Softball preview: 5 things to watch

Mike Blackerby

For USA TODAY Network - Tennessee

A Gibbs player stands on third base during a game between Gibbs and Pigeon Forge at Gibbs Tuesday, March 13, 2018. Gibbs defeated Pigeon Forge 25-0.

Gibbs returns to Class AA

Some said Gibbs wouldn’t make the grade when the perennial state Class AA power moved up to AAA in 2014.

The naysayers were dead wrong.

Despite stepping up in classification, coach Carol Mitchell’s Lady Eagles defeated Powell last season for the state championship and were 169-32-3 with three state tournament appearances during their four-year run in AAA.

With another reclassification shuffle, Gibbs drops back down to AA this season.

With five starters returning, the Lady Eagles are heavy favorites to add an 11th state championship to their trophy class this May in Murfreesboro.

Gibbs was No. 39 in the nation in the MaxPreps preseason Top 50.

More:Softball preview: Players to watch

Powell looks to take the next step

With Gibbs back in AA, that means one less contender to deal with for the Lady Panthers in AAA.

Powell appears to be primed to return to the state tournament after finishing second to the Lady Eagles last season.

It was Powell’s first trip to the state tournament since 2007.

Six starters return for coach Jeff Inman off last year’s team that finished 37-8-1.

The Lady Panthers have a great blend of veterans and talented young players.

King's Academy's Hayden Jenkins (00), center, celebrates with King's Academy's Kaylan Cole (2) and King's Academy's Webber Madison (58) and King's Academy's Rachel Baker (20) after defeating Friendship Christian 14-3 during a Division II Class A softball game between King's Academy and Friendship Christian at the 2017 TSSAA Spring Fling state championships at the Murfreesboro Sports Complex & McKnight Fields in Murfreesboro, Tennessee on Friday, May 26, 2017.

King’s Academy on the fast track to success

In five short years, The King’s Academy has gone from novice program to being nationally ranked.

Coach Marc Weekly’s powerhouse Lady Lions, in just their fourth year of playing softball, repeated as Division II-A state champions a year ago as they knocked off Friendship Christian, 13-4.

TKA is 77-9 over the past two seasons, and the Lady Lions may have their best team yet in 2018.

Several key performers return for TKA, which was ranked No. 22 in the nation in the latest USA TODAY poll.

The Lady Lions were also ranked 23rd in the nation in the MaxPreps preseason poll.

Wild, wild District 4-AAA

As usual, look for there to be a wild scramble at the top of the District 4-AAA standings.

The district is traditionally one of the most competitive and most unpredictable in the state.

William Blount won the 2017 regular-season championship, but Heritage caught fire in the postseason to claim the 4-AAA tournament title.

Those two teams should be top contenders once again.

Farragut, Hardin Valley and Maryville all figure to be in the hunt also.

Maryville, after a disappointing regular season a year ago, eliminated William Blount in the district tournament quarterfinals.

Go figure — that’s always a challenge in District 4-AAA.

The Big 3 square off

Gibbs, Powell and King’s Academy are three of the powerhouse teams from East Tennessee.

Although each team competes in a different classification, they all play each other during the regular season.

Circle these dates for must-see softball: March 29 Gibbs at King’s Academy, April 25 Powell at Gibbs, April 30 Powell at King’s Academy.

Mike Blackerby is a freelance contributor