Go with what works, as pitching has for Val Kaff since age 6.

Prescott; Tucson; Williams

The first day of Ryan Morrison’s volleyball career was also nearly his last.

Let’s say a huge Arizona Diamondbacks fan spent three months completely out of touch – a stint on a space station, sealed in the Biosphere, working for the IRS in Cleveland, take your pick – and had no idea how his favorite baseball team had fared over the first two-plus months of the season.

All-Tribune First Team

Spring sprang, and now summer has set in.

Division I baseball state championship game

Never a doubt.

A quick breakdown of Monday night's Division I softball state championship matchup between No. 14 Chaparral and No. 6 Red Mountain:

In this dugout is the three-time defending state champions of softball, with a significant portion of the 2012 title team playing prominent roles again. Red Mountain is a No. 6 seed oozing with confidence, has gotten lights-out pitching from junior ace Bre Macha, went through the winner's bracket for a second consecutive year and outscored its opponents 30-4 in this tournament, including a win over its next opponent.

The pendulum of momentum swung back and forth several times in the sixth inning of Thursday’s winners’ bracket baseball game between No. 1 Desert Mountain and No. 2 Tucson.

Advancing deep into a state baseball tournament is nothing new for Notre Dame.

Sunday was not a day of rest for Bre Macha.

Chaparral southpaw ace Dallas McBride was a bit wild early on, but didn’t flinch.

It’s Red Mountain and Mountain View in a Division I state tournament semifinal on Wednesday night, which means there’s not much left to say other than “Let’s play.”

The No. 2-seed Highland boys volleyball team was tested to the end, but ultimately moved on to the semifinals of the Division I boys state volleyball tournament with a 27-25, 22-25, 25-14, 25-19 victory over No. 10 Perry on Tuesday night.

For most hitters a mistake pitch is something up and over the plate.

With a little adjustment – mental and strategic – the Brophy boys volleyball team's path in the postseason remains clear – the state quarterfinals are next, against a familiar foe.

After getting past No. 18 Ironwood Ridge in three games earlier in the day (25-17, 25-16, 25-19), No. 15 Hamilton ran into No. 2 Highland, who knocked the Huskies out of the second round of the boys state volleyball tournament, 25-17, 25-13, 25-18.

Her team found ways to stay alive for at least a few more days in the Division I state tournament, but Lindsey Collins wasn't gushing.

If anybody was figuring that the Red Mountain softball run would end after three years, think again.

What a difference a year makes.

Baseball will have a grind of a playoff schedule upcoming for those not among the top eight seeds, but softball — especially Division I — appears to be deeper than ever. Or, at least, deeper than the past five years.

Outlooks for the Divisions I and II softball state tournaments: