State Softball Tournament Preview: Division 1
Wednesday, June 5th, 2019 -- 10:22 AM
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. Here's a preview of the Division 1 Field....LAST YEAR: Sun Prairie won the Division 1 title with a 7-1 victory over Burlington in the championship 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.
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.
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