Back in the swing of things

Congratulations are in order and, believe me, this has been a long time coming.

High school baseball and softball labored for noticeable success over the last several years in Iredell County while other spring sports flourished.

Not this season.

The county is sending at least two baseball and softball teams to the playoffs. The N.C. High School Athletic Association expanded the brackets, which helped, of course.
But North Iredell and West Iredell earned their way in softball, as did Lake Norman and Mooresville in baseball.

South Iredell might qualify in both sports.

BASEBALL

Winning all but three of its conference games, Mooresville captured the North Piedmont 3A championship, the Blue Devils’ first league title since 1985. They are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2000, which is also the last time a county baseball team qualified.

Lake Norman won its last three games of the regular season to clinch the first playoff berth for the program, which began in 2003.

SOFTBALL

West Iredell and North Iredell boast quality pitchers, and if the Warriors and Raiders get any hitting — timely or otherwise — they will be a tough out (no pun intended).

This will be the first playoff appearance for West Iredell since 2001. The year before that, the Warriors reached the final eight.

North Iredell is making its fast-pitch playoff debut. The Raiders have been to the playoffs twice (1991, '96), but both of those trips were during the slow-pitch days.

It's nice to see baseball and softball get back into the swing of things.