THE TOURNAMENT: The 70th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Spring Baseball State Tournament will take place Tuesday-Thursday, June 13-15, at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis. Ticket prices for the tourney are $8 per session and $14 for an all-day admission ticket. Tickets are available at the stadium.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AND PAIRINGS: The State Spring Baseball Tournament features four divisions. The single elimination tournament includes eight teams in Division 1 and four each in Divisions 2, 3 and 4. The second game of each session will follow the first game.
Tuesday, June 13
Division 1 Quarterfinals - 8 a.m.
Game 1 - Arrowhead (21-4) vs. Burlington (21-4)
Game 2 - Beloit Memorial (18-10) vs. Sun Prairie (22-6)*
Division 1 Quarterfinals - 1 p.m.
Game 3 - Eau Claire North (21-2) vs. Green Bay Preble (29-0)
Game 4 - Waunakee (18-8) vs. Kimberly (19-7)*
Division 1 Semifinals - 6 p.m.
Game 5 - Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2
Game 6 - Winner of Game #3 vs. Winner of Game #4*
Wednesday, June 14
Division 4 Semifinals - 8 a.m.
Game 1 - Webster (21-6) vs. Independence/Gilmanton (22-5)
Game 2 - Athens (19-7) vs. Oakfield (19-4)*
Division 3 Semifinals - 1 p.m.Game 1 - Cumberland (18-6) vs. Aquinas (19-10)
Game 2 - Iola-Scandinavia (17-6) vs. Laconia (12-11)*
Division 2 Semifinals - 6 p.m.
Game 1 - West Salem (22-4) vs. Turner (25-3)
Game 2 - Mosinee (15-9) vs. Waupun (25-5)*
Thursday, June 15
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
* Begins approximately 35 min. following game 1 of session.
PRE-FINALS LIVE ON NFHS NETWORK: The Division 1 quarterfinals and the semifinals of all four divisions of the WIAA State Spring 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 www.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the image in the middle of the screen to begin ordering your subscription.
FINALS AIRED LIVE ON FS WISCONSIN: Watch the WIAA State Spring Baseball Championship finals of Divisions 3 and 4 live on FS Wisconsin and the Divisions 1 and 2 finals on the FS Wisconsin Plus Channel. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area.
TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The WIAA has been sponsoring the State Spring Baseball Tournament since 1948. Sun Prairie has won the most State championships with eight, 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. Milwaukee Bradley and Stevens Point have reached State 15 times; Appleton West, Oconomowoc and Sun Prairie have appeared in 14; and Janesville Craig and Middleton with 13. Bay Port, Eau Claire Memorial, Eau Claire North and Fond du Lac are next with 12 State appearances
LAST YEAR: Burlington won the Division 1 championship with a 6-4 victory over Arrowhead in the title game. Waupaca captured the Division 2 title with a 2-0 shutout over Milwaukee Lutheran in the championship final. St. Mary Catholic capped an undefeated season by defeating Prairie du Chien 5-1 to win the Division 3 championship, and Ithaca downed Rib Lake 10-4 in the Division 4 championship game.
THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Defending champion Burlington is making its fourth appearance in the State Tournament. Prior to last season, the Demons’ experiences included losses in the semifinals in 1991 and in quarterfinals in 2005. They are the champions of the Southern Lakes Conference this spring, and they trounced Waterford 11-0 in five innings to win the sectional final hosted at Burlington. Last year’s runner-up Arrowhead returns for its third appearance in the State Spring Tournament. The only appearance other than the Warhawks’ experience last year was in 1957, which resulted in a loss in the first round. However, the Warhawks made seven appearances in the State Summer Baseball Tournament between 1973 and 2009, with the later resulting in their second State title. The other came in 1979. The Warhawks also recorded runner-up finishes in 1973, 1975 and 2006. They finished in a three-way tie with Catholic Memorial and Oconomowoc for the top spot in the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference standings this season. They beat Milwaukee Riverside/Golda Meir 11-1 in six innings to win the sectional final held in Milwaukee. Sun Prairie qualifies for the State Tournament for the 14th time and for the fifth time in the last six seasons. The Cardinals have been crowned champions eight times, which leads the membership. They won the Class A title in 1974 and added Division 1 championships in 1994, 1997, 2005, 2006, and three in a row from 2012-14. They blanked Oconomowoc 5-0 in the sectional final hosted by the Cardinals. They finished runner-up to Janesville Craig in the Big Eight Conference this spring. Eau Claire North is making its second consecutive appearance in the State Tournament and its 12th experience overall. The Huskies won the State title in 2011 and have finished runner-up three times, in 1981, 2002 and 2005. They edged Eau Claire Memorial 3-2 to win the final of the Stevens Point Sectional to earn their berth in the tournament field. The Huskies finished atop the standings in the Big Rivers Conference this year. Kimberly will appear in the State Tournament for the fourth year in a row and for the 11th time overall. The Papermakers won the Division 1 title in 2007 and the Class B championship in 1989. They have finished runner-up five times, including 1988, 1993, 2008, 2014 and 2015. The Papermakers tied Hortonville for the championship in the Fox Valley Association this spring, and they are the winners of the Kaukauna Sectional following an 8-3 win over Oshkosh North in the final. Waunakee will experience its ninth State Tournament, with its most recent appearance coming in 2013. Their furthest advance in the tournament has been to the semifinals on a number of occasions and most recently in 2010. They finished tied for first place with Baraboo in the North Division of the Badger Conference this season and defeated Tomah 10-2 in the sectional final played in La Crosse to advance to the State quarterfinals. Beloit Memorial advances to the State Tournament for the seventh time and for the first time since 1993. The Purple Knights won the State title in 1965 when the tournament featured one division. They placed sixth in the Big Eight Conference this spring and advanced through the Verona Sectional with a 2-1 win over Verona in the final. Green Bay Preble is back in the final field of eight for the second year in a row and for the third time overall. The Hornets’ fell in the quarterfinal round in 2002 and in the semifinals last season. They advance to State this season through the Wausau West Sectional following a 6-0 shutout over De Pere in the final. They are the reigning champions of the Fox River Classic Conference this season.
THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: West Salem is making its third consecutive appearance after falling in the semifinals in its first two State Spring Baseball Tournament experiences. Prior to making the switch to the spring season, the Panthers made seven appearances in the State Summer Baseball Tournament, including four straight appearances from 2008-11. Their furthest advance in that tournament was to the semifinals in 2002 and 2010. They claimed the league title in the Coulee Conference this year. The Panthers defeated Prescott 5-2 in the sectional final played at West Salem to advance to the semifinals. Waupun advances to the State Tournament for seventh time overall and its first since 2013. The Warriors made three consecutive appearances from 2006-08 and won the State title in 2007. They are the champions of the East Central Conference this season and earned their place in the State semifinals after cruising to a 14-3 win over Mayville in the sectional final played at Waupun. Turner returns to the State Tournament for the fourth time overall and for the first time since the Trojans won the championship in 2001. In their first State appearance in 1984, they finished runner-up in Class B. Their quest for another State title continues following a 5-1 win over Mount Horeb in the Evansville Sectional final. The Trojans are the champions of the South Division of the Rock Valley Conference this spring. Mosinee is back in the State Tournament for the first time since 1991. It will be the Indians’ fourth overall appearance. Their first two experiences came back-to-back in 1948 and 1949 when there was only one classification. They were ousted from title contention in the quarterfinals in those two appearances and in the semifinals in Class B in 1991. They placed third in the Great Northern Conference this spring. The Indians shutout Luxemburg-Casco 5-0 in the Clintonville Sectional final to return to the State semifinals.
THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Aquinas makes its sixth appearance in the tournament and its second in the past three seasons. The Blugolds won the State title in 2007 and have finished runner-up in 2008, 2010 and 2015. They finished runner-up in the Mississippi Valley Conference this season. They advanced their way through the Whitehall Sectional by blanking Wisconsin Heights 6-0 in the final. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Blugolds won four straight baseball titles in the former WISAA (1984-87). Cumberland returns to the State Tournament for the fifth time overall and for the first time since a runner-up finish in Division 2 in 1998. The Beavers’ other three appearances came in 1984, 1989 and 1990. Each resulted in losses in the semifinals. They represent the Cumberland Sectional following an 8-3 triumph over Durand in the sectional final. The Beavers placed second in the Heart O’North Conference this season. Iola-Scandinavia and Laconia will be experiencing the State Tournament for the first time. The Thunderbirds’ advance to the semifinals comes virtue of a 6-3 victory over Coleman in the Crivitz Sectional final. During the regular season, they finished third in the Central Wisconsin 8 Conference. The Spartans’ initial appearance is the result of an 8-2 decision over Kenosha St. Joseph in the Markesan Sectional final. They placed fifth in the Flyway Conference standings this year.
THE DIVISION 4 FIELD: Oakfield will be making its sixth State Tournament appearance and its first since 1996. The Oaks have a pair of State championships, winning titles in Class C in 1984 and 1986. Their return to the State Tournament field results from a 10-6 win over Pecatonica in the Barneveld Sectional final. The Oaks are the champions in the North Division of the Trailways Conference this year. The only other appearance in the State Tournament by Athens resulted in a Class C State championship in 1982. The Fighting Bluejays’ return to the tournament field comes following a nine-inning 9-3 victory over Niagara in the sectional final held in Wisconsin Rapids. They are the co-champions with Phillips in the North Division of the Marawood Conference in 2017. The Independence/Gilmanton co-op advances to the State Tournament for the first time. As a stand-alone program, Independence qualified back in 1948 when there was only one division. They advanced to the semifinals before dropping out of title contention. The Indees defeated De Soto 6-2 in the Riverdale Sectional final to earn their berth. During the regular season, they finished runner-up in the Dairyland Conference. Webster has also qualified for the first time in its program’s history. The Tigers eliminated Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran 13-0 in five innings in their sectional final hosted by Shell Lake. They are the champions of the West Division of the Lakeland Conference this season.
NEED RESULTS?: The quickest way to get results will be to access the baseball results page on the WIAA website at: http://www.wiaawi.org/Sports/BaseballSpring.aspx and choose the appropriate links on the Spring Baseball State Tournament results page.
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Written by WIAA Communications