Some of the heavy hitters are back in a familiar place this weekend as the Fourth Annual Class A State Softball Tournament gets underway today at Players Softball Complex in Aberdeen.

Madison enters the field as the top-seeded team, while West Central is the defending State A champion.

“Coming into this season, we knew that every opponent was going to give us their best and we tried to do our best to stay focused on the things that we can control rather than feeling the pressure. But, that said, it always seeps through in some way shape or form,” said West Central coach Heather Harden. “It’s exciting to be back. Having that experience of being in that environment has really helped with the preparation, help calm the nerves.”

Only two teams are new to the Class A tournament this year: Lennox and Beresford.

West Central will square off against Beresford in the opening round today at noon. The two have played each other twice this year, splitting the series.

“We know what to expect a little bit. They’re well coached. They do a lot of things really well. Their defense is aggressive and they’re always looking to get runners,” said Harden. “On the flip side, their offense, on the bases, they’re always looking to exploit an extra base for a missed cutoff, or a miscue on the defense.”

Other first round matchups include Elk Point-Jefferson against Madison at 10 a.m., Lennox against second-seeded Tri-Valley at 2 p.m., and Sioux Valley against Dakota Valley at 4 p.m.

With many teams returning to the field, the Class A tourney appears to feature balanced competition.

““I think we have a lot of quality teams across the board. I think the field is much stronger than it has been in the past for a bigger number of teams. We expect a great matchup against Beresford,” said Harden. “Madison has been solid all season. Tri-Valley’s been great. Dak Valley is in there. Sioux Valley, they could be a team that gives anyone a run for their money. So, I think the fans are really gonna be in for a treat for some excellent, high-quality softball.”

Softball is a sport that continues to feature more schools, and that growth is in part due to more girls getting into the sport from a young age and playing earlier.

“The growth has been strong across the board. Particularly at the overall talent level. Each year, we see teams just level up every year. Certain players level up, but as teams as a whole, they just seem to be leveling up,” said Harden. “I think that’s attributed to a lot of younger athletes starting at earlier ages and focusing on those fundamentals. The quality of the competition across the state from the inception four years ago to now has just improved every single season. And it’s really exciting to see our sport get that visibility and creating opportunities for our players statewide.”