WIAA State Baseball Tournament Preview: Division 1

Friday, June 13th, 2025 -- 10:43 AM

The 77th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Baseball State Tournament will take place Monday-Thursday, June 16-19, at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute....Here's a preview of the Division 1 field....

Monday, June 16

Division 1 Quarterfinals - 9 a.m.

Game 1 - #4 Hamilton (21-8) vs. #5 Oak Creek (23-5)

Game 2 - #1 Hudson (19-6) vs. #8 Badger (21-7)*

Division 1 Quarterfinals - 2:30 p.m.

Game 3 - #3  Hortonville (22-7) vs. #6 Hartford (21-7)

Game 4 - #2 Sun Prairie East (21-7) vs. #7 Muskego (20-9)*

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

Wednesday, June 18

Division 1 Semifinals - 2:30 p.m.

Game 5 - Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2

Game 6 - Winner of Game #3 vs. Winner of Game #4*

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

Thursday, June 19

Division 1 Final - 6:05 p.m.

LAST YEAR:  De Pere won the Division 1 championship with a 5-1 victory over Sun Prairie East in the title game.

THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Top-seeded Hudson qualifies for the third time in program history and for the second season in a row. The Raiders’ previous appearances both resulted in quarterfinal defeats in 1974 and 2024. They are the champions of the Big Rivers Conference this season. The Raiders are also the victors of the Stevens Point Sectional, which culminated with a 10-0 blowout win over Eau Claire North in the final. Last year’s runner-up Sun Prairie East is the #2 seed in the bracket. The Cardinals qualify for the State Tournament for the second time after Sun Prairie High School separated into two schools. Sun Prairie East retained the Cardinals nickname. Prior to the split, the Cardinals made 17 State appearances and were crowned champions nine times, which leads the membership. They won their first title in Class A in 1974 and added Division 1 championships in 1994, 1997, 2005, 2006, three in a row from 2012-14 and most recently in 2021. In addition, the perennial power finished runner-up twice, including 2017 and 2019. This season, they trounced Madison Memorial 14-4 in five innings to advance from the Baraboo Sectional final. The Cardinals won the title in the Big Eight Conference this spring.  Third-seeded Hortonville is back at State for the second time in three years and for the 10th 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. In addition, they advanced to the Class B championship game in 1980 and finished runner-up, and they were runners-up again in Division 1 in 2023.  The Polar Bears advance to the State quarterfinals this year following a 3-1 victory over De Pere in the Bay Port Sectional final. They are runners-up in the Fox Valley Association this spring. Fourth-seeded Hamilton is making its second appearance in the spring version of the State Baseball Tournament. The Chargers fell in the quarterfinals in their initial experience in 2019. Prior to that experience, they made three appearances while affiliated with the summer baseball tournament. They won the summer baseball championship in 1981. This spring, the Chargers qualified by edging Germantown 2-1 in the Oconomowoc Sectional final. They are the champions of Greater Metro Conference this season. Fifth-seeded Oak Creek will be making its second straight appearance in the State Tournament. The Knights qualified in 2019 and fell in the quarterfinals, and they advanced to the semifinals last year. The Knights had a significant level of success while associated with the summer baseball season. They made eight appearances in the State Summer Baseball Tournament. The Knights’ won four State titles, which was the most of any school, and they were the only program to win three straight championships (2003-2005). They added another summer title in 2012. The Knights finished atop the Southeast Conference standings this year, and they advanced through the South Milwaukee Sectional with a 3-0 shutout over Union Grove in the final. Hartford, the sixth seed in the bracket, returns to the State Tournament for the second time in three years and for the ninth 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 are the champions in the North Shore Conference this season. They have qualified from the Oshkosh North Sectional with a 2-0 win over Beaver Dam in the final. Muskego is the #7 seed in the bracket. The Warriors make their first appearance in the baseball tournament held in the spring, but the Warriors made five trips to State while sponsoring summer baseball. They won the summer title in 2018 and finished runner-up in 2002. This season, they finished tied for third in the Classic Eight Conference. The Warriors defeated Waukesha North 7-2 in the sectional final hosted at Muskego to punch their ticket to State quarterfinals. Eighth-seeded Badger will make the baseball program’s first-ever State Tournament appearance. The Badgers began celebrating their accomplishment following an 8-2 decision over Monona Grove in the final of the Oregon Sectional. The Badgers are the co-champions of the Southern Lakes Conference with Waterford this year.

STATE TOURNAMENT ON THE AIR:  The championship finals of all four 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.