AHSAA adopts new softball playoff system
The sports phenomena affectionately dubbed March Madness is typically relegated to college basketball courts each spring when the NCAA holds its annual 65-team men's and women's hoops tournaments.
But thanks to a unanimous vote by the AHSAA's Central Board of Control on Thursday in Montgomery to change its softball playoff system, the month of May in Alabama could now be quite manic as well.
The new format will include four regional tournaments — each including
eight teams — that will precede the state semifinals and finals. The state softball playoffs will adopt the same Final Four method the AHSAA has used with basketball since the 1994 season.
The playoffs will begin with an area tournament, from which the winners and runners-up will advance to the one of four double-elimination regional tournaments to be held in Huntsville, Montgomery, Birmingham and Gulf Shores. The 2009 regional tournaments are scheduled for May 8 and 9. The winners of the regionals will move on to play for all the marbles at the state tournament the following week.
"It really didn't matter to me much," said Saks coach Randy Law, who'd heard rumors that a change might be coming prior to Wednesday's decision. "I guess one benefit will be that the kids won't miss as much school because it will cut down on travel."
Law's Wildcats finished 25-10 last season and had to travel nearly 150 miles Moulton to face Lawrence County in their first-round sub-state matchup. Saks fell in three games, and did not return back to Calhoun County until 1 a.m. the next morning.
The new format could also benefit teams that finished second in their areas by giving them the benefit of playing at a neutral site.
"The last two years we've had to face some pretty hostile crowds," Law said. "So, that could help us."
In years past, the softball playoffs were comprised of area tournaments, two sub-state rounds played in the form of a pair of best-of-three series and culminated in a 48-team double elimination state tournament, with eight teams in each class. The AHSAA's softball committee recommended the change last May.
The central board also expanded the state cross country championships to include an additional division by dissolving the Class 3A-4A division into separate classifications. The changes will take effect at the state meet in November.
