AHSAA regional softball action begins on Tuesday at Florence’s Coffee O’Neal Park (North), Albertville’s Sand Mountain Park (East), Montgomery’s Lagoon Park (Central) and Gulf Shores Sportsplex (South).

There are 208 AHSAA teams with the top two in each class advancing to 56 spots at next week’s state championship in Oxford.

RELATED: See AHSAA regional tournament teams, schedule

Each regional consists of area winners playing first round games against a designated area runnerup. Play continues in the double-elimination tournament with the winners bracket champion earning the state tournament No. 1 qualifier and the elimination bracket winner seeded as the No. 2 qualifier in each class.

The final 56 teams advance to state tournament play, beginning May 16 at Oxford’s Choccolocco Park.

Check out some of the top players and storylines heading into Tuesday play.

MUST-SEE FIRST ROUND GAMES

Three East Regional games merit attention.

Class 7A second-ranked Hewitt-Trussville plays sixth-ranked Thompson in a matchup of last year’s state championship, won by Thompson.

Class 5A third-ranked Scottsboro takes on fourth-ranked Moody while Class 2A fifth-ranked West End plays ninth-ranked Ider.

TOUGH BRACKET

All four Class 7A East Regional teams are ranked with eighth-ranked Tuscaloosa County playing seventh-ranked Spain Park and second-ranked Hewitt-Trussville playing sixth-ranked Thompson battling for two spots.

South Class 1A features second-ranked Leroy, third-ranked Brantley, fourth-ranked Millry and seventh-ranked Kinston.

Class 2A East Regional play has third-ranked Sand Rock, fifth-ranked West End, sixth-ranked Pleasant Valley and ninth-ranked Ider, but don’t forget about perennial champion Pisgah.

The North Regional has loads of competition among its classes.

Class 6A has second-ranked Athens, third-ranked Hartselle, ninth-ranked Hazel Green and No. 10 Mortimer Jordan while Class 5A features top-ranked Springville, fifth-ranked Jasper and ninth-ranked Brewer along with defending champion Hayden and Class 3A has fifth-ranked Winfield, sixth-ranked Carbon Hill, seventh-ranked Madison Academy and No. 10 Mars Hill Bible.

PERSEVERANCE

Spanish Fort starting left-fielder Madison Griffith leads the team with a .479 batting average despite dealing with an unexplained illness to her mother Jessie, who was a fitness fanatic before the affliction. Madison is the oldest child with a 12-year-old sister.

Sophomore Griffith finds peace on the softball field, surrounded by her second family.

STEALING DEMONS

Helena’s Presley Lively is among the nation’s leaders with 63 stolen bases while Orange Beach sophomore Daigle Wilson leads the Makos with 56 steals.

Leroy’s Gracie Mitchell was thrown out stealing during the last regular season game before the area tournament, breaking a streak of 135 consecutive stolen bases dating back to her seventh-grade season. Mitchell is 155-of-158 in career steals with 35 coming this season.

Berry eighth-grader Kerra Aaron has swiped 44 bases in 46 attempts this season.

Carbon Hills junior Ana Grace Guy has reached base safely in 43 of 45 games and has a school record 37 stolen bases.

Mobile Christian sophomore Hailey Padgett has 41 stolen bases, Georgia Lessman of Enterprise has 36 steals, Cullman’s Haley Shannon has 32, Spanish Fort’s Madison Griffith has 31, Sparkman’s Cassie Reasner has 30, Prattville Christian’s Saniyah Weaver and Athens Bible’s Claire Holt each have 28, Luverne’s Zyan Pederson is 24 of 24 in stolen base attempts and Glencoe’s Emma Croy has 24 steals.

The Brantley trio of Campbell Hawthorne (38 steals), Alex Grimes (33 steals) and AC Free (25 steals) are a threat at any time and Kinston’s Cadence Elmore has 21 steals.

MASTERS IN THE CIRCLE

Tuscaloosa County’s Alyssa Faircloth has 383 strikeouts in 168 1/3 innings this year with an ERA of .790, posting 21 wins, including four no-hitters and a perfect game. The 6-foot left-hander pitched Holy Spirit to last year’s Class 1A state championship.

Faircloth had 444 strikeouts last season and 1,094 in her career, leaving as the school’s career strikeout leader.

Fairhope’s Ryley Harrison is 21-0 with an 0.40 ERA with 214 strikeouts in 122 innings.

Brewbaker Tech’s Taniyah Brown has 249 strikeouts in 191 2/3 innings with 34 wins and 1.06 ERA.

Satsuma sophomore Belle Sheffield is 23-4 with a 1.45 ERA and 230 strikeouts (547 carer).

Sand Rock senior Jadyn Foster has 315 strikeouts this season (1,138 career) with an ERA of 1.069 and a 30-3 record.

Daphne sophomore Victoria Moten has an 0.625 ERA with a .077 batting average against while striking out 291 and allowing 34 total hits with only four extra-base hits.

Wicksburg freshman Ellie Cox has a 20-5 record with a 1.69 ERA and 215 strikeouts, already surpassing 500 career strikeouts.

Ashford’s Savannah Money has 235 strikeouts this season in 139 innings while White Plains’ Leighton Arnold has 229 strikeouts.

HR QUEENS

Just a freshman, Orange Beach’s Ava Hodo is on pace to break the national and a state record for home runs. The national record is 75 home runs and the state record is 72, held by Pisgah’s Shelby Holley, 2008-2011. Hodo has 36 career home runs in two seasons, 18 coming this year. The career total includes a 2021 game-ending shot to beat Pisgah in the Class 2A title game.

Single-season school record-setters include Saraland’s Gracie Dees with 23 this season and Huntsville’s Katie Shuler with 16.

The Brewbaker Tech trio of Taniyah Brown with 19 home runs, twin sister Khamiyah Brown with 14 and Gabbie York with 13 homers can go deep at any time.

Big-hitting duos on the same team include White Plains’ Leighton Arnold with 22 home runs and teammate Callie Richardson with 15 this season, Fairhope’s Ryley Harrison with 20 and Edy Gavin with 16 and Curry’s Jenna Madison with 19 (school record) and Ambrey Taylor with 16.

Sand Rock’s Jadyn Foster has 15 home runs (62 career), North Jackson’s Destry Lambert has 15 as does West Limestone’s Addie Wallace while West Limestone’s Lilly Bethune has 14, Glencoe’s Abi Bunt has 13 homers (30 career), Sparkman’s Cassie Reasner has a personal-best 13, Mars Hill Bible’s Emma Kate Wright has 13, Daphne’s Victoria Moten has 12 and Hatton’s Bradyn Mitchell has 12 homers (30-plus career).

WOW STATS

Leroy junior Gracie Mitchell tied state record by reaching base safely in 18 consecutive at bats.

Helena’s Presley Lively is among the nation’s leaders with 60 runs scored to go along with a .565 average and .630 on-base percentage.

Hatton’s Bradyn Mitchell recently hit home runs in five consecutive at-bats, which ranks her second in the AHSAA record book.

Curry sophomore Ambrey Taylor continues to shine after earning MVP of last year’s Class 4A state finals along with being named underclassman All-American. She has posted a batting average of .591 with 34 doubles, four triples, 16 home runs, 78 RBIs, 70 runs, 27 walks and nine steals.

Wicksburg sophomore Ella Grace Kelley has struck out only three times in 155 plate appearances.

Brewbaker Tech has outscored opponents 441-109.

Fort Payne’s Carley Cash hit thee inside-the-park home runs during an area tournament game with two coming in the same inning.

Expect Carbon Hill’s trio of Raelea Guy, sister Ana Grace Guy and Kalee Edwards to find a way to reach base. Both Sophomore Raelea Guy and junior Kalee Edwards have reached base safely in 44 of 45 games while junior Ana Grace Guy has reached base safely in 43 of 45 games.

Carbon Hills senior Alleigh Keeton has 40 walks with only nine strikeouts and has a school record 71 RB’s this season.

SEE YOU AT THE NEXT LEVEL

Sparkman’s Cassie Reasner will play at Kentucky next season while Huntsville junior Mari Hubbard has committed to Alabama.

Brewbaker Tech twins Taniyah and Khamiyah Brown are committed to play for Memphis while Fort Payne’s AJ Kramer will play at UAB and Tuscaloosa County’s Alyssa Faircloth along with Ashford’s Savannah Money will play at Troy.

Fairhope’s Ryley Harrison and Helena’s Presley Lively have both signed with South Alabama while Huntsville’s Katie Shuler has committed to South. Enterprise’s Georgia Lessman has signed with Iowa and Mars Hill Bible’s Emma Kate Wright has signed with North Alabama.

Madison County’s Gracyn Spicer and Skyline’s Olivia Treece have committed to Samford while the Bob Jones duo of Natalia Kenyatta has committed to Michigan State, Charlotte Herron has committed to Western Kentucky and Gulf Shores junior Tia Titi has committed to North Carolina State.

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS

Six of seven defending champions are among the teams playing. Class 7A Thompson, Class 6A Athens, Class 5A Hayden, Class 4A Curry, Class 3A Houston Academy and Class 2A Orange Beach will try to repeat titles.

There will be new champions in Class 3A since Houston Academy is in Class 4A and Orange Beach also moved up to Class 4A this season. Class 1A champion Holy Spirit did not make the field.

GRAB BAG

Wicksburg is approaching the program home run record of 41, hitting 36 heading into regional play.

Mars Hill Bible has four sets of sisters on the team with Emma Kate and Molly Wright, Dylan and Kelsie McDaniel, Emma Claire and Mollie Sak and Ella and Lila Embry.

Brewbaker Tech has hit a school record 59 homeruns so far this season, with Taniyah Brown setting a record with 19 in a season.

Orange Beach’s Daigle Wilson set the team record this season with 64 runs scored.

North Jackson junior Avery Wynne has spent 209 1/3 innings behind the plate with only three passed balls and has caught 13-of-37 steal attempts with six pickoffs this season.

Priceville set a team record for wins this season with 38.

ABOUT THE COACHES

Barclay Kercher started the program at Spanish Fort when the school opened in 2005, coaching for three years before moving to coach soccer. Kercher was diagnosed with breast cancer and retired from coaching in 2014, but continued to teach.

When former coach Lauren Stewart accepted a position at Wallace State at the start of the school year, Kercher was asked take over the program, guiding the Toros to South Regional after winning Class 6A, Area 2.

Kercher won’t return next season.

Hazel Green coach Mike Henson is retiring after 28 years coaching. Henson picked up career win 300 this season.

Pleasant Valley coach David Bryant 499 career wins.