WPIAL reveals 2026 softball playoff pairings

By: Don Rebel
Thursday, May 7, 2026 | 4:03 PM

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The path to PennWest-California’s Lilley Field is set for 76 WPIAL softball playoff teams.

The district released the six brackets Thursday with Hempfield in Class 6A, Shaler in 5A, Elizabeth Forward in 4A, South Park in 3A, Laurel in 2A and Union in A earning the top seeds.

The WPIAL softball steering committee spent the most time on two loaded brackets in the Class 5A and 2A playoffs.

Defending champion Shaler was the consensus top seed, but a young Thomas Jefferson team got the No. 2 seed while 2025 runner-up Penn-Trafford was given the third seed.

“There was a lot of discussion with this,” WPIAL softball committee chairperson Scot Moore said. “At the beginning of the year, TJ played Shaler and beat them. Now, that was back in March and teams change during the season, so you have to keep that into account as well.”

Moore acknowledged that when all was said and done in 5A, the right side of the bracket was stacked.

“You talk about a loaded side of the bracket,’ he said. “You have TJ and Penn-Trafford, along with Montour, who is playing well, and then you have Trinity. Whoever comes out of that side of the bracket is going to earn it.”

The Jaguars weren’t surprised to be No. 2, but they are excited.

“We were confident we earned the second or third seed, but we are thrilled to be second,” Thomas Jefferson coach Heidi Karcher said. “Our team is full of young girls who have talent and a drive to win. They are a tight-knit group that is coachable and wants to be better today than they were yesterday.”

Of the 10 starters in the Jaguars lineup, there are seven sophomores and only one senior.

“We are thrilled with how we played at the end of the season to generate momentum into the playoffs,” Karcher said.

The other bracket that was tough to finalize for the committee was Class 2A. It is a full 16-team tournament in which nearly half of the teams are legitimate contenders.

Section 1-2A outright champion Laurel was chosen as the top seed over one-loss section champions Chartiers-Houston and Bentworth.

“It was the consensus of the committee,” Moore said about the Spartans being the top seed. “There were discussions for Laurel and Chartiers-Houston and Bentworth, but this one took a while and we all knew going in this was going to take a while.”

The No. 1 seed didn’t seem to excite the Spartans, who have played all year with a singular focus in finishing 13-4.

“We don’t think about seeding, just about our next opponent,” Laurel second-year coach Bill Garroway said. “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. At some point, the seeding will take care of itself.

“Class 2A is loaded and the WPIAL champion could come out of any of the four sections. It’s going to be a dogfight, which makes it super exciting.”

Section 1-2A, with Laurel, Neshannock, Shenango and Riverside, received four of the top seven seeds with the Spartans as top seed, the Lancers No. 5, the Wildcats No. 6 and the Panthers No. 7.

“The strength of our section prepares us,” Garroway said. “Then we take it one step further by playing great teams outside of our section who are usually from larger classifications.”

The first round of the WPIAL softball playoffs is set for Monday for Class 4A, Tuesday in 5A and then Thursday for 3A, 2A and A.

The championship games are scheduled for May 27-28, at PennWest’s Lilley Field in California.

Hempfield (19-1) is seeking its 10th title and won twice in the past three seasons. The other top seeds in 6A went to No. 2 Seneca Valley, No. 3 Norwin and No. 4 Canon-McMillan.

Shaler (16-1) defeated Hempfield in a nonsection game in March.

Elizabeth Forward (16-3) was the Section 2-4A champ and is looking return to the finals after winning the 2024 WPIAL title. No. 2 Knoch, No. 3 Blackhawk and No. 4 Hampton were the other top seeds in Class 4A.

South Park (16-1), which won its lone title in 2003, won the Section 3-3A title. The Eagles’ only loss came against Hempfield on Tuesday. No. 2 Mohawk, No. 3 Mt. Pleasant and No. 4 Ellwood City drew Class 3A’s other top seeds.

Laurel (13-4) is looking for its fourth WPIAL title after winning in 2018, ‘19 and ‘21.

Union (15-2) is seeking its fourth WPIAL title after winning in 2022, ‘23, and ‘25. The Scotties were followed by No. 2 Carmichaels, No. 3 West Greene and No. 4 Serra Catholic in Class A.

Hampton (4A), Mohawk (3A) and Neshannock (2A) also won WPIAL titles in 2025. Mohawk has won back-to-back crowns in 3A, and the Lancers have won four straight WPIAL championships in Class 2A.

Class 6A

Quarterfinals

Tuesday’s schedule

Mt. Lebanon (8-11) vs. Canon-McMillan (8-10) at Pleasant Valley Elementary, 6 p.m.

Pine-Richland (7-11) vs. Norwin (10-8) at Plum, 5 p.m.

Bye: Hempfield (19-1), Seneca Valley (14-4)

Class 5A

Preliminary round

Monday’s schedule

Moon (8-10) vs. Upper St. Clair (8-9) at Montour, 3 p.m.

First round

Tuesday’s schedule

Moon/Upper St. Clair winner vs. Shaler (16-1) at North Allegheny, 5 p.m.

Fox Chapel (14-5) vs. Armstrong (11-8) at Plum, 3 p.m.

Latrobe (10-8) vs. West Allegheny (12-3) at Gateway, 3 p.m.

Kiski Area (13-5) vs. Baldwin (15-4) at Norwin, 3 p.m.

South Fayette (10-8) vs. Thomas Jefferson (14-3) at Pleasant Valley Elementary, 4 p.m.

Plum (13-5) vs. Trinity (17-3) at Gateway, 5 p.m.

Connellsville (12-7) vs. Penn-Trafford (17-3) at Norwin, 5 p.m.

North Hills (9-6) vs. Montour (12-5) at North Allegheny, 3 p.m.

Class 4A

First round

Monday’s schedule

Derry (10-4) vs. Beaver (9-7) at Gateway, 3 p.m.

Greensburg Salem (5-8) vs. Hampton (12-5) at Gateway, 5 p.m.

Uniontown (9-7) vs. Indiana (13-5) at Norwin, 4 p.m.

West Mifflin (12-7) vs. North Catholic (12-4) at Montour, 5 p.m.

Freeport (8-10) vs. Laurel Highlands (10-4) at Norwin, 2 p.m.

Bye: Elizabeth Forward (16-3), Knoch (15-2), Blackhawk (10-4)

Class 3A

First round

Thursday’s schedule

Yough (12-7) vs. Avonworth (10-8) at Gateway, 5 p.m.

Hopewell (6-8) vs. McGuffey (9-5) at Montour, 3 p.m.

Deer Lakes (7-12) vs. Keystone Oaks (15-4) at Plum, 5 p.m.

Charleroi (5-11) vs. Burrell (10-8) at Norwin, 3 p.m.

Bye: South Park (16-1), Ellwood City (8-5), Mohawk (14-4), Mt. Pleasant (13-3)

Class 2A

First round

Thursday’s schedule

Shady Side Academy (5-8) vs. Laurel (13-4) at North Allegheny, 6 p.m.

Frazier (11-8) vs. Seton LaSalle (10-4) at West Mifflin, 3 p.m.

Brownsville (10-7) vs. South Allegheny (12-6) at Norwin, 5 p.m.

Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (8-8) vs. Neshannock (14-5) at North Allegheny, 4 p.m.

Washington (9-7) vs. Chartiers-Houston (16-1) at Trinity Middle School, 6 p.m.

Brentwood (8-6) vs. Riverside (8-5) at West Mifflin, 5 p.m.

Burgettstown (7-7) vs. Bentworth (17-1) at Trinity Middle School, 4 p.m.

Apollo-Ridge (8-6) vs. Shenango (13-5) at Seneca Valley, 6:30 p.m.

Class A

First round

Thursday’s schedule

Bishop Canevin (5-9) vs. Jeannette (10-3) at Plum, 3 p.m.

Leechburg (2-10) vs. Jefferson-Morgan (14-5) at Gateway, 3 p.m.

Monessen (7-10) vs. Sewickley Academy (9-3) at Montour, 5 p.m.

Beth-Center (5-8) vs. South Side (9-8) at North Strabane Intermediate, 4:30 p.m.

Bye: Union (15-2), Serra Catholic (11-5), Carmichaels (15-4), West Greene (12-6)

Visit Trib HSSN for complete brackets.