The path to district spring gold in several sports will be determined by several WPIAL steering committees over the next two days.
Welcome to Bracketology 2026 for the spring sports.
On Thursday, the district will release the brackets for the 2026 softball playoffs along with the boys and girls lacrosse postseasons.
The district softball playoff field sits at 76 and the boys and girls lacrosse postseason field could be at 45 once the season ends Wednesday.
You can get the lowdown on the softball brackets during the WPIAL Softball Playoff Pairings Show at 4 p.m. Thursday.
On Friday, the WPIAL will unveil the brackets for the 2026 baseball and boys volleyball playoffs.
There are 78 district baseball teams preparing for the postseason while there could be as many as 26 boys volleyball teams that are playoff bound after the season ends Thursday.
Find out how the upcoming baseball playoffs shape up on the WPIAL Baseball Playoff Pairings Show at 1 p.m. Friday.
Final regular season volley
The regular season for WPIAL boys volleyball concludes Thursday.
There are 22 teams that know their seasons will continue into the playoffs starting next week; however, as many as four more schools could punch their ticket Thursday.
In Section 4-3A, Peters Township and Upper St. Clair enter the final night tied for the third and final playoff berth with 5-4 section records.
The Indians have a tall task as they host section champion Baldwin while the Panthers are home to rival Mt. Lebanon, which clinched a playoff berth Tuesday.
If both Peters Township and Upper St. Clair win, or if they both lose, on Thursday and remain tied for third place, the Indians and Panthers will both qualify for the district postseason.
In Section 4-2A, three teams are tied for third place and the final playoff spot.
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Montour and Hopewell are all 4-5 entering the final night of the regular season.
On Thursday, the Chargers visit Trinity (5-4) while the Spartans hit the road to go head-to-head with the Vikings.
OLSH needs a win to qualify for the playoffs while the winner of the Montour at Hopewell match also clinches a playoff berth.
Golden flag day
The first WPIAL girls flag football semifinals and championships will take place Thursday evening at Upper St. Clair.
The original playoff field of 16 has been cut down to the final four in search of the first WPIAL girls flag football champion.
In the first semifinals match at 5 p.m., undefeated Shaler (16-0) will take on Mt. Lebanon (14-1).
In the second semi, undefeated Plum (15-0) will battle Moon (12-3).
The championship game will take place at USC at 8 p.m.
Thursday on Trib HSSN
There are three broadcasts you can watch or listen to at TribHSSN.TribLive.com on the 7th day of May.
Video Stream: WPIAL Softball Playoff Pairings Show at 4 p.m. on the TribLive High School Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Video Stream – Belle Vernon at Thomas Jefferson at 4:30 p.m. on MVI Live at TribHSSN.TribLive.com
WPIAL Baseball Audio Stream – Shaler at North Allegheny at 7 p.m. on the North Allegheny Sports Network at TribHSSN.TribLive.com