5 Ball Teams from the Pineywoods Continue Their March For a State Title

Several teams from the Pineywoods are still alive as the quest for a softball or baseball state championship continues. Brookeland, Corrigan-Camden, Huntington, and Shelbyville continue to impress.

Here are the capsules of their upcoming playoff games.

Class A Softball State Semi-Final

Brookeland (17-4-3) vs Leakey (22-13-1) - One Game Series

• Saturday, May 24, 6:30 p.m. at Weimar High School

Outlook: The Brookeland Lady Cats are making their deepest playoff run in school history, but their quest is far from over. They are one game away from playing in Austin next week for a state championship.

According to the UIL bracket, Brookeland has outscored its playoff opponents 57-0. Next up is Leakey. They have one common opponent, Hull-Daisetta. Leakey defeated them last week 7-2 in a regional final game. Brookeland rolled to a 16-0 win over them in mid-March.

ADVANTAGE: BROOKELAND

READ MORE: Brookeland Angler Wins $5,000 at Bass Fishing Tourney

Class 2A, Division 1, Softball State Semi-Final

Corrigan-Camden (25-6-1) vs Ganado (30-5-1), 3 Game Series

• Game 1: Tuesday, May 20, 6:30 pm at Navasota High School
• Game 2, Thursday, May 22, 6:30 pm at Waller High School
• Game 3 (if necessary) Saturday, May 24, 12 pm at Navasota High School

Outlook: The amazing turnaround for the Lady Bulldogs continues. They have won 20+ more games than they did a year ago, and now find themselves 1 series away from a trip to Austin for the championship game.

Ganado is stout. They play in the same district as the defending 2A state champs (Shiner). Ganado split the season series with Shiner this year. This is probably the best all-around team that Corrigan-Camden has played this year, but the Lady Bulldogs have been on a roll.

ADVANTAGE: GANADO

Class A Baseball Regional Final

Brookeland (19-2) vs Avalon (13-9-1) - 3 Game Series at Bullard HS

• Game 1: Wednesday, May 21, 6:30 pm
• Game 2: Thursday, May 22, 6:30 pm
• Game 3 (if necessary): Saturday, May 24, 6:30 pm

Outlook: Like the Brookeland softball squad, the Wildcats' baseball team is making its deepest run in school history. Brookeland is a veteran team, battle-tested, and deep with talent. This should be a 2-game sweep for the Wildcats on their way to a date in the state semi-finals.

ADVANTAGE: BROOKELAND

Class 2A, Division 1 Baseball Regional Final

Shelbyville (25-7-1) vs Centerville (24-4-1) - 3 Game Series

• Game 1: Thursday, May 22, 7 pm, Hudson High School
• Game 2: Saturday, May 24, 4 pm, Lufkin High School
• Game 3 (if necessary): 30 minutes after Game 2

Outlook: It's the Dragons vs the Tigers, Part Two. In 2024, these two teams met in the regional finals, with Centerville taking a two-game sweep and earning a spot in the state tournament. This season, Shelbyville hopes to flip the script.

The Dragons haven't lost a game since April 11, but will be the underdogs against Centerville. The Tigers took 2 of 3 against Garrison earlier in the playoffs. In district play, Garrison swept Shelbyville.

That's about as close as I can get when it comes to comparing apples to apples, but I wouldn't be overly shocked if the Dragons pull off the upset and keep the Tigers from making their second straight appearance in the state semi-finals.

ADVANTAGE: CENTERVILLE

Class 3A, Division 1 Baseball Regional Final

Huntington (28-7-1) vs Whitney (17-10), 3-game series at Athens HS

• Game 1: Thursday, May 22, 7 pm
• Game 2: Saturday, May 24, 6 pm
• Game 3 (if necessary): 30 minutes following game 2

Outlook: Not many people would have predicted that either one of these teams would still be going four rounds deep in the playoffs. But these two teams have been playing their best baseball of the season at the right time.

Both teams have been overachieving, and this series between the Red Devils and Wildcats seems to be evenly matched. However, Huntington just knocked off the defending state champs, and that moves the needle in their favor.

ADVANTAGE: HUNTINGTON