By Nick Gerhardt
Class A has plenty of parity, but it might have some tiers to it. Miesville’s mid-season swoon had people wondering if a new guard had emerged, but then the Mudhens went out and took care of business to capture the Section 1 title and a first-round bye.
Then there are teams that have the pieces and can make a run if everything falls into place. Still it seems like things remain wide open across the field.
We turned to our rankers for one more round of expert opinion. We thank them for their service and thoughtful analysis of the Class A landscape this season.
Jack Hagen — St. Anthony Hogs
Quadrant 1 (Minnetonka, Waconia, Miesville, Minneapolis River Rats, Forest Lake Brewers, St. Anthony)
Favorite: Miesville is the sure bet to win this quadrant. They come in as the defending state champions of Class B. They are the champions until they aren’t, but doubts had arisen all season about this squad, and they got hot at the right time, culminating in a 21-5 win over a legit Dundas squad. For that reason, Miesville is my favorite to win this quadrant, but they have some tough competition ahead, having to immediately clear Waconia and Tonka, two powerhouses in the MBA, just to get to the final weekend. The Mudhens have proven they have the squad to do it, but it will not come easily.
Dark Horse: Waconia is my dark horse pick here. They are the defending Class C champs, and again, they had an up-and-down season, but they showed last year that they have the pieces in place to make a run. This is a stacked quadrant, and they will have to take down Tonka coming off two series wins over Buffalo and the EP/SLP 365 Pirates. After Tonka, they head into a defending champion showdown and this has game of the year potential before the final weekend.
Upset: As much as I am a huge whiteboard material guy, I was advised not to look too far ahead here. The big upset is coming in round two with Minnetonka taking down Miesville to head to the final weekend. Two similar regular seasons and they are both hot at the same time now. Tradition vs. tradition comes to a standstill in round two where I have the Monarchs taking down the Hens to advance to the third weekend.
Sleeper: Forest Lake — My sleeper pick for this quadrant will be the Brew Crew. If they can make their way past the River Rats, they line up with us. I would be doing them a disservice to not talk about them, almost taking down the LoGators in the Metro Minny one-seed game. They have the arms and they have the young bats to make a run. I expect this scrapy team not to go down quietly and they haven’t been given as much respect as they deserve.
Final Four: Air Freight Unlimited, Minnetonka, St. Paul Mudhens, Champlin Park LoGators
Quadrant 2
(Anoka, Burnsville, Pub, Rochester, Freight, Moorhead)
Favorite: Air Freight Unlimited — Nobody told me it would be this hard to pick a favorite. I don’t want to predict who will win this quadrant and would rather go watch. That being said, I have to take Air Freight. The pitching was legit with Laubscher and Coborn in previous years, but replacing him with Nick Morreale is a big arm and hard to bet against. Graham and Nick are a two-headed monster coming out of the St. Paul League. With the addition of Garrett Spikes, they look like serious contenders once again.
Dark Horse: Burnsville Bobcats — We have played these guys earlier in the year and they are scary. They have scrappy bats, good arms and clean defense. I wish I knew more about them, but the RVL is no joke, and the Kitties look primed to make a run this year. This is maybe my shortest write-up on a team, but they truly have the pieces to make a run, and I think their RVL record speaks for itself.
Upset: Give me Anoka over Burnsville here. I hope I am wrong, but Anoka has some dawgs. They are a younger squad, and I fully expect Louis Hertling to give the Bucs a fighting shot here. There are so many potential upsets in this quadrant I am most certainly leaving teams out that deserve more respect but this may be the most loaded quadrant.
Sleeper: If Freight makes it to the final weekend, I have the Pub [Macs Industrial Warriors] taking them down this go-around. This Pub team knows how to win a lot of ball games, and last year’s run ended with a Freight walk-off home run to advance to the championship. This time around, don’t sleep on the Pub; they are dirtbags who play the game the right way and can make a deep run.
Quadrant 3
(NSP, Cobras, Stp. Mudhens, Elko, Sartell, Chaska)
Favorite: St. Paul Mudhens — I take the Hens as my favorite from this quadrant. Now, with that being said, this will come down to them having their guys there. They can do it all, they field and stick with the best of them, and Anton Sabo and Brady Drakula are sweet arms. If the bats can get hot and pitching holds up they could sneak past the Cubs.
Dark Horse: North St. Paul — I don’t know what to think about this squad. They started the season on fire and have recently cooled down, but having seen firsthand how solid they are makes them a sure darkhorse pick. They are in a similar spot to the Hens; they need their college guys to stick around to have a shot. I could see them possibly knocking off the Cobras, and depending on which guys show up for the Hens, making that a tight game as well.
Upset: Hens take down Chaska in week three. This is meant to be bulletin board material. The Hens believe they don’t get the respect they deserve. Well, here’s your chance. Chaska is loaded with a sweet lineup and dominant young arms. We had an instant classic with them last year, and they proved they can do it all. If the Hens want to be viewed as a top team in Class A, go show it in the third round. Championships are won at the end of the year and I would like nothing more than seeing an Alex Matchey post-game interview.
Sleeper: Elko — I have to show some love to the Express, they are the No. 4 seed coming out of their section and will have a tough run, but they are battle-tested and have a legitimate chance. Hard to pick sleepers in a quadrant where everyone deserves their bid. Chaska is the real deal and everything runs through them. Elko has been here plenty of times and will make this a tight game.
Quadrant 4
(Metro, Shakopee, Champlin Park, Plymouth, Dundas, Highland)
Favorite: There is an easy favorite out of this section and it is the LoGators. This is their quadrant to lose with the additions of Logan Jordan, Braden Hellum and Trent Palmer.
They are the team to beat in this tournament and are insanely talented. I can’t show enough love to these guys.
Dark Horse: Highland Park — For all of Highland Park’s players’ shortcomings on social media, they could make a run. They have been good for a long time and adding Will Smoot and Elijah Stifter helps to move the needle. They will have to take down Dundas and HitDawg, but they have the chance to do it. They came out of a tough St. Paul League and will be ready to fight.
Upset: This is a vanilla answer, but it is so clear that Shakopee is legit. I have Shakopee taking down Metro to advance to the second weekend. Metro has a good squad, but Shakopee is deep with arms and veteran bats who know how to win big ball games. For that reason, I see Shakopee coming out on top.
Sleeper: Dundas has my sleeper pick in this quadrant. They have the guys to make a run and a chance against Highland Park and Plymouth. That being said, they had a great year in the league, but the playoff loss to Miesville is concerning. I think Dundas has a shot to make it to the third round, but it will be a difficult task taking down Champlin Park.
Jon Sands — Victoria Vics
Quad 1 (Miesville, St. Anthony, Waconia, Minnetonka, River Rats, Forest Lake)
Favorite: Miesville. What’s not to say about this squad? Yes, they have struggled but they put it together at the right time. They also earned the top spot out of Section 1. Look for the Hens to try and make a deep run.
Dark Horse: Minneapolis River Rats. Coming into the tournament not a lot of people are talking about this squad. I would say don’t sleep on the Rats as they look to turn heads this year.
Sleeper: Waconia. It’s hard to call the defending Class C champs a sleeper but coming out of Section 2 as the No. 4 seed team makes them fall right into this category and I look at the Lakers to try to dethrone the Hens.
Upset: Second round Minneapolis River Rats/Forest Lake over St. Anthony. I think with the Hogs having a bye and either of these teams having a game under their belt helps make this happen.
Quad 2: Macs Industrial Warriors (Lyon’s Pub), Moorhead Mudcats, Anoka, Burnsville, Air Freight, Rochester Royals.
Favorite: Air Freight. As you know they do have one really good pitcher that they can ride until the last weekend.
Dark Horse: Burnsville. This team has plenty of hitting and pitching to go around. They also can make any pitcher work and go deep into their count early and get to the bullpen.
Sleeper: Moorhead Mudcats. Hard to call a section winner a sleeper. But when you’re in the quad that has Air Freight, Burnsville and the Warriors it’s hard not to call most teams a sleeper.
Upset: Second round, if you can call this an upset, Burnsville over the Warriors.
Quad 3: North St. Paul, Cobras, St. Paul Mudhens, Elko, Sartell, Chaska
Favorite: Chaska. Has to be the favorite. The Cubs have a 27-5 mark. It will be interesting to see how deep this Cubs team can go.
Dark Horse: Minneapolis Cobras. Manager Mason Reinhart has this squad playing its best when it needs to in the postseason.
Sleeper: Elko. I think a lot of people look at Elko as the fourth team out of their section and kind of write off the Express but don’t sleep on the Express.
Upset: Round 2 Elko/Sartell over Chaska. Have to pick an upset, not sure I really see one in this quad though..
Quad 4: Metro Knights, Shakopee, Champlin Park, Dundas, Highland Park, Plymouth
Favorite: Champlin Park. Has to be one of the favorites not only to win a few games but make a deep run and maybe contend for a title.
Dark Horse: Shakopee. Calling this team a dark horse is strange with a 22-9 record but the Indians could break some hearts this state tournament.
Sleeper: Highland Park. Watch out for the Beavers. This team might sneak up on a team or two in this tournament.
Upset: I Think we see two upsets here and its Highland Park over Dundas and Highland Park over Plymouth HitDawg
Final 4
Miesville vs. Air Freight
St. Paul Mudhens vs. Champlin Park
State champion: Champlin Park LoGators
Matt Marek — Champlin Park LoGators
It’s the best time of the year! The state tournament is here, and there’s certainly a lot to talk about on the Class A side of things. A pared down field from previous years will, in theory, up the competition level, and we will see how much advantage the bye gives the section champs.
From a bracket standpoint, the big news is St. Patrick and Baseball 365 bowing out in their respective section tournament. Everybody not named Miesville or Air Freight would like to believe the tournament is wide-open (I think it is!) but it just seems those two clubs are inevitable this time of year.
As I have mentioned previously, I look at three factors that determine success in the state tournament (outside of pure talent). 1.) A true Ace, 2.) Veteran(ish) presence, and 3.) Projected availability.
Here’s my thoughts on this year’s bracket, breaking it down by top half and bottom half:
General Thoughts on the Top Half
In past years, it has seemed some teams have had a relatively lighter path to the finals than the rest. Teams in the top half certainly don’t have that, as three of last year’s four semifinalists reside here.
Miesville (not ranked in the last poll by me, but certainly one of my favorites) gets the privilege of facing John Bezdicek or Minnetonka in their first game. The former “Pub” is rewarded for a tremendous regular season with a potential second round matchup with a really good Burnsville club, then possibly Air Freight. A lot of intrigue in this half of the bracket.
The Favorite: Miesville — You’re the champs until you’re not, right? The midseason swoon was probably a bit overblown, as they seem to be humming going into the state tournament. We all know they crush the ball, but on the pitching side Blake Ritzer has been a solid No. 1 this year, with Will Lavin and (possibly?) Preston Ohm looming on the backside of the bullpen.
The Dark Horse: Moorhead Mudcats — The Mudcats come in with a 15-3 record with wins over Baseball 365 and Delano. They beat the non-merged 365 and were competitive with Burnsville in the 2024 state tournament. They outscored Section 8 opponents 33-1 in the section tournament. Being a guy from even farther north than Moorhead, I know those guys will come in with a massive chip on their shoulders.
The Upset: Anoka Bucs — Homer-ish, but the Bucs took the Cats to 11 innings last year in the regular season, so they know they can hang. They beat Andover, who beat them three times during the regular season, in a win-or-go-home game to qualify this year.
The Sleeper: Air Freight — Dark online = dark in the public eye in townball. The planes quietly added former minor leaguer Nick Morreale and recent Georgia Bulldog alum Garrett Spikes to complement the Laubscher show.
General Thoughts on the Bottom Half
Youth movement on the top half of the bottom half with the Cobras (younger), and North St. Paul and the Mudhens having a combined three players over 23 on their collective rosters.
Chaska has been the most consistent, and at times, dominant team in this half despite the visor trying his best to put a stain on the Cubs legacy. Champlin Park will also try to break through after a lot of recent misses, but they potentially could run into a Shakopee club in the second round they’ve never beaten.
The Favorite: Chaska — The No. 1 seed in a really good section with wins over Miesville and Champlin. Visor-dad’s kids lengthened the lineup, and Drake Kilber and Nolan Kemp have been outstanding. Tough to say anybody but them.
The Dark Horse: Highland Park — So much mystery from the St. Paul League, but remember, they weren’t that far away from beating Lyon’s Pub last year and finding themselves in the semifinals. Serial catcher-runner-over guy Will Smoot was added for some thump in the lineup and the basepaths, and they should have D-I dude Hunter Daymond available. Mitch Maurer has been really good for a long time, and Blake Stelzer is a shut-down arm on the back-end.
The Upset: Metro Knights — When you have exclusively college players, the state tournament is always going to be a challenge. HOWEVER, the Knights no-hit their first round opponent (Shakopee) through eight innings earlier in the year, which makes you think they have a good shot in a game where most will be picking against them.
The Sleeper: St. Paul Mudhens — Young, but slowly getting to the point where they’re not TOO young, with several St. John’s players that should be around for the duration of the tournament. St. Paul League champs, and near de-throner of Miesville in the state tournament last year. Will Mason McCurdy (transfer portal) find a college home? That’d be a big add, or loss, depending on his status for school next year.
The Picks:
Final Four: Miesville, Air Freight, Chaska, Champlin Park
Finals: Champlin Park over Miesville
Tom Kolar — Air Freight Unlimited
Quad 1:
Favorite: Miesville Mudhens — They are the champs until they aren’t. I have stuck by this team all year and have kept them in my top 10 (maybe five?) all year. Had a rough stretch during the middle of the season but dominated the Section 1 playoffs and earned the No. 1 seed.
Dark Horse: Waconia Lakers — Don’t know much about them other than they have an ace pitcher. Everybody knows what ace’s can do in this tournament.
Winner: Miesville over St. Anthony — Chalk I know …
Quad 2:
Favorite: Macs Industrial Warriors/Lyon’s Pub — Similar to Tonka, I am not sure what to call them at the moment, regardless of another undefeated season in the Park National and a No. 1 seed this year. Should set them up for a run to the third weekend.
Favorite No. 2 — Moorhead Mudcats — I have to go with another favorite here, this team has had a great season and looks like a bunch of young guys ready to make a run. Watch out.
Dark Horse: Rochester Royals — Section 1 teams are always tough and if they can win in the first weekend would not be shocked to see a Miesville vs. Rochester semifinal game. It does look like they don’t have Pilla this year which may hurt their chances.
Winner: Moorhead over Macs Industrial Warriors (Lyon’s Pub)
Quad 3:
Favorite: Chaska Cubs — Have had a great season so far and the No. 1 seed out of their section. Visor dad being in the stands for them makes me concerned with how far they can go.
Dark Horse: North St. Paul Snowman — Have put up some good games in the tournament the last few years but think that win has evaded them.
Winner: St. Paul Mudhens over Chaska
Quad 4:
Favorite: Champlin Park — Team absolutely reloaded this offseason and has had one date on their mind since last year … Aug. 31, 2025. Is this the year they finally get their crown after coming so close the last few years?
Dark Horse: Highland Park — Upset the Hops in the St. Paul League, they have good pitching, they are scrappy and they did beat Dundas already this year.
Winner: Champlin over Highland Park
Final 4:
Miesville over Moorhead
Champlin over St. Paul Mudhens
Winner: Miesville
Nate Jackson — St. Boni Saints
Quad 1 — Waconia Lakers, Minnetonka Monarchs, Minneapolis River Rats, Forest Lake Brewers, Miesville Mudhens, St Anthony Hogs.
Favorite: Miesville Mudhens — Defending Champs. Claimed the one seed into state after a roller-coaster season. Sweeney, Rinehart, Werner, Sprout, Van Der Bosch, and essentially the entire lineup can consistently barrel the ball. They’ll need some stability at pitching, but I don’t see these bats taking a day off. Unless they run into a buzzsaw …
Dark Horse: Forest Lake Brewers — Davis, Roers, and Schneider have the potential to carry the Brewers into the final weekend. If the bats stay hot, things could get weird Labor Day weekend.
Upset: Minneapolis River Rats — Congrats to the Rats for their first trip to state. They’re a scrappy bunch of ball players who have some crafty pitching which has state tourney experience. Quammen and Casa de Calvo can be difficult to hit. If that is the case, they might slip past some powerhouses into the final weekend.
Contenders: Waconia Lakers / Minnetonka Monarchs — Hands down the best first round game at the state tourney. John Bezdicek vs. Ben Hughes would set the table for the Miesville matchup. I believe Tonka has a deeper pen than the Lakers with Skoro and Marsh. Both lineups can hit so it will be interesting to see who can get to the pitcher first. The defending “C” champs vs. the 0x champs looking to face the defending “B” champs enroute to the “A” title. Great way to close out Saturday in Glencoe.
Why didn’t you talk about us?: St. Anthony Hogs — No. 1 seed out of the Skyline. Some could say they were the benefactor of a clerical error making them the one seed at state. Unfortunately, I don’t see the Hogs rollin’ past the Brewers but potentially the Rats. I hope they prove me wrong.
Quad Winner: Waconia Lakers
Quad 2 — Anoka Bucs, Burnsville Bucs, Rochester Royals, Air Freight Unlimited, Moorhead Mudcats, Macs Industrial Warriors.
Favorite: Burnsville Bobcats — Dangerous No. 2 seed out of Section 2. Solid up and down the lineup. Pitching and defense is good. On the other hand, a good pitcher can shut this lineup down. They’re eyeing a rematch with the Warriors who bumped the Kitties out of state last year.
Dark Horse: Moorhead Mudcats — It’s difficult to be a dark horse with the regular season record the Cats had. No. 1 seed out of Section 8 and established themselves as the Baseball 365 Kryptonite. I have them here simply due to the teams in this quad. Watch the Mudcats slip past the perennial powers and into Labor Day weekend.
Upset: Anoka Bucs — Known to make upsets happen at state, the Bucs slipped past Andover, who was sitting near the top of the league all season. They’re playing well and their pitching has kept them in games. Scrappy ball club with one-run wins and losses in a tough league. They’ll need to clean up the defense because unearned runs typically don’t play well at state.
Contenders: Air Freight Unlimited / Macs Industrial Warriors – Warriors didn’t make too many friends last year as they battled Burnsville and AFU. AFU has the prestige and the arm to carry them into Labor Day weekend which they’ve done many times before. That would create a rematch with the Warriors that will most likely be another pitchers duel. You can easily place AFU or the Warriors as favorites and move Burnsville to a contender. That’s how good this quad is.
Why didn’t you talk about us?: Rochester Royals — I don’t know much about the Royals since they won the title back in 2022. I know they’re hitting the crap out of the ball as of late. Eliminated St. Patrick and beat Elko to receive the higher seed. If they can stay hot at the plate, I think they can do some damage.
Quad Winner: Macs Industrial Warriors
Quad 3 — North St. Paul Snowmen, Minneapolis Cobras, Elko Express, Sartell Muskies, St. Paul Mudhens, Chaska Cubs
Favorite: Chaska Cubs — Stacked. I don’t see many issues with the Cubbies. Lost five games by a total of 11 runs. That’s tough to compete against. Better have a quick outfield because the Cubbies find barrels. Nolan Kemp will lead the charge. Enough depth to sweep away the Labor Day weekend.
Dark Horse: Elko Express — Talent, leadership and an ace. Elko is mashing the baseball right now. That will need to continue because pitching has been an issue. They open the tourney Friday night in Glencoe against the Sartell Muskies. Both teams will need to make a statement and set the tone for their matchup against the Cubs, who they’ve already seen this year.
Upset: Sartell Muskies — Good run in the Class “C” state tourney last year. I don’t see them with the fire power that Waconia has, but they put a good season together. Elko will be the perfect test for the Muskies. Upend the Express and the Cubs will be waiting. Make the upsets happen!
Contenders: St. Paul Mudhens / Minneapolis Cobras — Both teams are very similar. MIAC and WIAC college dudes with some vets sprinkled in. Strike throwers and hitters. Depth might be an issue for both teams. It would be an interesting matchup if the Cobras can get by the Snowmen. Snowmen are young, too, so either way, young talent will be on display.
Why didn’t you talk about us?: North St. Paul Snowmen — Another young and talented team that has the pieces to win some ball games. Cobras will be a tough test, but the Snowmen will need to stay away from throwing snowballs. If they do, Mitch Gutknecht could be a tough matchup for the LoGators.
Quad Winner: Chaska Cubs
Quad 4 – Metro Knights, Shakopee Indians, Dundas Dukes, Highland Park Beavers, Champlin Park LoGators, Plymouth HitDawg
Favorite: Champlin LoGators — Stacked. Expecting them in the final four or the season is a waste. I do not foresee a 2023 hiccup. Palmer, Riola, Puder brothers, and Reichenborn will hit. Hutch and Gooley lead the charge on the mound. Tough team to bet against.
Dark Horse: Highland Park Beavers — The Dunning Dirtbags are ready to make some noise. They’ll keep games close, wait for teams to make mistakes, and capitalize on them. Mo Money Mitch is crafty. but the hitters will need to produce or this might be a short tourney.
Upset: Plymouth HitDawg — HitDawg has been sneaky good when it matters most, league and section playoff games. Tough to be an upset pick as the No. 1 seed out of the section, but they’ll most likely need to get past Shakopee, which they failed to do in 2023.
Contenders: Dundas Dukes / Shakopee Indians — Steady and consistent play all year. Finished at the top of their respective sections. There’s a chance these two teams meet in the quarters. Prestigious clubs that have a chance to make a run. They’re going to make things interesting.
Why didn’t you talk about us?: Metro Knights — Nothing particularly stands out with the Metro Knights. They had some attendance issues but most teams do and play through it. They’re playing good ball right now so they’ll need to carry that momentum into state.
Quad Winner: Champlin Park LoGators
Final Four:
Macs Industrial Warriors over Waconia Lakers
Chaska Cubs over Champlin Park LoGators
Chaska Cubs over Macs Industrial Warriors
