District Two Softball Playoff Preview
By: Nate Johns | Sportzwire | May 19, 2025 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus Photography
The regular season has concluded for softball teams in District Two, and the playoffs are set to begin on May 19. There will be six brackets and six champions will be crowned across May 27 and 28 and each class will only send the champion to state playoffs. Before the games begin, here is a preview of each class along with my prediction for who will make the championship game. Each class will have a list of teams in order from highest seed to lowest.
A: Holy Cross, Old Forge, Forest City, Susquehanna
This will only be a four team field after MMI Prep opted out of postseason play. The bracket will begin with the semifinals on May 22. Holy Cross is by far the top team in the field after amassing an 19-1 record with their only loss coming against division rival Mid Valley on April 14. The Crusaders have won their last 12 games which included an LIAA Division Three Championship over the aforementioned Spartans. The team is also ranked third in the state in Class A according to MaxPreps. Senior Mia Galella leads the offense with a .644 batting average along with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs. Sophomore Jules Galella leads the team in RBIs with 30. The Lady Crusaders also have one of the best pitchers in the district in Ava Schmidt, who has pitched in every game to the tune of a 1.39 ERA. The team is also hungry for their first district title since 2019, having lost their last four title games to Elk Lake in AA. This team is well rounded enough to make a state playoff run, and it should start here in the district playoffs.
Looking at the other half of the bracket, Holy Cross will likely see a familiar foe from division two in Old Forge. The Blue Devils have built up one of the best small school softball programs in District Two and making the championship game has been a yearly tradition since 2019. Their streak should continue despite some struggles to replace production from those teams due to graduation. Junior Lilianna Lenceski leads the team with a .461 batting average. The team also has some young talent in freshmen Joselyn DeStefano, who has four home runs this year, and Kamryn Notari, who has a 3.72 ERA. They are also battle tested, having faced Holy Cross and Mid Valley twice, Valley View, and playing in a tournament in Florida to open the regular season.All roads will likely lead to a third meeting between the Crusaders and the Blue Devils.
Championship Prediction: Old Forge vs Holy Cross
AA: Elk Lake, Holy Redeemer, Dunmore, Montrose, Lackawanna Trail, Blue Ridge, Mountain View
The Warriors will be heavy favorites to make the title game, as they have beaten both the Meteors and Lions by at least ten runs in the four games they played against both schools. They enter with a record of 16-1, having won 16 straight and their last loss came on April 1 against Tunkahnnock.Their potent offense is led by seniors Leah Traver and Marissa Horn, who both have four home runs on the season and combined for 58 RBIs. Horn is also a force in the circle with a 1.53 ERA and 181 strikeouts. The team is also experienced, having won four straight District Two AA softball championships.
The more clearly likely semi final is Dunmore vs Holy Redeemer. Both teams have winning records and will face teams that finished multiple games under .500 in the quarter finals. The Royals faced some strong competition from Lake Lehman in their division and outside of it, they faced perennial powerhouse Valley View and District Four heavyweights in Loyalsock Township and Williamsport. They also come in hot having won six of their last eight games. As for the Bucks, they won three of their final five games but suffered a surprising loss to Western Wayne and also lost 13-0 to Wyoming Area earlier in the year. Holy Redeemer split their season series with the Warriors, taking the second matchup 6-1. My prediction is the Royals offense, led by Mary Lombardi and Zoe Peuch, will do just enough to make the title game.
Championship Prediction: Holy Redeemer vs Elk Lake
AAA: Lake-Lehman, Mid Valley, Riverside, Western Wayne, Carbondale, Lakeland
This is about as cut and dry a bracket as any in the district. The Black Knights and Spartans have a combined record of 35-5 and no other team in the field has a record above .500. The Black Knight should finally be able to return to the title game after being knocked out by Holy Redeemer each of the last two years, and the Spartans are no strangers to district title games. They have won five straight District Two AAA titles and won the state title in 2023.
Penn State commit Kirsten Finarelli leads the Black Knights offense with 11 home runs, and junior Kaitlyn Brudnicki has a .673 batting average. James Madison commit Hannah Chipego is a two-way star with a 0.95 ERA and 198 strikeouts on the year to go along with 36 stolen bases. The Spartans will counter with Mackenzie Adolfson, who is batting .510 on the season with 10 home runs. In the circle, the Spartans have Ava Hazleton, a sophomore with a 0.96 ERA and 165 strikeouts. She has given up seven home runs, which will make the matchup with Finarelli very interesting.
Championship Prediction: Lake-Lehman vs Mid Valley
AAAA: Tunkhannock, Valley View, Dallas, Wallenpaupack, Wyoming Area, Berwick, Scranton Prep, Hanover
Another bracket that lacks much drama, Dallas vs Valley View in the semifinals would be an upset watch, because the Mountaineers were the only team to beat Tunkhannock this year. Led by Bucknell commit Nina Barrouk, who has a 1.94 ERA and a .400 batting average, the Mountaineers will attempt to avenge their last two playoff losses to try and make the district title game.
Valley View is the two seed for a reason. They went 17-2 with their only losses coming to North Pocono and Abington Heights. Their offense is a two-headed monster led by Kalli Karowowski and Taylor Cawley. Cawley is also a dominant pitcher with an ERA of 0.60. The Cougars are ranked at No. 5 in the state and No. 2 in AAAA according to MaxPreps.
The team ahead of them is the Tunkhannock Tigers, who enter the playoffs ranked by MaxPreps as the No. 4 team in the state and No. 1 in AAAA. They have won 10 straight, and avenged their only loss to Dallas with a 6-2 win over them. They have wins over both Mid Valley and Elk Lake. McKenzie Hannon, who is committed to Lock Haven, has pitched to the tune of a 1.84 ERA and her future college teammate Erin Van Ness has driven the offense with a .569 batting average along with 34 RBIs and 37 hits.
This will likely be their fifth straight meeting in the title game, with the series currently tied at two wins each.
Championship Prediction: Tunkhannock vs Valley View
AAAAA: Abington Heights, North Pocono, Pittston Area, Delaware Valley, Crestwood, Shikellamy (District Four)
This is the deepest field of any of the six classes in District Two. Abington Heights and North Pocono are the two most talented teams in the field. But I won’t count out a Pittston team that has pieces back from a team that won a state title in 2022 and made it back to the championship game last year.
The Comets enter the playoffs ranked No. 1 in the state on MaxPreps. Their only losses came to Valley View and in a non-district game vs Susquehanna Valley. They have multiple star pitchers in sophomore Adrianna Condrad senior Lauren Stalica. Both also lead the team in batting average.
The Trojans finally broke through this year to establish themselves as top contenders in the LIAA Division One. They beat Valley View 7-6 on the road earlier this year and are in position to make their first district championship in over a decade. The team is loaded offensively with Alyssa Lynch, Ellie Ambrosecchia, Amelia Bell and Averie Roscioli. Ariella Bell leads the pitching staff with a 1.94 ERA across 14 appearances. Their biggest challenge will be Pittston.
Don’t let the Patriots 10-8 record fool you, they played some stiff competition including Mid Valley, Valley View Lake-Lehman, and both Dallas and Tunkhannock twice. Marina Antal was on that title team and runs the offense along with junior Lili Hintze, who batted .508 and .422 during the regular season respectively. The Patriots will need some big pitching performances from Samantha Herbert, who had a 4.29 ERA in the regular season. Even with their experience, this Trojans team feels destined to break through.
Championship Prediction: North Pocono vs Abington Heights
AAAAA: Williamsport (District Four), Hazleton, Wilkes-Barre Area, West Scranton, Wyoming Valley West, Scranton
Fun fact, Williamsport is the only team in the bracket with a winning record. They went 1-1 vs District Two teams this season, beating Holy Redeemer 2-1 and losing to Tunkhannock 10-3. They enter the tournament with a 15-5 record and have won their last six games.
Their opponent will likely be decided in a game between two division rivals, Wilkes-Barre Area and Hazleton. This would be their third meeting of the season after the road team won the first two games. Hazleton would have home field advantage as the second seed. Both games were also decided by one run. I give the edge in that matchup to the Wolfpack, who have road wins over both Hazleton and Pittston.
Championship Prediction: Wilkes-Barre Area vs Williamsport
