Local high school softball teams will begin their postseason journeys tonight with first-round regional games. That includes a pair of local teams meeting on the diamond in Class 1A Region 8, as the Highland Huskies will host the Keota Eagles in Riverside.

Highland has used a brilliant second half of the season to reach a record of 17-8, winning 13 of their last 17 games. Sarah Burton has been a leader of the pack for the Huskies-quite literally-with a .442 batting average, eight doubles, four home runs and 43 runs scored.

Fellow senior Peyton Brun has also been terrific for Highland, hitting .462 with seven doubles, two homers and a team-high 27 runs batted in, while eighth-grader Kamryn Fink has been the Huskies’ breakout star by batting .358 with a homer and 15 RBI and scoring 25 runs.

Grace Prybil has been Highland’s top pitcher and a dominant force in the circle, compiling a 13-3 record and a 1.29 earned-run average. The senior has racked up 92 strikeouts in 92 innings pitched and has a walks & hits per innings pitched of less than one.

The Huskies will be facing a Keota team that is 2-14 but has their most wins in a single season in three years. Sophomore Kennedy Jackson and eighth-grader Elyse Lyle have led the Eagles to an average of nearly four runs scored per game.

Lone Tree also has a first-round date with Springville in Class 1A Region 8. The Lions are 12-13 and have been led by Vivian Zaruba, who has scored 28 runs and is hitting .347. Fellow junior Rylee Shield has a team-best .392 average with two doubles, two triples, 11 RBI and another 19 runs scored.

Also in Class 1A, Winfield-Mount Union begins the playoffs by taking on Pekin in Region 6. The Wolves are 5-19 but have gotten a strong season from senior Makiah Lower, who is batting .450 with 15 runs driven in and also leads the team as a pitcher in wins and strikeouts.

Sophomore Quin Smith has also been a dangerous hitter for WMU, putting up a .382 average with four triples, three home runs, 20 runs scored and another 16 batted in.

WACO will face Holy Trinity Catholic in the first round in 1A Region 6. The Warriors are still searching for their first win since their last season as a solo team in 2016, but sophomore Lizzie Gerot has put together a solid season by hitting .375 and coming up with a double, a triple and a homer.

Columbus will begin the postseason in Class 2A Region 8 by taking on West Branch. The Wildcats are 7-21 and have gotten an outstanding season from freshman Ellie Sanders, who is batting .481 with eight doubles, a triple and a team-high 29 runs scored. All first-round softball playoffs games will have first pitch this evening at 7 o’clock.