By Nick Gerhardt
There are no shortage of contenders in the Class B state tournament. Several teams have come close, but ultimately it wasn’t their year. You’ve got your Young America Cardinals, Bird Island Bullfrogs, Hutchinson Huskies and Jordan Brewers among that crowd. Is it possible we’ll see a 2019 state championship rematch? Or will another former semifinalist or finalist break through?
We’ll find out, but for now we’ll look to our rankings experts for their insights on the field. We thank them for another season of outstanding analysis.
Aldon Severson — Northfield Knights
Quad I
The Favorite: Delano Athletics — I’m told the A’s offense is a real problem. For their opponents, that is. I expect the A’s to silence the critics who continue to mention their big game shortcomings in recent years.
The Dark Horse: Bird Island Bullfrogs — The Bullfrogs dominated last year’s tournament field until they ran into Waconia. The boys from Bird Island look strong again in 2025 and should put on a show.
The Upset: Game G3 Winner over Hinckley — Delano or Northfield could dethrone the Knights in round two. Sure, Hinckley’s recent wins over Princeton and Cold Spring have them riding high, but momentum is a fickle friend. Watch your back, Knights.
The Sleeper: Hutchinson Huskies — Hosting the state tourney? Check. First-round bye? Check. Motivation to play on Labor Day in front of the home crowd? Triple check.
Quad 2
The Favorite: Young America Cardinals — The Cards have been perched near the top of Class B all year and seem to beat everyone they play (except Plato?). I don’t expect anyone from this quad to keep YA from playing on the final weekend in 2025.
The Dark Horse: Webster Sox — I don’t get the points system either, but Webster somehow moonlights as Lakeville North’s alumni squad. Peter Tveite and crew are the kind of guys who show up and show out. Their first-round clash with Raymond? Expect fireworks and Fireball.
The Upset: Maple Lake over Young America — The Lakers are August specialists. Will they actually beat YA? Probably not. Would it be hilarious and chaotic? Absolutely.
The Sleeper: Raymond Rockets — Rockets have been orbiting the state tourney scene for years. If they blast past Webster, they’ll have a shot at the Steves in round two. And yes, everyone still loves Raymond.
Quad 3
The Favorite: Red Wing Aces — Aaron Johnson and Drew Ball are a dynamic 1-2 punch on the mound for Red Wing. As long as Ball and his battery mate Reid Hartmann don’t disappear to South Dakota before the tournament ends, expect the Aces to be playing on Labor Day weekend. Do they have enough offense? Buckle up and see.
The Dark Horse: Cold Spring Springers — Cold Spring was ranked in the top five all year, so calling them a dark horse is a stretch. But hey, Tom Elliott knows every Springers’ grandpa, father, uncle and son. Will that help them win? Probably not.
The Upset: Kimball over Nisswa and Fergus Falls — Kimball has a handful of wins over state tournament teams this year. Nisswa and Fergus Falls better look both ways before crossing.
The Sleeper: Nisswa Lightning — These guys made a deep run in Dundas a few years back and their roster is stacked with dudes who played college-plus ball. Their first-round showdown with Kimball is must-watch. Don’t sleep on the bolts, they might just strike twice.
Quad 4
The Favorite: Jordan Brewers — This one’s obvious. The Brewers have played with a target on their backs all year and haven’t missed a beat. Thirty-four games already played – don’t these guys have jobs, wives, and kids? I think the Brew crew will roll into the final weekend with ease having Thompson, Beckman, Lucas, etc. to lean on.
The Dark Horse: New Ulm Brewers — After an impressive regular season the (other) Brewers seemed poised to make a deep run. These guys swing it with the best of ‘em and apparently have some elite arms to back up the bats. Sign me up for a Brewers vs. Brewers showdown in Round 3 – who’s bringing the keg?
The Upset: Foley over Watkins — I know almost nothing about these two teams. Foley beat strong Buckman and Sobieski teams to punch its ticket and for that reason I’m betting on them. Also, Lumberjacks are objectively better than “Clippers.”
The Sleeper: Plato Blue Jays — Plato’s got wins over Delano, Watertown, and YA. That’s not a fluke—that’s a résumé. If they can get past a hungry Princeton squad, New Ulm better be ready for a fight.
Kip Kovar — Herald Journal
Quad 1
The Favorite: It’s a loaded section of the bracket, so picking a favorite is hard to do. Although they didn’t get the bye, I think Bird Island has the best chance to get out of this quad. Hutchinson and Delano will have something to say about that, but the Bullfrogs have been as consistent as they come this time of the year.
The Dark Horse: Northfield Knights — To be honest, I don’t know much about the Knights. They have been a Class B team for the past handful of years, and with some of the top Class C teams coming into their class now, it could make for some interesting matchups along the way.
The Upset: Delano over Northfield and Hinckley. I love how the A’s are playing right. They have the perfect mix of young talent and veteran leaders. They are battle-tested coming out of the Crow River Valley League and District 7B. The A’s added another great arm in Watertown’s Jackson Hunter. I like Delano to reach Labor Day weekend and maybe go even farther.
The Sleeper: It’s hard to call any team in this tournament a sleeper with how good they are. Hutchinson is ranked No. 10 coming into the tournament, but it may still be going under the radar a bit. They’ll have the extra juice of playing on their home field throughout, and coming off an impressive run in the District 6B tournament, they could make some more noise. A rematch of the 2019 championship game with Jordan could be in the cards.
Quad 2
The Favorite: Young America Cardinals — They’ve been one of my top teams all season long, and I’m not changing that now. I haven’t filled out my bracket yet, but it’s going to be hard not to pick them to win it all. Josh Lenz is good enough to get the Cardinals to the semifinals himself, and Young America has the depth and talent after that to finish the job.
The Dark Horse: Raymond Rockets — Everybody Loves Raymond, and so do I. The Rockets gave Young America all they could handle in the state tournament a year ago, and they could do the same this year. Coming out of a tough league and even tougher district, the Rockets are looking to make some noise this year.
The Upset: Maple Lake over Ada — Coming into the season, it wouldn’t have been a surprise to see the 2023 Class C champions back in the state tournament. After everything they went through this year, it kind of is a surprise to see them here. In a tough District 6B, the Lakers found a way to get back to state. Playing some of their best ball at the right time, even without Hunter Malachek, Maple Lake picks up a win over Ada as they keep things rolling.
The Sleeper: St. Stephen Steves — Possibly the hottest team in the state coming into the tournament. After winning just two games during the regular season, the Steves won the District 4B tournament against teams like Nisswa, Buckman, and Sobieski. On fire at the plate, it will be fun to see if they can keep this incredible run rolling.
Quad 3
The Favorite: This quad might be the most open one of them all, with several teams capable of coming out of it. I put a lot into Fergus Falls, making a run a year ago, and I will again this year. Making their 10th straight appearance, watch out for the Hurricanes.
The Dark Horse: Kimball Express — I feel like no one is really talking about these guys, and that’s probably exactly how they like it. Kimball is never an easy out this time of the year, and they are going to be a team I keep an eye on as the tournament goes on.
The Upset: Union Hill over Cold Spring and Red Wing. I’m a big fan of teams that play in a tough league and district just to get to this point. Union Hill fits that mold. The Bulldogs make Labor Day weekend with a pair of impressive wins.
The Sleeper: Nisswa — Again, it’s hard to call any of these teams sleepers. Nisswa won the Class C title back in 2022 and after coming up short in 2023 and 2024, looks to secure its spot among the state’s best once again.
Quad 4
The Favorite: Jordan Brewers — They have been my No. 1 or No. 2 ranked team all season long. After coming up short in the championship game a year ago on their home field, Jordan is just as good, if not even better than a year ago. Anything can happen this time of year, but it’s hard to believe Jordan won’t be making noise Labor Day weekend once again.
The Dark Horse: Plato Blue Jays — With Reece Schwirtz on the mound, Plato can beat anybody. He already has two wins against Young America, including a shutout. The Blue Jays have pieces around him as well to make a run. The more I think about it, the more I believe Plato can return to where it has been in the past, coming off state championships in 2018 and 2015.
The Upset: Foley over Watkins — Coming out of one of the toughest districts in the state, Foley enters the tournament battle-tested. A tough matchup with Watkins awaits them in the opening round, but I’m picking the Lumberjacks to advance.
The Sleeper: Not really a sleeper once again, but I’m curious to see just how good this New Ulm team really is. An all-Brewers matchup awaits them if they and Jordan take care of business in their first games. A win over Jordan could really showcase just how good New Ulm is.
Aaron Worm — Mankato
Top Half of Bracket
Favorite: Young America Cardinals, I picked the Cards to win the whole thing last year, and maybe this is the year they finally celebrate on Labor Day. YA advanced to the final four last year before losing to Jordan. I would not be surprised if we have a rematch between those two squads in the final.
Dark Horse: Webster Sox — The Sox came on the state scene in 2022, when they were the Cinderella story and advanced to Labor Day weekend in their first ever trip to state. The Sox are no longer underdogs, they are just good. Finished second in their region behind tournament favorite Jordan. I have the Sox and the Cards facing off Labor Day weekend.
Upset: Delano A’s — They only fit this category because of seeding, The Athletics, now part of the Crow River Valley League, could see former North Star League rival Hutchinson Labor Day weekend.
Sleeper: Bird Island Bullfrogs — As mentioned above, a Hutch/Delano matchup would be fantastic, but the team standing in the way of that happening is the Bullfrogs. Last year they were in the final four, and two years ago in the championship game. I usually go with a RVL, Crow River or DRS team as my champion, but I am going to take a different approach this year and say the Bullfrogs in their seventh straight trip to the tourney win their first state title this year.
Lower Bracket
Favorite: Jordan Brewers — The Brew Crew is the No. 1 ranked team coming into the tournament and is always a favorite. Every single year you could pick the Brewers to win the whole thing, and no one would question you. Jordan does have a tough road to get to the round of eight, with the possibility of a meeting with Watkins for its first game, and a chance the Plato Blue Jays or New Ulm Brewers wait for them in the round of 16.
Dark Horse: Fergus Falls Hurricanes — Before the postseason started I was thinking of going with Bluffton to win the whole thing, obviously this team along with Ada, eliminated the Braves in district play. Fergus Falls has not been in the top 10 this year, and we have probably not given this team the attention it deserves.
Upset: New Ulm Brewers — This Brewers team, just like Jordan, is always in the conversation as a state favorite. Is this the year they get it done? I have them as the upset team, with a win over Jordan, and Cold Spring on their way to the title game. New Ulm and Bird Island in a rematch of the District 8B final this time for the Class B title.
Sleeper: The lower half of the bracket is stacked, I can’t pick just one. Plato Blue Jays and the Nisswa Lightning have plenty of talent to win the lower bracket. Like I said, so many good teams on this side of the bracket. Whoever survives to the championship game will be well tested.
Tom Elliott — West Central Tribune
Quad 1
The Favorite — The Hutchinson Huskies will have to deal with all the distractions of being the host team for the state tournament. It can be an issue. The field work and everything else associated with being a host can make the games seem almost secondary. IF that doesn’t happen, however, Hutchinson has a really good chance of getting into the final four.
Contenders — The Bird Island Bullfrogs and Delano Athletics have been solid contenders for the past decade. Bird Island took second in 2023 and Delano had a bang-up season in its first year in the Crow River Valley League. Both Bird Island and the A’s have a lot of talent in their 20s. Either emerging won’t be a surprise.
Sleepers/upset special — The Hinckley Knights are playing well, having won their district. They haven’t made much noise in the state tournament in recent years. This could be their time.
Quad 2
The Favorite — The Young America Cardinals. The team is stacked. They play a tough schedule and they’ve got lots or recent experience at state. They’re the team to beat in this quad.
Contenders — Whoever wins the first-round game between Raymond and Webster could be around for a while. Both teams have the horses.
Sleepers/upset special — The St. Stephen Steves did nothing during the regular season to get anyone’s hopes up for the amazing run through the playoffs they just pulled off, beating Sobieski and Buckman along the way. St. Stephen was 2-10 in the Victory League, which is a mix of Class B and C teams. That record is meaningless now.
Quad 3
The Favorite — The Red Wing Aces are a solid team with an amazing tradition in one of the state’s hot beds for amateur baseball. They’ll be tough to beat.
Contenders — The Cold Spring Springers have a fine mix of veterans and younger players. That said, they’ve got a tough draw. They’ll face a good Union Hill squad, then will have to beat Red Wing. The thing is, they could.
Sleepers/upset special — Nisswa and Kimball play in the first round and whoever wins that could win this quad. Both have the experience and talent to pull it off.
Quad 4
The Favorite — I’ve had the Jordan Brewers as No. 1 in the rankings for almost the whole year. I think they’re good enough to get back to the finals and win it.
Contenders — The New Ulm Brewers have the ability to beat anybody with Ethan Stade on the mound. He’s the guy who struck out 26 batters earlier this summer and spent a good chunk of the season playing with the Northwoods League’s Willmar Stingers. This is the toughest bracket of the four quads. I think that because the Plato Blue Jays, Watkins Clippers and Foley Lumberjacks all have the ability to make long playoff runs.
Sleepers/upset special — Nobody’s talking about the Princeton Panthers. Here’s their chance to shock the Minnesota amateur baseball world.
My quarterfinals have Hutchinson beating Delano, Young America knocking off Raymond, Cold Spring topping Kimball and Jordan beating New Ulm.
In the semifinals, I’ll take Hutchinson over Young America and Jordan beating Cold Spring.
Give me Jordan over Hutchinson in the final.
