The MIAA released its softball state tournament seedings and St. Mary’s and Peabody earned top spots in their respective brackets.
The Spartans capped the year with a 18-2 record and earned the No. 2 seed and a first round bye right at the top of the Division 3 North bracket with No. 1 seed — and 12-0 — Amesbury.
St. Mary’s hasn’t skipped a beat with first-year coach Frank Pagliuca, who also coaches the Spartans girls hockey team, at the helm. Coming fresh off a Catholic Central League title, St. Mary’s was led both in the circle and at the plate by Lily Newhall, along with plenty of other big bats in Jill Kirby and Emely Rodriguez.
“It’s all about taking advantage of opportunities in the tournament,” Pagliuca said. “The teams you play are good and you don’t get a lot of chances, so you have to take advantage. We have to be smart on the base paths, understand situations whether at the plate, on base or in the field and try to tighten those things up.”
The Spartans will have some time off before hosting the winner of a clash between another pair of local teams.
A young Lynnfield team, which earned the No. 7 seed after finishing the year at 8-5, will host No. 10 Winthrop (8-5) and Vikings pitcher Sophie Vitale Monday (4), with the winner facing off against St. Mary’s on Wednesday (3:15).
Salem Academy Charter (1-6) rounds out the Division 3 North with the No. 14 seed and will travel to No. 3 Boston Latin Academy Monday.
The Tanners were a buzzsaw this spring, finishing with a perfect 14-0 record, which they did by cruising through teams and surviving some close battles with top local teams. A perfect spring earned them the No. 2 seed and a bye in the Division 1 North bracket. Peabody will host the winner of No. 15 Haverhill and No. 18 Reading Monday (4:40).
Also at the top of the Division 1 North is Revere (9-1). The Patriots enter the tournament as Greater Boston League champs after winning a 10-inning bout against Lynn Classical in the GBL Tournament Final. Adrianna Fusco has proven to be one of the area’s best pitchers, earning the Patriots a bye and the No. 4 seed. Revere will host the winner of No. 13 Everett and No. 20 Concord-Carlisle Monday.
Lynn Classical is also still right in the mix despite coming off a pair of tough losses to close the season. The No. 12 Rams finished the year at a 7-5 record and will host No. 21 North Andover Friday (5).
And in the Division 2 North, Saugus is right in the middle of the pack. The No. 9 Sachems finished the year at 9-4 and face a tough test right off the bat on the road at No. 8 Danvers on Monday (4).
Marblehead (7-6) earned the No. 14 seed and will face off against Bishop Fenwick (1-12) in the preliminary round Friday (4). Salem is also in the mix with the No. 17 seed after finishing the year at 5-11. The Witches travel to Dracut Friday (6:30) for a preliminary round matchup.
