2022 MIAA SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS: See which 7 SouthCoast teams qualified and who they will face

Seven of the SouthCoast’s nine softball teams have qualified for the 2022 playoffs.

Here’s a look at each team and their opening matchup:

Apponequet

Record: 10-10

Seed: No. 14 in Div. 3

Opening matchup: Hosts No. 19 Tantasqua (15-5) at 1 p.m. on Sunday in the Round of 32.

Outlook: With a young team, head coach Dave Harrison is looking for the Lakers to gain some playoff experience after a solid season against tough competition in the South Coast Conference and out of league. “Every game we can play, we’re trying to get the experience,” he said. “I thought we did very well for being so young. The best thing that happened for us is our power ranking was off the chart. We played some really good competition with games against New Bedford, Silver Lake and Dartmouth and then in our league, it couldn’t have been any better.” The Lakers feature a pair of sophomore pitchers in Lauren Bernaiche and Sofia Estrella while freshman Christina Magnett leads the team with a .488 batting average. Freshman Morgan Saraceno has been solid in the outfield in addition to batting .283.

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Bishop Stang

Record: 4-14

Seed: No. 29 in Div. 3

Opening matchup: Hosts No. 35 Medway (10-8) at 4 p.m. on Friday in the preliminary round.

Outlook: Playing in an extremely competitive Catholic Central League gave the Spartans enough points in the power rankings to qualify for the Div. 3 playoffs despite an overall record below .500. “The most exciting part is we get a home game,” said head coach Alex Tripp. “We’re young, but they want to be there and they want to win. It was a tough year so to be rewarded for competing in the CCL was a breath of fresh air.” The key for Stang is its defense. “We rely a lot on our defense,” Tripp said. “Our defense keeps us in games. I really stress to the girls to bring energy.” Junior third baseman Mikayla Brightman has been solid in the infield and at the plate along with sophomore shortstop Katie Manzone. Junior second baseman Grace Motto is an x-factor for Stang while freshman Sydney Alboum has been versatile in the lineup with her ability to play different positions. Junior pitcher Hannah Fortin has also developed new pitches.

Dartmouth

Record: 9-11

Seed: No. 21 in Div. 2

Opening matchup: Visiting No. 12 Grafton (17-3) at 4 p.m. on Monday in the Round of 32.

Outlook: With only two seniors — Kathryn Lancaster and Lily Gioiosa — Dartmouth is looking to build off this year’s playoff experience for the future. “It’s a young group and they're learning and it will give them experience moving forward,” said head coach Beth Arguin. “They’ll get a taste for the tournament.” Dartmouth features a sophomore pitcher in Megan Arruda while another sophomore, Aubrey Carberry, leads the team in hits. Junior Sofia Dias has been solid defensively in the outfield and has a knack for getting on base as does Lancaster, a center fielder. “If we can play a clean game and make the plays, we can give just about anybody a run for their money,” Arguin said. “It’s a talented team.”

Fairhaven

Record: 13-7

Seed: No. 12 in Div. 3

Opening matchup: Hosts No. 21 Oakmont at 4 p.m. on Saturday in the Round of 32.

Outlook: The Blue Devils, who ride a two-game win streak into the playoffs, will look to the leadership of their seniors — Gabriela Rocha-Medeiros, Olivia Couto, Ava Pepin, Holly Perdigao, Cait Andre and Katherine Tortella. “A lot depends on my seniors,” said head coach Cathy Silva. “They’ve been with me since freshman year. We’ve beaten D-R and we’ve beaten Case twice. We can play with anybody. It’s a matter of whether we show up. We play a tough schedule and hopefully that will help us in the postseason. We just have to play our game.”

GNB Voc-Tech

Record: 20-2

Seed: No. 2 in Div. 3

Opening matchup: Hosts the winner of No. 31 Norwell (9-9) and No. 34 Sturgis East (15-1) in the Round of 32 at a date and time to be determined.

Outlook: The South Coast Conference champion Bears have all the pieces needed to make a deep run in the Div. 3 tournament. They feature a strong pitcher in senior Madison Medeiros, outstanding hitters in seniors Lena Tsonis and Kylee Caetano and a solid defense. “The key is to keep playing together and not being selfish,” said head coach Craig Soares. “Everybody so far has been on the same page. The ultimate goal at the beginning of the year was to get to states and then try to win a title.” The Bears opened the season with a 19-0 record, but have lost two of their final four regular season games. They got back on track, winning two straight to capture the State Vocational title this week. “We’re excited,” Soares said. “We want to try to win every inning and stay with what has been working for us. Caetano, Medeiros and Lena Tsonis — we’re going to go as far as they take us.” Soares also said that juniors Hailey Soares and Hailey Silva have been “important pieces to the puzzle.”

New Bedford

Record: 14-6

Seed: No. 24 in Div. 1

Opening matchup: Visits No. 9 Peabody (18-2) at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the Round of 32.

Outlook: The Whalers are riding high entering the tournament having shut out their last three opponents — Bridgewater-Raynham, Dartmouth and Apponequet — to wrap up a share of the Southeast Conference title. “I believe we’re playing our best softball right now,” said head coach Harry Lowe. “With Lilly (Gray) on the mound, she’ll keep us in the game.” New Bedford’s top three hitters have been senior shortstop Sydnee Ramos, who had five home runs as the lead-off batter, sophomore catcher Amelia Davis, who has had game-winning hits in the last two games, and sophomore Hayleigh Chenard in the two spot. “They score a lot of runs and they drive in a lot of runs,” Lowe said. “I like our chances.

Wareham

Record: 7-13

Seed: No. 23 in Div. 4

Opening matchup: Visits No. 10 Easthampton (15-5) at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the Round of 32.

Outlook: First-year head coach Rudy Cadena is hoping a tough South Coast Conference schedule has prepared the Vikings for the competition they’ll face in the Div. 4 tournament. “It’s the best record we’ve had in five years so they’re super excited,” he said. “All of the divisional games are tough. We played a lot of Div. 2 and 3 teams so you can’t be down on yourselves.” The key for Wareham is staying aggressive at the plate and being consistent on the mound. “We’ve got to keep walks down and we have to make contact with our bats and play with confidence," Cadena said. "We have a great chance if we’re aggressive.” Senior pitcher Jenna Klemp has 108 strikeouts and a couple of no-hitters on the season in addition to being Wareham’s No. 2 hitter on offense. Junior shortstop Marina Cadena leads the team in all offensive statistics while senior first baseman Laura Pinkston has been solid in the field and at the plate as the lead-off hitter. Others to keep an eye on are senior third baseman Ari Judge, sophomore second baseman Madison Nereu and outfielder Carly Glover.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Preview of the 2022 MIAA softball playoffs