Eight Times News area softball teams have qualified for the District 11 softball playoffs, which are scheduled to begin next week.

Pleasant Valley and Easton will kick off the tournament, as the two will play a Class 6A first round contest on Monday.

The Bears are seeded eighth and will host the ninth-seeded Rovers. The winner will play top-seeded Parkland on Thursday.

Five of the eight teams will begin their quest for a district title on Tuesday, when Classes 3A and 4A hold their quarterfinal rounds.

Two of those teams will be facing each other, as sixth-seeded Lehighton will travel to No. 3 Northwestern in a 4A battle. The winner of that game meets Blue Mountain on Thursday in the semifinals.

Also in action in Class 4A play will be No. 4 Tamaqua, who hosts fifth-seeded Wilson. If the Blue Raiders can triumph, they will take on top-seeded Bethlehem Catholic in the other semifinal matchup.

The other two teams taking the field on Tuesday are Palmerton and Northern Lehigh, who will be competing in the Class 3A bracket.

The Blue Bombers have earned the No. 3 seed and will have a home game against sixth-seeded Pen Argyl. The two teams met in Colonial League action on April 4 with Palmerton gaining a 10-3 victory.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, face a familiar foe in Palisades. Nolehi, the No. 5 seed, recently played the fourth-seeded Pirates, falling to them 9-5 in the CL playoffs. Palisades also defeated the Bulldogs by a 6-0 score during the regular season on April 28.

Marian has gained the highest seed among local clubs, as the Fillies are No. 2 in the Class 1A field.

With only four teams in the bracket, the clubs will automatically advance into the semifinal round, which will be held at Williams Valley.

Marian will face Nativity, the No. 3 seed, in the opener, while fourth-seeded Weatherly looks for the upset against No. 1 seed Tri-Valley in the second game.

Both games are rematches of ones played during the regular season. The Fillies edged Nativity by a 5-4 score in eight innings on May 5 in a game that clinched the Schuylkill League Division 3 title for Marian. The Wreckers, meanwhile, dropped a 21-0 decision to the powerful Bulldogs on April 29.

DISTRICT 11 SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS

(Dates and times are subject to change)

Class 1A

Thursday, May 26

Semifinals

No. 1 Tri-Valley vs. No. 4 Weatherly at Williams Valley, 5 p.m.

No. 3 Nativity vs. No. 2 Marian at Williams Valley, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 31

Championship

Tri-Valley-Weatherly winner vs. Nativity-Marian winner, TBA

Class 2A

Thursday, May 26

Semifinals

No. 1 Williams Valley vs. No. 4 Shenandoah Valley at Pine Grove, 5:45 p.m.

No. 3 Minersville vs. No. 2 Schuylkill Haven at Pine Grove, 4:15 p.m.

Tuesday, May 31

Championship

Williams Valley-Shenandoah Valley winner vs. Minersville-Schuylkill Haven winner, TBA

Class 3A

Tuesday, May 24

Quarterfinals

No. 8 Allentown Central Catholic at No. 1 North Schuylkill, 4 p.m.

No. 5 Palisades at No. 4 Northern Lehigh, 4 p.m.

No. 6 Pen Argyl at No. 3 Palmerton, 3 p.m.

No. 7 MaST Community Charter at No. 2 Pine Grove, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 26

Semifinals

Allentown Central Catholic-North Schuylkill winner vs. Palisades-Northern Lehigh winner, TBA

Pen Argyl-Palmerton winner vs. MaST Community Charter-Pine Grove winners, TBA

Tuesday, May 31

Championship

Semifinal winners, TBA

Class 4A

Tuesday, May 24

Quarterfinals

No. 5 Wilson at No. 4 Tamaqua, 4 p.m.

No. 6 Lehighton at No. 3 Northwestern, 4 p.m.

Thursday, May 26

Semifinals

Wilson-Tamaqua winner vs. Bethlehem Catholic, TBA

Lehighton-Northwestern winner vs. Blue Mountain at Pine Grove, 7:15 p.m.

Tuesday, May 31

Championship

Wilson-Tamaqua-Bethlehem Catholic winner vs. Lehighton-Northwestern-Blue Mountain winner, TBA

Class 5A

Tuesday, May 31

Semifinals

No. 4 Pottsville vs. No. 1 Bangor, TBA

No. 3 East Stroudsburg South vs. No. 2 Southern Lehigh, TBA

Thursday, June 2

Championship

Pottsville-Bangor winner vs. ES South-Southern Lehigh winner, TBA

Class 6A

Monday, May 23

First Round

No. 9 Easton at No. 8 Pleasant Valley, 4 p.m.

Thursday, May 26

Quarterfinals

Easton-Pleasant Valley winner at Parkland, 4 p.m.

No. 5 Stroudsburg at No. 4 Whitehall, 4 p.m.

No. 6 Nazareth at No. 3 Emmaus, 4 p.m.

No. 7 Freedom at No. 2 Northampton, 4 p.m.

Tuesday, May 31

Semifinals

Easton-Pleasant Valley-Parkland winner vs. Stroudsburg-Whitehall winner, TBA

Nazareth-Emmaus winner vs. Freedom-Northampton winner, TBA

Thursday, June 2

Championship

Semifinal winners, TBA