State Softball Tournament Preview
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State Softball Tournament Preview

Monday, June 3, 2019

State Softball Tournament Preview

THE TOURNAMENT:  The 44th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Softball Tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, June 6-8, at Goodman Diamond on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wis. Ticket prices for the tourney are $8 per session for quarterfinals and semifinals, $6 for each championship game and $15 for an all-day ticket on Thursday and Friday. Tickets are available at the stadium or online with a convenience fee per session ticket:  https://www.expressoticketing.com/wiaa/pickevent.aspx?ecn=32.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AND PAIRINGS:  The single elimination tournament features five divisions. Eight teams qualify in Division 1 and four each in Divisions 2, 3, 4 and 5. All teams are seeded in each of the divisional brackets for the first time this season. The second game of each session will begin approximately 30 minutes following the first game.

Division 1

Quarterfinals - Thursday, June 6
Game-1:  #4  Kenosha Bradford/Reuther (23-6) vs. #5 Chippewa Falls (20-7) - 8 a.m.
Game-2:  #1 Oshkosh North (28-0) vs. #8 Nicolet (20-7) - 10 a.m.*
Game-3:  #2 Sun Prairie (25-3) vs. #7 Waukesha North (15-7) - 12:30 p.m.
Game-4:  #3 Pulaski (23-5) vs. #6 Wilmot Union (18-9) - 2:30 p.m.*

Semifinals - Friday, June 7
Game-5:  Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 - 7 p.m.
Game-6:  Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 - 9 p.m.*

Championship - Saturday, June 8
Game-7:  Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 - 6:30 p.m.*

Division 2

Semifinals - Friday, June 7
Game-1:  #2 Seymour (24-1) vs. #3 Ellsworth (24-2) - 2:30 p.m.
Game-2:  #1 Monroe (22-4) vs. #4 New Berlin West (22-3) - 4:30 p.m.*

Championship - Saturday, June 8
Game-3:  Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 - 4 p.m.

Division 3

Semifinals - Friday, June 7
Game-1:  #2 Campbellsport (16-7) vs. #3 Southern Door (21-3) - 10 a.m.
Game-2:  #1 Poynette (28-0) vs. #4 Prescott (20-10) - Noon*

Championship - Saturday, June 8
Game-3:  Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 - 1 p.m.*

Division 4

Semifinals - Thursday, June 6
Game-1:  #2 Mishicot (24-0) vs. #3 Pacelli (19-6) - 9 p.m.
Semifinals - Friday, June 7
Game-2:  #1 Horicon (23-1) vs. #4 Thorp (19-6) - 8 a.m.*

Championship - Saturday, June 8
Game-3:  Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 - 10:30 a.m.*

Division 5

Semifinals - Thursday, June 6
Game-1:  #2 Belmont (24-1) vs. #3 Tri-County (19-3) - 5 p.m.
Game-2:  #1 Blair-Taylor (27-0) vs. #4 Gilman (21-4) - 7 p.m.*

Championship - Saturday, June 8
Game-3:  Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 - 8 a.m.

* Approximate times

PRE-FINALS LIVE ON NFHS NETWORK:  The Division 1 quarterfinals and the semifinals of all five divisions of the WIAA State Softball 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 blue subscription graphic in the upper right side of the homepage.

FINALS AIRED LIVE ON FS WISCONSIN PLUS:  Watch the WIAA State Softball Tournament finals on the FS Wisconsin Plus Channel. The championship games for all divisions will air live on FS Wisconsin Plus. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area. The championship finals will also be streamed live on the FoxSportsGo app.

TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY:  The WIAA has been sponsoring the State Softball Tournament since 1976. Stevens Point leads all programs in State titles won with nine. Kimberly has claimed seven titles, and Marion has six. Both Denmark and Oakfield have won five. Stevens Point has appeared in the most State Tournaments with 18. Ashwaubenon is next on the list with 16. Kimberly and Oakfield ranks third with 14 appearances, followed by Chippewa Falls with 13, and Homestead and Verona with 12.

LAST YEAR:  Sun Prairie won the Division 1 title with a 7-1 victory over Burlington in the championship game. Whitnall won the Division 2 title by downing Mosinee 3-1 in the final. Poynette was the Division 3 champion with a 2-0 shut out over Tomahawk in the championship game. Horicon trounced Thorp 11-0 in five innings in the championship final to win the Division 4 title, and McDonell Catholic captured its second straight Division 5 championship with a 5-2 win over Oakfield in the title game.

THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Defending champion Sun Prairie is seeded second. The Cardinals return to State for the third straight year and for the sixth time overall. They also advanced to the championship game one other time, finishing runner-up in 2012. They are the runners-up in the Big Eight Conference this season, and they earned their opportunity to defend the title with a 10-3 win over Verona in the Verona Sectional final. Top-seeded Oshkosh North returns to the State Tournament for the third time in the last four years and for the fourth time overall. All three of the Spartans’ previous experiences resulted in a defeat in the quarterfinals. Their return to the tournament field is a result of a 5-3 victory over crosstown rival Oshkosh West in the sectional final held in Oshkosh. During the regular season, they won the Fox Valley Association title. Third-seeded Pulaski returns to State for the fourth time overall and for the first time since 2016. The Red Raiders’ most notable finish came in 1996 when they placed runner-up. They are runners-up in the Fox River Classic Conference this season. The Red Raiders defeated West De Pere 5-2 in the final of the Kimberly Sectional to advance to the quarterfinals. The Kenosha Bradford/Reuther co-op is seeded fourth. The Red Devils are making the program’s first State Tournament appearance. They placed third in the Southeast Conference standings this season and advanced from the Kenosha Indian Trail Sectional with a six-inning, 10-0 blanking of South Milwaukee in the final. Chippewa Falls, the #5 seed, makes its second straight State appearance and the 13th overall. The Cardinals won their only State championship in 2012. They have also finished runner-up twice, in 2006 and in 2009. They finished runner-up in the Big Rivers Conference standings this year and are the representatives out of the Stevens Point Sectional following a 3-0 win over Stevens Point in the final. Sixth-seeded Wilmot Union returns to the State Tournament field for the second time in the past three seasons and for the 10th time overall. The Panthers finished runner-up in their most recent appearance in 2017. Their one State title came in Class B in 1990. They made five appearances during the 1980s, one (1982) resulted in a runner-up finish. The Panthers finished third in the Southern Lakes Conference this spring. They downed Beloit Memorial 5-3 in eight innings in the final of the Badger Sectional to advance to State. It will be the second straight State appearance for Waukesha North and its third experience overall. The Northstars have been issued the #7 seed. They are looking to advance past the quarterfinal round for the first time. They finished third in the Classic 8 Conference this season and advanced through the Oconomowoc Sectional with a 16-2 win over Kettle Moraine in six innings in the final. Eighth-seeded Nicolet is making its second State Tournament appearance and its first since 1995 when the Knights fell in the quarterfinals. They finished fourth in the North Shore Conference standings this spring. They are the representative out of the Germantown Sectional following a 9-4 triumph over Menomonee Falls in the final.

THE DIVISION 2 FIELD:  Top-seeded Monroe is making its eighth appearance at State and its first since 2013. The Cheesemakers won the Division 2 title in 2003 and have finished runner-up four times, including 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2012. They are the co-champions of the Badger Conference’s South Division with Watertown this spring, and they edged McFarland 4-3 in the final to win the Evansville Sectional title. Seymour, the #2 seed, is a first-time qualifier to the State Tournament. The Thunder earned their initial berth following a 13-7 win over Winneconne in the Wrightstown Sectional final. The Thunder are the champions of the Bay Conference this season. Third-seeded Ellsworth also advances to the State Tournament for the first time in program history. The Panthers are the champions of the Middle Border Conference this spring. They are the representatives out of the Baldwin-Woodville Sectional following a 4-1 victory over Merrill in the final. Fourth-seeded New Berlin West advances to the State semifinals for the third time. In the Viking’s previous two appearances, they won the State title in 2016 and lost in the semifinals in 2013. They are back in the State Tournament following a 12-10 slugfest over Kettle Moraine Lutheran in the Plymouth Sectional final. The Vikings are the champions in the Woodland Conference in 2019.

THE DIVISION 3 FIELD:  Defending champion and #1-seed Poynette is making its fourth appearance in the last five seasons and its 11th overall. The Pumas won the Division 2 title in 1998 and added Division 3 crowns in 2005, 2011 and again last season. They also have had four runner-up finishes, which came in 1999, 2003, 2012 and again in 2015. The Pumas are the champions in the North Division of the Capitol Conference this season, and they have advanced to the semifinals in quest of defending their State title following a 3-2 victory over Dodgeville in 11 innings in the Brodhead Sectional final. Second-seeded Campbellsport will be experiencing the State Tournament for the first time in program history. The milestone comes following a 3-2 victory over Random Lake in the Mayville Sectional final. The Cougars are the runners-up in the East Central Conference this year.  Southern Door, the third seed, returns to the State Tournament for the first time since 2008 and for the fifth time overall. The Eagles played in the title game in their first three experiences. They won Division 2 titles in 1992 and 1994, and they were runners-up in 2007. The Eagles tied Algoma for the Packerland Conference championship this season. They advance to the State semifinals through the Chilton Sectional after blanking Oconto 5-0 in the final.  Fourth-seeded Prescott will make its second straight appearance at State and its fifth overall. The Cardinals are attempting to advance past the semifinals for the first time, having been eliminated from title contention in the semifinals in Division 2 in 1993 and 1998, and in Division 3 in 2002 and last season. They finished fourth in the Middle Border Conference this year, which was won by Division 2 qualifier Ellsworth. The Cardinals advanced through the Bloomer Sectional with a 6-4 victory over Bloomer in the sectional final.

THE DIVISION 4 FIELD:  Defending champion Horicon returns as the top-seed in this year’s bracket. The Marshladies are appearing in their eighth State Tournament overall and for the second year in a row. They made three straight appearances that led to Division 3 titles in 2002 and 2003, and a runner-up finish in Division 2 in 2001. They are the champions of the East Division of the Trailways Conference this season. They were a 7-1 victor over Wisconsin Heights in the Mineral Point Sectional to earn the opportunity to defend their title. Second-seeded Mishicot will make its third appearance at State. The Indians’ first two experiences ended in the semifinals in 2014 and 2016. Their return to the tourney field comes virtue of a 7-3 win over Iola-Scandinavia in the Crivitz Sectional final. The Indians finished first in the Big East Conference this season. Third-seeded Pacelli qualifies for State for the ninth time and for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Cardinals have won Division 4 titles in 2003 and 2015 and finished runner-up in 2017. They also won a Division 3 title in 2012 with a runner-up finish in Division 3 in 2011. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Cardinals won six consecutive titles from 1992-97 while a member of WISAA. This season, they finished first in the South Division of the Central Wisconsin Conference and advanced through the Markesan Sectional with a 13-4 victory over Luther in the final. Last year’s runner-up Thorp advances to the State Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons and for the sixth time overall. The Cardinals are the fourth seed. They are seeking their second State title after winning their first in 2016. In addition to last season, they also finished runner-up in back-to-back appearances in 2008 and 2009. They downed Clayton/Turtle Lake 4-3 in the final of the Shell Lake Sectional, and they are the tri-champs in the West Division of the Cloverbelt Conference with Altoona and McDonell Catholic this spring.

THEDIVISION 5 FIELD:  Blair-Taylor advances to the State Tournament for the third straight season after making the program’s first appearance in 2017, which resulted in a runner-up finish. The Wildcats are the top seed in their return to the State semifinals, which is the result of a 5-1 victory over Highland in the sectional final played at Blair-Taylor. They are the champions in the Dairyland Conference this spring. Second-seeded Belmont returns to the State semifinals for the second time in the past three seasons and for the seventh time overall. The Braves won the State championship in Division 4 in 2002 and finished runner-up in 2003 and 2006. They earned a berth in this year’s State Tournament with a rain-shortened 1-0 victory in five innings over last year’s runner-up Oakfield in the sectional final hosted at Belmont. The Braves are the champions of the Six Rivers Conference this season. Third-seeded Tri-County earns its first-ever appearance in the State Tournament following a 5-1 victory over Florence in the Wausau East Sectional final. The Penguins finished third in the South Division of the Central Wisconsin Conference this season, which was won by Division 4 qualifier Pacelli. Gilman, the fourth seed, qualifies for the State Tournament for the third time overall and for the first time since 2006. In both of their previous appearances, the Pirates were eliminated from title contention in the State semifinals. This season, they are the champions in the Eastern Division of the Cloverbelt Conference. The Pirates advanced to State following their 9-3 win over Hurley in the sectional final played at Gilman.

FOLLOW THE TOURNEY ON TWITTER:  Receive the updates of the State Softball Tournament on the WIAA State Tournament Twitter account @wiaawistate with the hashtag #wiaasoftball. Also like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram at wiaawi, and add us on Snapchat at wiaawis.

NEED RESULTS?:  The quickest way to get results will be to access the softball homepage on the WIAA website at: https://www.wiaawi.org/Sports/Spring/Softball/Tournament and choose the appropriate results links.

PARKING AT GOODMAN:  Parking permits for media with in-and-out privileges in Lots 60 and 76 near Goodman Diamond will be available for purchase. Media will be allowed to temporarily access the circle in front of the stadium to drop off equipment prior to parking. Please plan accordingly.

# WIAA #

Release by WIAA Communications

 

 

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