By BRET H. MCCORMICK, Journal Sports 

Two Rapides Parish teams have earned the top seeds in their respective divisions of the LHSAA softball playoffs. 

Buckeye is the top seed in the Division II Select playoffs, while Grace Christian earned the No. 1 seed in Division V Select. 

Ten of the parish’s softball teams advanced to the postseason as the Louisiana High School Athletic Association released playoff brackets on Wednesday, with five of the teams earning first-round byes. 

The Lady Panthers (23-7), the two-time defending state champions, are led by two state all-stars in senior pitcher and Southeastern Louisiana signee Olivia Henry (16-4, 0.88 ERA, .474 BA) and senior center fielder Allison Brossett (.293, 28 runs). They also feature senior right fielder Adysen Mitchell (.477, 36 RBIs). 

Buckeye will face the winner of No. 16 The Willow School and No. 17 Madison Prep in the second round next week. 

Grace Christian (21-6), which lost in the semifinals last year, is seeking the first state softball championship in school history. The Lady Warriors will face district rival and No. 8 seed Avoyelles Charter (8-17) in the quarterfinals. Grace swept the season series, 10-2 and 6-0. 

Junior Rylee Guillot leads the Lady Warriors in the circle with an 18-5 record and a 1.27 ERA, while sophomore catcher Bella Acree is batting .459 with eight home runs and 48 RBIs. 

All three of the parish’s Division I teams earned first-round byes, and two of them are on a collision course for a quarterfinal showdown. 

Tioga (23-6), last year’s runner-up, is the No. 3 seed and will face the winner of 14th-seeded Caddo Magnet and 19th-seeded Byrd in the second round. The Lady Indians feature a pair of state all-stars in senior shortstop and Southern Miss signee Abbi Troquille (.600, 3 HRs, 12 triples, 27 RBIs) and senior second baseman and Grambling State signee Zoe Roland (.477, 6 HRs, 38 RBIs). 

Pineville (19-13) earned the sixth seed and will face the winner of No. 11 Lafayette and No. 22 Ben Franklin in the second round. The Lady Rebels are led by a pair of juniors in shortstop and McNeese State commitment Cassidy Sicuro (.402, 5 HRs, 42 RBIs) and first baseman Madelyn Halle (.344, 9 HRs, 38 RBIs). 

Should Tioga and Pineville both win in the second round, they would face one another at the Ward 10 Recreation Complex with a berth in Sulphur going to the winner. 

Pineville coach Allison Frye and Tioga coach Brad Woodard both said the message to their players will be to focus on the task at hand in the second round and not what potentially lies ahead in the quarterfinals. 

“I sent (the girls) a message this morning with the brackets and simply said, ‘One game at a time, don’t let your minds go anywhere else. Our sole focus is Lafayette and Ben Franklin,’” Frye said.

“We’re not talking about (the quarterfinals) to be honest with you,” Woodard said. “We’re talking about the winner of Caddo Magnet and C.E. Byrd. (The girls) know. You can’t not know. But we’ve done that all year – worry about the next opponent. … We will not speak of anybody else we’re playing until we figure out who we’re playing in this (second) round.”

Eighth-seeded Alexandria Senior High (16-15) will face the winner of No. 9 Captain Shreve and No. 24 Scotlandville. A win there would get the Lady Trojans a date with top-seeded St. Thomas More, which is ranked 19th in the country by USA Today. 

Menard, which enters the playoffs on a 16-game winning streak, is the fourth seed in Division III Select. The Lady Eagles (20-10), who are led by senior shortstop Emily DeSelle (.553, 6 HRs, 42 RBIs), will play the winner of No. 13 University Lab and 20th-seeded Acadiana Renaissance Charter.

The remainder of the parish’s playoff teams will play on the road in the first round. 

Peabody (10-17), the 19th seed in Division II Select, will play No. 14 De La Salle (9-13-1). Glenmora (5-13), No. 22 in Division III Select, faces No. 11 Country Day (18-4).

In Division IV Select, No. 22 Northwood-Lena (12-12) faces No. 11 St. John (16-8). In Division V Select, seventh-seeded Oak Hill (8-15) plays at No. 2 Family Community (13-9).