None of which matters much to the girls, who’ll leave it all on the field, whomever and wherever they play. With that in mind, here’s an Austin area primer for the 2026 UIL softball playoffs which get underway tonight (4/24).
6A Division 1
25-6A #1 Hutto (24-8) vs. 26-6A #2 Lake Travis (16-14-1)
25-6A #2 Round Rock (19-7) vs. 26-6A #1 Bowie (18-12-1)
29-6A #2 Buda Johnson (19-12) vs. 30-6A #1 Laredo Alexander (19-13)
6A Division 2.
25-6A #1 Vista Ridge (24-8) vs. 26-6A #2 Austin High (12-16-2)
25-6A #2 Cedar Ridge (14-14-1) vs. 26-6A #1 Dripping Springs (27-6-1)
Three of this year’s Division 1 teams were in the playoffs last year with Bowie as the only newcomer. The only other difference is that Round Rock and, especially, Hutto appear much more powerful than they did in 2025. The Lady Hippos will open against perennial playoff contender Lake Travis while the Lady Dragons square off against Bowie.
After swatting away pretty much every local team during the regular season, Dripping Springs will open their Division 2 run against Cedar Ridge. Vista Ridge, somewhat under the radar this year, faces off against Austin High, which won the games that matter to reach the postseason.
Buda Johnson will be back playing in an Austin area district next year. While that’s great for the Jags during the regular season, they’ll especially appreciate it – on all sports – during the playoffs when they can avoid first round matchups with teams from far-flung Laredo like this one against Alexander.
5A Division 1
23-5A #1 East View (25-8) vs. 24-5A #2 Bastrop (19-12)
23-5A #2 Hendrickson (22-7) vs. 24-5A #1 McCallum (15-13)
25-5A #1 Leander (28-6-1) 26-5A #2 vs. New Braunfels (17-14)
25-5A #2 Hays (24-8) vs. 26-5A #1 Smithson Valley (25-4)
5A Division 2
23-5A #1 Weiss (26-4-2) vs. 24-5A #2 Crockett (14-11)
23-5A #2 Georgetown (22-11) vs. 24-5A #1 Austin LASA (17-8)
25-5A #1 Liberty Hill (24-7) vs. 26-5A #2 Pieper (19-8)
25-5A #2 Rouse (13-18) vs. 26-5A #1 SA Veterans Memorial (20-5)
Despite their smaller school size, Conference 5A was arguably a tougher conference this year than 6A. True, there are simply more 5A schools than 6A in and around Austin which likely factors into that. But whatever the reason, there are roughly twice as many 20-win 5A teams as 6A in the postseason.
East View quietly posted a 25-win season and faces Bastrop in the 5A Division 1 bracket while Hendrickson takes on McCallum. Leander rolled up 28 wins in the regular season and looks to hit 30 by the time the playoffs are done, starting with New Braunfels.
District 23-5A champion Weiss headlines the 5A Division 2 bracket. The Lady Wolves open up against Crockett while perennial power Georgetown faces LASA. Liberty Hill, another program with a deep pedigree, faces south and plays Pieper while Rouse faces an uphill battle against powerful San Antonio Veterans Memorial.
4A Division 1
25-4A #1 Lago Vista (20-14) vs. 26-4A #2 NB Long Creek (9-16)
25-4A #2 Eastside (N/A) vs. 26-4A #1 Davenport (19-8-2)
4A Division 2
24-4A #2 Gateway Prep (19-6) vs. 23-4A #1 Robinson (17-11)
25-4A #1 Legacy Ranch (18-12) vs. 26-4A #2 Wimberley (22-7)
25-4A #2 Manor New Tech (16-11) vs. 26-4A #1 Fredericksburg (17-13)
While Gateway Prep was the only 4A squad to crack our weekly Power Rankings, Lago Vista was probably right there with them. The Lady Vikings have a favorable 4A Division 1 first-round matchup with Long Creek, the newest school in New Braunfels ISD. Austin Eastside, on the other hand, faces long odds against Davenport from the San Antonio area.
The aforementioned Lady Gators from Gateway head north to Robinson in Division 2. Meanwhile another newcomer, Liberty Hill ISD’s all underclass Legacy Ranch Lady Wranglers, face grizzled vets Wimberly in the first round. Wasn’t that long ago that New Tech was a newcomer. Now they’re established and face another team that’s probably better than its record indicates in Fredericksburg.
Good luck to all the Capital City representatives and play ball!
