Lady Canes set to host state opener; Cass, Adairsville hit the road
October 9, 2026
Charles Wilson / BartowSportsZone.com
Three local high school softball teams qualified for their respective 2026 state playoffs, with Cartersville preparing to host a best-of-three series in the Class 5A first round starting Wednesday. Cass will start the Class 5A state playoffs on the road, and Adairsville will do the same in Class 4A.
The Lady Canes (26-2) are the No. 2 seed in Class 5A and will host No. 31 Ware County (13-15). The best-of-three series will begin with a doubleheader on Wednesday. If a third game is needed, it will be played on Thursday.
The Lady Colonels (15-11) are the No. 24 seed in Class 5A. Cass starts a best-of-three series on Wednesday at No. 9 Southwest DeKalb (20-2). Adairsville (19-11) is the No. 19 seed in Class 4A and will begin a best-of-three series against No. 15 Mary Persons (19-10) in Forsyth.
Three other teams from Region 7-5A earned state playoff spots, but all will play first-round series on the road. Villa Rica (17-12) is seeded 19th. Cedartown (15-15) is 23rd, and Allatoona (11-13) is 29th. Woodland missed the playoffs and was ranked 40th.
Other Region 7-4A playoff teams include No. 6 Heritage-Catoosa (19-4), No. 8 Ridgeland (23-6), No. 29 Calhoun (10-15), and No. 30 Northwest Whitfield (13-17).
The top 32 teams in each classification in the GHSA Postseason Rankings qualify for the state playoffs. Only the region champions are guaranteed a spot in the 32-team playoffs. The PSR determines the remaining spots and measures each team’s winning percentage, its opponents’ winning percentage, and its opponents' opponents’ winning percentage.
The second round is scheduled to be hosted by the higher seed on October 21-22. Second-round series winners advance to an eight-team double-elimination tournament in Columbus on October 28-31.
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