As the days get longer, and flowers begin to bloom, the Arkansas high school baseball and softball playoff picture can often get more and more clear. Just not this year. With just two weeks left of conference action in the 5A East, Marion High School's baseball and softball playoff hopes are all over the place. What does it all mean? Stay tuned, and we'll try to explain. First, let's look at the standings for our 2024 softball and baseball clubs. Only the top four teams advance to this year's state tournament at Equity Bank Park in Harrison. 5A EAST SOFTBALL SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Searcy 10-0 Greene Co. Tech 8-2 Valley View 8-2 Nettleton 5-5 MARION 5-5 Paragould 2-8 W. Memphis 2-8 Batesville 0-10 5A EAST BASEBALL SCHOOL CONF. RECORD Valley View 10-0 MARION 8-2 Greene Co. Tech 8-2 Batesville 6-4 Searcy 6-4 Paragould 1-9 Nettleton 1-9 W. Memphis 0-10 As you can see, these standings are tighter than a drum, so let's get into it. Softball has bounced back from a 1-5 start to league action to become relevant once again in the playoff picture. Marion rides a four-game conference winning streak into action this afternoon against Batesville, and should the Pats extend that run to six wins in a row, MHS would be tied for the last playoff spot with Nettleton entering the last week. Remaining competitive after graduating almost an entire starting lineup is a feather in the 2024 club's cap, but they could be a scary team to face in May if the offense stays hot (scored 10 runs or more in each of the last four league contests.) The baseball side might be even tighter. Everything has been written and said about Valley View, which is in the driver's seat for the league title in the home stretch, but the intrigue begins immediately in the race for the second spot. Marion sits at 8-2 in league action, tied with Greene County Tech, and two games ahead of Batesville, and as luck would have it, that's who the Patriots close out their 5A East slate with in April. The Pats can essentially improve their seeding with each game they win against Batesville and Tech. MHS clinches a playoff berth should it sweep Batesville tonight, and the Pats would be the outright No. 2 seed should they win the last four 5A East contests. Likewise, should Marion struggle down the stretch against the other 5A East contenders, then MHS could fall to the No. 3 or 4 seed, which means a tougher first-round draw and road through the bracket. It's important to remember that Marion owns the tiebreaker against Searcy, so should the Pats finish tied with the Lions then Marion would outkick the Lions in every seeding scenario. The good news in whatever happens down the stretch is you can watch Marion baseball and softball's last two conference series against Batesville and Greene County Tech on MarionPatriots.com, the Marion Patriots Activities Network mobile app, and on the MPAN YouTube channel. Stay tuned to social media pages for more information.