ONTO THE NEXT ONE: Who to watch for in Softball Area Round

Bridgeland Bears vs. Conroe Tigers

Bridgeland picked up right where they left off a year ago, when they reached the UIL-6A State Semis for the first time in program history.

Now, the Bears are coming off another district title acquisition (13-1 in district), which was followed up by a two-game sweep over Tomball (Game 1: 12-0, Game 2: 4-2) in the opening round of the postseason, bringing their record to 29-4 on the year.

Coach Candi Weige's lineup is bolstered by the next-level performances of Chayne Allen (.505 BA, 31 RBI, 45 R, 7 HR), Dani Lopez (.316 BA, 26 RBI, 27 R, 4 HR), Brooke Gonzales (.380 BA, 19 RBI, 29 R, 2 HR), Rylie Marquart (.384 BA, 21 RBI, 20 R, HR), and Chesley Swisher (.310 BA, 17 RBI, 29 R, HR), among others.

Of course you can't forget about senior pitcher Sydney Jackson.

The Syracuse-signee is throwing for a 1.12 ERA with nearly 150 strikeouts from the mound, while also putting up some stellar stats (.407 BA, 23 RBI, 19 R, 9 HR*) on the hitting side, making her a two-way threat for any opponent.

Speaking of opponents, Bridgeland now prepares for a rematch of last year's Area Round, with Conroe being their newest obstacle.

The Conroe Tigers (27-10) are on a hot-streak of their own.

After narrowly finishing second (14-2) in district, behind Oak Ridge, Conroe proceeded to trounce Davis 15-0 in each of the two games in Round No. 1.

While they may be comparably younger than some of the other clubs within the brackets, that doesn't mean they're lacking talent or experience.

Texas-commit Alisa Sneed is the catalyst behind the team's considerable success, and is complemented by fellow junior Kylee Davis, and sophomores McKenna Griffin, Skylar Green, Iyanna Miller, and Eva Lantagne.

Coach Rachelle Harris and company were eliminated by Bridgeland at this point in 2023, so this is something of a revenge series for the Tigers.

The fact that both these teams were well within the fold of our pre-playoff rankings almost guarantees that this will be one of the more thrilling matchups of the week.

GAME 1: Thursday (6:00 pm) @ Tomball Memorial HS

GAME 2/3 (If needed): Saturday (1:00/3:00 pm) @ Tomball Memorial HS

Brazoswood Buccaneers vs. Summer Creek Bulldogs

Not much more can be said about the threat that Brazoswood poses in the grand scheme of the high school softball playoffs.

The No. 6 ranked team in Class 6A (according to MaxPreps) claimed their second-straight district championship, in undefeated (12-0) fashion, prior to sweeping Shadow Creek (Game 1: 10-0, Game 2: 4-1) a week ago, which brings their win-streak to 15, and their current record to 27-7.

Tennessee-signee Peyton Tanner continues to show why she is regarded as one of the top pitchers in the state, which is a testament to her consistency from the mound, while also proving to be optimal at-bat.

Mia Estrello, Siannah Nava, Audrey Sierra, Ali Rios, Jazlynn Soliz, and Kimora Quave round out what could be Region III contender, under the direction of coach Laura Oltman.

However, that shouldn't automatically dismiss Summer Creek from the conversation.

The Summer Creek Bulldogs (23-10-1; 11-3) finished second in District 21-6A, only to Kingwood (14-0), before over-powering Pasadena Memorial 7-0 in the Bi-District round.

Despite theit fairly youthful roster, SCHS is flourishing with freshman pitcher Alyssa Flores leading the bull-pen.

Coach Gabe Castillo's lineup has been just as efficient, as Cali Chapman, Sophia Acevedo, Alyson Johnson, Torie Turner, Olivia Maciel, and Sophia Ramos being among the team's key contributors.

While the Bucs might be favored on paper, any softball fan knows that the playoffs are a whole different ball-game.

GAME 1: Thursday (6:00 pm) @ Summer Creek HS

GAME 2: Friday (5:30 pm) @ Brazoswood HS

GAME 3 (If needed): Friday (7:30 pm) @ Brazoswood HS

Oak Ridge War Eagles vs. Waller Bulldogs

The Oak Ridge War Eagles have experienced a tremendous turn-around in 2024.

After going 19-14 and bowing out in the opening round of last year's playoffs, Oak Ridge now appears to be a state title-contender, as they currently boast a record of 29-4.

Coach Stephani Rougeau and company enter the Area Round on the heels of claiming the District 13-6A title and defeating Nimitz 11-1 in last week's single-game playoff match.

ORHS is headlined by Ariel Redmond, Ella Boyer, Savanna Conway, Adrienne Thompson, and Ari Garcia, just to name a few.

On the Waller side, the Bulldogs had perhaps the most integral win of the opening round, by upsetting the highly-favored Langham Creek Lobos 5-2.

While this may have come as a shock to most, Waller doesn't see it that way. They've been defying expectations on an annual basis.

Scarlett Archuletta, Addison Bean, Makenzie Dillon, Jadyn Standefer, Jenavie Trevino, and Alayna Davis make up the handful of weapons in coach Lise DeBruin's arsenal.

Can they continue their Cinderella story?

We'll find out when these two face off this Friday (6:15 pm) at Montgomery High School.

Barbers Hill Eagles vs. Fulshear Chargers

Prior to the season, we predicted that Barbers Hill would be the H-Town team to beat in Class 5A, and that still happens to be the case.

Coach Aaron Fuller commands a state-caliber power-house, which becomes more evident with each passing week.

Most recently, the Eagles (31-4-2) swept La Porte (Game 1: 2-1, Game 2: 6-0) to become Bi-District champions.

Between the talents of Kentucky-commit Hailey Nutter, Peyton Helmly (Sam Houston State), Brookelyn Livanec (Wichita State), Harper Gonzalez (Letourneau), and Emma Hargrave, these Eagles could have the potential to claim the program's first state title since 2021.

However, they will first have to advance past a formidable Fulshear squad.

The Fulshear Chargers (20-15; 12-2 in district) finished just behind Foster (9-0) in District 20-5A, which was followed up by a statement win (15-0) over Milby to begin their postseason.

Oklahoma State-commit Gabby Castillo is the center-piece of coach Danielle Parker's roster, as she is currently batting for 0.554, with 31 RBIs, 47 runs scored, and six home runs to her name this Spring.

Castillo is accompanied by Ava Galaviz (.433 BA, 29 RBI, 20 R, 6 HR), Mia Arroyo (.469 BA, 16 RBI, 12 R, HR), Ryan Stratman (.465 BA, 18 RBI, 32 R), and freshman Brinley Jones (.412 BA, 21 RBI, 16 R, HR).

In terms of Class 5A matchups this week, this is by far the most vital towards the outlook of the subsequent rounds.

GAME 1 (Single-game elimination): Thursday (6:30 pm) @ Humble HS