Seven Schuylkill County softball and baseball teams will start their pursuit of a state championship when the first first round of the PIAA playoffs gets underway Monday.
Following a successful District 11 postseason run, five softball teams — Tri-Valley, Schuylkill Haven, Pine Grove, Blue Mountain, North Schuylkill qualified for the state playoffs.
In baseball, Nativity BVM and Marian Catholic will represent Schuylkill County.
“We have a lot of experience in the postseason, and having the guys back from last season who went on that state tournament run, they’re going to bring the energy,” Nativity coach Ben Kreiger said after clinching the district title. “We call it the underdog mentality, and we always want to have that mindset going into games. It’s a new record and a new season now.”
Blue Mountain’s Avery Hudock (4) is celebrated by her teammates at home plate during a the Schuylkill League semifinals against Schuylkill Haven on May 12, 2026. (AISHWARYA BEHL/STAFF PHOTO)
Three softball teams will play their first-round matchups on their home field.
Tri-Valley (17-5) will host Dock Mennonite in Class A; Schuylkill Haven (17-7-1) will host Brandywine Heights in Class AA; and Pine Grove (23-2) will host Littlestown in Class 3A.
All three teams won the District 11 Championship in their respective classes.
Tri-Valley defeated Marian Catholic to win the Class A title, Schuylkill Haven beat Williams Valley to win Class AA and Pine Grove knocked off Northern Lehigh to win Class 3A.
District 11 sent two Class 4A teams to the state playoffs, both of which will hit the road for their first-round games.
North Schuylkill (21-6) will face Archbishop Carroll in a neutral-site matchup at Cardinal O’Hara High School.
Blue Mountain (23-2) — which beat North Schuylkill in the District 11 Championship — will travel to take on Central Columbia in its Class 4A opener.
“Coach Mike (Rollman) and I have coached some big games — two state championship games, multiple Schuylkill League and district championship games,” Blue Mountain coach Paul Leonard said after the district title game. “I said that might be one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.”
On the baseball diamond, Nativity (8-14) will face Benton in Class A action at North Schuylkill High School.
Marian Catholic’s Chase Grier fires a pitch to the plate during the District 11 Class AA Championship Game on Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (RYAN SHARP/STAFF PHOTO)
Marian Catholic (19-4) will open the Class 2A state playoffs with a home game against Wyoming Seminary.
“We’re on a great streak right now and the kids have showed up every day with a different energy since we make everything we do competitive,” Marian Catholic coach John “Pilsey” Petrilyak said after the district championship game. “We changed the way we practiced this season and we preach competition and it’s worked.”
To purchase tickets online, fans can go to https://www.piaa.org/sports/tickets.aspx?from=hellobar. Score updates throughout the tournament can be found on the PIAA X page at @PIAASports.
Below are the PIAA state playoff designations for Schuylkill County softball and baseball teams:
SOFTBALL FIRST ROUND, MONDAY
Class A: Tri-Valley vs. Dock Mennonite, Tri-Valley High School, 4 p.m.
Class AA: Schuylkill Haven vs. Brandywine Heights, Schuylkill Haven High School, 4 p.m.
Class 3A: Pine Grove vs. Littlestown, Pine Grove Area High School, 4 p.m.
Class 4A: North Schuylkill vs. Archbishop Carroll, Cardinal O’Hara High School, 1 p.m.
Class 4A: Blue Mountain at Central Columbia, Central Columbia High School, 7 p.m.
BASEBALL FIRST ROUND, MONDAY
Class A: Nativity BVM vs. Benton, North Schuylkill High School, 2 p.m.
Class AA: Marian Catholic vs. Wyoming Seminary, Marian Catholic High School, 4 p.m.
PIAA PLAYOFF SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals: Thursday, June 4 – Teams and sites TBD
Semifinals: Monday, June 8 – Teams and sites TBD
Class AA, 4A, 6A Baseball Championships: Thursday, June 11 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park
Class A, 3A, 5A Softball Championships: Thursday, June 11 at Nittany Lion Softball Park
Class A, 3A, 5A Baseball Championships: Friday, June 12 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park
Class AA, 4A, 6A Softball Championships: Friday, June 12 at at Nittany Lion Softball Park