MONROE — The WIAA recently released its completed softball brackets for the 2024 playoffs, where defending state champion Brodhead earned the No. 1 seed in its sectional and a bye into the regional semifinals.
The Cardinals (14-3, 13-0 Rock Valley-Rock), ranked No. 1 in Division 3, clinched back-to-back Rock Valley titles with a win over Evansville on May 10. Their only losses come to ranked teams — No. 6 D2 Jefferson, No. 9 D4 Cuba City and No. 3 D5 Belmont. Brodhead controls its own destiny as the 1-seed, seeking a second straight trip to the state tournament. With the bye, the Cardinals will play the winner of No. 9 Monticello-New Glarus and No. 8 Columbus in a WIAA regional semifinal on Tuesday, May 21.
In other Division 3 matchups, Monticello-New Glarus (6-10, 3-4 Six Rivers East) earned a 9-seed and will travel to 8-seed Columbus (4-11, 1-6 Capitol North) for a WIAA regional quarterfinal game on Thursday, May 16. MNG had its most successful season as a co-op with statement wins over Johnson Creek — which at the time was on an 11-game win streak — and Pecatonica — who finished second in SRE standings in 2023. However, the Ponies have only faced one other Division 3 team all season in Darlington and play in a Division 5-dominated conference. They do not share any common opponents with Columbus.
Darlington (2-15, 1-10 SWAL) earned a 10-seed and will travel to 7-seed Viroqua-Youth Initiative (7-12, 4-7 Coulee) for a WIAA regional quarterfinal game on Thursday, May 16. The Lady Redbirds have been outscored 45-137 this season and been shut out in five games. Darlington and Viroqua share one common opponent in Iowa-Grant, where both teams lost.
In Division 2, Monroe (15-8, 8-5 Rock Valley-Valley) earned a 3-seed and will experience deja vu hosting 6-seed Edgewood (8-6, 7-5 Badger Small) in a WIAA regional semifinal on Tuesday, May 21. Last season, the Cheesemakers defeated the Crusaders 4-1 in a WIAA regional semifinal. Monroe has a team batting average of .308 with six of its starters hitting over .300. Kaegann Paulson — who leads the team in batting average, runs scored and hits — is also dominant in the circle with a 2.55 ERA. The Cheesemakers and Crusaders share one common opponent in Stoughton, where Monroe won 10-5 and Edgewood split.
In Division 4, Argyle-Black Hawk (6-10, 2-5 Six Rivers East) earned a 7-seed and will host 10-seed Belleville (1-13, 0-7 Capitol South) in a WIAA regional quarterfinal on Thursday, May 16. The two teams met previously on April 19, where the Orioles won 22-13. There were a combined 24 hits and 14 errors in the contest.
In Division 5, Juda-Albany (12-9, 4-3 Six Rivers East) earned a 4-seed and will host Wauzeka-Steuben (16-2, 11-0 Ridge & Valley) in a WIAA regional semifinal on Tuesday, May 21. The Panthers began the season ranked No. 8 and jumped as high as No. 5 in the WisSports.net Coaches Poll on April 15 before falling off. The Hornets, winners of the Ridge & Valley Conference, have been ranked all season and as high as third. Juda-Albany and Wauzeka-Steuben share two common opponents in Belmont and Monticello-New Glarus. Both teams lost to the Braves and defeated MNG narrowly.
Pecatonica (5-12, 2-6 Six Rivers East) earned an 8-seed and will host 9-seed Southwestern (5-12, 3-9 SWAL) in a WIAA regional quarterfinal game on Thursday, May 16. The two teams share a handful of common opponents, including Mineral Point, Darlington, Potosi-Cassville and Riverdale. The most notable difference is that Riverdale shut out Pecatonica 6-0, whereas Southwestern split with Riverdale — most recently defeating the Chieftains 8-4 on April 30.
Throughout the tournament, all higher seeds will host lower seeds until sectional final games, which will be at neutral sites. The WIAA state tournament will be held at UW-Madison’s Goodman Diamond June 6-8.
