Defending Texas UIL 5A softball champion Melissa has its sights squarely set on a repeat title.
The Cardinals have generally been steamrolling their competition all year, and the undefeated Cards look to advance in the UIL 5A Division I playoffs.
Melissa brings a 32-0 record into the first game of its Quad 2 regional semifinal against Midlothian on Thursday. Game 2 will be on Friday and an “if-necessary” Game 3 is on Saturday, with all three games of the series taking place in Coppell.
In the Cardinals’ previous game, they downed Frisco Wakeland, 10-0, in the area playoff round.
Melissa - which was ranked No. 1 in The Sporting News preseason Top 25 - continues to bring perhaps the top offense in the country. The Cardinals have hit .489 as a team and have slugged 104 home runs, with junior and Florida commit Kennedy Bradley accounting for 23 of those while batting .538.
Sophomore Hutton Adrian leads the Cards in batting (.638), on-base percentage (.731) and slugging percentage (1.438). Another sophomore, Finlee Williams, tops the squad in stolen bases (22), doubles (15), hits (51) and runs scored (58), while she has the second-most home runs with 16.
Melissa is also getting things done in the circle, with a team earned run average of 1.32 with 237 strikeouts. Sophomore Eloisa Maes is 25-0 with a 1.22 ERA, striking out 192 batters in 109 innings.
Midlothian comes into the regional semifinals at 24-8-1 overall. The Panthers have swept each of their first two postseason series, winning all four games by a combined total of 69-6, including scores of 10-0 and 26-0 in a two-game area sweep against Dallas W.T. White.
Junior Jocelyn Martinez leads the Panthers in hitting (.506), on-base average (.560), slugging (.954) and RBIs (49). Another junior, Aniyah Givens, is the home run leader with seven, while senior Maddie Copeland leads in runs scored (46) and stolen bases (20).
Abby Insley, a junior pitcher, brings a 10-0 record and a 3.08 ERA, with senior Paige Insley having a 3.42 ERA.
The Melissa-Midlothian winner advances to next week’s regional finals, facing the winner of the regional semifinal playoff between Prosper Walnut Grove and Lake Belton.
Here’s everything you need to know about live streaming the regional semifinal between Melissa and Midlothian.
How to watch Melissa vs. Midlothian softball
•. Live Stream Game 1: Watch on the NFHS Network.
•. Live Stream Game 2: Watch on the NFHS Network.
•. Live Stream Game 3: Watch on the NFHS Network.
Melissa vs. Midlothian will air live on the NFHS Network. You can subscribe to the NFHS Network on a monthly basis or an annual subscription.
Melissa vs. Midlothian softball start times
•. Game 1 Date: Thursday, May 8
•. Game 1 Time: 6 p.m. CT/4 p.m. PT
•. Game 2 Date: Friday, May 9
•. Game 2 Time: 6 p.m. CT/4 p.m. PT
•. Game 3 Date: Saturday, May 10 (if necessary)
•. Game 3 Date: 1 p.m. CT/11 a.m. PT
The first pitch for Game 1 Thursday will be at 6 p.m. CT. Game 2 will be at 6 p.m. CT Friday and if necessary, Game 3 will be at 1 p.m. CT Saturday. All three games will be at Coppell High School.