: Senior 2B Jada Munoz; Senior P Sammie Portillo; Senior SS Leighann Goode; Senior UT Ella Salinas
State Tournament Appearances (Most Recent): Six (2012)
UIL Softball State Championships (Most Recent): None
Distance to Red & Charline McCombs Field: 89 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:
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More from SBLive Texas:
Vote for the Texas High School Athlete of the Week! (May 23-29)
(Feature photo by Clara Sandoval)
