There will be a point this postseason that a pitcher will be standing on the rubber in the middle of the diamond, and a batter is staring back from the plate with the game on the line.

If the game is close that one pitch might determine the outcome – strikeout, pop-up, or a hit in the right-center field gap to plate a run or two.

Or maybe the score is such that the result is no longer in doubt but the final out still needs to be secured.

The 6A and 5A softball tournaments play out over the next few weeks, leading to the championship games on May 18 at Grand Canyon University.

As the tournament days come off the calendar, there will be several instances where a one-on-one battle makes the difference.

Some players have been through these scenarios before, and it gives them edge. The heartbeat slows instead of speeds up. The bat remains comfortable in the hands instead of getting strangled, the pitcher stares into the catcher and it might as well be the first pitch of the game instead of the final inning an elimination game.

Highland’s Karsyn Norton helped the Gilbert Softball Little League to a 11U state title in 2019 and the team’s undefeated run in Sierra Vista started with Norton’s walk-off single in the tournament’s opening game against Flagstaff.

She has gone on to have a fantastic career – she hit .567 this season and .483 career hitter – and she is headed to BYU in the fall. Playing in an intense, win or go home type environment at young age, helped Norton trust herself and it has driven her to win another title.

“Winning a state championship in Little League was a great feeling,” Norton said. “The experience helped me realize how much joy softball brings me on top of the lifelong relationships it develops.

“Having success early on only made me chase the feeling of being a champion every single year.”

The chase is on now for the 32 teams – 16 in each classification – that have made the playoffs.

Norton, who combines with Alena Mascarenas for the best 1-2 punches in 6A, is one of several players who have been in these types of situations throughout their careers.

No one more so than Desert Mountain pitcher Lily “Goose” Goodwin as the U.S. National team member and Northwestern commit has led the Wolves to three state titles from the circle, forging one of the best careers in Arizona history.

Although this year, Desert Mountain will have to win it from a different place in the bracket as it comes in as the sixth seed. Injuries have left the Wolves more vulnerable than previous years.    

It doesn’t really matter where a team starts out if the program has someone like Goodwin on the mound.

In her career, she is 66-2 with a 0.52 ERA in 80 appearances and 445 innings with 924 strikeouts and 88 walks on 179 hits.

“Her pitching has been phenomenal,” Desert Mountain coach Chris Fredricks said. “I think her hitting gets overlooked. She has that pitcher’s perspective in the box so she can usually understand what pitch is coming, and she can sit back on a change up.”

Goodwin, who hasn’t been fully healthy this season, is hardly the lone reason the Wolves have developed into the top program over the previous three seasons as there have been clutch hits and defense plays along the way.

But it helps.

Desert Mountain has the longest current state title streak in the state at three and should the Mountain Lions make it four in a row they will become the fourth program in state history to win at least four titles in a row and remain two seasons away matching Salpointe’s record of six from 2018-2023.

“When this group was freshmen we beat Red Mountain early on to give us idea of what we can do,” Fredericks said. “We took the lead (in the championship game) against Willow (Canyon) with a two-run shot and everyone started to believe we can do it. We closed it out, and it has been the expectation ever since.”

Among those challenging Desert Mountain for the title will be No. 1 AZ College Prep, No. 2 Marana Mountain View, No. 3 Chaparral and No. 4 Canyon Del Oro. The 5A tournament begins its double elimination starting with the quarterfinals.

Queen Creek's Emma Reynolds and her teammates have been motivated by last season's 6A runner-up finish. (Jason Skoda/AzPreps365)

The 6A tournament is double elimination for all 16 teams and leads to some intense games with those one-on-one confrontations deciding who moves on at times.

No. 1 Queen Creek, which lost in the title game in 2025 after coming through the consolation bracket, has been dominant with one idea in mind.

“It 100 percent fuels us every day in practice,” Queen Creek starting pitcher Aubrey Chavez said about finishing as runner-up last season. “Winning a championship is the end goal and we’re doing what we can to reach it. I feel like as close-knit as we are as team, we know we can get the job done regardless of who the opponent is.”

Other contenders are sure to come from No. 2 Desert Vista, No. 3 Pinnacle, No. 4 Xavier, No. 5 Basha and No. 6 Perry.

Chances are there will be an at-bat that determines who advances and who doesn’t.

Will it be the perfect pitch that secures win or will that batter put in play to drive in the winning run?

It just might be the player who has been in that position before and brings ease to the momentous encounters instead of nerves.

“I try to trust that my training will not let me down,” Norton said about at bats in big situations. “I treat every at bat the same no matter where we are in the game. I have one rule when hitting – pitch selection.”

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