THE TOURNAMENT: The 69th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Spring Baseball State Tournament will take place Tuesday-Thursday, June 14-16, 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 14
Division 1 Quarterfinals - 8 a.m.
Game 1 - Green Bay Preble (23-5) vs. Middleton (22-5)
Game 2 - Janesville Craig (26-2) vs. Burlington (22-5)*
Division 1 Quarterfinals - 1 p.m.
Game 3 - Eau Claire North (23-3) vs. Kimberly (23-4)
Game 4 - Sun Prairie (23-5) vs. Arrowhead (27-2)*
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 15
Division 4 Semifinals - 8 a.m.
Game 1 - Ithaca (21-3) vs. Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran (13-7)
Game 2 - Pepin/Alma (18-7) vs. Rib Lake (19-4)*
Division 3 Semifinals - 1 p.m.
Game 1 - Prairie du Chien (24-1) vs. Markesan (24-0)
Game 2 - Unity (22-4) vs. St. Mary Catholic (24-0)*
Division 2 Semifinals - 6 p.m.
Game 1 - Lodi (26-2) vs. Milwaukee Lutheran (23-7)
Game 2 - West Salem (16-10) vs. Waupaca (23-4)*
Thursday, June 16
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 all Divisions 2, 3 and 4 live on FS Wisconsin and the Division 1 final on the FS Wisconsin Alternate Channel. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area. The tournament finals will also be streamed live on the FoxSportGo app.
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 and Oconomowoc have appeared in 14; and Janesville Craig, Middleton and Sun Prairie with 13. Bay Port, Eau Claire Memorial and Fond du Lac are next with 12 State appearances.
LAST YEAR: Janesville Craig won the Division 1 championship with a 2-0 shutout over Kimberly in the title game. Milwaukee Lutheran won the Division 2 title with a 4-3 win over Notre Dame in the championship final. Lake Country Lutheran captured the Division 3 championship by edging Aquinas 5-4, and Rio beat Ithaca 1-0 in the Division 4 championship game.
THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Last year’s champion Janesville Craig is making its second consecutive appearance and its 13th overall. The Cougars have now won four State titles. They were the back-to-back Class A champions in 1983-84 and added a Division 1 championship in 1998 and again last year. They also finished runner-up in 1999 and 2001. The Cougars shut out Verona 2-0 in the sectional final hosted by Beloit to earn their shot at a repeat title. They are the champions of the Big Eight Conference this season. Kimberly, the runner-up the past two seasons, will appear in the State Tournament for the third year in a row and for the 10th time overall. The Papermakers won the Division 1 title in 2007 and the Class B championship in 1989. They have now finished runner-up five times, including 1988, 1993, 2008, 2014 and 2015. The Papermakers are the champions of the Fox Valley Association this spring, and they are the winners of the Kaukauna Sectional following a 15-1, five-inning win over West De Pere in the final. Sun Prairie qualifies for the State Tournament for the 13th time. 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 edged Oconomowoc 8-7 in the sectional final hosted by the Cardinals. They finished runner-up to State qualifier Janesville Craig in the Big Eight Conference this spring. Middleton advances to the State Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons and for the 13th time overall. The Cardinals won the State title in 2003 and have finished runner-up three times, in 1968, 1977 and 1995. They placed third in the Big Eight Conference behind State qualifiers Janesville Craig and Sun Prairie this spring and advanced through the Sauk Prairie Sectional with a 5-4 decision over La Crosse Logan in the final. Eau Claire North is making its 11th trip to State. The most recent appearance was in 2011 when the Huskies won their only State title. They have finished runner-up an additional three times, in 1981, 2002 and 2005. They defeated Eau Claire Memorial 14-1 in five innings to win the final of the Marshfield Sectional and gain a berth in the tournament field. The Huskies finished first in the Big Rivers Conference this year. Arrowhead is making its first appearance in the State Spring Tournament since its only other experience 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 atop the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference standings this season. They shutout Milwaukee Riverside 6-0 to win the sectional final hosted by the Warhawks. Burlington is making its third appearance in the State Tournament and the first since 2005 when the Demons lost in the quarterfinals. They advanced to the semifinals in their first experience in 1991. The Demons are the champions of the Southern Lakes Conference this spring, and they advanced through the Kenosha Sectional by beating Kenosha Bradford/Reuther 6-2 in the sectional final. The first and only other appearance for Green Bay Preble came back in 2002 when the Hornets fell in the quarterfinal round. This season they advance to State through the Bay Port Sectional following a 6-0 blanking of Green Bay East/West in the final. The Hornets tied Bay Port for the championship in the Fox River Classic Conference during the regular season.
THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Defending champion Milwaukee Lutheran is back in the State Tournament for the second straight season and for the fifth time overall. The Red Knights also won back-to-back championships in 2002 and 2003. Their quest to repeat as champions continues following a 5-1 win over Campbellsport in the Waupun Sectional final. The Red Knights placed second to Division 1 qualifier Arrowhead in the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference this spring. West Salem is making its second consecutive appearance after falling in the semifinals in its first State Spring Baseball Tournament experience. 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 tied Arcadia for first place in the Coulee Conference this year. The Panthers defeated Rice Lake 3-1 in the sectional final played at Altoona to advance to the semifinals. Lodi is back at State for the third time. The Blue Devils’ most recent State experience was in 2013, which produced a championship. Their first appearance came back in 1982 when they finished runner-up in Class B. They are the champions of the North Division of the Capitol Conference this spring, and their path through the Monroe Sectional culminated with an 8-2 win over Whitewater in the final. Waupaca’s first and only other experience in the State Tournament came back in 1969, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals. The Comets’ return to the tournament field comes virtue of an 8-3 victory over Oconto Falls in the sectional final hosted by the Comets. They are the champions of the North Eastern Conference this spring.
THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: St. Mary Catholic returns to State for the fifth time and for the first time since 2012. The Zephyrs made three straight appearances from 2001-03, which produced a runner-up finish in 2003. They beat Marathon 7-4 in the final of the Pacelli Sectional to advance to the semifinals. They are the champions of the Eastern Wisconsin Conference this season. Prairie du Chien returns to the tournament field for the first time since finishing runner-up in Division 2 in 2008. The Blackhawks won the Division 2 championship in 1993. They earned their berth this year with a 12-3 victory over Arcadia in the Aquinas Sectional final. They are the champions of the Southwest Wisconsin Conference this year. Unity will experience the State Tournament for the first time following a 5-4 victory over Durand in the final of the sectional held in Durand. Prior to transitioning to the spring season, the Eagles made six appearances in the State Summer Baseball Tournament. They won the State title in 1992 between two runner-up finishes in 1991 and 1993. The Eagles finished first in the West Division of the Lakeland Conference this spring. It was 1957 when Markesan participated in its only State Tournament. That appearance resulted in a first-round defeat. The Hornets return almost six decades later thanks to a six-inning, 12-2 triumph over Palmyra-Eagle in the Ripon Sectional final. They won the title in the North Division of the Trailways Conference this year.
THE DIVISION 4 FIELD: Last year’s runner-up Ithaca makes its third straight appearance, which also accounts for its overall total. The Bulldogs fell in their semifinal match-up in their first State experience in 2014. They scored a 9-8 win over Hillsboro in the Weston Sectional final to earn a return to the State Tournament. The Bulldogs finished in first place in the Ridge & Valley Conference standings. Rib Lake returns to the State Tournament field for the second straight season and for the fourth time overall. The Redmen finished runner-up in Class C in 1981 and fell in the semifinals in 1985 and last season. They notched a six-inning, 11-1 victory over Gresham in the Rosholt Sectional final to remain in contention for the State title. The Redmen are the champions in the North Division of the Marawood Conference this year. Pepin/Alma makes its first appearance in the State Tournament as a co-op. As a stand-alone program, Alma advanced to the semifinals in 1967 when only one division existed. They also won the State Summer Baseball championship in their only appearance in that tournament in 1971. The Eagles finished runner-up to Spring Valley in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference this season. They advance to State through the Bruce Sectional following their 8-2 victory over Hurley in the final. Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran advances to the State Tournament for the first time. The Blazers defeated Catholic Central 7-6 in the Johnson Creek Sectional final to earn their initial berth. During the regular season, they finished fourth in the Packerland Conference.
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.
FOLLOW THE TOURNEY ON SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive the updates of the State Spring Baseball Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter accounts. The Twitter account is @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaabase. Also like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram at wiaawi, and add us on Snapchat at wiaawis.
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Release by WIAA Communications