The playoff journey begins for Washington Demon softball tonight when they host Midland in the Class 3A Region 8 quarterfinals, and you can hear all the action on KCII.

A victory over Albia, the 12th-ranked team in the state in Class 3A, means the number-13 Demons finished the regular season with a record of 23-11. It’s a second straight season with at least 23 wins and the first back-to-back winning seasons for Washington in over a decade.

The Demons’ success has largely come from a lineup that is top 1o in the state in scoring. Sophomore Leighton Salazar has team highs of a .517 batting average, 61 hits and 52 runs scored in the lead-off spot, while junior Ella Greiner is hitting .451 with six doubles, two home runs, 27 runs batted in and another 29 scored.

Bella Salazar has recaptured her all-conference form at the plate for Washington after sophomore struggles, batting .358 with five doubles and 34 RBI. Fellow junior Alyvia Anderson has been a breakout star, hitting .381 with nine doubles, three homers and a team-high 40 runs driven in.

Demons head coach Ben Obermann tells KCII Sports that Anderson’s success is the product of grinding to go from good hitter to elite slugger.

“It just speaks to her work ethic,” Obermann says. “She’s really worked hard, not just in the off-season, but every time she’s drilling in the [batting] cage, she does everything with a purpose. She’s a year older [and] she’s gotten stronger, but her bat speed is so much quicker this year. She’s got good mechanics at the plate. She’s become even more [of] a complete hitter.”

Washington will take on a Midland team that is 12-24 but has won three straight. The Eagles have a terrific running game with a whopping 241 stolen bases as a team.

The Demons look to advance to the Region 8 semifinals and win a playoff game for a second straight season. You can catch Washington playoff softball this evening on 106.1 FM KCII and streaming on KCIIIradio.com and the KCII1 app, starting with the Roder Epoxy Pregame Show at 6:30.