WIAA State Spring Baseball: Division 1 Preview
Monday, June 16th, 2014 -- 11:12 AM
The 67th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Spring Baseball State Tournament will take place this Tuesday-Thursday, June 17-19, at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute. Here's a preview of the Division 1 Field.....LAST YEAR: Sun Prairie won its second consecutive Division 1 championship with a 5-4 win in eight innings over Stevens Point in the title game.
Tuesday, June 17
Division 1 Quarterfinals - 8 a.m.
Game 1 - Stevens Point (26-2) vs. Sun Prairie (24-5)
Game 2 - Bay Port (22-6) vs. Janesville Parker (22-5)*
Division 1 Quarterfinals - 1 p.m.
Game 3 - Middleton (21-8) vs. Wilmot Union (22-3)
Game 4 - Kimberly (19-7) vs. Hartford (7-15) *
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*
THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Two-time defending champion Sun Prairie qualifies for the State Tournament for the 12th time. The Cardinals have been crowned champions seven times, which ties for the most of any member school. They won the Class A title in 1974 and added Division 1 championships in 1994, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2012 and again last year. They edged Oshkosh North 2-1 in the sectional final hosted by the Cardinals. The Cardinals are the champions of the Big Eight Conference this spring. Last year?s runner-up Stevens Point is making its 15th appearance overall in the State Tournament and its third in a row. The Panthers won State championships in 1979, 1987 and 1989, and were runners-up in 1975, 1984 and again last season. They are the champions of the Wisconsin Valley Conference this season, and they advanced through the Chippewa Falls Sectional with a 7-1 win over River Falls in the final. Middleton advances to the State Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons and for the 12th 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 Sun Prairie and Janesville Parker this spring and advanced through the sectional they hosted with an 7-3 win over Reedsburg in the final. Bay Port returns to State for the 11th time and for the third straight season. Moreover, the Pirates have qualified eight times over the past 12 seasons. They won back-to-back championships in 2009-10 and finished runner-up in 2012. They are the champions of the Fox River Classic Conference this spring and have qualified for State again with a 6-3 win over Ashwaubenon in the sectional final played at Wausau West. Wilmot is back in the State Tournament for the first time since 2009 and for the eighth time overall. The Panthers won their only State championship in 1970. They added a runner-up finish in their most recent trip. The Panthers are champions in the Southern Lakes Conference this spring, and they defeated Kenosha Indian Trail 17-7 in six innings in the Kenosha Sectional final to advance to the State quarterfinals. Kimberly will also appear in its eighth State Tournament and its first since a run of four straight appearances in 2010. The Papermakers won the Division 1 title in 2007 and the Class B championship in 1989. They have finished runner-up three times, in 1988, 1993 and in 2008. The Papermakers placed third in the Fox Valley Association this spring, and they are the winners of the Kaukauna Sectional with a 5-1 win over West De Pere in the final. Hartford Union returns to the State Tournament for the fifth season in a row and for the seventh time overall. The Orioles advanced to the semifinals in 2002 and again in 2011 and 2012, which accounts for their furthest advancement in the tournament. They were seventh in the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference standings this season with a 1-11 league record and have qualified out of the Milwaukee Sectional with a 14-4, five-inning victory over Milwaukee Riverside in the final. It has been 22 seasons since Janesville Parker last qualified for the State Tournament. The Vikings? one State championship came in Class A back in 1977. They also have a runner-up finish in 1985. Their return engagement comes virtue of a 4-1 win over Verona in the Janesville Craig Sectional final. The Vikings finished second in the Big Eight Conference behind Sun Prairie this spring.
ALL GAMES STREAMED LIVE: The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals of all four divisions of the WIAA State Spring Baseball Tournament will be streamed live on the Internet at foxsportswisconsin.com.
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.