The second season of the spring has arrived.
And playoff fever is here.
In just over two weeks, the dream of a state title will be earned by six teams at Ivy Hill Park.
First round action begins Tuesday and Wednesday. Sectional finals are slated for June 5 (Non-Public) and June 4 (Public). State semifinals for public schools will be played on June 8 at the sites of the Central and North 1 champions.
State finals are scheduled for June 10 (Non-Public) and June 12 (Public).
Here’s our preview:
South Jersey Group 4
Bracket: (16) Atlantic County Tech at (1) Kingsway; (9) Williamstown at (8) Cherry Hill East; (12) Millville at (5) Rancocas Valley; (13) Lenape at (4) Southern; (14) Washington Township at (3) Vineland; (11) Egg Harbor Township at (6) Gloucester County Tech; (10) Howell at (7) Central Regional; (15) Toms River North at (2) Cherokee.
Defending champion: Kingsway. The Dragons earned their fourth sectional title in the last six years with an 8-2 win over Rancocas Valley in last year’s South Jersey final. It was Kingsway’s 11th sectional championship in its history.
Favorite: Cherokee. The top-seeded Chiefs are the hottest team to enter the tournament, riding a 13-game winning streak with their last loss coming against Cherry Hill East on April 20. Cherokee’s pitching is elite with seniors Allie Cunane and Cali Taylor, the 1-2 tandem has punched out 225 batters over 132 innings of work and have a combined 1.43 ERA.
Darkhorse: Rancocas Valley. The Red Devils have cooled off in May, going 4-3 in the month, but if the bats that have produced an average of 7.8 runs per game this spring heat up over the next couple of weeks, watch out.
Best matchup (first round): (9) Williamstown at (8) Cherry Hill East. Williamstown is one of those teams that teams would like to avoid this time of year. They are 7-0-1 in their last eight games. Cherry Hill East boasts some impressive wins, knocking off Paul VI, Cherokee, and Rancocas Valley.
Three stars: Rancocas Valley’s Ava Sweet is one of the area’s top hitters, carrying a .500 batting average with a whopping 14 home runs and 30 RBIs. … Kingsway’s Karsen Taylor has been a perfect table setter at the top of the Dragons’ lineup. The senior has 34 hits, eight walks, 18 stolen bases and 27 runs scored. … Cherokee’s Cali Taylor, last year’s Courier-Post South Jersey Pitcher of the Year, has registered 52 strikeouts over her last three outings, including a 20-K performance against Cherry Hill East.
Sectional final prediction: Cherokee over Kingsway
South Jersey Group 3
Bracket: (16) Cherry Hill West at (1) Ocean City; (9) Pinelands at (8) Timber Creek; (12) Mainland at (5) Delsea; (13) Cumberland at (4) Seneca; (14) Shawnee at (3) Clearview; (11) Absegami at (6) Toms River East; (10) Toms River South at (7) Triton; (15) Deptford at (2) Hammonton.
Defending champion: Delsea. The Crusaders captured their first sectional title in six years with a 4-3 win over Clearview in the South Jersey Group 3 final. Delsea has six sectional crowns in its history.
Favorite: Ocean City. The Red Raiders can light up a scoreboard with their potent offense that includes three players with 42 hits each: Leah Catto, Jessica Mooney and Brooke Douglas. The team has also swatted 25 home runs. Opponents would do well to avoid a slugfest against OC.
Darkhorse: Delsea. A defending sectional champion as a darkhorse? The Crusaders got off to a rough 3-5 start to their season and stumbled, going into the playoffs just 2-2 over their last four games. However, Delsea has a track record of getting hot at the right time of the season in recent years.
Best matchup (first round): (11) Absegami at (6) Toms River East. Absegami carries plenty of momentum in the postseason with five straight wins. The Braves travel to Toms River East, which has lost five straight. Want a potential upset special? It could be 11th-seeded Absegami.
Three stars: Ocean City’s Brooke Douglas is one of the top sluggers in the region with 10 of her 42 hits clearing the fence. She’s batting .545 with 33 RBIs on the season. … Clearview appears to be in great position to challenge for its first sectional title since 2003. Sophomore Ella Redheffer is one of the reasons. She’s batting an eye-popping .610 with 50 hits, 46 runs scored and 24 RBIs. … Don’t count out Hammonton, either. The Blue Devils have enough firepower to beat any team in the field. Sophomore Leah Alexander is one of the big producers in the Hammonton lineup with a .527 batting average and 35 RBIs.
Sectional final prediction: Ocean City over Clearview
South Jersey Group 2
Bracket: (16) Haddonfield at (1) Gloucester; (9) Oakcrest at (8) Middle Township; (12) Collingswood at (5) West Deptford; (13) Manchester Township at (4) Cedar Creek; (14) Lower Cape May at (3) Haddon Heights; (11) Salem Tech at (6) Cinnaminson; (10) Sterling at (7) Medford Tech; (16) Overbrook at (2) Barnegat.
Defending champion: Gloucester. The Lions went back-to-back as sectional champions with a 5-4 win over Cinnaminson last spring. Gloucester went on to win the state title – the fifth in program history.
Favorite: Gloucester. The Lions haven’t lost a step from when they captured the state crown last spring. A 10-game winning streak was snapped in the regular-season finale with a 4-3 setback to Egg Harbor Township. If pitching and defense really do win championships, Gloucester is in prime position for a repeat run.
Darkhorse: Cedar Creek. After a rough 4-7 start, the Pirates have gotten their sea legs with 12-1 record over their last 13 games. Cedar Creek has the ability to mash the softball, averaging close to eight runs per game. That offense can make the Pirates a dangerous club in the postseason.
Best matchup (first round): (10) Sterling at (7) Medford Tech. How good is Medford Tech? The Jaguars are 17-3, including 13 straight wins and a title at the NJTAC Groups 1 and 2 tournament. Sterling has endured an up-and-down season en route to a 9-13 mark, but one of those wins is over a top-10 opponent in West Deptford.
Three stars: Gloucester’s Emma Dick has been a nightmare for opposing hitters all season but has really turned it up a notch in May, striking out double-digits in five of her seven games in the month. … Medford Tech ace Evren Novellino has averaged over two strikeouts per inning this spring, piling up 143 Ks total. She’s not too shabby with the bat either, posting a .525 batting average with eight home runs and 24 runs scored. .. Sticking with the strikeout theme, West Deptford’s Jordyn Ambrosius has struck out a single-season, program-record 221 batters, posting the mark in fewer than 126 innings.
Sectional final prediction: Gloucester over Haddon Heights
South Jersey Group 1
Bracket: (16) Paulsboro at (1) Audubon; (9) Riverside at (8) Maple Shade; (12) Wildwood at (5) Pennsville; (13) Haddon Township at (4) Pitman; (14) Glassboro at (3) Palmyra; (11) Cape May Tech at (6) Gateway; (10) Schalick at (7) Woodstown; (15) Burlington City at (2) Buena.
Defending champion: Audubon. The Green Wave clinched their first sectional title in two decades with a 9-5 triumph over Haddon Township. It was the sixth South Jersey title in Audubon softball history.
Favorite: Audubon. Since the calendar flipped to May, the Green Wave have won eight of their last 10 games. With a strong pitching staff and steady defense, the team has held opponents to three-or-fewer runs in six of those games including three shutouts.
Darkhorse: Schalick. The Cougars earned the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division title and boasts a 6-5 victory over Classic Division champ Pennsville. The freshmen duo of Khloe McGrath and Paige Sparks have combined for 52 hits and 30 RBIs to power the Schalick offense.
Best matchup (first round): Two rivals facing off in the opening round sets the stage for the most interesting game when Schalick travels to Woodstown. The Cougars swept the regular-season series by 9-6 and 9-3 scores.
Three stars: Buena’s offense has been sizzling over the entire season, posting an average of 11.3 runs per game. Freshman Gracie Dixon is batting .660 with 33 hits and 40 RBIs to lead the Chiefs. … Audubon’s Emma Speyerer is one of the most productive hitters in Colonial Conference history with 171 hits, 143 runs scored and 132 stolen bases over her four-year career. … Pitman’s Maura Quinn has been one of the Tri-County Conference’s best hitters this spring with a .470 batting average, 39 hits and 36 RBIs.
Sectional final prediction: Audubon over Schalick
South Jersey Non-Public A
Bracket: (9) St. Rose at (8) Paul VI, winner to play (1) Donovan Catholic; (5) St. Thomas Aquinas at (4) Notre Dame; (6) Union Catholic at (3) Red Bank Catholic; (10) Our Lady of Mercy at (7) Immaculata, winner to play at (2) St. John Vianney.
Defending champion: Donovan Catholic.
Favorite: Donovan Catholic.
Three stars: Paul VI’s Jules Jackson is one of the top offensive players in the Garden State, logging a career .676 batting average into the postseason. She has 100 career knocks to go along with 96 runs scored and 63 stolen bases. … Donovan Catholic’s Jaelynn Nunez leads the team with seven homers and a .471 batting average. … St. John Vianney has slugged 41 home runs this spring, including a club-best 11 by Madison McDougall. The senior also leads the team with a .620 batting average, 49 hits and 53 RBIs.
Sectional final prediction: St. John Vianney over Donovan Cathoiic.
South Jersey Non-Public B
Bracket: (9) Wildwood Catholic at (8) Bishop Eustace, winner to play (1) St. Joseph Academy; (5) Gloucester Catholic at (4) Holy Cross Prep; (6) Doane Academy at (3) Holy Spirit; (7) Timothy Christian at (2) Calvary Christian (Old Bridge).
Defending champion: St. Joseph Academy.
Favorite: St. Joseph Academy. The Wildcats (21-3) eclipsed the 20-win mark for the third time in the last four seasons and are the heavy favorite to repeat in this section.
Three stars: One of the most exciting players on any diamond in the state, St. Joseph’s Alaina Dorsey has 146 hits, 131 runs and 108 stolen bases for her career. … Holy Spirit’s Madison Berry has produced 30 RBIs and 30 hits, including 10 doubles. … Gloucester Catholic’s Maya Hutchinson has filled up the stat sheet this spring with 28 hits, 32 runs, 18 walks and 21 stolen bases.
Sectional final prediction: St. Joseph Academy over Holy Spirit
Central Jersey brackets
Group 1
(16) Manville at (1) Shore; (9) Florence at (8) South Amboy; (12) Roselle Park at (5) New Egypt; (13) Keansburg a (4) Highland Park; (14) Henry Hudson at (3) South Hunterdon; (11) Point Pleasant Beach at (6) Middlesex; (10) Somerset Tech at (7) Bound Brook; (15) Keyport at (2) Dunnellon.
Group 2
(9) Metuchen at (8) South River, winner at (1) Allentown; (12) Ocean Township at (5) Raritan; (13) Point Pleasant Boro at (4) Delaware Valley; (14) Manasquan at (3) Delran; (11) Bordentown at (6) Holmdel; (10) Spotswood at (7) Robbinsville; (15) Wall at (2) Johnson.
Group 3
(16) Pemberton at (1) Steinert; (9) Hopewell Valley at (8) Lawrence; (12) Ewing at (5) Freehold Borough; (13) Westampton Tech at (4) Colts Neck; (14) Moorestown at (3) Middletown South; (11) Brick Township at (6) Middletown North; (10) Brick Memorial at (7) Matawan; (15) Burlington Township at (2) Northern Burlington.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 35 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him by email at tmcgurk@usatodayco.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Our primer for the 2026 NJSIAA softball state tournament