A couple of senior programs, Ray, Superior and Santa Cruz, are the favorites in Division V, a new state softball tournament that was added this season. 

The tournament begins Friday at Rose Mofford Sports Complex and concludes May 9 at Arizona State's Farrington Softball Stadium. 

Teams

No. 17 Bagdad (11-9)-No. 16 San Tan Foothills (11-7) winner vs. No. 1 Ray (19-3): Ray, the No. 4 seed in the Division IV state tournament last year, lost 5-4 in the state quarterfinals to the eventual state champ, Superior. Superior is the No. 3 seed in this year’s D-V tournament. A couple of Ray’s seniors, Stormee Galka and Savannah Willis, are performing like they want a better ending to their season this year. Galka is batting .557 with 44 RBIs, and Willis is hitting .500. Galka is also dominating in the circle with, allowing only .69 runs per game. She has also struck out 120 batters in 90 2/3 innings. Sophomore Janae Ruiz is leading Ray at the plate with a .632 average. Ray’s team ERA is .96 and has stolen 79 bases this season. First-year coach Jared Carrell guided San Tan Foothills to its first ever plus-.500 season. Bagdad has won 11 games or more every year, with the exception of two seasons, since 2007.

No. 24 Academy of Tucson (11-9)-No. 9 San Carlos winner (10-9) vs. No. 8 Pima: Pima finished 10-10, but it’s the first time the program finished with a .500 record or better since the school went 13-8 in 2007. Led by their very driven first-year head coach Joseph Voigt and assistant Nathan Tilmon, San Carlos reached the state playoffs for the first time since the 1990s. Senior LaTasha Harvey only won 10 games this season, but that’s a modern day record for San Carlos. San Carlos is hoping to have Bianca Pike, who was batting .500 before a wrist injury, back in the lineup for the playoffs. Harvey (.397 ave.), senior Adrianna Haozous (.415 ave.) and sophomore Chasity Dosela (.345 ave.) were leading the way for San Carlos at the plate. “The main reason (San Carlos) has been successful is because of our next-women-up philosophy,” Voigt said. “San Carlos has started 18 different players throughout the season while sending out 14 different lineups in 16 games.” Caitlyn Doster was hitting .493 for Academy of Tucson after 17 games and also had a 10-6 record with a 2.16 ERA.

No. 21 Bisbee (5-16)-No. 12 Mayer (17-6) winner vs. No. 5 Hayden (9-11): Hayden got off to a slow start, losing its first six games of the season, but regrouped after the team made some adjustments and started playing together as a team, coach Gene Westrope said. “Another reason we started to gel was due to some players who have never played before or had very little experience but really stepped it up,” Westrope added. “They are having fun playing together.” First-year coach Lisa Simpson quickly turned Mayer into a contender, guiding the program to its first winning season in more than a decade. Sophomore Lakin Dodge has a team-high 38 RBI’s, and Hannah Paterno, a freshman, is 16-5 with 127 strikeouts in 116 1/3 innings. Mayer has stolen 102 of its 113 attempts. Bisbee seniors Leslye Garcia and Dulce Estrada were each batting .365 or better.

No. 20 Williams (10-10)-No. 13 San Miguel (12-8) winner vs. No. 4 Valley Union (21-4): The Valley Union Lady Devils are led by seniors Danae Villareal (.592 ave., 17-4, 173 K’s in 114 2/3 innings), catcher Jessica Garcia (.559), first baseman Mariah Puzzi (.455 ave.) and second baseman Marisa de la Cruz (.418 ave). Coach Jeffrey Baker and his daughter, Ashlee, an assistant, have helped Valley Union reach the playoffs in the past six seasons. Every Valley Union assistant has played for Baker in high school or club ball. “We were undefeated in section and division because of our ability to score runs and fight back when we were down,” Baker said. Franchesca Pennington was batting .489 after 15 games for Williams, which lost its first five game of the year. After two 5-10 seasons, San Miguel finished with a plus.-500 record (12-8) this year for only the second time in the past decade.

No. 19 Ganado (12-6)-No. 14 Antelope Union (14-7-1) winner vs. No. 3 Superior (19-3): Superior won the D-IV title last year and is performing as if it wants to repeat last year’s feat, outscoring opponents 280-93 this year so far. Two of the team’s five seniors, Gabby Salcido (.613 ave.) and Phalicitee Thomas (.500 ave., 37 RBI’s), have hit 16 of the team’s 19 home runs. Superior can also swipe bases with the best of them (142 stolen bases in 143 attempts). Ivie Lopez has struck out 111 batters in 87 innings. Antelope has posted double digit wins in the past three seasons for the first time in more than a decade. Senior Nineka Boiling and junior JaeLynn Curley were each hitting over .500 after seven games for Ganado.

No. 22 Mogollon-No. 11 St. David (12-9) winner vs. No. 6 Joseph City (16-6): “I would have to say that all my girls are amazing in many different areas, not just on the field,” Joseph City coach Kacey Halbison said. “Our dugout is always positive and backs up the players who are playing on the field. We also have succeeded in the area of flushing the errors and coming back strong quickly. They have worked hard at helping each other out with personal goals, and this team truly has become a family that cares for each other. I could go on and on, but basically they love softball and I love my ballers.”  St. David is averaging 11.76 runs per game. Mogollon scored 45 runs in its last three games to help it nab one of the final playoffs seeds.

No. 23 Miami (5-19)-No. 10 Mohave Accelerated (11-6) winner vs. No. 7 Seligman (14-5): Captain Kiana Alvarado, Seligman’s ace, has carried the team at times with her velocity and control (10 K’s per game) and plate performances (.600-plus batting average). Her sister, Jaden (.648 ave.), is her catcher and does a good job of blocking balls in the dirt, coach Gabriel Alvarado said. Jaden also carries a 4.0 GPA. Seligman only dresses nine players, doesn’t have a junior varsity program and returned only three players from last year’s team. The team was this close to cancelling its season until two players signed up at the last minute.“ Another key factor in our success are the team dinners we have before big games,” Gabriel said. “We have dinner as a team, laugh, have fun and bond. We come together as one big family and believe in each other. Our team isn’t perfect, but it makes for a great Cinderella story. We are the Lady Lopes. One team. One goal.” Allyssa Kidwell has had a strong season in the circle — defensively and striking batters out — and at the plate for Mohave Accelerated. Catcher Emily Estrada also is a force to be reckoned with in the batter’s box, Mohave Accelerated coach Shanda Weiler said. Estrada also has a knack for picking off runners. Junior Emily Estrada and freshmen Sierra Demers, Madeline Mulligan and Miranda Milstead have maintained a 4.0 this year.  “We’ve been successful this because of our strong leadership from our junior class,” Weiler said. “The girls really mesh well together, which leads to good communication on and off the field. Our program is strong due to the parent support and backing we have had all season as well.” Senior Keisha Bowser and sophomore Jaydan Allinson were each totting .520 or better batting averages for Miami, which is averaging four stolen bases per game.

No. 18 AZ College Prep (11-7)-No. 15 Fort Thomas (13-8) winner vs. No. 2 Santa Cruz Valley (22-5): Santa Cruz unior 3B Tylor Gil has struck out 144 batters in 116 1/3 innings and leads D-V with 10 home runs. Junior Wylee Crumbaker is hitting .400 and leads D-V with 35 stolen bases, and catcher Jordan Aleman is “solid behind the plate” and is hitting .544. For AZ College Prep, it took the long road to get to the playoffs as a first-year AIA full member. The school doesn’t yet have a home field, so it had to travel about 1,900 miles during the regular season. “The schedule can take a toll,” AZ College Prep coach Kelly Saadi said. “But our players have preserved and have been rock stars, getting up for every game no matter how far we travelled or how late we got home.” Pitcher/infielder Jessica Tells is a co-captain and is batting .493 — and she’s only a freshman. “Jessica’s control in the circle, strong bat and knowledge of the game has been imperative, and a large part of the Knights’ success this season,” Saadi said. Junior catcher Rhi Horn is the other captain and was hitting .641. “Rhi’s energy, hustle, leadership, clutch hitting, and great catching has also played a huge role in the Knights’ success this season,” Saadi said. After its first seven games, Fort Thomas outscored its opponents 97-58 but struggled midway through the season. It did win its last three regular season games, though.