Prep Blog: Previewing The State Baseball Tournament
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's starting to feel like summer with the sun out and daily highs getting into the 80s. That also translates to perfect baseball weather.
It couldn't come at a better time as the state's top high school teams travel across various sites in Minnesota for their perspective state tournaments. By the end of Saturday, 24 teams across three classes earned the right to play for a state championship this week.
The teams that reach the state title games will get an experience most high school athletes can only dream of. They'll get to play for a championship at the home of the Minnesota Twins: Target Field. Here is a look at each bracket at a glance with one bracket more wide open than the other two.
Class AAA Tournament (CHS Field, Target Field)
The Class AAA field is a loaded one with defending state champion Mounds View back. The field includes five of the top-10 teams. The Mustangs are the top seed, followed by Chanhassen, Mahtomedi, Anoka and Lakeville North. The unseeded teams include St. Michael-Albertville, Northfield and Robbinsdale Armstrong.
Mounds View has been the No. 1-ranked team in Minnesota for most of the season and should be considered the favorite. If the seeds hold, the Mustangs would face Chanhassen on Saturday for the state championship. The Storm had to beat No. 2-ranked Chaska twice just to earn a trip to the state tournament, and did so with a walk-off single. It was one of several walk-off situations to earn state tournament bids.
Mahtomedi got a walk-off double to beat Woodbury, St. Michael-Albertville got a walk-off single to beat Brainerd and Northfield got a walk-off single to beat Owatonna. Several games also went extra innings, adding to the drama of the playoffs. It should be a fantastic Class AAA tournament with several talented teams. CHS Field, the new home of the St. Paul Saints, is the host for the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Thursday's quarterfinal games are as follows:
Northfield (20-4) vs. Mounds View (22-2), 10 a.m.
Lakeville North (17-7) vs. Anoka (20-5), 12:30 p.m.
St. Michael-Albertville (21-6) vs. Chanhassen (23-4), 3 p.m.
Robbinsdale Armstrong (16-9) vs. Mahtomedi (21-3), 5:30 p.m.
Class AA Tournament (Dick Putz Field, Target Field)
Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud is one of the great amateur ballparks in Minnesota, and it will be the host for the first two rounds of the Class AA Tournament this week. The two teams that advance to play for a state championship will hit Target Field on Saturday.
The defending state champion is back, and is also the No. 1 seed in top-ranked St. Cloud Cathedral. The other top five seeds include Rochester Lourdes, Minnehaha Academy, Marshall and Glencoe-Silver Lake. The unseeded teams include Cloquet, Providence Academy and Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton. The bracket includes five of the top-10 teams in the state. St. Cloud Cathedral has been at or near the top of the rankings for most of the spring.
If the seeds hold, the Crusaders would face Rochester Lourdes at Target Field for the state title. St. Cloud Cathedral is also looking to cap off an undefeated season. The Crusaders are entering the state tournament 22-0. Look out for Lourdes, which enters the week 24-0.
Thursday's quarterfinal games are as follows:
Cloquet (16-4) vs. St. Cloud Cathedral (22-0), 10 a.m.
Glencoe-Silver Lake (20-4) vs. Marshall (23-4), 12:30 p.m.
Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (18-7) vs. Rochester Lourdes (24-0), 3 p.m.
Providence Academy (17-5) vs. Minnehaha Academy (24-1), 5:30 p.m.
Class A Tournament (Mini Met, Target Field)
The Mini Met in Jordan is a classic ballpark, and it serves as the host for this week's Class A field. While it doesn't feature as many juggernauts as the other brackets, it looks to be just as competitive. New Life Academy is back to defend its 2014 state championship and is the No. 1 seed in the bracket. The Eagles' only losses on the year are to Byron and Minneapolis Washburn.
The other seeded teams in the field include Springfield, New Ulm Cathedral, Brandon-Evansville and Lewiston-Altura. The unseeded teams include Red Lake County, Kimball and Deer River. If the seeds hold, New Life Academy would face Springfield for a state title at Target Field. A potential semifinal match-up between Springfield and New Ulm Cathedral looms Friday, and it's a great game on paper. The two teams have already met twice this year, with Springfield winning both times by one-run margins.
Thursday's quarterfinal games are as follows:
Red Lake County (16-9) vs. New Life Academy of Woodbury (19-2), 10 a.m.
Lewiston-Altura (15-11) vs. Brandon-Evansville (19-6), 12:30 p.m.
Kimball (13-14) vs. Springfield (21-3), 3 p.m.
Deer River (14-11) vs. New Ulm Cathedral (17-7), 5:30 p.m.
Whichever tournament you take in, it's always fun to see the state's top teams playing the game they love in front a stadium packed to the gills with baseball fans.
