INDIANAPOLIS – A record number of teams will take to diamonds across the state for the 33rd annual high school softball state tournament series next month.

The 378 prep teams, divided into four classes, will be shooting for a spot in the State Finals come June 10 at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis.

The IHSAA set the tournament trail Friday night with the drawing for postseason play, which begins with sectional action statewide the week of May 22.

Sectional action is slated for the week of May 22-27 with one-game regionals on May 30. Semistates, which feature four teams, are June 3 with the Northern sites being at Lafayette Harrison (4-A), Twin Lakes (3-A), LaVille/Newton Park (2-A) and Frankfort (1-A). The four state championship games are on June 10.

Warsaw received a bye and will face Goshen in a semifinal game of the Class 4-A Elkhart Central Sectional. The Tigers beat Goshen 10-5 on April 19 and will face them again on May 5 in Northern Lakes Conference play. Elkhart Memorial is the defending champion in what is a wide-open field at Central. Memorial plays Central and Northridge faces Concord in first-round action at Central.

Wawasee, ranked No. 6 in Class 3-A, will be the team to beat in the Lakeland Sectional field. The Warriors, who are 13-2 on the season, face host Lakeland in the sectional opener. Fairfield, which is the two-time defending champion, drew Tippecanoe Valley in a semifinal game at Lakeland. Wawasee, which lost 1-0 to Fairfield in the sectional final a year ago, beat the Falcons 13-2 in five innings on April 10 at Fairfield. Prior to that beatdown, the Falcons had won five of the previous six meetings versus the Warriors.

Whitko drew a bye in the Class 2-A sectional at Oak Hill and will play either Manchester or Wabash in a semifinal game. The No. 10 Wildcats are having an outstanding season with a 12-2 mark.

Triton will shoot for its fifth straight sectional title in the Class 1-A Bethany Christian Sectional. The No. 20 Trojans faced Lakewood Park Christian in a semifinal game of the five-team field at Bethany.

The winner of the Elkhart Central Sectional will host a regional game versus the Penn Sectional champion. No. 1 ranked and undefeated Penn, which was state runner-up a year ago, is the huge favorite in their own sectional.

The winner of the Lakeland Sectional will play at the winner of the Angola Sectional in its regional game. The Oak Hill Sectional champion will play at the Carroll (Flora) Sectional winner. The Bethany Christian Sectional champion will host the West Central Sectional winner for its regional contest.

Following are the local sectional pairings. Dates and times are noted for those that have been determined.

Class 4-A
At Elkhart Central
May 22: 5:30 p.m.: Game 1: Elkhart Memorial vs. Elkhart Central
May 22: Game 2: Northridge vs. Concord
May 24: 5:30 p.m.:Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
May 24: Game 4: Warsaw vs. Goshen
May 26: 6 p.m.: Game 5: Championship

Class 3-A
At Lakeland
May 22: 5 p.m.: Game 1: Wawasee vs. Lakeland
May 22: Game 2: NorthWood vs. West Noble
May 23: 5 p.m.: Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
May 23: Game 4: Tippecanoe Valley vs. Fairfield
May 25: 6 p.m.: Game 5: Championship

Class 2-A
At Oak Hill
Game 1: Manchester vs. Wabash
Game 2: Northfield vs. North Miami
Game 3: Southwood vs. Oak Hill
Game 4: Whitko vs. Game 1 winner
Game 5: Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 3
Game 6: Championship

Class 1-A
At Bethany Christian
May 22: 5 p.m.:Game 1: Hamilton vs. Bethany Christian
TBD: Game 2: Triton vs. Lakewood Park
TBD:Game 3: Elkhart Christian Academy vs. Winner Game 1
TBD: Game 4: Championship