WIAA State Baseball Tournament Preview....Division 1

Friday, June 9th, 2023 -- 8:37 AM

The 75th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Baseball State Tournament will take place Monday-Thursday, June 12-15, at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute.  Here's a preview of the Division 1 field.....

Monday, June 12

Division 1 Quarterfinals - 9 a.m.

Game 1 - #4 Menomonee Falls (25-4) vs. #5 Whitefish Bay (22-7)

Game 2 - #1 Stevens Point (25-1) vs. #8 Hartford (18-12)*

Division 1 Quarterfinals - 2:30 p.m.

Game 3 - #3 Franklin (25-4) vs. #6 Burlington (21-9)

Game 4 - #2 Hortonville (24-4) vs. #7 Middleton (22-8) *

* Game begins approximately 35 min. following first game of session.

LAST YEAR:  Milton won the Division 1 championship with an 11-1 victory in five innings over Bay Port in the title game.

THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Top-seeded Stevens Point is making its 16th appearance overall in the State Tournament and its first since 2014. The Panthers won State championships in 1979, 1987 and 1989, and were runners-up in 1975, 1984 and again in 2013. They are the champions of the Wisconsin Valley Conference this season, and they advanced through the Marshfield Sectional with a 6-5 win over Hudson in the final. Second-seeded Hortonville is back at State for the first time in 25 years and for the ninth time in the program’s history. The Polar Bears were the Class B champions in 1987, and they won back-to-back Division 2 championships in 1997 and 1998. They also advanced to the Class B championship game in 1980 and finished runner-up. They end the tournament draught with a five-inning, 10-0 blowout over De Pere in the Pulaski Sectional final. The Polar Bears were runners-up in the Fox Valley Association this spring. Franklin, the third seed, is making its first appearance in the spring season State Tournament, However, the Sabers are no strangers to baseball State Tournaments, they participated in 11 State Summer Baseball Tournaments when two baseball seasons were offered. Their final appearance in the summer tournament came in 2017. The Sabers won two State summer baseball titles. Those came back-to-back in 2010-11. In addition to the two State titles, they finished runner-up in 2000. They earned their way into the State semifinals by shutting out Oak Creek 2-0 in the Kenosha Bradford Sectional final. Franklin was the champion of the Southeast Conference this season. Fourth-seeded Menomonee Falls makes its third consecutive appearance in the tournament after making eight appearances in the summer baseball program with the most recent coming in 2018, which was the last season of the summer baseball program. They won back-to-back championships in 2015-16 and finished runner-up in 2001 and 2004. The furthest advance by the Phoenix in the spring season has been to the semifinals in 2021 and 2022. They return to the State Tournament this season by virtue of a 2-0 shutout over Oconomowoc in the sectional final held at Oconomowoc. The Phoenix finished atop the standings in the Greater Metro Conference in 2023.  Fifth-seeded Whitefish Bay is another former summer baseball program making its first appearance in the end of the spring season State Tournament. The Blue Dukes made two appearances in the State summer tourney. They advanced to the semifinals before being ousted from title contention in 2002 and 2011. This season, they finished in a four-way tie for first with Grafton, West Bend East and West Bend West in the North Shore Conference, and they qualify for State with a 3-0 shutout over Marquette in the Glendale Sectional final. Burlington is the sixth seed. The Demons are making its seventh appearance and their first since 2019, the last in a string of four straight experiences. The Demons’ won the championship the only time they advanced to the championship final in 2016. They placed third in the Southern Lakes Conference this spring, and they blanked Union Grove 7-0 to win the sectional final hosted at Oregon. Seventh-seeded Middleton advances to the State Tournament for the first time since 2016 and for the 14th time overall. The Cardinals won the State title in 2003 and have finished runner-up three times, in 1968, 1977 and 1995. This season, they were third in the Big Eight Conference standings. The Cardinals are the representatives from the La Crosse Sectional following a 3-1 over Verona in the final. Hartford, the #8 seed in the bracket, returns to the State Tournament for the eighth time overall and for the first time since 2014. The Orioles advanced to the semifinals in 2002 and again in 2011 and 2012, which accounts for their furthest advancement in the tournament. They finished seventh in the North Shore Conference standings. They have qualified out of the Oshkosh North Sectional with a 4-1 win in 10 innings over Beaver Dam in the final.

FINALS LIVE ON BALLY SPORTS WISCONSIN:  Watch the WIAA State Baseball Tournament finals on Bally Sports Wisconsin. The championship games in all divisions will air live on Bally Sports Wisconsin.

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