The Alba-Golden Lady Panthers begin their playoff season this week. As they take the field, they will be in for a real test.  For the last six weeks, Alba-Golden has out-scored their opposition 157-37.

That huge margin in run production is a combination of having a very solid softball team playing in a weak district. As Alba-Golden begins the journey playing other good softball teams, their future will be determined by how well they respond to situations in which they have not had much experience. 

Thankfully, a very competitive pre-district schedule gave the team some beneficial experience early in the year, but it has been district play since March 3, and the only real test they received was a split series against Como-Pickton and a single close game against Fruitvale.

Monday’s seeding game against Como-Pickton was a good reminder of the playoff competition to come. The Como-Pickton Lady Eagles defeated Alba-Golden, 8-3, claiming the number one seed in District 18. Were it not for the Como-Pickton seeding game, Alba-Golden would have gone into the playoffs on the heels of a 18-1 rout of Big Sandy.

The Lady Panthers scored 18 runs on 13 hits last Friday in Big Sandy, but they were assisted by 10 Big Sandy errors. There won’t be any teams in the 2026 playoff tourney committing 10+ errors.

The Lady Panthers have a very good softball team. They have no defensive weaknesses and are led by excellent work behind the plate from catcher Averi Stevenson. The left side of the infield with Joecey Lewers at third and Jayla Sitar at short are as good as any line-up. The outfield communicates well and remains engaged in the game.

At the plate, the Lady Panthers have become adept at putting the ball in play. As a team, they are seeing the ball well and able to generate contact. Once aboard, they have excellent speed and can aggressively run the bases.   

Of course, the heart of the team is fireballer Adie Smith. When in a groove, Smith can stop the opposition in their tracks with ball placement and velocity. 

The Lady Panthers will face Detroit, winners of District 17, in a bi-district match-up this week.