The Cheverus High School softball team from Portland will be playing in its first ever state championship game on Saturday.
Bucksport will be playing in its 14th.
Three of the four defending state champs are back and can extend their reigns with victories.
Five of the 10 Miss Maine Softball finalists will be involved in the state games: pitchers Mia Coots (Nokomis), McKayle Kortes (York) and Lila Rawnsley (NYA) and catchers Emma Potter (Penobscot Valley) and Zoe Soule (Hall-Dale).
The Miss Maine Softball Award goes to the state’s best senior player.
Class A — Cheverus (18-1) vs. Oxford Hills (17-2), 1 p.m., Central Maine Community College, Auburn
Cheverus ruined Windham’s bid to repeat as A titleists by virtue of a 2-0,10-inning win in the A South final. Cheverus freshman and Maine Gatorade Player of the Year Addison DeRoche threw a 23-strikeout, two-hitter in that game.
Cheverus, which had never played in a regional final until this season, comes into the game with 15 shutouts on the season including all three playoff games.
Oxford Hills of South Paris has won 15 of its last 16 games and has allowed two runs or less in 14 games.
Oxford Hills is looking for its first state title since 1999. It will be its third championship game appearance in six seasons and sixth overall. Oxford Hills was a 3-1 loser to Windham in last year’s final.
Class B — Nokomis (17-2) vs. York (19-0), 12:30 p.m., University of Southern Maine, Gorham
The two teams are meeting for the second year in a row in the B championship game.
York has won 35 straight games including a 2-1 triumph over Nokomis in the state game a year ago. York has scored at least 10 runs in 14 of its last 16 games.
York’s crown last year was its first since 1989. This will be York’s fourth state game in eight years which includes losses in 2019 and 2016. The Wildcats will be making their ninth state final appearance since the inception of state games in 1977.
Nokomis played in its first ever state game a year ago and has a current 14-game winning streak, allowing two runs or fewer in 13 of them.
Class C — Bucksport (18-1) vs. Hall Dale (17-2), 3:30 p.m., University of Maine, Orono
This is another rematch. Hall-Dale triumphed a year ago 2-1.
Bucksport will be participating in its eighth state game in 13 years and is gunning for its first title since 2017.
Bucksport has won 18 straight games after a 9-8 opening-game loss to Class B Ellsworth. The Bucks have allowed only seven runs in their last 10 games.
They won crowns in 2017, ‘15, ‘13 and ‘12 and lost in 2016, 2011 and last year. It was in Class B in 2011.
Overall, Bucksport has eight titles, four apiece in B and C.
Hall-Dale of Farmingdale had never played in a state game until 2021 and is a perfect 3-0 in state finals.
Hall-Dale has a seven-game winning streak and outscored opponents 73-6 during that stretch.
Class D — North Yarmouth Academy (18-1) vs. Penobscot Valley (15-2), 4 p.m., USM, Gorham
Defending champion NYA beat Machias 7-1 in last year’s final.
Penobscot Valley will be appearing in its seventh overall state game and sixth over the last 11 seasons.
The Howlers were victorious in 2019, ‘17 and ‘12.
Penobscot Valley has won nine of its last 10 games with the only loss coming to Class C Dexter. It has allowed one run or less in six of its last 10 games.
NYA played in its first ever state game a year ago and will come into the game allowing two runs or fewer in six of its last seven games.
