STAC SPRING POSTSEASON TUTORIAL
Here is a guideline for how the STAC varsity playoffs are determined for each spring sport.
(Please note that these are for STAC sports only. Lacrosse and girls flag football are Section IV sports only and do not have individual leagues such as STAC.)
STAC Divisions:
West – Corning, Elmira, Horseheads, Ithaca
Metro – Binghamton, Johnson City, Maine-Endwell, Union-Endicott, Vestal
Central – Chenango Forks, Chenango Valley, Owego, Seton, Waverly
East – Norwich, Oneonta, Susquehanna Valley, Windsor
(* Notes: Binghamton does not have a boys tennis team. Seton competes as an independent in boys tennis, as all of their matches are considered non-league. Ithaca and Binghamton do not have varsity softball teams.)
For each sport, only STAC league games/matches count in determining division winners!
*** BASEBALL ***
League games = Each team plays a division opponent three times, plus one crossover game vs. next division (West vs. Metro and Central vs. East). A West vs. East game, for example, would be considered non-league and count in overall standings for sectional points, but not in STAC league standings. Also, games vs. opponents in other conferences, such as the IAC or MAC, or vs. any other section or state, do not count for STAC league standings, but do go towards sectional points.
(* Note: Occasionally, a West vs. Metro and Central vs. East matchup will happen twice, but only one of them is considered a league game. This is determined in the schedule ahead of time. The other counts as a non-league game in the standings. This applies to all STAC sports.)
# of League Games:
West – 14
Metro – 16
Central – 16
East – 14
How seeds for playoffs are determined:
Central/East 2nd seed (away team) at West/Metro 1st seed (home team)
West/Metro 2nd seed (away team) at Central/East 1st seed (home team)
The 1st seed is the better record between division winners in the West/Metro and Central/East. That team will be considered the home team in semi-final game vs. the team with the 2nd best record (2nd seed and away team) in the other half of the conference.
Semi-finals and Championship: Saturday, May 17 at Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton (home of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies)
*** SOFTBALL ***
League games and playoff seeding are the same criteria as in baseball, with the only exception being that teams play a division opponent twice (baseball is three times).
# of League Games:
West – 8
Metro – 9
Central – 12
East – 11
Semi-finals and Championship: Saturday, May 17 at Greenlight Park (the former BAGSAI)
*** TRACK & FIELD ***
(Each team has one dual meet each vs. the rest of their division, with the top records declared division champions. However, no team championship is held between the four division champions.)
For the STAC Championship Meet, each school is given 2 entries per event and ALL 18 schools participate. (Not every school will enter kids in each event if they do not feel they will be competitive.)
Events for boys and girls:
100
200
400
800
1,600
3,200
110 Hurdles
400 Hurdles
Long Jump
Triple Jump
High Jump
Pole Vault
Shot Put
Discus
400 (4x100) Relay
1,600 (4x400) Relay
3,200 (4x800) Relay
Steeplechase
Pentathlon
Championships: Wednesday, May 21 at Vestal
*** BOYS TENNIS ***
League games = Each team plays a division opponent two times, plus one crossover game vs. next division (West vs. Metro and Central vs. East).
# of League Games:
West – 10
Metro – 10
Central – 10
East – 10
Playoff seeding is the same as baseball and softball, with the only exception that the 1st seeds will host the 2nd seeds at their home courts (not a neutral court). The championship will be played at the team with the smaller enrollment.
Semi-finals: Wednesday, May 7 at higher seeds
Championship: Friday, May 9 at smaller enrollment school