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WIAA SPRING BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGIN TUESDAY IN GRAND CHUTE



THE CHAMPIONSHIPS:  The 62nd Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Spring Baseball State Championships will take place Tuesday-Thursday, June 16-18, at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis. Ticket prices for the tourney are $6 per session and are available only at the stadium.



CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE AND PAIRINGS:  The State Spring Baseball Tournament features four divisions. The single elimination tournament includes eight teams in Division 1 and four each in Divisions 2, 3 and 4. The second game of each session  will follow the first game.



Tuesday, June 16

Division 1 Quarterfinals - 8 a.m.

Game 1 - Kimberly (22-4) vs. Wilmot Union (22-5)

Game 2 - Eau Claire North (19-4) vs. Milwaukee Riverside (17-12)*

Division 1 Quarterfinals - 1 p.m.

Game 3 - Middleton (20-6) vs. Janesville Craig (21-5)

Game 4 - Bay Port (23-5) vs. Sun Prairie (19-7)*

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*



Wednesday, June 17

Division 4 Semifinals - 8 a.m.

Game 1 - McDonell Central (21-4) vs. Catholic Central (21-9)

Game 2 - Marion (25-2) vs. Barneveld (22-3)*

Division 3 Semifinals - 1 p.m.

Game 1 - Elk Mound (20-4) vs. Kenosha St. Joseph (17-9)

Game 2 - Marathon (29-1) vs. Aquinas (23-7)*

Division 2 Semifinals - 6 p.m.

Game 1 - Bloomer (26-3) vs. Lakeside Lutheran (20-8)

Game 2 - Fox Valley Lutheran (21-2) vs. Edgewood (23-4)*



Thursday, June 18

Division 4 Final -  9 a.m.

Game 3 - Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2

Division 3 Final -  Noon

Game 3 - Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2

Division 2 Final -  3 p.m.

Game 3 - Winner of Game #1 vs. Winner of Game #2

Division 1 Final - 6 p.m.

Game 7 - Winner of Game #5 vs. Winner of Game #6

* Begins approximately 35 min. following game 1 of session.



PRE-FINAL GAMES ON WIAA.TV:  The quarterfinals and semifinals of all four divisions of the WIAA State Spring Baseball Tournament will be streamed live on the Internet on WIAA.TV.



CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES ON FSN WISCONSIN:  Watch the delayed broadcast of the WIAA State Baseball Championships on FSN Wisconsin. The Division 1 title game will be aired on July 31 at 6 p.m. The Division 2 championship game will be aired on July 23 at 7 p.m. The Division 3 title game is scheduled to be aired on July 22 at 7 p.m., and the broadcast of the Division 4 championship will air on July 11 at noon. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area.



TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY:  The WIAA has been sponsoring the State Spring Baseball Championships since 1948. Appleton West has won the most State championships with seven, followed by Nekoosa and Sun Prairie with five and then Eau Claire with four titles. La Crosse Central has appeared in the most State tournaments with 18, including this year. Milwaukee Tech has reached State 15 times; Appleton West has appeared in 14; and Eau Claire Memorial, Fond du Lac and Stevens Point have participated in 12 State Tournaments.



LAST YEAR:  Kenosha Bradford won its first Division 1 championship by defeating defending champion Kimberly  in the title game 3-1. West De Pere won the Division 2 title with a 6-2 win over Prairie du Chien in the final. Marathon captured the Division 3 championship with a 3-2 decision over defending champion Aquinas in the final, and Catholic Central won the Division 4 championship with an 11-6 victory over Rosholt in the championship game.



THE DIVISION 1 FIELD:  Last year's runner-up Kimberly will appear in its sixth State Tournament and its third straight. The Papermakers won the Division 1 title in 2007 and the Class B championship in 1989, a year after a runner-up effort in 1988. They added another runner-up finish in Division 2 in 1993. Kimberly is the champion of the Fox Valley Association this spring and winners of the Green Bay East Sectional with a 5-3 win over Hortonville in the final. Janesville Craig is making its first appearance since 2001 and its 11th overall. The Cougars have won three State titles. They were the back-to-back Class A champions in 1983-84 and added a Division 1 championship in 1998. They also finished runner-up in 1999 and 2001. The Cougars defeated Madison West 5-4 in the sectional final hosted by Janesville Craig to earn the repeat trip to the State Tournament. They finished second in the Big Eight Conference. Middleton is making its 10th appearance in the State tournament and its first since 2006. The Cardinals won the State title in 2003 and have finished runner-up three times, in 1968, 1977 and 1995. They are the champions of the Big Eight Conference this spring and advanced through the sectional they hosted with a 19-3 triumph over Onalaska in the final. Sun Prairie qualifies for the State Tournament for the ninth time and for the first time since 2007. The Cardinals have been crowned champions five times, winning the Class A title in 1974 and Division 1 championships in 1994, 1997, 2005 and 2006. They edged Oshkosh West 9-8 in a slugfest in the Oshkosh North Sectional final. The Cardinals finished third in the Big Eight Conference, which has qualified three teams. Eau Claire North is also making its ninth trip to State and its first since 2007. The Huskies are seeking their first State title, having finished runner-up on three occasions in 1981, 2002 and 2005. They defeated Hudson 13-9 in the Eau Claire Memorial Sectional final to join the tournament field. The Huskies placed second in the Big Rivers Conference this year. Wilmot is appearing in its seventh State tournament and its first since 1991.  The Panthers won their only State championship in 1970. They were champions in the Southern Lakes Conference this spring and defeated defending champion Kenosha Bradford 4-2 in the Badger Sectional final to qualify for State. Bay Port is also experiencing the State tournament for the seventh time. The?Pirates have qualified in each of the odd-numbered years of this decade. Their furthest advance at State has been to the semifinals in 2005 and 2007. They placed second in the  Fox River Classic Conference this spring and qualified for State with a 4-1 win over Wausau West in the sectional final played in Wausau. Milwaukee Riverside qualifies for the State tournament for the second time and for the first time since 1995 when the Tigers lost in the quarterfinals. They finished second in the Gold Division in the Milwaukee City Conference this season, and their return to the tournament comes by virtue of their 9-3 win over Milwaukee Hamilton in the sectional final hosted by the Milwaukee Hamilton.



THE DIVISION 2 FIELD:  Bloomer is making its second appearance in the State tournament and the first since 1983. The Blackhawks fell in the semifinals in their only other appearance. This season, they are the champions of the Heart O‚ North Conference and the victors of the Cumberland Sectional, defeating Hayward 7-2 in the final.  Fox Valley Lutheran qualifies for the tournament field for the second time. The Foxes only other appearance in 2007 resulted in a defeat in the semifinals. They earned their berth with 1-0 shutout over defending champion West De Pere in the Xavier Sectional final. They are the champions of the Eastern Valley Conference this year. Edgewood makes its third appearance in the tournament field and its first since 2005. The Crusaders won the State title in their first-ever appearance in 2004. prior to joining the WIAA, They won numerous WISAA titles during the 1950s and 1960s. The Crusaders finished atop the standings in the South Division of the Badger Conference this season and advanced through the Dodgeville Sectional, which culminated with a 7-3 win over Portage in the sectional final. Lakeside Lutheran is appearing in the State Tournament for the first time. The Warriors earned their berth with a 6-1 win over Wisconsin Lutheran in the final of the Chilton Sectional final. They finished second in the Capitol Conference this spring.



THE DIVISION 3 FIELD:  Defending champion Marathon has state titles in both of its previous State appearances. The Red Raiders also won the championship in 1992. They return to the tournament following a 3-1 win over Bonduel in the Coleman Sectional final. The Red Raiders are the champions of the South Division of the Marawood Conference. Last year‚s runner-up Aquinas makes its third appearance in the tournament. The Blugolds won the State title in 2007. They finished third in the Mississippi Valley Conference this season. They advanced their way through the Riverdale Sectional by winning  the final, 8-5, over Wisconsin Heights. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Blugolds won four straight baseball titles in the former WISAA (1984-87).  Kenosha St. Joseph has qualified for the final four for the fourth time in the last five years, which resulted in back-to-back championships in 2005-06. The Lancers had a number of championships as a former member of WISAA. They won WISAA titles in 1965, 1970, 1977 and 1988. The Lancers finished first in the Midwest Classic Conference this spring and advanced through the Brookfield Academy with a 2-0 win over St. Mary‚s Springs in the final. Elk Mound is experiencing the State tournament for the fifth time. The Mounders previous four trips produced a State championship in the last time they qualified in 1995. They finished atop the Large Division of the Dunn-St. Croix Conference standings this spring. The Mounders outlasted Osseo-Fairchild 5-4 in eight innings in the sectional final held at Osseo-Fairchild.



THE DIVISION 4 FIELD:  Defending champion Catholic Central is making its fourth appearance in the WIAA?State Tournament. The Hilltoppers have won championships in each of their previous appearances, also winning back-to-back titles in its first two appearances in 2004 and 2005. They also had a championship history with WISAA, winning several State titles during the 1990s. They were the champions of the Midwest Classic Conference this season. The Hilltoppers won the Beaver Dam Sectional title game, 7-6, over Algoma to advance to the State Tournament. McDonell Central qualifies for the third time overall and for the first time since the second of back-to-back appearances in 2005. Prior to joining the WIAA, the Macks won a WISAA title in 1988 according to available records. They finished runner-up that season. They finished in a tie for second in the West Division of the Cloverbelt Conference this season, and they defeated Luck 2-0 in the Bruce Sectional final to earn their berth into the tourney. Barneveld is back in the State field for the first time since their only other appearance in 2006 when the Eagles lost in the semifinals. They shutout Royall 2-0 in the Potosi Sectional final. They finished second in the Eastern Division of the Six Rivers Conference this spring. Marion will make its first appearance since 1993 and for the seventh time overall.  The Mustangs finished runner-up in Class C in 1980  and in Division 3 in 1993. They are the champions of the Abbotsford Sectional by virtue of their 10-2 victory over Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran in the final. The Mustangs are the champions in the Central Wisconsin 10 Conference this season.