Baseball State Tournament 2022 Preview

For Immediate Release:

Baseball teams set to begin state tournament play

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. --- Thirty-two teams in four classifications will compete in the 2022 Minnesota State High School League’s Baseball State Tournaments that will be held at five primary Minnesota locations this week. Quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Tuesday, June 14 and Wednesday, June 15, respectively. The Prep Championship Series where four title games are played is Friday, June 17 at Target Field. In case of inclement weather, the makeup date is Saturday, June 18.

The Class A and Class AA tournaments will be played in St. Cloud at two venues: the adjacent Joe Faber Field and Dick Putz Field; Class AAA is at Chaska Athletic Park and Class AAAA will be held at CHS Field in downtown St. Paul.

School Space Media, the League’s streaming partner, will livestream all games during the state tournaments. To view the stream, go to www.prepspotlight.tv

Here is a look at the quarterfinal matchups on Tuesday, June 14:

Class A, at Joe Faber Field, St. Cloud

• No. 1 Hayfield (22-2) vs. New Ulm Cathedral (22-3), 10:30 a.m. --- Hayfield returns with hopes of a successful state title defense. Over the past two seasons, the Vikings are a combined 47-2. Since a 6-5 loss to Randolph in eight innings on May 3, Hayfield is on a 15-game winning streak. Not only is Randolph in the Class A field as the No. 2 seed, so too is New York Mills, which lost to Hayfield in the title game in 2021. New Ulm Cathedral also has championship lineage with a Class A crown in 2005. The Greyhounds’ only loss over the past month was to Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s in the winners’ bracket, but they bounced back for a win in the elimination game.
• No. 4 Sacred Heart (21-3) vs. No. 5 South Ridge (17-7), 1 p.m. --- Sacred Heart closed out the regular season with two losses to Roseau, a participant in the Class AA field. But five victories later, the Eagles are in the state tournament for the fifth time. South Ridge is on a seven-game winning streak in making its fourth consecutive state tournament trip.  
• No. 2 Randolph (21-1) vs. MACCRAY (15-6), 3:30 p.m. --- Randolph is on a nine-game winning streak since its only setback of the season, a 12-11 loss to Maple River, a Class AA school. In the Section 4A playoffs, the Rockets outscored four opponents by a combined 29-9. MACCRAY was the Class A champion in 2009 in its only other state tournament trip.
• No. 3 New York Mills (22-3) vs. Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale (11-14), 6 p.m. --- New York Mills was the Class A runner-up in 2004, 10 years later in 2014 and again in 2019. The Eagles finished the regular season on an eight-game winning streak before going 6-1 in the Section 6A playoffs. Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale gets another shot at New York Mills, but the stakes are higher this time. Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale was swept in a doubleheader by New York Mills in the regular-season finale on May 24. From there, Bertha-Hewitt went 5-1 during the Section 5A playoffs with two victories over Hinckley-Finlayson to advance to the state tournament for the third time and first since 2006.  

Class AA, at Dick Putz Field, St. Cloud

• No. 1 Fairmont (24-3) vs. Sibley East (17-5), 10 a.m. --- Fairmont had a loss to Paynesville in the third game of the Section 3AA playoffs. That put the Cardinals on a longer road to a section crown, one that included defeating Paynesville twice in qualifying for the 11^th time in program history and first since 2014. Sibley East is on a five-game winning streak entering the state tournament for the first time since winning the Class AA crown in 1998. The Wolverines were 11-2 against section opponents this season.
• No. 4 Wadena-Deer Creek (23-4) vs. No. 5 Rochester Lourdes (18-4), 12:30 p.m. --- Wadena-Deer Creek was also the No. 4 seed in 2021, but didn’t advance in the modified tournament following a loss to No. 5 Plainview-Elgin-Millville in the quarterfinals. Wadena-Deer Creek recorded two victories over Albany in the winners’ bracket final to advance. Rochester Lourdes was the Class AA champion in 2002. The Eagles are on an eight-game winning streak entering the state tournament.
• No. 2 Watertown-Mayer (20-5) vs. St. Agnes (21-4), 3 p.m. --- Watertown-Mayer opened the season 8-0 and is currently on a seven-game winning streak entering the state tournament. Watertown-Mayer’s only other state tournament appearance was in 2013. St. Agnes makes a second consecutive return trip and eighth overall. In 2021, the Aggies did not advance past the quarterfinals in the modified format that didn’t have a consolation series. The Aggies were the Class A champs in 2001 and 2012, respectively.  
• No. 3 Marshall School, Duluth (17-5) vs. Roseau (17-6), 5:30 p.m. --- Marshall School made back-to-back appearances in the Class AA championship game in 2018 and 2019. In the first appearance, the Hilltoppers lost to Maple Lake, but a year later, edged Minnehaha Academy in the championship game. Marshall School is on an seven-game winning streak entering the state tournament. Roseau is in the state tournament for the ninth time overall and first since 2012. The Rams ended the regular season on a nine-game winning streak and then won four in a row during the Section 8AA playoffs before topping Perham for the section crown.

Class AAA, at Chaska Athletic Park

• No. 1. Mankato West (23-1) vs. St. Francis (13-11), 10 a.m. --- Mankato West earned the top seed after a dominant season with the only blemish a loss to Owatonna in the Big 9 Conference regular-season finale. The Scarlets return to the state tournament for the first time since 2003 and third overall. St. Francis captured the Section 7AAA crown after winning its fifth consecutive game. It is the Saints’ first state tournament trip since 2006.  
• No. 4 St. Thomas Academy (19-7) vs. No. 5 Alexandria Area (19-6), 12:30 p.m. --- St. Thomas Academy is one of two member schools from the Metro East Conference to qualify in the Class AAA field. Mahtomedi is the other. Both qualified last year as well. St. Thomas Academy was unseeded en route to a third-place finish. Alexandria Area opened the season 9-2 and is currently on a 10-1 run entering its fifth state tournament and first since 2018.
• No. 2 Benilde-St. Margaret’s (21-3) vs. Winona (14-10), 3 p.m. --- Benilde-St. Margaret’s is playing in the state tournament for the fourth time in program history. In 2019, the Red Knights were the Class AAA runner-up to St. Thomas Academy. Two of the Red Knights’ three losses this season are to state tournament teams: St. Thomas Academy and St. Louis Park. Winona, along with Mankato West, represents the Big 9 Conference. The Winhawks are making a state tournament trip for the first time since 1991 and entering the state tournament on an 8-1 run.  
• No. 3 Mahtomedi (18-4) vs. Grand Rapids (16-6), 5:30 p.m. --- This is a rematch of the Class AAA championship game in 2021 when Mahtomedi, also the No. 3 seed, topped the Thunderhawks, 20-3. Mahtomedi has two victories over St. Thomas Academy during the conference season. Grand Rapids enters the state tournament on an 8-1 run in its past nine games.

Class AAAA, at CHS Field, St. Paul

• No. 1 Farmington (21-3) vs. Park (18-7), 10 a.m. --- This is a rematch of the 2021 Class AAAA championship game that Farmington won, 12-10, in a classic battle. Following a loss to Lakeville North in the regular-season finale, the Tigers rattled off four consecutive postseason victories to make their third state tournament appearance. Park is 8-1 over its past nine games, including a victory over Rosemount for the section crown. The Wolfpack are in the state tournament for the fifth time in program history.  
• No. 4 Maple Grove (19-4) vs. No. 5 St. Louis Park (18-7), 1 p.m. --- Maple Grove returns to the state tournament for the first time since 2017 and ninth time overall. The Crimson claimed the Section 5AAAA title with four consecutive victories, including two in a row over Mounds View. It has been 70 years since St. Louis Park played in the state tournament in its only other trip. The Orioles went 2-1 against Hopkins in the Section 6AAAA playoffs to end that state tournament dry spell. St. Louis Park is 7-1 over its past eight games.
• No. 2 Stillwater (20-4) vs. Sartell (14-10), 4:30 p.m. --- Stillwater, the Class AAAA champion in 2018, is powered by senior outfielder/pitcher Brayden Hellum, who is batting .570 this season and has been a force on the mound. The Ponies lost to Mounds View in the regular-season finale, but bounced back to win four consecutive in the Section 4AAAA playoffs.  Sartell lost to Rogers once  during the regular season, but reversed that with a 9-1 romp in the Section 8AAAA championship game. Sartell was in the Class AAA field in 2021 and placed fourth.
• No. 3 Andover (20-4) vs. Chanhassen (16-9), 7:30 p.m. --- Andover was also the No. 3 seed in 2021and that is where the Huskies ended up after a victory over Minnetonka in the third-place game. Andover is on an 18-game winning streak since a loss to Maple Grove on April 28. Chanhassen was the Class AAA champion in 2015, the final season of the three-class format. The Storm were 2-1 against Shakopee in three consecutive games to win the Section 2AAAA crown.