The excitement of qualifying for the playoffs is nice, but should be ebbing now for 16 teams vying to play another round in the Division I state softball tournament.

First-round action begins Saturday May 1 with eight games across the Valley, all starting at 10:15 a.m. Here's a snapshot of each matchup and who the winner plays among the elite 8 in Tuesday's second round:

#24 Willow Canyon (13-9) at #9 Red Mountain (23-9): Red Mountain is the five-time defending state champs, but  hasn't been seeded lower than No. 6 in more than a decade. The Lady Lions shouldn't go down in this one. This is Willow Canyon's third trip to state in a row. They've been one-and-done the last two years. Willow Canyon has beaten one team that qualified for state in D-I (Deer Valley) this season. Winner plays at #8 Desert Vista (15-9).

#23 Skyline (17-14) at #10 Corona del Sol (20-12): Skyline qualified for the second year in a row for second-year coach Annie Lockwood. It's a tough draw for -kyline as Corona enjoyed its best finish in the power-rankings in several years. Corona beat Skyline to open the season, 4-1, and Corona has fared better vs. the tournament field than Skyline. Winner plays at #7 Pinnacle (23-8).

#22 Highland (11-21) at #11 Boulder Creek (19-9): Highland struggled at the plate the final two weeks as it lost five of its last six games and the final four in a row.The Lady Hawks scored seven runs in those five losses and all were to D-I or D-II playoff teams. Boulder Creek has been steady -- no real peaks or valleys. Longest losing streak this season was two and beat of handful of playoff teams. Winner plays at #6 Horizon (24-7).

#21 Chaparral (15-17) at #12 Mountain Pointe (20-12): When a long-time ace graduates it's not uncommon for a team to fall off some. Chaparral fits that description. The Lady Firebirds rebounded from an 0-6 start (tournament) and won 10 of 18 power-ranking games to qualify. Mountain Pointe has enjoyed a solid season, but did lose to Chaparra just less than a month ago, 5-4. Winner plays at #5 Hamilton (19-11).

#20 Deer Valley (`15-17) at #13 Basha (17-14): Deer Valley bounced back from a three-year hiatus to qualify, but hasn't played well down the stretch. Basha's had a decent year, but not like most of the last half-dozen or so. The Lady Bears, however, have won six of their last seven. They faced Deer Valley in the Desert Mountain tournament and lost a 16-14 slugfest. Winner plays at #4 Gilbert (21-11).

#19 Desert Ridge (13-12) at #14 Perry (23-8): This figures to be a tight game. Perry began the season on fire, but has cooled off of late. The Lady Pumas have dropped four of their last five games (all to D-I tourney qualifiers). Desert Ridge has been inconsistent in the circle, but is capable of pulling off a mild upset as the lower seed. Desert Ridge won a regular-season meeting between the teams, 14-4. Winner plays at #3 Xavier (23-6).

#18 St. Mary's (22-9) at #15 Liberty (14-12): Not the St. Mary's of  5, 6,7 years ago, but the Lady Knights are back in postseason for the first time since 2012. Liberty won three less power-ranking games than St. Mary's, but strength of schedule says Liberty should has en edge. Liberty is one of four teams that qualified for state this year that did not last year (the others are St. Mary's, Centennial and Deer Valley). Winner plays at # 2 Sandra Day O'Connor (28-6).

#17 Millennium (15-14) at #16 Centennial (11-12): Millennium won its section for the second year in a row. Millennium showed well last year, coming within a heartbeat of eliminating Red Mountain mid-tourney in 2014. Not as formidable this year, this bout with Centennial could go either way. Centennial struggled down the stretch, allowing double-digit runs in five of its last seven games. Winner plays at # 1 Mountain Ridge (26-4).