Apex softball was the Tri-9 Conference champ.
One blog with all of the all-conference performers links to postseason stories and final season standings for the 2013 Tri-Nine Conference softball season.

Want previous years?

• 2012 Tri-Nine softball blog
• 2011 Tri-Nine softball blog
• 2010 Tri-Nine softball blog

North Johnston enters the postseason as the N&O's top-ranked area softball team.

Below are all of the match-ups in the softball playoffs and we've updated this blog with links to our coverage from every round. The East regional final best-of-three series begins Thursday, and South Granville (2A), Wake Forest-Rolesville (4A) and West Johnston (4A) are alive.

Not listed below is Chatham Central (1A), which is in the West best-of-three series final.

Several area players were named to the 2012 N.C. Softball Coaches Association all-state teams. Each classification has their own all-state team, with a player and pitcher of the year for the West and East.

We've attached the full list, and included Triangle-area players plus individual awards below.

Middle Creek's Allie Geiner was co-4A East player of the year, North Johnston's Ashleigh Mason (pictured right) was 2A East player of the year and Holly Springs' Erica Nunn was 4A East pitcher of the year.

The final Tri-Nine softball conference standings at the end of the playoffs, plus the all-conference team.

All NCHSAA championship softball games set to start tonight at the Walnut Creek Softball Complex have been postponed till tomorrow. As of 5:50 p.m., three of the four baseball championships were on as scheduled.

The 1A baseball Game 1 between Durham Voyager Academy and South Stanly has been moved to 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The 4A baseball Game 1 between Middle Creek and Cornelius Hough, also at the DBAP will try to be played at its regularly-scheduled 8 p.m.

All softball Game 1s are now set for Saturday at 11 a.m. with Game 2s at 2:30 p.m. Game 3s, if necessary, are Sunday at 1 p.m.

One Triangle team, Holly Springs, is playing for the 4A softball title against Indian Porter Ridge. Pikeville Aycock from the Eastern Carolina Conference is playing for the 3A title.

The 3A and 2A baseball championships that are being played at Mudcats Stadium are on as scheduled.

Holly Springs has a chance to wrap up its second straight 4A East softball title today, but be careful about using the word "repeat." Very little will be replicated from last year's experience at this stage.

Brackets and locations of N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association playoffs in baseball, softball, girls soccer, 3A boys tennis, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse and track & field.

Wake Forest-Rolesville is the top-ranked softball team in the N&O area and starts postseason play this Friday against Lee County in the 4A N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs. Undefeated South Granville hosts Providence Grove in 2A softball.

The format has changed in this year's playoffs. Now, instead of the four state semifinalists advancing to a double-elimination, four-team tournament to decide a state title, the semifinals and finals will each be a best-of-three and held on separate weeks. It's currently how the NCHSAA baseball playoffs operate.

Holly Springs, last year's 4A East champ, opens at home with Northern Durham. The 4A East runner-up, Clayton, is at Wilmington Ashley.

The North Carolina Softball Coaches Association released its extensive 2011 All-State list and a number of Triangle-area players were named.

Among the highlights of the list: Holly Springs pitcher Erica Nunn was named 4-A East pitcher of the year, Fuquay-Varina shortstop Alexa Cannon (above left) was named 4-A East player of the year, N.C. School of Science & Math senior Whitney Johnson was named 1-A pitcher of the year and sophomore Tyler Ross of Union Pines was the 3-A player of the year.

Below is a list of all local NCSCA 2011 All-State players. To see the full list, download the attached pdf file.

West Johnston's Lexi Betancourt and Garner's Raven Smith take top honors in Greater Neuse 4-A softball.