Matchups tend to dictate reality. As we head into the second weekend of the 2026 MBA state tournament, several teams will face make or break moments that will test their depth and strategy. I’m here to preview every second round matchup in class A this week so you don’t have to. Let’s get into it.
Elko Express vs. Shakopee Indians
Week two starts exactly the way we started week one, where Shakopee will yet again look to end another team’s journey when the Elko Express come into town. Elko comes in winners of 11 straight, most recently knocking off Miesville 4-1 in the Section 1 championship game.
On the mound Elko is led by a nice 1-2 punch of Jake Petricka and Alex Schneider. Petricka leads the staff with a 1.98 ERA and is the favorite to get the ball for the express on Friday. On the offensive side of things the Express have plenty of firepower as well, veteran Chase Hentges leads the team with five home runs, closely followed by TJ Evanson with four, not to mention Easton Richter,who made his return late in the season, and will be a bat to be reckoned with in the middle of the order.
Shakopee started the state tournament with a bang, knocking off 2025 runner-up Champlin Park 2-1 in a well-played game. Jaden Case got the ball for Shakopee in that one, who put up another quality start. With another one game week I fully expect Case to get the ball again. Shakopee has plenty of firepower to put up runs in a hurry as well, led by former minor leaguer Ryan Boldt, who’s hitting a whopping .353 on the season, which leads the team, middle of the order bat Justin Winterfeldt has provided pop all year along leading the team in homers with 7, and also a team leading 34 RBI’s.
In what should be a great game to kick off the second weekend, it’s pretty hard to pick against Elko with the way its been rolling, the bats are really good and holding Miesville to one run can’t be taken lightly.
The pick: Elko Express
St. Paul Mudhens vs. Minnetonka Monarchs
It was nothing new for the Monarch’s in their massive 14-3 round one win over the New Ulm Brewers last Sunday. The Monarchs mashed top to bottom pounding out 20 hits in the win, they were led by veteran manager Mike Davis who went 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs. I talked to Davis about how he handles the big moments and what he tells his young team, “The biggest thing I tell the younger guys is to enjoy it, but don’t make the moments bigger than it needs to be,” Davis said. The moment certainly wasn’t too big for the Monarchs as they look to roll their momentum over into this one.
As for the St Paul Mudhens, they are a bit of a wildcard. When your roster is completely built on college guys you tend to lose some players for the state tournament. The Hens are extremely young, but extremely good. They are led by ace and former Golden Gopher Josh Kirchhoff. Kirchhoff has been elite this year posting a 6-0 record with 67 strikeouts. As for the bats, the hens have plenty of contributors led by numerous St. John’s University guys, but the one big question remains: who will be there come Saturday morning?
As for my pick, I think Minnetonka is one of the more underrated teams in the state, with plenty of good wins and a lot of pitching depth, but in a week where everyone has their top arms available for a one game set, it’s hard to pick against Kirchhoff and the Hens, which I won’t be.
The pick: St Paul Mudhens
St Patrick Irish vs. Stockmen’s Irish
A battle of the Irish is here, and Stockmen’s used the luck of the Irish, rallying from 5-0 down to come back and win 6-5 in a thrilling game. Brodie Paulson was the hero in that on. He hit a walk-off two-run double to left field to keep Stockmen’s title hopes alive. Stockmen’s was led by Luke Siegle on Sunday, who collected four hits, Don Blunt also hit a big two-run double to cut the Rochester lead to 5-4, Blunt also eventually scored the winning run on Paulson’s hit. Ryan Duffy has been the ace of the staff all year and I expect him to get the ball on Saturday.
As for St. Patrick, pitching is the name of the game as the pitchers have allowed three runs or less in 18 of 26 games. The Irish have a plethora of pitching, but Evan Esch and Tate Marland have led the way for them this season. With Marland playing for Belmont, I’m not sure if he will be around much in the tournament, but the Irish have arms for days and have more than enough depth to make a run. Not to mention the bats, Ben Taxdahl and Zach Stroh have put together excellent seasons and that’s not even mentioning the Friedges brothers.
In the end I think St Patrick is one of the most complete teams in the state and with top-end arms it provides it’s a nightmare matchup for anyone in their way.
The pick: St. Patrick Irish
Sartell Muskies vs. Forest Lake Brewers
Just two years removed from being a class C team, Sartell finds itself back in the Class A state tournament for the second straight year. The Muskies are led by veteran southpaw John Schumer. Schumer has put together another fantastic season throwing 58.1 innings with a 2.78 ERA. The tall lefthander pitches to contact, mixes well and will throw forever.
Forest Lake may have something to say about that as it has put together a phenomenal season finishing first in the Metro Minny. The Brewers have been pounding the baseball as they put up a league-leading 255 runs. Manager Adam Gallatin talked about the teams offensive success this year.
“We are up to 23 home runs, which set a team record, so hopefully we can keep hitting for power” Gallatin said.
The Brewers have three players who are tied for four home runs, Alec Abercrombie being one of them who also led the Metro Minny in batting average .435.
All things considered I think Sartell has shown to be sneaky good, and Schumer has always been a workhorse.
The pick: Sartell Muskies
St Anthony Hogs vs. Northwest Orioles
Off the field, this matchup isn’t a contest because the Hogs can and will outdrink basically any team in the state. As for the Orioles, it’s a good thing this game will be played on dirt as they look to turn in another winning performance coming off a thrilling come from behind 10-7 win over the Hibbing Miners. Northwest comes in with a young team known to put up some runs, but the real question mark is the pitching, as it has given up double digit runs in almost a third of its games this year.
It will be a tall task as the veteran St. Anthony Hogs return to state for the ninth consecutive year. The Hogs are no stranger to the tournament, but making a deep run has been a tall task. I asked manager Jordan Wiggins why he thinks this year can end with a different result.
“Our balance of veterans and youth gives us a great shot to make a run this year,” Wiggins said. “I truly feel we have a deep staff of arms that have the ability to get the job done when needed, if we defend behind them and get a few timely hits, a run at it is definitely within our reach.”
St Anthony turned in a 20-win season with a difficult schedule, playing anyone and everyone.
The Skyline League was pretty solid this year and taking home the crown is no easy feat. With an extremely experienced team who can really hit the ball it’s hard to pick against the Hogs in this matchup.
The pick: St Anthony Hogs
Mac’s Industrial Warriors vs. Elk River Lumberjacks
It was nothing new in the PNASH this year as the Warriors were on cruise control to another league championship. When you think of the state tournament, the Warriors are always in the mix, a good mix of new and old and ace John Spanier looks to right the ship and lead Mac’s on another deep run. The Warriors can hit with anyone as they put up double-digit runs 10 times this year, which is even more impressive when you note that the league games are indeed seven innings.
University of St. Thomas left-hander Sam Stockman might have something to say about this as he has almost single handedly carried Elk River to state. Stockman was pitching for the Mankato Moondogs in the Northwoods all summer, but with that all wrapped up Stockman has been thrown right back into the swing of things for the Lumberjacks. In just three starts this season Stockman has thrown 22 innings allowing only one earned run while racking up 39 strikeouts. It’s a little unusual to see a team who had only won six games during the regular season still playing at this point, but with an ace returning like Stockman it’s anyone’s game.
For me, the Warriors are the better team top to bottom, they hit extremely well and have a No. 1 that they trust. Stockman has been great but in his last two starts the offense has only scored one run in those two games, which doesn’t bode well against anyone. Elk River has been a cool story but this style of winning seems unsustainable.
The pick: Mac’s Industrial Warriors
Chaska Cubs vs. Coon Rapids Redbirds
One run might win this game, no I’m serious. In what should be a phenomenal pitching matchup there’s a lot to talk about this one. Have you ever heard the term “video game numbers.” Yeah, just go look at Nick Herold’s stats. He’s thrown 67 innings this year with a 0.27 ERA and 122K’s, oh yeah and he’s only walked seven guys all year. I asked Herold about the transition from pro ball to townball, Herold said “Yeah, pro ball is such a grind, it’s essentially a lifestyle. With townball, I still get to enjoy the competitive aspect of baseball, but I also get to enjoy a lot of the other aspects of life. I’m really grateful that I still get the opportunity to play with some of my old teammates and coaches, too.”
Jackson Bates is having a nice year himself throwing 37.2 innings with a 0.96 ERA. When asked about Herold, Bates said “Obviously having Herold has been a huge part of our success, but having him on the staff has forced the pitching staff to perform their best”
And he’s not wrong as the Redbirds have a 1.73 ERA as a team and allowing only 3.5 runs per game, the Achilles heal has been the bats, hitting .226 as a team and only slugging three homers on the season. We will see if the bats will be able to wake up.
That being said is a tall task with the Cubs pitching staff dominating hitters all year. The Cubs went with Sam Tyrpa and Nolan Kemp on Friday, expect more of the same on Sunday. I asked Kemp about the Cubs deep pitching staff.
“I believe we have the most pitching depth in the state,” Kemp said. “We have guys that can step up in any situation and put up zeros. I think the biggest reason for that is everyone gets behind each other when someone else is throwing, which gives you a lot of confidence knowing your teammates have your back.”
Kemp leads the cubs staff with a 0.42 ERA along with 73 strikeouts. The Cubs also haven’t had any problems scratching across runs this year, top to bottom they hit. Grif Wurtz, who may be the grittiest nine-hole hitter in the state, has put together another good year for the Cubs, doing whatever it takes to find his way on for the top of the lineup. I asked Grif about the challenge in facing a guy like Herold.
“Never easy facing a top-tier pitcher, but we love the challenge. We have faced quite a few top-end guys this year and I think the big thing is not trying to do too much, take what they give you and trust the lineup behind you.”
That’s exactly what Chaska did last Friday night, as they limited Air Freight’s Graham Laubscher to eight strikeouts. The Cubs put the ball in play, played some small ball and made the defense work, a similar recipe should be in the formula versus Coon Rapids.
In a true coin flip game it’s hard to pick against Nick Herold, I’m just not so sure if Coon Rapids will be able to muster much off Tyrpa/Kemp either. The longer this game stays tied the more it starts to favor the Cubs, and in the end I think Chaska has more of a balanced attack and will get the job done.
The pick: Chaska Cubs
Miesville Mudhens vs. Baseball 365
Ignore what I said above, one run isn’t winning you this game. In an intriguing matchup between two lethal offenses this has all the makings to have some fireworks. Another ho-hum season for Miesville going 28-5. The Mudhens lineup hits top to bottom, in my eyes they have the best hitters in the state.
365 as always has relied on Noah Danner, who has put together a nice season twirling 64 innnigs with a 2.50 ERA, I talked to Danner on the tall task ahead.
“Miesville’s lineup top to bottom is about as dangerous as walking on thin ice,” Danner said. “There’s a reason they’re back-to-back champs, even your A game might not be enough.”
Danner will certainly need his A game to give 365 a chance. But on the other hand 365 can hit with the best of them, scoring double digit runs 14 times this year.
“Guys mashing up and down the lineup is a wonderful sight, and when 420 to center at Parade isn’t enough real estate for the opposing center fielder, that’s a recipe for success,” Danner said.
Miesville went with tall lefty Trevor Koenig on Saturday, who was a good matchup for all the lefties the Hops have. Koenig threw a complete game, allowing just two earned runs. It’ll be interesting if Miesville sticks with him or goes elsewhere, regardless this game should be a classic. After all it is still the Miesville Mudhens, and with all of their crazy comebacks in the past two years it is truly hard to doubt them in any game.
The pick: Miesville Mudhens
