High School softball: Undefeated Miamisburg gets top seed in Division I sectional

Vikings improved to 20-0 after Wednesday’s win over Springboro

The postseason approach for the Miamisburg Vikings softball team is the same as the regular season – win them all.

Miamisburg, which improved to 20-0 after Wednesday’s victory over Springboro, secured the No. 1 seed in the Dayton area’s 21-team Division I sectional tournament super draw on Sunday.

The Vikings, ranked No. 3 in the Ohio High School Softball Coaches Association state poll, had the first pick of spots in the three-bracket sectional draw. They took a bye in the North 1 bracket.

The next seven teams elected to go into a different bracket, including a loaded North 3 bracket.

“(There’s) no difference for Miamisburg,” Vikings coach Dan Kepple said. “We are not going to focus on who our opponent is – we’ll let our opponents worry about that. We remind our team before every game any team out there can beat us if we don’t go all out from the very first pitch until the very last pitch.”

No. 2 Beavercreek, No. 4 Troy, No. 5 Northmont and No. 7 Centerville all chose the North 3 bracket. Beavercreek has a bye in the upper bracket. Troy and Centerville play in the first round while Northmont faces No. 18 Fairmont, all in the lower bracket.

“People went for us and that should light some fire under us,” Beavercreek coach Megan Barrett said. “We really want to prove ourselves. We’ve not been as successful in the past. Maybe people don’t quite believe we’re here to be competitive and be part of this tournament. I think we’re excited to take on the challenge.”

Beavercreek, 18-3 through Wednesday, lost twice to Miamisburg (2-1 in extra innings and 7-5) and Centerville (3-1).

“The seeding appeared to be accurate with the exception that Centerville played a very aggressive schedule and are better than their (10-9) record shows,” Kepple said. “The North 3 bracket should be full of intense games and I would anticipate Beavercreek facing Centerville, Troy or Northmont (in the sectional final).”

No. 3 Lebanon chose the North 2 bracket. No. 6 Butler is the only other singled-seeded team in that sectional.

In Division II, Greenville (24-1, ranked No. 3 in the state) earned the No. 1 seed in the Dayton sectional and opens with No. 9 Trotwood-Madison in the Dayton 2 bracket. No. 4 Alter and No. 5 Oakwood both took byes and play for an appearance in the sectional final.

“We’re excited to get the real season going,” Greenville’s Jerrod Newland said. “We’re quite stoked to be rewarded for a great regular season. We’re pumped for the program to reach 20 wins and can’t wait to push for some more. The kids are excited for their opportunity and ready to leave their mark and legacy for the community. We play for the name on the front of the jersey.”

No. 2 Brookville and No. 3 Eaton are both in the Dayton 1 bracket and could meet in the sectional final.

In the Tecumseh sectional, Springfield Shawnee (ranked No. 8 in the state) earned the top seed. No. 5 Tippecanoe is the next highest seed in the Tecumseh 2 bracket.

In the Tecumseh 1 bracket, Benjamin Logan earned the No. 2 seed, Kenton Ridge No. 3 and Chaminade Julienne No. 4.

In the Division III Dayton sectional, Carlisle was voted No. 1 in the Dayton 1 bracket. No. 5 Miami East is the next highest seed.

No. 2 Arcanam highlights the Dayton 2 bracket. No. 6 Indian Lake is the only other single-seeded team.

The Dayton 3 bracket features No. 3 Milton-Union, No. 4 West Liberty-Salem and No. 7 Versailles.

Minster is the No. 1 seed in the Northwest District’s Wapakoneta sectional.

In the Division IV North sectional, top-seeded Bradford (20-2) chose the North 3 bracket. Teams stayed away from the No. 4 ranked team in the state with No. 14 Houston the next highest-seeded team.

No. 2 Mechanicsburg, ranked No. 3 in the state, went into the North 1 bracket. No. 7 Tri-County North is next at No. 7.

In the North 2 bracket, No. 3 Russia (ranked No. 6 in the state) and No. 8 Riverside are the top seeds.

In the North 4 bracket, No. 4 Fort Loramie and No. 5 Covington highlight the bracket.

The sectional tournament starts Monday at various sites. The first two rounds are played at the highest-seeded team’s field. All games begin at 5 p.m. unless indicated otherwise. Brackets can be found at www.ohsaa.org/sports/softball.

The baseball sectional draw is Sunday.

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