Farmington Hills Mercy, Allen Park, Lake Orion, South Lyon, Hartland, Macomb Dakota and Woodhaven all have made long runs to reach Michigan State University for the chance to bring home the Division 1 state championship during the last several years.

Lake Orion lost to Hudsonville in last year’s state title game while Mercy and South Lyon also advanced to the Final Four last season.

Hartland defeated Woodhaven in the Division 1 state final in 2023 and Allen Park won the state title in 2022 with a 5-0 win over Dakota. South Lyon defeated Allen Park in the ’21 state title bout.

So, will one or more of those teams make a return trip next month at Secchia Stadium? Or will a newcomer or two make a run, like Saline, which has arguably the top batterymate in standout pitcher Abby Curtis and Michigan-bound catcher Sydney Hastings?

Here are some of the top teams to watch when district play gets underway next week:

Saline

Saline (25-3-2) swept Monroe, 5-0 and 3-2, last Monday with Curtis throwing a four-hit shutout in the opener, striking out 15 without allowing a walk.

Saline — ranked No. 2 in the state — showcases more than the power-hitting Hastings, who doubled, singled and had an RBI in the opener, getting things going in a sixth-inning scoreless tie.

Saline scored a pair of runs in the sixth with Reese Rupert and Gracelyn Waldrop each singling, with Waldrop driving home Hastings, and Casey Griffin highlighting a three-run seventh with a home run. Hastings also produced an RBI double.

Saline also has a strong No. 2 pitcher in Zosia Mazur, who earned the Game 2 win, working five innings and striking out nine without allowing a walk and giving up one earned run.

Saline battled back from a 2-0 deficit, scoring three runs in the final two innings behind a strong team effort, including hits by Jessie Phelps (double), Griffin (single), Rupert (single), Ashley Malinczak (single) and Lucy Winters (single).

Farmington Hills Mercy

Farmington Hills Mercy (25-2) has enjoyed another outstanding season with Alabama-bound pitcher Kaitlyn Pallozzi leading the way, throwing a no-hitter Monday in a 5-0 win over Dearborn Divine Child in the Catholic League championship game.

Pallozzi, who had 17 strikeouts in the title game win, is now 20-0 with a 0.16 ERA, striking out 310 in 130 innings of work.

Mercy also has an outstanding lineup, which includes Evelyn Miller (.463, 26 RBI), Sophie Chaput (.440, 35 runs), Taylor Selimi (.403, 25 RBI), Pallozzi (.395), Charlie Lambert (.388, 24 RBI), Lauren Miller (.371, 28 RBI) and Meg Kowalyk (.365, seven homers, 35 RBI).

Woodhaven

Woodhaven (25-5), which owns wins over Allen Park, Livonia Stevenson and Trenton, is led by Duke-bound shortstop Ariel Krueger, who is hitting .468 with 35 RBI and 48 runs, along with Boston College commit Mia Taylor.

Krueger, Taylor and Natilee Pridemore each homered in a 11-0 win over Allen Park earlier this month with Pridemore going 3-for-4 and limiting Allen Park to five hits in five scoreless innings on the mound.

Audrina Finn, Alyvia Mondon and catcher Zoie Clavinger are other key contributors.

Woodhaven will be hosting its district, which includes a Gibraltar Carlson team that defeated Woodhaven 2-1 this month.

Allen Park

Allen Park (21-3) has played a tough schedule and has a win over Saline and a loss to state power Grand Blanc (27-3), which defeated Mercy 7-1 this past Saturday, though without Pallozzi on the mound.

Allen Park displays a hard-hitting lineup, led by Michigan-bound shortstop Kiley Carr (.589, seven homers, 44 RBI), Toledo-bound Makayla Sitarski (.578), and catcher/third baseman Mallory Hool (.571, 35 RBI), who will play for Oakland.

Melody Filipiak (Madonna) has continued to pitch well, going 17-4 with a 1.86 ERA, striking out 132.

Allen Park could face Woodhaven in the regionals.

Northville

Coach Scott DeBoer said his team has exceeded expectations after losing several top players from the 34-8 team from a year ago.

DeBoer is impressed with this year’s 29-6 team, which showcases several freshman starters, including third baseman Jocelyn Burns, who is hitting .453 but has been sidelined the last two weeks due to a shoulder injury.

“We’ve put together a strong schedule to develop the young kids and have them prepared for the postseason,” DeBoer said. “We have a lot of 14- and 15-year-old kids who have played high-level travel ball, but it’s still about the mental game and having them ready to play 17- and 18-year-olds. This has truly been an enjoyable year and I’m having a lot of fun with them.”

Northville won its first KLAA championship since 2011 last year and was set to play Salem in the KLAA title game Wednesday.

Northville is led by junior Mary Gugala (.471), Burns, junior Kendall Heron (.411) and sophomore Kennedi Adams (.393), with Gugala (17-4, 1.68 ERA) and freshman Anna O’Beirne (9-2, 3.04) leading the pitchers.

Northville is arguably in the strongest district in the state, playing at Salem with Livonia Stevenson, Plymouth and the host school in the field.

Salem

Salem (27-6), with Ava Maria University-bound pitcher Shannon McAuliffe on the mound, is capable of winning any game.

McAuliffe topped the 900-mark for career strikeouts this past weekend. She struck out 21 in a 1-0, eight-inning loss to Plymouth on May 15.

Salem’s offense is led by Charlie Lindstrom and Erin Torok.

Livonia Stevenson

Stevenson (18-4) showcases an outstanding pitcher in freshman left-hander Allison Cramer, who went pitch-for-pitch in a 1-0 loss to Pallozzi and Mercy earlier this month.

Stevenson also has a hitting attack led by Northwood-bound Brinley Eckerman. Elaina Braunscheidel and Ella Stoops (Sacred Heart University) are other key contributors.

Walled Lake Northern

Junior Lyla Turmell has pitched well to help Northern (31-7) climb to No. 6 in the state rankings.

Sophomore Makenna Kresbaugh, Nola Lark, Addison Nugent, Lauren Fox and Patelyn Gribben are also key contributors. Lark got the walk-off hit in a 6-5 win over Woodhaven; Nugent struck out eight in a 3-1 win over Bloomfield Hills; and Nugent hit a three-run homer in a 13-0 victory over Monroe this past weekend in the Michigan Challenge.

Flat Rock

Simply put, Flat Rock (17-13) will have to pound the ball on a consistent basis to make a deep postseason run.

“We’re not afraid to play anyone in the state,” Coach Haylee Simpson said. “We’ve hung with the best of them thus far so we will go as far as our pitching and defense will take us. If we keep teams under four, five runs, we’re a very difficult team to beat.”

Flat Rock has an offense led by Sarah Giroux (.500, 45 RBI), Avery Mack (.423, 35 RBI), Jaclynn Motyka (.410, 35 RBI) and Vanessa Neace (.383).

Plymouth

Plymouth (15-9) showcases an outstanding pitcher in sophomore Skylar Weil, who threw a six-hit, 1-0 shutout against rival Salem.

Plymouth’s offense is led by Bowling Green-bound Hannah Simko, Emma McAvoy and Natalie McCall, along with sophomore Mia Amore, freshman Sylvia Ditmar, freshman Julia Chancellor and junior Gabby Jankowski.