FORMATS
District 2 has its own softball tournaments in Class 4A, 3A, 2A and A. The Class 4A tournament has a full eight-team bracket with teams needing three wins to take the championships. In Class 3A, 2A and A, there are six-team fields with the top two receiving quarterfinal byes. The top two seeds need two wins for a championship while teams seeded third through sixth in those three classes would need three wins.
The Class 6A and 5A tournaments are subregionals with District 2 and 4 combined. The Class 6A subregional is a standing tradition with Williamsport as the only school from District 4 in the largest enrollment classification. The Class 5A subregional is new this year. Class 5A has a full eight-team bracket while Class 6A has just five teams with only one game needed to reach the semifinals.
HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE
District 2 championships are usually played at neutral fields, almost always at local colleges.
With issues remaining regarding public health issues related to the pandemic, those fields are not currently available for use by outside organizations, including the high schools.
Therefore, District 2 will go with the higher seed hosting all games, including championships, unless a field is deemed unsuitable for a championship game.
SITTING OUT
Wyoming Seminary canceled the second half of its season when it fell short of having enough healthy, available players for a full lineup.
Susquehanna opted not to participate in the open Class A tournament after going winless in the Lackawanna League Division 4 season.
THE SCHEDULE
The Class 6A and 2A tournaments open Monday, have semifinals Wednesday and the final June 1.
The Class 5A, 4A and 3A tournaments follows a Tuesday, Thursday, June 2 schedule.
In Class A, the two quarterfinals are split between Monday and Tuesday. The semifinals are Thursday and final is June 2.
2019 CHAMPIONS
There were no spring sports in Pennsylvania in 2020 because of the pandemic, so the “defending” champions are the teams that won titles in 2019.
Those champions were: Hazleton Area in Class 6A; Pittston Area in 5A; Scranton Prep in 4A; Mid Valley in 3A; Holy Cross in 2A; and Old Forge in A.
TOP SEEDS
The number-one seeds are: Williamsport, 18-1, in 6A; Abington Heights, 15-1, in 5A; Tunkhannock, 17-2, in 4A; Holy Redeemer, 18-1, in 3A; Elk Lake, 15-1, in 2A; and Old Forge, 14-6, in A.
Hazleton Area, which is second in the subregional with a 13-7 record, is the highest-seeded team from District 2 in Class 6A.
ALREADY CHAMPIONS
Tunkhannock, in Division 1, and Holy Redeemer, in Division 2, are Wyoming Valley Conference champions. Abington Heights, Honesdale, Mid Valley and Elk Lake are Lackawanna League champions in Divisions 1 through 4.
LITTLE HEAD START
Many of the key members of a young, but highly talented Tunkhannock team, began picking up big-game experience early.
The Lady Tigers feature many of the main performers from the team that played in the 2018 Little League Softball World Series championship game in Oregon.
HISTORY LESSON
Hazleton Area reached the 2019 state Class 6A title game, but fell short of giving District 2 its first state champion in the largest classification when it lost to Central Dauphin, 3-1.
Valley View’s 2013 team, which won in Class 3A of what was then a four-class system, is the only Big School state champion in district history.
The district has been a much bigger factor on the small school level.
Holy Redeemer’s back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016 made it 5 champions in 17 years in Class 2A for District 2. Valley View won in 2000 and Nanticoke won in 2003 and 2010.
District 2 also had three champions in a six-year span in Class A. Bishop O’Hara, now part of Holy Cross, won in 2001. Blue Ridge claimed titles in 2004 and 2006.
MORE INFORMATION
Find out more about the District 2 playoffs with the links below.
Just the facts: Complete pairings, regular-season records and playoff ratings: https://nepasportsnation.com/district-2-softball/.
Analysis: See how NEPA Sports Nation rated the best teams in the Riverfront Sports Super Six Power Rankings of District 2 teams in the most recent release on Wednesday. https://nepasportsnation.com/honesdale-pittston-area-move-up/.
