By RYAN WALKER
The IHSAA released the baseball and softball pairings for each team during its annual selection show Sunday night.
The random draw correctly matched all but one pairing between the two sports, so there will be some similar matchups.
The sectional tournament is set to begin May 22 and run through May 27 for the championship games. Dates and start times have not been determined. Norwell’s baseball team is the only defending champion of the six-team field in the county.
Below is a list of the results for all three schools in the county.
Baseball
Norwell (8-4) vs. Peru (8-2): The Knights will get another opportunity to knock off the Tigers after beating them 5-1 last year in the sectional sem-final. This year, Peru has reloaded and has had a decent campaign this season sitting at 8-2. This time, Norwell will play host in this sectional.
Norwell is coming off of a sectional and regional title and looking to go further with a new unit. Only three players from the starting lineup last year returned, but the Knights have proved that they’re going to be just fine under new head coach Christian Bohata.
For the rest of the bracket, the winner of Bellmont and Oak Hill will play Norwell/Peru. Mississinewa and Maconaquah drew byes and will face each other in the semi-final.
Bluffton (8-5) vs. South Adams (5-5): The Tigers perhaps got the best path to the championship game of all teams in both sports. After what was a panicky 1-4 start to the season, coach Jason Pierce’s Tiger cats have rolled off seven of their last eight, including five in a row. One of the wins included a 10-0 thumping to their future sectional opponent in the Starfires, who have been riddled with injuries this season.
The two drew byes in the South Adams hosted sectional, and the winner heads straight for the championship game. On the other side of the bracket, Bishop Luers meets with RV Adams Central, arguably the two best teams in the field. Eastbrook and Blackford are the other quarterfinal games.
Bluffton is seeking to avenge its 12-0 loss to Bishop Luers last year.
Southern Wells (2-9) vs. Liberty Christian: The Raiders drew a favorable matchup with Liberty Christian in the Wes-Del sectional. Southern Wells won 14-3 in the recent meeting between the two.
The Raiders have hit a lul in the middle of the season, falling in eight of their last 10 games, but this draw could provide a spark to the young Evan Huffman-led squad.
The winner of that game will play No. 2 Wes-Del and Anderson Prep. Then, RV Daleville and Cowan’s winner will face the lone team with a by, which is Tri-Central.
Softball
Norwell (3-4) vs. Peru (10-5): The Knights got the best of the Tigers 12-4 in last year’s sectional 12-4, but Peru seems to have put things together this season after a 9-12-1 campaign.
So far, the Knights have only been able to play seven games due to rain. Their first was only two weeks ago when they traveled to play the No. 4 team in South Adams and lost both games. The inconsistency of the schedule has put a halt on figuring out who the Knights are and where we could expect them to be by the end of the year.
This sectional will be hosted by Oak Hill, who will await the winner of this game. Maconaquah drew the other bye on the other side of the bracket and will face either Bellmont of Marion.
Bluffton (6-6) vs. South Adams (9-1)/Adams Central (6-4): The Tigers got a rough draw this season, where they’ll likely face the reigning sectional champion No. 4 South Adams. The Starfires will still have to get past their county and conference rival Adams Central, but they’re on a mission this season after falling to Eastside in the regional.
After this year’s sectional, which is hosted by South Adams, Bluffton will have played the Starfires four times in the past two years. The three completed contests have gone for 7-plus run losses for the Tigers.
The winner will advance to the championship game. On the other side of the bracket, Manchester and Whitko will battle for the right to face Bishop Luers.
Southern Wells (2-9) vs. Liberty Christian (0-7): The Raiders get a favorable draw here in the first round of the sectional with the so-far winless Liberty Christian Lions. Southern Wells will also have a home-field advantage this year. The two will get a long look at one another on May 11, as the Raiders travel for a doubleheader with the Lions.
Last season, the Raiders lost 13-1 in the first round to Wes-Del.
The winner of Southern Wells/Liberty Christian will get to play either Tri-Central or Cowan. On the other side of the bracket, Anderson Prep plays Daleville with the winner taking of Wes-Del.
