District prep softball glance 10/6/04

Class 1 District 1 at Naylor

Teams: No. 1 Delta (13-10), No. 2 Chaffee (7-5), No. 3 Naylor, No. 4 Thayer, No. 5 Couch

Schedule: Thursday, First round -- Thayer vs. Couch, 11 a.m.; Semifinals -- Delta vs. Thayer-Couch winner, 12:30 p.m.; Chaffee vs. Naylor, 2 p.m.; Friday, Championship, 3 p.m.

Notes: Naylor is the defending district champions after ending Delta's three-year reign last season. The Bobcats are led by senior ace Sarah Cook along with a strong group of young players. Chaffee drew the second seed in its first fall season.

Class 2 District 1 at St. Vincent

Teams: No. 1 Kelly (18-6), No. 2 Valley Park (22-1), No. 3 St. Vincent, No. 4 Crystal City (3-19), No. 5 East Prairie, No. 6 St. John the Baptist (0-13)

Schedule: Thursday, First round -- Crystal City vs. East Prairie, 2 p.m.; St. Vincent vs. St. John, 2 p.m.; Semifinals -- Kelly vs. Crystal City-East Prairie winner, 4 p.m.; Valley Park vs. St. Vincent-St. John winner, 4 p.m.; Saturday, Championship, 11 a.m.

Notes: Kelly is the defending district champions coming off a quarterfinal appearance last season. The Hawks return a veteran group led by pitchers Kelly Essner and Whitney Beggs. Valley Park had gone undefeated through Monday's games playing a somewhat suspect schedule. Valley Park features two regulars hitting better than .500, with nearly every regular hitting above .300.

Class 3 District 2 at Herculaneum

Teams: No. 1 Notre Dame (18-6), No. 2 Windsor (14-4), No. 3 Herculaneum (14-10), No. 4 St. Pius X (10-13), No. 5 Festus (10-12), No. 6 Ste. Genevieve, No. 7 Perryville

Schedule: Thursday, First-round -- Perryville at Windsor, 4 p.m.; Ste. Genevieve at Herculaneum, 4 p.m.; Festus at St. Pius, 4 p.m.; Friday, Semifinals at Herculaneum -- Notre Dame vs. St. Pius-Festus winner, 3 p.m.; Windsor-Perryville winner vs. Herculaneum-Ste. Genevieve winner, 5 p.m.; Saturday, Championship, noon

Notes: Notre Dame brings in a young squad looking to recapture the district title after falling in the semifinals last season. Windsor enters as the defending district champion. Opening round games will be played at the higher seeds, with the semifinals and championship played at Herculaneum.

Class 4 District 1 at Jackson

Teams: No. 1 Hillsboro (19-5), No. 2 Poplar Bluff (16-8), No. 3 Farmington (20-5), No. 4 Sikeston (15-4), No. 5 Jackson (11-15), No. 6 Central (7-17)

Schedule: Wednesday, First round -- Sikeston vs. Jackson, 4 p.m.; Farmington vs. Central, 5:30 p.m.; Thursday, Semifinals -- Hillsboro vs. Sikeston-Jackson winner, 4 p.m.; Poplar Bluff vs. Farmington-Central winner; Saturday, Championship, 11 a.m.

Notes: Hillsboro appears to the be the favorite after drawing the top seed following a strong regular season. Poplar Bluff has been strong this season behind the pitching of ace Kristen Ploetze. Area teams Jackson and Central are ranked fifth and sixth in the district, and will have to play nearly perfect games in order to fight for a district title.