Road to Frasch Park gets wider: Public, private school split means more teams, added day

The road to Sulphur’s Frasch Park for the state championship softball tournament will have more traffic than ever this year due to the select/non-select split.

A few area public schools should have an easier path to the tourney thanks to thinned out classes and high seeds earned during the regular season. Twenty-seven area schools qualified for the postseason.

Rosepine was the lone area team to earn a top seed. The Eagles are atop the Class 2A bracket after a 17-7 regular season in a tough District 3-2A, which produced four of the top nine seeds as well as Division III No. 3 seed Menard. The Eagles are looking to improve on last year’s quarterfinal finish and are led by all-state pitcher Morghan LaTour. Kinder, also a quarterfinalist last year, is the No. 8 seed.

Also looking for a return trip to Sulphur are the Barbe Bucs, who earned the seventh seed in Class 5A. The Bucs will face a familiar face in the opening round, hosting District 3-5A mate New Iberia.

Sam Houston, coming off a rare absence from the state tourney, is the No. 5 seed in 5A after taking the District 3-5A title.

DeRidder, which last appeared in the state tourney in 2013, is the No. 2 seed in Class 4A after going 28-4 in the regular season, including a perfect run through District 3-4A. Leesville, a quarterfinalist last season, is the No. 17 seed.

In Class 3A, Westlake is seeded No. 8 in Westlake and will host 4-3A rival Iowa in the first round. Iota, a quarterfinalist last year, opens on the road as the No. 19 seed.

District 4-1A produced a pair of top four seeds in No. 3 East Beauregard and No. 4 South Cameron, each of which has a bye in the opening round.

This year’s tournament has expanded from two days to three to handle the increased number of games. Quarterfinal games will be played April 27-28 with the semifinals and championships on April 29. Twelve championships — seven select and five non-select — will be awarded this year, up from the customary seven.

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