By Thursday night -- May's weird weather permitting -- District 3 will crown four new softball champions and be the proud owner of nine teams that will begin play in the PIAA tournament next week.
Which teams advance in which order will be the result of a what should be a high number of exciting, well-played ball games this week.
Let's take a look at Tuesday's semifinals (and Wednesday's Class A final):
CLASS AAAA
Cumberland Valley (22-2) vs. Central Dauphin (16-6), Messiah College, 4:30 p.m.: A battle of veteran coaches named Williams in CV's Gregg and CD's Ken. And while Ken Williams' CD squad is a two-time defending D-3 champ, Gregg's CV Eagles have 10-1 and 8-1 victories over the Rams in Commonwealth play this season.
Defensively, these are two well-schooled, smooth-fielding teams whose players know what to do with the ball. If you want to see how defense is played, watch CD third baseman Katie Foran and CV shortstop Hannah Edwards. The word impressive doesn't do justice to either, but it's a good start.
Offensively, both teams can play small ball and manufacture runs when needed, but CV rates the edge in overall offensive power.
As for pitching, you won't see many walks from CV's Kayla Sullenberger and CD's Amanda Homrighausen. You won't see an overabundance of strikeouts, either, as both pitchers are well aware of the defensive talent behind them. Sullenberger doesn't get rattled if an inning goes sour, and as CV's clean-up hitter she has helped herself offensively on multiple occasions.
The number of good athletes who will be on the field is just one of many reasons to visit Messiah's Starry Field for this game.
Hempfield (23-2) vs. Daniel Boone (18-6), Millersville University, 6:30 p.m.: Both teams lost in the early rounds of last year's tournament. Boone has knocked off Chambersburg (3-2) and Warwick (4-2) while Hempfield, the No. 2 seed, has blanked Wilson (5-0) and outlasted Solanco (7-5).
CLASS AAA
Greencastle-Antrim (17-6) vs. Donegal (20-3), Carlisle HS, 4:30 p.m.: One of two tremendous semifinal matchups in this division. Last year's D-3 runner-up, Greencastle has made steady progress behind freshman pitcher Liz Ward and catcher Casey German. Ward's sister, Mary, a centerfielder, is a Penn State recruit batting over .400
Donegal is a familiar named to the D-3 bracket and the Indians are led by pitcher Sophie Leaman.
Manheim Central (19-5) vs. Twin Valley (23-1), Millersville University, 4:30 p.m.: A 2-1 winner over Greencastle in last year's finals, Manheim Central rides the arm of Messiah College recruit Sara McKee. Anything other than a 1-0 or a 2-1 game in this one would be a surprise as Twin Valley's Sam Lichtner, like McKee, has thrown two shutouts in the tournament thus far.
CLASS AA
Susquenita (18-3) vs. Pequea Valley (14-7), Lebanon Valley College, 4:30 p.m.: An intriguing matchup, given that PV knocked off second-seeded Delone Catholic 2-1. The third-seeded Blackhawks boast a deep pitching staff led by Rachael Sterner and Amber Turpin, are a strong hitting team and have tremendous speed at the top of their order in Vanessa Hoffman. Pitcher Amanda Houck has paced PV's run.
Brandywine Heights (21-2) vs. Schuylkill Valley (13-7), Fleetwood, 4:30 p.m.: These two teams met in last season's quarterfinals and Brandywine emerged as a 10-0 winner. Schuylkill Valley, the No. 5 seed, shut out No. 4 Kutztown 1-0 last week.
CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP
Greenwood (7-10) vs. Millersburg (11-6), Wednesday, Halifax HS, 4:30 p.m.: These two Tri-Valley League rivals are no strangers to each other or to the district title game as Greenwood won last year's championship over the Indians 4-3 before advancing to win a couple of games in the PIAA tournament as well.
Brooke Shomper, Marlo Roadcap and MicKayla Armor lead Millersburg offensively. Millersburg defeated Greenwood twice this season and Roadcap earned the win in both outings.
Pitcher Brooke Louden, Amy Heggenstaller and Katie Osborne have paced Greenwood's offensive production this season. Brittany Fleisher and Chelsea Hicks have two home runs each for Greenwood.