The Marion baseball and softball teams have worked all spring to make the cut for this season's state tournaments. Now, they get to reap the benefits of hosting such an event. Thirty-two teams will descend on Marion this week starting on Thursday for the 2023 Class 5A state baseball and softball tournaments. The action kicks off on Thursday and Friday mornings at 10 a.m., while semifinal Saturday gets going at 12 p.m. Marion baseball opens its Class 5A state title defense at 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon when the Patriots (17-10 overall, 9-5 5A East) play outright 5A West champion Greenwood at First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas Stadium. The action continues almost immediately following the Marion-Greenwood tilt at the softball complex, where Marion plays Harrison (22-6 overall, 10-4 5A West) at 5:30. Should Marion baseball top Greenwood, the Patriots would play in the quarterfinals on Friday, May 12 at 5:30, while softball would play on Friday at 12:30. Should softball win its first two games, the Patriots would play in the semifinals on Saturday at 12 p.m., while baseball would play at 2:30 p.m. Marion and Greenwood have only one common opponent from 2023, and that's Class 4A power Brookland. Greenwood busted Brookland 6-3 on March 21, while Marion downed the Bearcats (19-12 overall, 9-1 3-4A) 9-0 on April 24. Greenwood earned the 5A West title this season by winning its first 12 games in league action, including five shutouts. Following the Bulldogs' first league loss of the spring (5-3 to Greenbrier), Greenwood outlasted Greenbrier 5-3 in the nightcap to clinch the outright league crown and No. 1 playoff seed. The Bulldogs boast winning streaks this season of eight and seven games, and four of their seven losses have come against 6A West competition. The winner of Marion-Greenwood would play the winner of the Maumelle-Sheridan game on Friday. It is not yet known who would start against Greenwood on Thursday, but many expect it to be either senior Jett Sutton (26 innings pitched in 2023, 13 runs allowed and seven earned, on 12 hits with 39 strikeouts and 17 walks), or sophomores Carson Catt (23 innings pitched with 14 hits allowed and five runs with 26 strikeouts and 10 walks) or Cohen Bumbaugh (staff-high 32.2 innings pitched, allowing 19 runs, though just eight were earned, and 57 strikeouts and 29 walks). Marion softball seeks its 20th victory for the second time in three seasons when it plays Harrison on Thursday evening. Harrison enters postseason play winners of six straight contests since outright 5A West champion Van Buren bounced the Goblins by scores of 4-0 and 1-0 on April 18. A midseason coaching change gave the Goblins their third coach in two seasons, but Harrison's four league losses came to the top two teams in the conference (Van Buren and Greenwood). Harrison advanced to last season's Class 4A semifinals before losing to eventual state champion Valley View 11-3 in the final four. Marion settled for the 5A East runner-up spot for the third straight season this spring, and the Patriots have advanced to the quarterfinals the past two seasons. A senior-laden lineup powers the Patriots as all six soon-to-be graduates are expected to start against Harrison. Two-time all-state centerfielder Mckenzie Shinabery (.308 batting average with a .373 on-base percentage with eight home runs and 32 RBI) likely will lead off, followed by senior infielder Brianna Morquecho (.377 average with .432 OBP with a team-high 40 hits), and senior infielder Kelsey Baker (team-high .463 BA and .581 OBP with 15 doubles, four home runs, three triples, and a team-high 40 RBI and 40 runs). Catcher Jacey Holder (.308 BA with .388 OBP with 19 RBI) produced her finest regular season, while Claire Hall (.304 BA with .458 OBP) could play first. Senior Anna Murphy has produced a sensational senior spring at the plate (.333 BA with .440 OBP with 15 RBI, six doubles, a triple, and 14 walks), and she'll likely start inside the circle after posting staff-highs in starts (17), wins (10), innings pitched (110), walks (26), and ERA (2.35). Look for junior Anna Hitchman in relief and at third base. Should Marion best Harrison in the tournament's opening round, the Pats would play the winner of the Sylvan Hills-Benton game in the quarterfinals at 12:30 p.m. Friday afternoon. Two-time defending Class 5A state softball champion Benton topped Marion 4-3 in a non-conference game in April after the Patriots led 3-1 entering the bottom of the seventh. HOME SWEET HOME It appears to be a good year for the Marion baseball and softball teams to host the state tournament. Marion baseball is 11-3 this spring in the friendly confines of First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas Stadium, home of John Robbins Field. Patriot baseball has taken down key resume wins at home this season over Hernando, (Ms.), Brookland, and Greene County Tech, as well as conference doubleheader sweeps of Searcy and Paragould. Marion softball has enjoyed being inside its brand-new state-of-the-art facility this spring, and the record backs up that claim as the Patriots have gone 12-3 there, with victories in their first 12 chances on their home turf. STATE TOURNAMENT HISTORY Marion has hosted the state baseball and softball tournaments once apiece in the past, and it helped give the home team a boost each time. The Class 6A state baseball tournament came to Marion in 2011, and it helped the Pats push through to the semifinals for just the second time in school history that spring. Eventual state champion Jacksonville eliminated Marion in the final four. Marion played host to the 2015 Class 6A state softball tournament at Marion Sports Complex. Marion received a first-round bye that spring, before outlasting El Dorado 3-1 in the first game of the day on Monday morning before coming back to play Sheridan in the semifinals on Monday evening. The Patriots left nine runners on base against Sheridan in a 4-0 defeat. FULL GAME SCHEDULE BASEBALL THURSDAY, MAY 11 BASEBALL FIELD 1 (First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas Stadium at Marion High School) Mountain Home-Valley View, 10 a.m. Sylvan Hills-Benton, 12:30 p.m. MARION-Greenwood, 3 p.m. Sheridan-Maumelle, 5:30 p.m. BASEBALL FIELD 2 (Tilden Rodgers Complex in West Memphis) Hot Springs Lakeside-Little Rock Christian, 10 a.m. Greene County Tech-Greenbrier, 12:30 p.m. Vilonia-Texarkana, 3 p.m. Van Buren-Batesville, 5:30 p.m. FRIDAY, MAY 12 First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas Stadium at Marion High Winner of HS Lakeside-LR Christian and Greene County Tech-Greenbrier, 10 a.m. Winner of Vilonia-Texarkana and Van Buren-Batesville, 12:30 p.m. Winner of Mountain Home-Valley View and Sylvan Hills-Benton, 3 p.m. Winner of Marion-Greenwood and Sheridan-Maumelle, 5:30 p.m. SATURDAY, MAY 13 First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas Stadium at Marion High First semifinal, 12 p.m. Second semifinal, 2:30 p.m. SOFTBALL THURSDAY, MAY 11 SOFTBALL FIELD 1 (Marion High School varsity field) White Hall-Beebe, 10 a.m. Valley View-Greenwood, 12:30 p.m. Sylvan Hills-Benton, 3 p.m. Harrison-MARION, 5:30 p.m. SOFTBALL FIELD 2 (Old Marion High softball field) Mountain Home-Greene County Tech, 10 a.m. Maumelle-Sheridan, 12:30 p.m. Searcy-Van Buren, 3 p.m. Hot Springs Lakeside-Vilonia, 5:30 p.m. FRIDAY, MAY 12 Marion High School varsity field Winner of White Hall-Beebe and Valley View-Greenwood, 10 a.m. Winner of Sylvan Hills-Benton and Harrison-Marion, 12:30 p.m. Winner of Mountain Home-Greene County Tech and Maumelle-Sheridan, 3 p.m. Winner of Searcy-Van Buren and HS Lakeside-Vilonia, 5:30 p.m. SATURDAY, MAY 13 MARION HIGH SCHOOL VARSITY FIELD First semifinal, 12 p.m. Second semifinal, 2:30 p.m.