Varsity Vibe: Arkansas
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Varsity Vibe: Arkansas
High School Softball Finals Are Set! | Varsity Vibe
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The high school state softball finals are set, and by the end of the week, champions will be crowned in Hot Springs! Kyle Sutherland joins Alyssa Orange as they look at the match-ups in each classification and break down their road to get to the finals.
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SPEAKER_00It's going to be a fun one at Majestic Park. They've moved away from UCA and Conway, where they've played the last couple of years, and it's going to be a fun one at Majestic Park in hot springs for all of these finals, and we're going to focus on softball today. We have been able to have Kyle Sutherland, who has covered high school softball for over a decade around the state. He's joined us a couple of times throughout the season, and it's all led up to this and what he expects and what we look forward to in these state final matchups. So sit back as we look at these matchups and what kind of exciting action we might have this weekend in Hot Springs with my conversation with Kyle Sutherland. Great to have Kyle Sutherland joining us as we get ready for state softball finals here coming up at the end of the week at Hot Springs. First and foremost, always love chatting with you, Kyle, about softball. We've done it a couple of times already this season, and this is exactly what we build up for, right? This weekend. But also got to go to Hot Springs and Majestic Park a few weeks ago. Great facility and excited to go back and watch the softball finals here starting on Thursday.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. We love this time of year. Hate that it's coming to an end, uh, the 26th season, but yeah, this is what you play for and and different location, as you said. And uh, I guess it's been in Conway for the past two or three years, bitten before that. So getting a chance to go to Majestic Park, really beautiful place, tons of history, particularly on the baseball side, uh, down in Hot Springs, really over a century's worth of history. So it's gonna be a lot of fun there and really got a lot of great matchups once again.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's gonna be a lot of fun. And who who can complain about going to Hot Springs, right? It'll be fun. Right. It'll be fun. Yeah, exactly. Well, let's start with uh the the big classification in the state. And I don't think this is any surprise, though both of these teams really kind of had to battle a little bit to get to the championship game. But once again, we have a rematch again of Bentonville and Harbor playing for a state championship in the 6A.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, third time in his many years, and you and I got to call this game last year. Last year was kind of a funky game because most of the runs, Bentonville, of course, won that one four to three. Ken Early wins his eighth state championship with the program since 2016. And it was just really weird in the sense that there were so many base runners. There were 16 base runners left on. And uh Sierra Dots, I think, gave up like it was like 11 hits, and Darby Burnett for Bentonville walked nine, but they just for the most part could not get a lot of runners across. So I imagine that's gonna be uh uh something that they really both coaches probably really focus on. You know, two of the best coaches in state history in this one in Ken Early and Randy Austin, over a thousand combined wins. And Harbor beat Bentonville for the first time in the Austin. I think really the first time that Harbor had ever beaten Bentonville uh in the regular season. So uh anytime I know that Bentonville has the edge, but any two, these anytime these two teams match up, you just never know what could happen. Darby Burnett, and I imagine she's gonna get the start being the senior, but of course you got Dalen Osborne there as well for Bentonville, and then Sierra Dots there in the circle for Harbor. These two teams know each other as well as any two in the state, regardless of class.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. And I think after that win during the regular season, I got to talk to Sierra Dots about that win and how big it was. And I think maybe 2011, 2013 might have been the last time Harbor beat Bentonville in softball during the regular season, I think. Um, if my if my memory serves me well. Uh, but if you are the Wildcats, right, and and you're back in this situation as you talked about for the third straight time, what do they need to do to win that trophy when it's all said and done this year?
SPEAKER_01Well, I think the biggest thing is is you just you gotta really get the, you know, uh put locate your pitch as well, because obviously for both of these, because and obviously you have to locate your pitch as well, regardless of who you're playing. But again, just because Ken Early knows this team in and out, and Randy Austin knows Bentonville in and out. And so it's really just about being as sharp as you can. Obviously, these are two of the sharper teams in the state, considering that they're playing for a state championship for the third time in a row. But uh for Bentonville, you certainly can't give up as many free passes as you last year was last year, but that's the biggest thing to me as far as on Bentonville's side. But really, uh just get get the hits when you can, and then for for sure, get the base runners across when you can. Again, there were 16 combined left on last year. I think it was six for Harbor and 10 for Bentonville, but Bentonville was still able to get the timely hits and ultimately the win. So, really just once you get base runners on, get them across. That's the big thing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, exactly. It's gonna be a fun one. That game on Saturday night to end it all, a big, nice exclamation point, as we've said the last couple of years uh for the softball final game. Through the 5A, uh Benton and Farmington. How about the Cardinals having themselves a year and they make it here to the state finals?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so Farmington was actually my sleeper coming into the year. Yeah because I knew that they had a really good after that 2024 class that won the 4A that helped them win the 4A state championship. I think it was eight or nine that they graduated, they had a lot of freshmen. They played a lot of freshmen and sophomores this year, but I knew some of those kids that they had coming in, particularly Hadley Hayes and Reed Shairee. And so I knew that they had a chance after after competing really hard as youngsters in the state tournament last year. And then I looked at their lineup, uh look at their side of the bracket, and I'm like, man, if they can get past Greenbrier, if they do play Greenbrier in the quarterfinal round, I think that they match up pretty well against the you know, Sylvan Hills, Cersei, all those other teams on their side. So this was not incredibly shocking. Once they got the Greenbrier win, especially in comeback fashion, so you know they're they're up against obviously uh Goliath right now, like to an extent, just because Denton is, they've won four of the last five state championships in 5A, they're the back-to-back defending start. I'm sorry, the the defending state champion, and Sheridan, of course, won it in uh 25 or 24. But yeah, I mean, I think that really when you look at these two, they're both number one seeds out of their conference. Denton a little bit more experienced. I think when you look at um Rexy Crane in the circle, and then right behind and Peyton Stewart, that's one of the best batteries, regardless of classification, there. And I mean, Denton is as loaded and as experienced at just about every position that you could think of. But just because Farmington is really young, that was the biggest thing. Could their youth push them to the state championship game? We knew they would compete. They've proven that they can do that, and they might not be as experienced as as Benton, but obviously have loads of talent there and will for years to come.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, now quickly, since we're on the 5A, obviously, Sheridan not in the finals again. Uh, but but for Sheridan, they they had to kind of battle a little bit. Um, and and it was a little bit of a surprise that comeback win that they had that I think shocked everyone over Valonia. I mean, they they had quite themselves a state tournament.
SPEAKER_01Oh, absolutely. Well, Ben and Sheridan have been the standard for the past two 10 years. You look at the past nine state champions, have been one of those two schools. And so uh Sheridan under Scott Hoppin, they've never finished worse than the quarterfinal round. This is his what year four, I believe. So uh they've had a lot of seeking, they've continued their sustained success that they had had before COVID under him. Uh so yeah, it wasn't shocking. I wasn't shocked at all. I mean, that's another number one seed out of their conference. So I wasn't shocked at all to see them come out on top in some of those close games. I know that they would have they had some things they'd like to have back against Benton. But yeah, another really, really great run by the lady Yellow Jackets.
SPEAKER_00All right, let's over to 4A Warren and Monticello, another matchup that I think we're excited to see.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, this is one that let's be realistic. Mo, maybe outside of South Arkansas, nobody predicted this. And it's not that nobody predicted them to make deep runs. I had talked about them a little bit all season of how Monticello had a lot of returning starters. Warren had some returning starters from a young team last year. So that South Region, or particularly the 4A8 conference, was going to be really interesting. But uh right now, Monticello has the edge. Monticello's beaten Warren three times, two of those pretty handily, and then they had the 12-11 matchup there in the in the regular season. That was a slug fest. But uh, I'll tell you, Alyssa, this is really great to see in 4-A because you're seeing a lot of parody. You got Brooklyn up there in the northeast corner. Really, the last few years, it's been that 4A1 with the P Ridges, the gentries that's kind of ran this uh class for the most part. But you didn't even have a 4A1 team in the semifinal round. That was extremely shocking for me, but uh really, really great for South Arkansas and and and softball down in that area of the state for these two teams to be playing for it all.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. I mean, obviously, being up here in that northwest corner, uh, used to talking about, like you mentioned, the Pea Ridges, the gentry, even Mountain Home having a good year as well. Uh, but Warren Monticello gonna have some fun. And again, it just shows to the growth of the sport, which I know we both really love. So that 4-A 4-A game is gonna be a lot of fun. Over in the 3A, Harding Academy and DeWitt. What do you like about this matchup?
SPEAKER_01Well, Harding Academy, after they lost in pretty convincing fashion in the state championship to uh to Mayflower last year, I had a feeling that even though Mayflower was bringing back a good bit, Harding Academy was probably gonna be a favorite coming in. And I feel like they have played like the top team in 3A as as a collective season at least, and really just pretty much tore through the their side of the brag. I mean, they had two shutout victories in their three state tournament wins. And then you look at the other side at DeWitt, and last year was kind of the year that we thought that DeWitt would have won it all. They lost a couple of key pieces from last year's team, but then you have somebody like Harley Gramer that has just gone off. I mean, I would say if there's a player of the year in 3A, Harley Gramer is certainly a finalist for it. I think that's safe to say. But they they win their region for the third year in a row, then they make it through their bracket, their side of the bracket. Really Gutsy win over Bad Misprep. Then they took down Smack Over in pretty convention fashion. So you got a big, even though these are two number one seeds, it it's definitely, I would say, Harding favored in this one just because of what we've seen from them all season. But DeWitt, they have really turned it on here in the back half.
SPEAKER_00What are you most excited about in that matchup, just overall?
SPEAKER_01I I think when you look at A Cellis, the UT Martin signee uh in the circle for Harding Academy up against Harley Grammar, that might be the best hitter in 3A, might be the best hitter in the lower classifications, 1A through 3A. She set the program record for um for home runs in a career. I think she's at like 28 now, but the the record was 25. The new one she set, she set. And so I think that matchup right there is gonna have a lot of eyes on it. But really just the the overall skill, the Harding Academy's got a lot of like freshman, sophomore talent on this team. And of course, uh DeWitt has has a little bit of a mix uh as well. But I I think just the matchup right there, when you see Harley Grammar in the batter's box against Ace Ellis, that's gonna be a premier matchup to watch.
SPEAKER_00I love that. I love that. All right, let's go to two A Tuckerman and Woodlawn. How about that in the two-way?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. Two, so three of last year's state uh semifinalists made it back. And Tuckerman and Woodlawn each came up a game short of the state championship game. Tuckerman won back-to-back two-a-state championships under Matt Dillon, who uh is now at Brooklyn in 2021 and 22. And then you've got Woodlawn that I don't I'm not gonna say, Alyssa, that we didn't expect them to be here because we knew that they had talent coming back, but you would have thought they would have probably made a state championship under little when they had Lily Faye McWarter, now of course pitching for the Razorbacks. And uh so an incredible job by Matt Ewitt to again lose one of the top players in the entire state, but to really keep this team together that is still really talented and make this run to the state final. I I can't remember, I don't know if this is their first. I haven't looked at that for 2A yet. If this is their first trip ever. But then against the Tuckerman team that again, a couple of years ago, uh, was two years in a row at the top of 2A, they've been really young over the past couple of years, but now we're seeing that come to fruition and all that experience and talent come together. So this one should be really one of the better matchups of the weekend.
SPEAKER_00It's gonna be fun, but hey, I this is no surprise, right? We finally made it to the 1A, which is gonna kick things off on Thursday. And once again, it's can someone beat Taylor? And Scranton gets the opportunity to knock down Goliath in the 1A as they face Taylor in the first game of the day.
SPEAKER_01So Taylor is the eight-time defending state champion. I'll say this, Alyssa. They they yeah, which is crazy to say that. I mean, that is just one of the most unique dynasties in in all of American high school sports, not just Arkansas. That is crazy. And of course, what their baseball team has done too, you know, going for their fifth straight. But uh, but but Taylor, what we saw against Westside was just a prime example. You can't you don't just have the best players and the best chemistry year in and year out. You gotta have a little bit of luck, right? Unless it's too you know, we know like when you have that kind of success, you do and some you might call it luck, you might call it clutch, whatever words you want to use, but it was one to nothing, I think, from the second inning until the seventh. And Taylor had the in the semifinal round, Taylor had their backs up against the wall, they knocked a few doubles, they played four runs, they win the ballgame and go back to the state championship. And I look at when these two teams played a couple of years ago, you know, Scrandon didn't even have a program in 2022. Whitney Bateman comes in, they do well in 23, then they get hot at the end of the year and go to a state championship against Taylor. And I think at that time, and I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, but I think the lights were maybe a little bit too bright for them. They had just really a lot of youngsters had experienced that taste of success just around regional time. And you're against Taylor that had been on the brightest stage, the stage with the brightest lights multiple times. So a lot of those kids are back. They were freshmen and sophomores at that time. So a lot of them remember that. They remember how the semifinal game went again in the semi- or quarterfinal game last year against Taylor. This strant team is as ready as any team that has ever played Taylor will be. Now, I'm not saying that they're gonna win it, but I think this is probably as evenly matched as any team Taylor has faced in there since 2017 when they won their first of eight consecutive.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know, it's so crazy to put that into perspective when you say eight and you say 2017, but it really hits home when you think about the seniors on this Taylor clash who do the math. That means they were in fourth grade, fourth grade.
SPEAKER_01They were like 10. Yeah, seniors.
SPEAKER_00They were fourth graders having to carry that kind of weight on their shoulders playing softball. I mean, that's what's crazy. Eight eighth grade, fourth, I'm sorry, fourth grade.
SPEAKER_01And I'll give you a one too. It's something to think about. And there's a there's a lot of towns like this in various sports, but you think about what they've done in baseball. Again, the baseball's going for their fifth in a row, and softball's going for their ninth in a row. It's not when is the district tournament, when is the regional tournament, hey, when is the state championship? You you are basically expected, and and it's understandable because that's where they are every single year. So you got people around town asking about the dates of the state championship game, and it's like, well, crap, we we still got to win a district title, we've got to win a regular season conference title. So that's the standard there. Those kids just breathe and eat baseball and softball, and they're just, I mean, they just outwork everybody, and they're just they they are literally born with a ball and a bat in their hand.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I I love that. It it's very similar again, different sport, different community, but football for the longest time at Greenwood. And then you also look, I was having a conversation during basketball season with girls' head coach Jessica McCullough. And I think as Easton, as a sophomore, the last time they didn't make the state final, she was in eighth grade. You know, those are those kind of perspectives, and it's that kind of standard where you know literally nothing else. Like I joke with my son, because we're Dodgers fans, that like he has not lived a life born in 2017, as we talk about that, right? So he has not known a life where like the Dodgers really haven't been in the World Series.
SPEAKER_01Right, exactly. Yeah, you know, it's it's crazy. He's spoiled for sure.
SPEAKER_00He's so spoiled, he doesn't understand. But that's the whole point is these kids know a lot don't know a life where that softball program hasn't won a state championship. So no pressure to scrint, but that's just what you get in the 1A when Taylor's on the other dugout.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and that's and that that's the thing. Last year is, you know, I've just seen this happen so many different times. And last year, Concord, they they really gave it to Taylor. I mean, they gave him all they wanted in the first few innings, but as soon as Taylor got, I think it was a double from Ayla Buford, which her sister Adley is now Taylor's first baseman. But uh, I think it was either it was either Ayla or Adley got like a double, and I'm like, oh boy, here we that was that was what really popped the top off the seal right there. It was just there, they're about to pour it on them, and they that's when they kind of ran away with it. And so uh, you know, and I will say too with Delaney Maynor for Stranton and then Aniston Nolte, which look, I mean, she had as big a shoes to Aniston Nolte had as big a shoes to fill as anybody for Ayla Buford, a four-time state champion, four-time state tournament MVP. I mean, won every single award in the book. Basically every one of them broke tons of records. And uh, I mean, I just look at that, and and this is a great pitching matchup with Aniston Nolte. The pitching in one A might not be what it was in 24 when you had five or six that could have gone to play in college. But I mean, these two with Delaney Maynard and Aniston Nolte, I mean, it's just prime time in the circle right there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, overall, just gonna be a really great weekend of softball. And you've mentioned a couple of players who've gone on to play college softball, division one softball. And we have so many players on these uh teams that we have, these 12 teams that are gonna go play at the next level, go play for the Razorbacks or go play for Texas AM or go play for UT Martin, like you mentioned. And so a lot of talent and another exciting weekend in Hot Springs. You know, we were talking before this. I mentioned my dad's coming into town and he's so funny. You talk about scheduling around the state finals. Again, I grew up playing this sport. My dad was my coach, and the first thing he asked me three months ago was when is the state finals weekend? I'm gonna come visit. So he's gonna be in hot springs with me to take in all this action this weekend. So I'm really looking forward to it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that'll be a lot of fun. Yeah, that's that's a great time to come. Is uh especially a former former softball coach, this is the time to be here. And the only thing is, Alyssa, I'd be uh be careful about the weather. Um I know I guess well, not necessarily be careful, just be watchful of it. There's not really much you can do except for but be watchful. But yeah, uh yeah, looks like we do have a good bit of rain coming through. I mean, I know that this week is looking pretty rough, but yeah, I I was hesitant. I've been wanting to say on my podcast, our Arkansas Software Central podcast about how like we've had great weather, we've had great tournaments, you know, nothing really that has been bothered by Mother Nature, but that is going to change this weekend, it appears.
SPEAKER_00So yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, can't have it all perfect.
SPEAKER_00No, that's true. I mean, we're just gonna have to keep our fingers crossed and see, but it's that time of the year. Look, we're we're used to it. I've been used to it covering enough regionals and baseball, softball, super regionals, and shoot Hoover every week. I swear there's about three or four weather delays, guaranteed. So that's happening this weekend in Alabama, just is that time of the year. But we get through it and we get uh the games in and it'll be exciting. Kyle, thank you so much always for joining us, man. It has been so fun to have you on a couple of times this season at Talk Softball. I appreciate it because you love it probably a little bit more than I do, which is saying a lot.
SPEAKER_01Oh no, I appreciate it. Anytime I can promote these kids or just, you know, help grow the game, I'm I'm always willing. So uh really appreciate you having me on. It's always a good time.
SPEAKER_00A big shout out to Kyle. So knowledgeable, so great to have on this show. And he's brought a lot over softball season. So we thank him for his time and always giving us the best of the best when it comes to softball knowledge around the state. Just want to break down some of those game times for you. Again, it's gonna start on Thursday, the two A game uh between Tuckerman and Woodland, that is Thursday at one, and then the three A softball game between Harding Academy and DeWitt, that's seven o'clock on Thursday. At 10 a.m. on Friday will be the four A game between Warren and Monticello. Then at four o'clock, it's the six A game, the one we talked about, the rematch between a rematch, rematch, really, because these have matched uh three times in the state five over the last three years in Bentonville and Harbor. And then on Saturday, it's gonna be a uh one o'clock game between Taylor and Scranton, and then a seven o'clock game between Benton and Farmington. So it should be a fun one down there at Majestic Park at Springton. We're gonna talk baseball coming up later on in the week. But again, thank you so much for joining us. Make sure to follow us on our social media platforms that is Instagram, X, TikTok, and Facebook, as well as for the newsletter at varsityvibearkansas.com. That's your inbox twice a week. And make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel and wherever you get your casts. I'm your host, Alyssa Orange. Thank you once again for joining us, and I'll see you next time.
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