(WIAA) – THE TOURNAMENT: The 76th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Baseball State Tournament will take place Monday-Thursday, June 10-13, at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis.
TICKET INFORMATION: Ticket prices for the tourney are $11 per session and $20 for an all-day ticket plus online fees, and $11 for each championship game Thursday. Tickets are to be purchased online on the WIAA website through GoFan, the WIAA ticketing partner, at: https://gofan.co/app/school/WIAAWI?activity=Baseball.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AND PAIRINGS: The State Baseball Tournament features four divisions. The single elimination tournament includes eight teams in Division 1 and four each in Divisions 2, 3 and 4.
* Game begins approximately 35 min. following first game of session.
Monday, June 10
Division 1 Quarterfinals – 9 a.m.
Game 1 – #4 Arrowhead (24-5) vs. #5 Westosha Central (24-5)
Game 2 – #1 De Pere (24-3) vs. #8 Menasha (19-6)*
Division 1 Quarterfinals – 2:30 p.m.
Game 3 – #3 Sun Prairie East (25-4) vs. #6 Hudson (22-7)
Game 4 – #2 Oak Creek (26-3) vs. #7 Nicolet (23-6)*
Tuesday, June 11
Division 4 Semifinals – 9 a.m.
Game 1 – #2 Johnson Creek (24-4) ) vs. #3 Solon Springs/Northwood (19-1)
Game 2 – #1 Eleva-Strum (21-8) vs. #4 Pacelli (18-11)*
Division 3 Semifinals – approx. 2:30 p.m.
Game 1 – #2 Kenosha St. Joseph Cath. (23-5) vs. #3 Bonduel (23-3)
Game 2 – #1 Aquinas (23-4) vs. #4 Cumberland (21-8)*
Wednesday, June 12
Division 2 Semifinals – 9 a.m.
Game 1 – #2 Kettle Moraine Luth. (25-5) vs. #3 Edgewood (20-6)
Game 2 – #1 Mosinee (24-5) vs. #4 La Crosse Logan (17-10)*
Division 1 Semifinals – 2:30 p.m.
Game 5 – Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2
Game 6 – Winner of Game #3 vs. Winner of Game #4*
Thursday, June 13
Division 4 Final – 9:05 a.m.
Game 3 – Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2
Division 3 Final – 12:05 p.m.
Game 3 – Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2
Division 2 Final – 3:05 p.m.
Game 3 – Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2
Division 1 Final – 6:05 p.m.
Game 7 – Winner of Game #5 vs. Winner of Game #6
PRE-FINALS LIVE ON WIAA.TV: The pre-finals of the State Baseball Tournament will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a subscription basis. To purchase a subscription to the live programming, log-on to wiaa.tv or www.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the blue subscription graphic in the upper right side of the homepage.
STATE TOURNAMENT ON THE AIR: The championship finals of all five divisions will be aired live on the WIAA State Television Stations WKOW 27.2, WAOW 9.2, WQOW 18.2 and WXOW 19.2, WVTV 24.1 in Milwaukee and WLUK (FOX)/WCWF(CW) in Green Bay/Appleton. The finals will also be streamed live on the Network stations’ websites.
TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The WIAA has been sponsoring the State Baseball Tournament since 1948. Sun Prairie, before it split into two schools in 2023, has won the most State championships with nine, followed by Appleton West with seven, and then Catholic Central and Nekoosa with five. La Crosse Central has appeared in the most State Tournaments with 18. Sun Prairie is next on the list with 17, and Stevens Point follows with 16. Milwaukee Bradley and Eau Claire North have reached State 15 times. Appleton West, Bay Port, Janesville Craig, Middleton and Oconomowoc have appeared in 14, and Eau Claire Memorial and Fond du Lac are next with 13.
LAST YEAR: Whitefish Bay won the Division 1 championship with a 5-1 victory over Hortonville in the title game. Denmark captured its second straight Division 2 title with a 3-2, 11-inning win over St. Thomas More in the championship final. In the Division 3 title game, St. Croix Falls defeated Aquinas 3-1, and Ithaca was an 8-7 victor over Pecatonica in the Division 4 championship game.
THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: De Pere, the top seed, returns to State for the fifth time overall and for the first time since 2006. The Redbirds’ best outcomes at State were placing runner-up in 1960, when the tournament only featured one division, and in Class B in 1986. They were the champions of the Fox River Classic Conference this season, and they qualified for State by winning the Kimberly Sectional with a 9-3 victory over Bay Port in the sectional final. Conference this spring. Second-seeded Oak Creek will be making its second appearance in the baseball State Tournament played in the spring. The Knights qualified in 2019 and fell in the quarterfinals. However, the Knights had a significant level of success while associated with the summer baseball season. They made eight appearances in the State Summer Baseball Tournament. The Knights’ won four State titles, which was the most of any school, and they were the only program to win three straight championships (2003-2005). They added another summer title in 2012. The Knights finished atop the standings in the Southeast Conference this year, and they advanced through the South Milwaukee Sectional with a 5-0 shutout over Kenosha Indian Trail in the final. Sun Prairie East is the third seed in the bracket. The Cardinals qualify for the State Tournament for the first time after the Sun Prairie High School separated into two schools. Sun Prairie East retained the Cardinals nickname. Prior to the split, the Cardinals made 17 State appearances and were crowned champions nine times, which leads the membership. They won their first title in Class A in 1974 and added Division 1 championships in 1994, 1997, 2005, 2006, three in a row from 2012-14 and most recently in 2021. In addition, the perennial power has finished runner-up twice, including 2017 and 2019. This season, they trounced Monona Grove 11-1 in five innings to move on from the Middleton Sectional final. Fourth-seeded Arrowhead will make its sixth appearance overall and its second in the past three seasons. A string of three consecutive experiences from 2016-18, produced runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2018. In addition, the Warhawks made seven appearances in the State Summer Baseball Tournament between 1973 and 2009, winning State titles in 1979 and 2009. The Warhawks also recorded runner-up finishes in 1973, 1975 and 2006. They finished first in the Classic 8 Conference standings this season, and they edged Muskego 2-1 to win the Oconomowoc Sectional final and advance to the State quarterfinals. The Cardinals are the champions in the Big Eight. Westosha Central is the fifth seed. The Falcons make their second appearance in the past three seasons and their seventh overall. Their most notable experience was winning the title in 2002. The other four appearances ended in losses in the quarterfinals. They are the champions of the Southern Lakes Conference this spring. They return to the State quarterfinals following a 4-3 win over Badger in the Janesville Sectional final. Sixth-seeded Hudson qualifies for just the second time in program history. The Raiders’ only other appearance resulted in a quarterfinal defeat in 1974. They are the champions of the Big Rivers Conference this season. Their road to Grand Chute was paved through the Marshfield Sectional, which culminated with a 3-1 win over Stevens Point in the final. The seventh seed was issued to Nicolet. The Knights are making their first-ever appearance in the baseball State Tournament played in the spring. They qualified nine times when the Association offered a summer baseball tournament option. The last time the Knights qualified for the summer State Tournament was in 2006. Nicolet won summer State titles in 1985 and 1998 and finished runner-up in 1976. They battled their way to a 9-4 victory over former defending champion Whitefish Bay in the Glendale Sectional final. The Knights are the runners-up in the North Shore Conference. Eighth-seeded Menasha is returning to State for the eighth time overall and the first time since 1995. The Bluejays most notable appearance was in 1950 when they won a State championship in the one-division format. Menasha is the champion in the Bay Conference this season. The Bluejays are the representatives from the Oshkosh Sectional following a 2-1 win over Manitowoc Lincoln in the final.
THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Top-seeded Mosinee will make its seventh appearance at State and its second in the past three seasons. The Indians also qualified back-to-back in 1948 and 1949 and then again in 2017 and 2018. They are in pursuit of their first win in the tournament. This season, the Indians are the champions in the Great Northern Conference. They shutout Xavier 2-0 in the Appleton Sectional final to earn a berth in the tournament field. Kettle Moraine Lutheran was issued the second seed in the bracket. The Chargers are making their first appearance in the State Tournament. They defeated New Berlin West 10-4 in the Big Foot Sectional final to reach the State semifinals. During the regular season, the Chargers were crowned champions of the East Central Conference. Third-seeded Edgewood will be experiencing the State Tournament for the first time after its 10-5 triumph over Waupun in the Portage Sectional final. The Crusaders were runners-up in the West Division of the Badger Conference this season. Fourth-seeded La Crosse Logan returns to the State Tournament for the first time since 2007 and for the eighth time in the program’s history. The Rangers won the Division 1 championship in 2001. They also won the title in 1971, when the tournament featured only one division, and they finished runner-up in 1949. This season, they tied for fourth place in the Mississippi Valley Conference standings and advanced through the Baldwin-Woodville Sectional with a 7-5 win over Medford in the final.
THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Last season’s runner-up Aquinas is the #1 seed in the bracket. The Blugolds are making their eighth appearance overall. They have a pair of State titles and have advanced to the championship game six times. They earned their titles in 2007 and 2017, and finished runner-up in 2008, 2010, 2015 and again last season. This year, they tied Holmen for first place in the Mississippi Valley Conference. The Blugolds navigated through the Prairie du Chien Sectional, which culminated with a 9-3 victory over New Glarus in the final. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Blugolds won four straight baseball titles in the former WISAA (1984-87). Kenosha St. Joseph Catholic is the #2 seed. The Lancers have qualified for the third time in the past four seasons and for the eighth time overall. They made four appearances during a span of five years from 2005-09, which resulted in a Division 2 championship in 2005 and a Division 3 title in 2006. They added additional Division 3 crowns in 2009 and 2021 to give them five State titles. The Lancers also won several championships as a former member of WISAA, winning titles in 1965, 1970, 1977 and 1988. This season, they finished second in the standings of the Metro Classic Conference. They advanced to the State semifinals through the Horicon Sectional following a 7-5 win over St. Mary’s Springs in the final. Bonduel has been issued the #3 seed in its first-ever trip to the State Tournament. The Bears are the champions of the East Division of the Central Wisconsin Conference. The celebration of their first trip to State began following a 6-0 blanking of St. Mary Catholic in the final of the Gillett Sectional. Fourth-seeded Cumberland returns to the State Tournament for the sixth time overall and for the first time since 2017. The most notable of the Beavers’ previous exploits in the State Tournament was a runner-up finish in Division 2 in 1998. The Beavers’ other four appearances came in 1984, 1989 1990 and 2017. Each resulted in losses in the semifinals. They represent the Cumberland Sectional following a 9-1 victory over Mondovi in the sectional final. The Beavers placed third in the Heart O’North Conference this season.
THE DIVISION 4 FIELD: Top-seeded Eleva-Strum makes its first trip to State following a 2-1 victory over Royall in the Blair-Taylor Sectional final. The Cardinals are the champions of the Dairyland Conference during the regular season. Second-seeded Johnson Creek will make its fifth State appearance and its first since 2018. The Bluejays have advanced to the championship game twice. They won the Division 4 title in 2007 and finished runner-up in 2012. Their initial State appearance came way back in 1953 when there was only one division of play. This spring, they finished second in the South Division of the Trailways Conference. They cruised to a six-inning, 14-2 win over Barneveld in the sectional final played at Johnson Creek to advance to the State semifinals. The Solon Springs/Northwood co-op is seeded third. The Eagles will embark on their first-ever experience in the State Tournament. A 10-2 result versus Rib Lake in the Bruce Sectional final to punch their ticket to the semifinals. They are the champions in the East Division of the Lakeland Conference. Fourth-seeded Pacelli makes its third State appearance and its first since 2007. The Cardinals won the Division 3 championship in their first and only other experience in 2003. They were the runners-up in the South Division of the Central Wisconsin Conference standings this spring. The Cardinals advanced through the sectional played in Rosholt by rolling over Niagara.
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