A number of Southern Arizona high schools are competing in this yearโ€™s AIA baseball and softball state championships.

The official high school baseball and softball state championships brackets were released by the AIA on Thursday.

For conference play-in information and results, check out our previous coverage.

Baseball

All games are listed in division order, Classes 6A-2A.

6A-4A matchups take place at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 3; 3A games begin at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6; 2A matchups start at 4 p.m. on May 9.

No. 16 Sunnyside vs. No. 1 Corona del Sol at Corona del Sol High School

โ€“ Sunnyside (11-7) is the only Tucson-area 6A high school to make this yearโ€™s baseball state championship.

  • Corona Del Sol defeated Sunnyside, 2-1. Sunnyside will play again on May 6 for another chance to make it to the final round.

Austin Madsen (12) of Canyon del Oro is mobbed by teammates after a solo home run against Salpointe Catholic in the Class 4A state championship baseball game at Hi Corbett Field on May 16, 2022.

No. 12 Chaparral vs. No. 5 Cienega at Cienega High School

โ€“ During one of their last games of the regular season, the Bobcats (13-5) took down Marana, 17-3, in five innings.

  • Cienega took down Chaparral, 7-6. The Bobcats move to the second round to take on Catalina Foothills on May 5.

No. 13 Lake Havasu vs. No. 4 Catalina Foothills at Catalina Foothills High School

โ€“ Catalina Foothills (14-4) came in second in the conference standings. The team has 12 seniors, including Cooper Kruk, who has 31 RBIs.

  • Catalina Foothills run-ruled Lake Havasu, 14-4. They'll take on Cienega at home on May 5.

No. 15 Campo Verde vs. No. 2 Canyon del Oro at Canyon del Oro High School

โ€“ The Dorados (16-2) are at the top of the 5A Sonoran. The team is currently on a 10-game win streak.

  • Canyon Del Oro defeated Campo Verde, 7-3. They'll face Notre Dame Prep in the second round at home on May 5.

The Nogales Apaches cheer while huddling before the Class 5A State Championship Game between No. 1 Nogales and No. 3 Verrado at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tucson on May 17, 2022.

No. 10 Notre Dame Prep vs. No. 7 Buena at Buena High School

โ€“ Buena (14-4) is the leader of the 5A Southern. Junior Aidan Barrett has 16 runs.

  • Sierra Vista's Buena couldn't hold it down against Notre Dame Prep, losing 5-1 in the first round.

No. 11 Desert View vs. No. 6 Nogales at War Memorial Baseball Stadium (Nogales)

โ€“ The Jaguars went 12-6 and the Apaches went 13-5. Desert View senior Cristobal Lorta is currently No. 67 in the country for home runs (eight).

  • In the battle of two Southern Arizona schools, Nogales came out on top after defeating Desert View, 2-1. The Apaches will take on Centennial in the second round on May 5.

No. 16 St. Maryโ€™s vs. No. 1 Salpointe Catholic at Salpointe High School

โ€“ Salpointe (16-1) earned the No. 1 seed in the 4A state championship. The team, including 14 seniors, won the title in 2018-19.

  • Salpointe Catholic defeated St. Mary's, 8-7. They'll take on Bradshaw Mountain in the second round at home on May 5.

No. 12 Yuma vs. No. 5 Ironwood Ridge at Ironwood Ridge High School

โ€“ The Nighthawks (13-5) dominated their last two opponents of the regular season, Mountain View Marana, 18-2, and Maricopa, 11-2.

  • Ironwood Ridge will face Mesquite on May 5 after defeating Yuma, 3-2.

No. 15 Mica Mountain vs. No. 2 ALA - Queen Creek at ALA - Queen Creek

โ€“ Mica Mountain (10-8) ended the regular season on a four-game win streak. Senior Ethan Hunt leads the team with 27 runs and 20 stolen bases.

  • Mica Mountain was defeated by ALA - Queen Creek, 5-4.

No. 11 Deer Valley vs. No. 6 Sahuarita at Sahuarita High School

โ€“ The Mustangs are having a pretty good season with an overall 14-4 record, earning the No. 6 seed in the 4A state championships.

  • Sahuarita went down 4-2 against Deer Valley.

No. 14 Pusch Ridge vs. No. 3 Northwest Christian at Northwest Christian High School

โ€“ Pusch Ridge (10-5) defeated 3A South leaders Tanque Verde in the 3A conference play-in game, 3-2, on April 30.

No. 15 Empire vs. No. 2 Yuma Catholic at Yuma Catholic

โ€“ The Ravens finished their regular season 10-8. Senior catcher Zackary Breinlinger has a .442 batting average and .566 OBP.

No. 16 Wickenburg vs. No. 1 Bisbee at Goodyear Baseball Complex - South (6:30 p.m. start)

โ€“ The Bisbee Pumas are undefeated this season at 18-0. They defeated Phoenix Christian in last yearโ€™s state championship. Senior Sebastian Lopez has 39 runs and 52 stolen bases this season.

No. 9 Phoenix Country Day vs. No. 8 Benson at Goodyear Baseball Complex - South

โ€“ Benson (11-6) is led by senior Dawson Judd, who leads the team in runs (34), hits (45) and RBIs (32).

No. 13 St. Johnโ€™s vs. No. 4 Tombstone at Goodyear Baseball Complex - South (6:30 p.m. start)

โ€“ The Yellow Jackets (13-4) are looking to go further this year after falling to Kingman Academy in the second round last year.ย 

Softball

All games are listed in division order, 6A-2A. The games begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 3. (May 4 update: Game results are now listed below).

No. 12 Mountain View, Mesa vs. No. 5 Tucson at Cherry Field

โ€“ The Badgers (15-3) are on an eight-game win streak. Freshman Adreana Hernandez leads the team in home runs (six) and hits (42).

  • Tucson took down Mountain View, Mesa, 4-1. The Badgers will take on Xavier Prep on May 7.

No. 10 Sandra Day Oโ€™Connor vs. No. 7 Sunnyside at Sunnyside High School

โ€“ Sunnyside went 16-2, making them the No. 7 seed in the 6A softball state championship. The team hasnโ€™t lost a game in a month.

  • Sunnyside couldn't hold up against Sandra Day O'Connor, falling 8-3. The Blue Devils will take on Corona Del Sol in a redemption match on May 6.

No. 10 Cienega vs. No. 7 Mountain View (Marana) at Mountain View (Marana) High School

โ€“ The Bobcats led the 5A Southern with an overall 13-5 record. The Mountain Lions went 13-4 in the 5A Sonoran.

  • Cienega came out on top over Mountain View (Marana) with 5-4 win. They'll face Canyon View in the second round on May 6.

No. 14 Buckeye Union vs. No. 3 Canyon del Oro at CDO High School

โ€“ Canyon del Oro went undefeated this season, 18-0, with seniors Amelia Streuber and Molly Herman in tow.ย 

  • Canyon Del Oro defeated Buckeye Union, 10-0. CDO will take on AZ College Prep in the second round at home on May 6.

No. 12 Mohave vs. No. 5 Sahuarita at Sahuarita High School

โ€“ Just like the Sahuarita baseball team, its softball team also went 14-4. Junior Eliana Romero leads the team with 49 runs, 48 RBIs and 10 doubles this season.

  • Sahuarita moves on to the second round of the tournament after taking down Mohave, 11-1, in a run rule win.

No. 13 Crismon vs. No. 4 Mica Mountain at Mica Mountain High School

โ€“ The Thunderbolts went 13-5 this season, including beating Rio Rico last week, 16-0. The team is on a four-game win streak.

  • Mica Mountain defeated Crismon, 9-5, and will face Sahuarita in the second round on May 6.

No. 15 Douglas vs. No. 2 Salpointe Catholic at Salpointe High School

Salpointeโ€™s players celebrate after run-ruling Canyon del Oro 11-0 to win the 4A state championship game at Hillenbrand Stadium in five innings, May 11, 2024. The title was the Lancersโ€™ sixth in a row.

โ€“ The Bulldogs went 11-6, while Salpointe finished 13-4. The Lancers are hoping to win another title after run-ruling CDO, 11-0, in last yearโ€™s state championship, their sixth straight.

  • Salpointe Catholic walked away with a 4-0 win after taking down Douglas in the first round. They advance to take on Walden Grove on May 6.

No. 10 Walden Grove vs. No. 7 Ironwood Ridge at Ironwood Ridge High School

โ€“ Walden Grove finished its season with a 9-8 record, while conference neighbors Ironwood Ridge finished at 11-7.

  • Walden Grove defeated Ironwood Ridge, 5-3. They'll face Salpointe Catholic in the next round on May 6.

No. 16 Safford vs. No. 1 Empire at Empire High School

โ€“ The Ravens earned the No. 1 seed in the 3A conference after going on a 39-game win streak (recently broken by Tanque Verde). Empire went 14-1 with senior pitching star Kendall Freidinger, who has over 200 strikeouts. The team defeated Valley Christian, 10-6, at last yearโ€™s state championships to take home the title.

Sabino players hold their 3A State Championship trophy after their 8-0 win over Winslow at ASU Farrington softball stadium May 13, 2022.

  • Empire run-ruled Safford in an 11-0 win. The Ravens will face Sabino in the quarterfinals on May 7.

No. 9 Northwest Christian vs. No. 8 Sabino at Sabino High School

โ€“ Sabino went 13-4, landing a No. 8 seed for the state championship. Senior Avery Nielson logged 40 runs and 50 RBIs.

  • Sabino took down Northwest Christian, 9-7. Sabino advances to the quarterfinals and will face Empire.

No. 12 River Valley vs. No. 5 Tanque Verde at Tanque Verde High School

โ€“ Tanque Verde (14-1) had nearly a flawless season, even taking down the 39-win streak of the Empire Ravens last month with the help of sophomore star pitcher Claire Achilles.

  • Tanque Verde defeated River Valley, 8-3, in the first round of the tournament. They'll face ALA - West Foothills in the quarterfinals on May 7.

No. 9 Santa Cruz Valley vs. No. 8 Tombstone at Tombstone High School

โ€“ Tombstone went 13-5 this season and took down Willcox 20-10 during its last game of the regular season.

  • Tombstone punched its ticket to the quarterfinals after run ruling Santa Cruz Valley with a 16-0 win. They'll take on Mohave Accelerated on May 6.

No. 12 Bisbee vs. No. 5 Round Valley at Round Valley High School

โ€“ Bisbee snagged the No. 12 seed after defeating Many Farms, 1-0, in a conference play-in match. The Pumas finished their regular season 11-5.

  • Bisbee was knocked out of the first round of the tournament after losing 13-5 to Round Valley.

No. 13 Benson vs. No. 4 Kingman Academy at Kingman Academy

โ€“ The Bobcats rightfully took their spot in the 2A state championship after taking down Arizona Lutheran, 15-2, in the conference play-in game. Benson finished its season at 9-9. Sophomore Millie Kellogg logged 50 runs this season.

  • Benson was also knocked out of the first round of the tournament after falling to Kingman Academy, 11-5.

No. 10 Camp Verde vs. No. 7 Willcox at Willcox High School

โ€“ Willcox (14-3) finished its regular season with a 20-3 win over Miami last month before snagging the No. 7 seed in the 2A state championship.

  • Willcox is heading to the quarterfinals on May 6 after defeating Camp Verde, 5-4. They'll take on Horizon Honors.

Check back at a later time for the results of these games.


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Contact Elvia Verdugo, the Star's community sports editor, atย everdugo@tucson.com.ย A journalism and history graduate from the University of Arizona, she shares stories highlighting what makes Tucson and its community special.