THE TOURNAMENT:  The 48th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Summer Baseball State Tournament will take place Friday, July 20, at its new home at Kapco Park on the campus of Concordia University in Mequon, Wis. Action will begin at noon with the first of two semifinals followed by the championship game at 6:35 p.m. Ticket prices for the tourney are $8 per session and are available only at the park.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AND PAIRINGS:  New in 2012, the new format features a single elimination tournament with four teams in a single division. The second semifinal game will follow the first game.

Friday, July 20
Semifinals - Noon
Game #1 - Germantown (24-9) vs. Waukesha West (22-9)
Game #2 - Sheboygan Falls (25-4) vs.  Oak Creek (26-7)*

Championship Final - 6:35 p.m.
Game #3 - Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2

* Following first game of session.

STATE GAMES ON THE WEB:  The semifinals and finals of the WIAA State Summer Baseball Tournament will be streamed live on foxsportswisconsin.com.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES ON FS WISCONSIN:  Watch the delayed broadcast of the WIAA State Summer Baseball Championship game on FS Wisconsin. The game is scheduled to air on Saturday, Aug. 4 at 11:30 a.m. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area.

TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY:  The WIAA has been sponsoring the State Summer Baseball Championships since 1965. Brookfield Central, Brown Deer, Greendale, Homestead, Oak Creek, West Bend East and West Bend West have won the most State championships with three, followed by Arrowhead, Franklin, Marquette and Nicolet with two. New Holstein has made the most State appearances with 18. Ashland is second in the number of tournament appearances with 13; Platteville and West Bend West have made 12 appearances; and Arcadia, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, Plymouth and West Bend East have each made appearances in 10 State Tournaments. The State Summer Baseball Tournament has been won by 29 different schools.

LAST YEAR:  Franklin won its second straight State championship by defeating West Bend West 5-4 in the championship game. The Sabers took a 5-2 lead into the seventh inning and held on to win following a pair of runs scored on the second of two home runs hit by the Spartans’ Dylan Hinckley. Trevor Theissen and Jake Penegor led the Sabers offense, each with a pair of hits.

TOURNAMENT FIELD:  Oak Creek returns to the State Tournament for the first time since 2008 and for the sixth time overall. The Knights became the only program to win three straight championships when they were crowned champions from 2003-2005. They finished second in the Greater Metro Conference this year and advanced through the West Allis Hale Sectional with a 9-1 win over West Allis Hale in the final. Germantown is appearing at State for the second time in the last three seasons and for the third time overall. The Warhawks lost in the quarterfinals in 2010 and advanced to the semifinals in their first-ever appearance in 1986. They finished atop the standings in the North Shore Conference this summer, and they are the representatives from the Cedarburg Sectional by virtue of their 3-2, eight-inning win over Arrowhead in the final.  Waukesha West is back in the State Tournament for the eighth time in the last 11 years and for the third year in a row. The Wolverines also made four straight appearances from 2002-05 and advanced to the semifinal round in 2003 and 2010. They finished in a tie for first place in the Classic Eight Conference with Kettle Moraine this season and proceeded to win the sectional they hosted by defeating Brookfield East 4-3 in the final. Sheboygan Falls returns to the State Tournament for the second straight season and for the fourth time overall. The Falcons won the championship in 1973. This season, they finished second in the Eastern Wisconsin Conference, and they advance from the sectional final held in Sheboygan Falls with a 6-0 victory over Kewaskum.

NEED RESULTS?:  The quickest way to get results will be to access the summer baseball page on the WIAA website at: www.wiaawi.org/Sports/BaseballSummer/RecordsResults.aspx and choose the appropriate 2012 link on the summer baseball State Tournament results page.