THE TOURNAMENT: The 75th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Baseball State Tournament will take place Monday-Thursday, June 12-15, 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 12
Division 1 Quarterfinals - 9 a.m.
Game 1 - #4 Menomonee Falls (25-4) vs. #5 Whitefish Bay (22-7)
Game 2 - #1 Stevens Point (25-1) vs. #8 Hartford Union (18-12)*
Division 1 Quarterfinals - 2:30 p.m.
Game 3 - #3 Franklin (25-4) vs. #6 Burlington (21-9)
Game 4 - #2 Hortonville (24-4) vs. #7 Middleton (22-8) *
Tuesday, June 13
Division 4 Semifinals - 9 a.m.
Game 1 - #2 Ithaca (19-7) vs. Edgar (13-7)
Game 2 - #1 Pecatonica (23-1) vs. McDonell Cent. Catholic (14-10)*
Division 3 Semifinals - approx. 2:30 p.m.
Game 1 - #2 Saint Croix Falls (25-3) vs. #3Kiel (24-2)
Game 2 - #1 Aquinas (23-2) vs. #4 Random Lake (18-9)*
Wednesday, June 14
Division 2 Semifinals - 9 a.m.
Game 1 - #2 Saint Thomas More (26-2) vs. #3 Altoona (23-4)
Game 2 - #1 Denmark (28-2) vs. #4 Jefferson (24-6)*
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 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 #
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.
FINALS LIVE ON BALLY SPORTS WISCONSIN: Watch the WIAA State Baseball Tournament finals on Bally Sports Wisconsin. The championship games in all divisions will air live on Bally Sports Wisconsin. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area. The championship finals will also be streamed live on the Bally Sports app. Register for the app and sign in with your cable or satellite authentication to stream on mobile devices. The finals can also be watched digitally on Bally Sports Wisconsin Plus through a subscription to the service. To subscribe, visit ballysportsplus.com.
TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The WIAA has been sponsoring the State Baseball Tournament since 1948. Sun Prairie 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: Milton won the Division 1 championship with an 11-1 victory in five innings over Bay Port in the title game. Denmark captured its second straight Division 2 title with a 6-5 win over Jefferson in the championship final. In Division 3, Cuba City doubled up on St. Croix Falls 8-4, and Regis was a 12-3 victor over Bangor in the title game to win the Division 4 crown.
THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Top-seeded Stevens Point is making its 16th appearance overall in the State Tournament and its first since 2014. The Panthers won State championships in 1979, 1987 and 1989, and were runners-up in 1975, 1984 and again in 2013. They are the champions of the Wisconsin Valley Conference this season, and they advanced through the Marshfield Sectional with a 6-5 win over Hudson in the final. Second-seeded Hortonville is back at State for the first time in 25 years and for the ninth time in the program’s history. The Polar Bears were the Class B champions in 1987, and they won back-to-back Division 2 championships in 1997 and 1998. They also advanced to the Class B championship game in 1980 and finished runner-up. They end the tournament draught with a five-inning, 10-0 blowout over De Pere in the Pulaski Sectional final. The Polar Bears were runners-up in the Fox Valley Association this spring. Franklin, the third seed, is making its first appearance in the spring season State Tournament, However, the Sabers are no strangers to baseball State Tournaments, they participated in 11 State Summer Baseball Tournaments when two baseball seasons were offered. Their final appearance in the summer tournament came in 2017. The Sabers won two State summer baseball titles. Those came back-to-back in 2010-11. In addition to the two State titles, they finished runner-up in 2000. They earned their way into the State semifinals by shutting out Oak Creek 2-0 in the Kenosha Bradford Sectional final. Franklin was the champion of the Southeast Conference this season. Fourth-seeded Menomonee Falls makes its third consecutive appearance in the tournament after making eight appearances in the summer baseball program with the most recent coming in 2018, which was the last season of the summer baseball program. They won back-to-back championships in 2015-16 and finished runner-up in 2001 and 2004. The furthest advance by the Phoenix in the spring season has been to the semifinals in 2021 and 2022. They return to the State Tournament this season by virtue of a 2-0 shutout over Oconomowoc in the sectional final held at Oconomowoc. The Phoenix finished atop the standings in the Greater Metro Conference in 2023. Fifth-seeded Whitefish Bay is another former summer baseball program making its first appearance in the end of the spring season State Tournament. The Blue Dukes made two appearances in the State summer tourney. They advanced to the semifinals before being ousted from title contention in 2002 and 2011. This season, they finished in a four-way tie for first with Grafton, West Bend East and West Bend West in the North Shore Conference, and they qualify for State with a 3-0 shutout over Marquette in the Glendale Sectional final. Burlington is the sixth seed. The Demons are making its seventh appearance and their first since 2019, the last in a string of four straight experiences. The Demons’ won the championship the only time they advanced to the championship final in 2016. They placed third in the Southern Lakes Conference this spring, and they blanked Union Grove 7-0 to win the sectional final hosted at Oregon. Seventh-seeded Middleton advances to the State Tournament for the first time since 2016 and for the 14th time overall. The Cardinals won the State title in 2003 and have finished runner-up three times, in 1968, 1977 and 1995. This season, they were third in the Big Eight Conference standings. The Cardinals are the representatives from the La Crosse Sectional following a 3-1 over Verona in the final. Hartford, the #8 seed in the bracket, returns to the State Tournament for the eighth time overall and for the first time since 2014. The Orioles advanced to the semifinals in 2002 and again in 2011 and 2012, which accounts for their furthest advancement in the tournament. They finished seventh in the North Shore Conference standings. They have qualified out of the Oshkosh North Sectional with a 4-1 win in 10 innings over Beaver Dam in the final.
THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Two-time defending champion Denmark returns to the State Tournament as the #1 seed in the bracket this year. It’s the Vikings third consecutive appearance at State and the fifth overall. In each of their previous four experiences, they have advanced to the championship game. Their first two resulted in runner-up finishes in 2002 and 2005. This season, they blanked Chilton 2-0 in the Winneconne Sectional final to earn the opportunity to pursue a third title. The Vikings are the champions of the North Eastern Conference this season. Second-seeded St. Thomas More will be experiencing the State Tournament for the first time in program history since joining the WIAA. The former member of WISAA won two State titles prior to the organization ceasing operations. The Cavaliers won the championship in 1981 when only one division existed and then again in Division 1 in 1996. This season, they are the champions of the Metro Classic Conference, and they gained a berth in the tournament following a 3-2 win over Kettle Moraine Lutheran in the Big Foot Sectional. It will be only the second State Tournament appearance for third-seeded Altoona. The Railroaders first experience at State resulted in a runner-up finish in 2010. Their return to the State semifinals comes virtue of a 3-0 shutout over West Salem in the sectional final hosted at Altoona. The Railroaders are the champions of the Middle Border Conference this spring. Jefferson, the runner-up the past two seasons, is the #4 seed. The Eagles are making their ninth appearance at State. They won the championship in 2014 and had two other runner-up finishes, including 1994 and 2018. The Eagles are back for another chance at a title after a five-inning, 12-2 clubbing of Reedsburg in the Portage Sectional final. They are the runners-up in the Rock Valley Conference this season.
THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Top-seeded Aquinas makes its seventh appearance at State and its first since the Blugolds won the championship in 2017. They also won the State title in 2007 and have finished runner-up in 2008, 2010 and 2015. This season, they tied for first place with Onalaska in the Mississippi Valley Conference. The Blugolds advanced their way through the Viroqua Sectional by downing Cuba City 4-2 in the final. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Blugolds won four straight baseball titles in the former WISAA (1984-87). Last season’s runner-up St. Croix Falls is the second seed and returns to the State Tournament field for the second year in a row and for the third time overall. The Saints’ first appearance came back in the 1948 tourney, which resulted in a first-round loss. The Saints continue their journey in the Tournament Series with a 4-0 shutout win over Marathon in the Cumberland Sectional. They are the champions of the Heart O’ North Conference in 2023. Kiel is seeded third in the bracket. It’s the first time the Raiders have qualified for the State Tournament for the spring season, but they were a two-time qualifier in the summer tourney. They advanced to the semifinals in 1969 and fell in the quarterfinals in 2017. The Raiders were 2-0 victors over Amherst in the Shiocton Sectional final to earn their initial berth in the tournament field. They placed second in the Eastern Wisconsin Conference standings this spring. The background on fourth-seeded Random Lake is much like Kiel’s. A first time qualifier for the spring season State Tournament, the Rams qualified twice in the discontinued summer tournament. They lost in the quarterfinals in 1998 and 2001. This year, the Rams rolled to a 7-0 victory over Deerfield in the Markesan Sectional final to begin preparations for State. They were runners-up in the Big East Conference this season.
THE DIVISION 4 FIELD: Pecatonica, the top seed in the bracket, will make its first-ever appearance in the tournament following a 5-2 win over Johnson Creek in the sectional final hosted by Pecatonica. The Vikings finished first in the East Division of the Six Rivers Conference in 2023. Second-seeded Ithaca has qualified for State for the fifth time and for the first time since 2018. The Bulldogs’ four previous appearances came in a five-year span, which produced a championship in 2016 and a runner-up finish in 2015. They placed third in the Ridge & Valley Conference this year, and they have advanced to the State Tournament after a 6-2 victory over Eleva-Strum in the Blair-Taylor Sectional final. Edgar, the third seed, is another program celebrating its first-ever appearance in the State Tournament this season. The Wildcats had to put in a bit of extra work to earn their berth with a 2-1 win over Pacelli in eight innings. They finished fourth in the South Division of the Marawood Conference this season. Fourth-seeded McDonell Catholic advances to the State Tournament for the seventh time and for the first time since 2014. The Macks have finished as State runners-up in five of their previous six experiences including one in Division 3 in 2005, and three straight in Division 4 from 2009-11 and again in 2014. Prior to joining the WIAA, they won a WISAA title in 1988 according to available records. This season, they finished fourth in the Western Division of the Cloverbelt Conference, and they trounced Washburn 11-2 to win the Webster Sectional final.
NEED THE QUALIFIERS?: Team information and rosters of qualifying teams for the State Tournament are available on the restricted media area of the WIAA website.
NEED RESULTS?: The quickest way to get results will be to access the baseball results page on the WIAA website at: https://www.wiaawi.org/Sports/Spring/Baseball/Tournament and choose the appropriate links on the “Tournament” page.
ORDER STATE MEET APPAREL ONLINE: WIAA-licensed apparel is available on-site for the 2023 State Baseball Tournament. In addition, an online store is available to browse and purchase branded merchandise at: https://foxcitiesembroidery.chipply.com/WIAASTATEBASEBALL/store.aspx. Orders must be placed before Thursday, June 22 at 11:59 p.m.
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