How do various States conduct their State Championships?

[sluggers]

In Illinois, they have a single elimination with all the teams.

The first round games and second round games are played at high schools. There is usually a "host" team. Generally, the fields are good, with a few very good fields.

The "sweet 16" games are played on college fields or similar high quality facilities. E.g., one of these games is played on the NPF field in Chicago.

The final 4 games are played at an excellent facility in East Peoria, Illinois.



As everyone on this board probably knows, what it really takes to have a great softball field is dedicated people.

 

[softballphreak]

This is the subject facilities link. It sounds like NC may be very similar to other HS programs.

Walnut Creek Softball Complex | raleighnc.gov

 

[Sparky Guy]

The "sweet 16" games are played on college fields or similar high quality facilities. E.g., one of these games is played on the NPF field in Chicago.

Actually they played two of the Super Sectionals at the Bandits Stadium in the 4A division this year.

It used to be 14 teams in the Super Sectionals held across the state which were played at predetermined HS's. The Chicago Public School Champion got a free ride to the State Final Tournament. That seeded the tournament with the final 8 teams in the AA division for the large schools. A team had to win 3 games to be the State Champion.

It is now down to 8 teams in the Super Sectionals with advent of the 4 classes instead of the 2 classes when your DD and mine played. The top 4 teams go to the State Final in each of the 4 classes and they play two games to determine 1st through 4th place.

They play the A & AA classes one weekend and the play the AAA and AAAA classes for the larger schools the following weekend. The picture Sluggers posted was of Eastside Center in East Peoria. It's a great place to hold a tournament.

The DII Great Lakes Valley Conference holds their conference tournament at the same facility. It has fields dedicated to softball with permanent fences and the pro-style dugouts.

 

[PEPPERS]

CoogansBluff

The drawback to playing on a HS field is that one team is getting home-field advantage that usually isn't deserved. Not saying that would be a deal-breaker, but it's an issue.

The playoff games in Ga we’ve been in the higher ranked team was give home field advantage.


CoogansBluff

Another issue w/ playing on a high school field is that many HS fields are not up to the standard you'd want for a state championship event. I know the one where my DD would've attended in Georgia didn't have a restroom, just a couple of portable ones. There was no concession stand. Not enough places for people to sit if it were a state championship. Many don't have batting cages.

The fields in GA range greatly from portable potties, no concession and no cages to elite set ups with indoor batting cages. The fields with port-potties can be bad on warm days.

 

[CoogansBluff]

The playoff games in Ga we’ve been in the higher ranked team was give home field advantage.

That's correct. But keep in mind that there are eight No. 1 seeds in Georgia's 32-team field. If Georgia didn't go to Columbus for the elite 8, you could have two No. 1 seeds playing in the quarterfinals and no fair way to determine who is home. In the first two rounds, it's impossible to have two teams with the same seed playing each other. Somebody is always the higher seed, so somebody ''earned'' home field.

 

[cuzmail]

Texas:
(IIRC)
District is played on home fields.
Regionals (and all play up to the elite 4) are on suitable (quality) neutral HS fields agreed upon prior to the games.
The elite four play at UT's Longhorn stadium in Austin. Neutral and quality softball specific site.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

The playoff games in Ga we’ve been in the higher ranked team was give home field advantage.

What is the methodology for ranking the teams?

Our playoff bracket is seeded using leagues for pools. The teams with the higher finish host the first round games and they equalize home/away games for every team after that.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

What is the methodology for ranking the teams?

Carefully calculated from tea leaves, ouija boards, and through HC lawyer skills.

 

[riseball]

An group that probably only runs 1 softball tournament a year attempts to orchestrate a large championship tournament and it ends up a total fiasco. What a shock.

 

[GOINGDEEP]

Though I do like the idea of a single school hosting the state playoffs, I would feel it gives too much home advantage. Physically, mentally, perhaps "home cooking" by the officiating. Our state championship is always held in the middle of the state, at a neutral complex, a TB complex.

What I do like, all the games from single A to the top AAA ( far as we go in TN ), are either live on radio or streamed online.

I do miss the playoffs, they are exciting due to it has to be done with what you have, not what you can recruit.