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WIAA State Softball Tournament Preview - Division 5

Monday, June 9th, 2025 -- 12:30 PM

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The 49th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Softball Tournament will take place Wednesday-Saturday, June 11-14, at Goodman Diamond on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison.   Here's a preview of the Division 5 field......

 

Division 5

Semifinal - Thursday, June 12

Game-1: #1 Belmont (24-3) vs. #4 Ithaca (21-5) - 9 a.m.*

Game-2: #2 Almond-Bancroft (24-6) vs. #3 Thorp (18-9) - 11:30 a.m. - live on 92.7 FM WPKG 

Championship - Saturday, June 14

Game-3:  Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 - 8 a.m.

* Games begin approximately 30 minutes following previous game.

 

LAST YEAR:  Pacelli, the #2 seed, earned its second straight crown with a 4-3 win over top-seeded Oakfield in the Division 5 final.

 

THE DIVISION 5 FIELD:  Top-seeded Belmont returns to the State semifinals for the first time since 2019 and for the eighth time overall. The Braves won the State championship in Division 4 in 2002 and added a Division 5 title in 2019. They advanced to the Division 4 finals on two other occasions, finishing runner-up in 2003 and 2006. They earned a berth in this year’s State Tournament by cruising to a 9-2 victory over Johnson Creek in the Barneveld Sectional final. The Braves are the co-champions of the Six Rivers Conference this season with Barneveld. Almond-Bancroft was issued the #2 seed in the bracket. The Eagles are making their third State appearance. Both their two prior experiences came in Class C back in 1982 and 1984, when they finished runner-up and lost in the semifinals, respectively. This season, the Eagles finished second in the South Division of the Central Wisconsin Conference behind Division 4 qualifier Pacelli. Their path to State culminated with a 5-0 shutout over Three Lakes/Phelps in the final of the sectional played at Almond-Bancroft. Third-seeded Thorp makes its second straight appearance in the tournament and its ninth overall. The Cardinals are seeking their second State title, having won their first in Division 4 in 2016. They also have three runner-up finishes. Those came in 2018 and in back-to-back appearances in 2008 and 2009. The Cardinals’ return to the tournament field comes after rolling to a 13-5 win over Northwood/Solon Springs in the sectional final played at Thorp. The Cardinals finished tied for fourth in the West Division of the Cloverbelt Conference this spring. Ithaca’s only other State experience came in 2014, which resulted in a loss in the Division 4 semifinals. This season, the fourth-seeded Bulldogs downed Columbus Catholic 10-4 in the Blair-Taylor Sectional final to earn their berth in the tourney. They were runners-up in the Ridge & Valley Conference this spring.

 

STATE TOURNAMENT ON THE AIR:  The championship finals of all five divisions will be aired live on the WIAA State Television Stations WKOW 27.2, WAOW 9.2, WQOW 18.2 and WXOW 19.2, WVTV 24.1 in Milwaukee and WCWF 14.1 in Green Bay/Appleton. The finals will also be streamed live on the Network stations’ websites.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.