Here’s how district, state baseball, softball tournaments are seeded in WA
With Washington state high school baseball and softball playoffs rapidly approaching, here’s a deeper look at postseason qualification, seeding protocols and the road to the state bracket. Plus: district allocations by league and tournament locations/times.
How are district tournament brackets determined?
Each league receives a certain number of playoff spots, or allocations, into district tournaments. The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) is split into six districts, each of which represents a geographical area. Each district contains one or more member leagues. Winning your league generally means an easier path. The winner of League A might play the last qualifying team from League B in the tournament’s opening round, for example.
District 3, the West Central District, covers most of the South Sound and includes the 4A South Puget Sound League, the 3A and 4A North Puget Sound leagues, the 3A Puget Sound League, the Olympic, 2A South Puget Sound League, 1A Nisqually and North Olympic.
Some districts combine for district tournaments. District 3 combines with District 4, the Southwest District, for bi-district tournaments. The Southwest District contains schools in the greater Vancouver area and stretches up north to Thurston County, where Tumwater, Black Hills and others are members of the 2A Evergreen Conference.
How are state tournament brackets decided?
Each district or bi-district bracket has a certain number of state allocations. The quickest path to a state tournament berth, of course, is by winning. In most sports, advancing to the bi-district tournament semifinals secures a state tournament berth. In some brackets, teams can get through to state even with an early tournament loss, provided they win some games in the consolation ladder.
Since 2020, seeding for WIAA state tournament brackets for all sports have been seeded by committees, which are comprised of coaches and athletic directors around the state. Football was the first sport to move to the committee seeding model. After the model proved successful, it was adopted across all WIAA sports.
After the district tournaments conclude, seeding committees consider the resumes of each team in the field and seed them accordingly. Committee members look at each team’s record, strength of schedule, the perceived strength of the league each team plays in, RPI (Ratings Percentage Index, a formula provided by the WIAA which is intended to determine a team’s overall strength), notable player injuries and other factors. Often, the eye test ends up being the key determining factor in each committee’s deliberation.
DISTRICT ALLOCATIONS, BY LEAGUE
BASEBALL
4A SPSL — Eight
4A NPSL — Five
3A NPSL — Six
3A PSL — Seven
2A SPSL — Four
SOFTBALL
4A SPSL — Eight
4A NPSL — Five
3A NPSL — Six
3A PSL — Seven
2A SPSL — Five
DISTRICT PLAYOFF GUIDE
BASEBALL
May 13-17, multiple sites
State allocations: Six
Championship: May 17, 7 p.m. at Kent Memorial Field
May 13-17, multiple sites
State allocations: Seven
Championship: May 17, TBD at Auburn High School
May 12-17, multiple sites
State allocations: Four
Championship: May 17, 3 p.m. at Central Kitsap High School
SOFTBALL
May 16-17, Kent Service Ballfields
State allocations: Six
Championship: May 17, TBD
May 15-17, Regional Athletic Complex (Lacey)
State allocations: Seven
Championship: May 17, TBD
May 16-17, Regional Athletic Complex (Lacey)
State allocations: Four
Championship: May 17, TBD
STATE PLAYOFF GUIDE
BASEBALL
4A State Tournament
May 24-31, Parker-Faller Field (Yakima)
Championship: May 31, 7 p.m.
3A State Tournament
May 20-31, Parker-Faller Field (Yakima)
Championship: May 31, 4 p.m.
2A State Tournament
May 24-31, Joe Martin Stadium (Bellingham)
Championship: May 31, 7 p.m.
1A State Tournament
May 24-31, Joe Martin Stadium (Bellingham)
Championship: May 31, 4 p.m.
SOFTBALL
4A State Tournament
May 23-24, Columbia Playfields (Richland)
Championship: May 24, TBD
3A State Tournament
May 22-24, Regional Athletic Complex (Lacey)
Championship: May 24, TBD
2A State Tournament
May 23-24, Carlon Park (Selah)
Championship: May 24, TBD
1A State Tournament
May 22-24, Columbia Playfields (Richland)
Championship: May 24, TBD
