By Nick Gerhardt
It’s been a wild trip through the district tournament for many of the teams that have qualified for the Class B state tournament this season and hey, Watertown is back after missing the previous three years with reigning 2025 state tournament MVP Jackson Hunter on the mound. Townball is Bluffton is back after as well and loaded for bear, plus we’ve got the defending champion Delano returning with its ace in tow. Goat nation and cowbells are back with Buckman, plus we’ve got Sobieski returning.
Navigating this field is no easy task, good luck with your brackets. But we’ve entrusted our four pollsters to make sense of it for everyone. We thank them for all their hard work during the season in coming up with the rankings so the burners had something else to talk about.
Kip Kovar — Herald Journal
Quad I
The Favorite: They are the champs until they aren’t the champs anymore. Delano is back to defend its title and playing its best ball of the season once again at the right time. An impressive showing in District 7B has the A’s getting a bye to open things, but look for Delano to take a shot at repeating as state champions.
The Dark Horse: Red Wing Aces — A team I haven’t given enough credit all season. Won two big games facing elimination just to be here. They were going to be a team I picked to go far, but facing off with Buckmann to open things is an incredibly tough draw,
The Upset: I think it’s the only matchup that could be a true upset, so I’ll go with it. Union Hill over Princeton. The Panthers surprised many by knocking off Plato in the opening round last year and made a strong run in District 1B, finishing as the runners-up. It’s essentially a home game for Union Hill playing in New Prague to open things Friday night, and that energy of playing in front of a home crowd might be enough to pick up a huge win.
The Sleeper: St. Martin Martins — I’ve slept on them enough, and they made me look silly by winning the District 6B Tournament. It was an impressive showing as they claimed that title while not allowing a single run in their two wins.
Quad II
The Favorite: Bluffton Braves — They’re back. Bluffton is back at the state tournament and ready to make some noise. It’s good to have the Braves back as they know how to win and are a fun team to watch.
The Dark Horse: Plato Blue Jays — Arguably the best pitching staff in the tournament. The bats have cooled off a bit playing in a tough District 7B tournament, but they find ways to scratch across runs and don’t make errors. If the bats get back to what they were in the regular season, Plato will be making a deep postseason run. After falling short in the first round last year, there will be a little extra motivation to make sure that doesn’t happen again.
The Upset: Foley over Cold Spring. The Springers are good and capable of making a deep run, but don’t forget what Foley did to one of the favorites a year ago. The Lumberjacks not only knocked off Jordan in their second game but took it to the Brewers in a 4-0 win. They were a play or two from beating New Ulm to reach the semifinals. Give me Foley to knock off Cold Spring.
The Sleeper: I can’t forget to mention Webster in this quad, but sleeper doesn’t define them accurately. This team is good and plays in a tough league and district, which will prepare them to make a run. Plato isn’t an easy matchup, but it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if whoever wins that opening game wins this quad.
Quad III
The Favorite: This bracket is loaded with traditional favorites. Young America, Bird Island, Jordan and Sobieski could be the Mount Rushmore of amateur baseball success. I’ll give the nod to Sobieski as they have been the most consistent and impressive group so far, but that doesn’t mean anything this time of the year.
The Dark Horse: Jordan Brewers — Not the regular season we are used to seeing, but still enter the state tournament with a 28-6 record. They’re peaking at the right time after winning the District 3B tournament.
The Upset: Bird Island over Kimball and Sobieski. Kimball comes in red-hot after beating Buffalo twice. Sobieski could win it all. The Bullfrogs come in battle-tested, through having to win two games in one day just to get here. They’ve had a few ups and downs this season, but this is the time of the year where Bird Island shines.
The Sleeper: Pierz Lakes — The state champions for Class C are in the Class B state tournament this year and looking to show that last year’s run was no fluke. It will be interesting to see if they can channel the magic once again and make a run.
Quad IV
The Favorite: Raymond Rockets — They probably should be lumped into the group as favorites in any other quads as well. They’ve been knocking on the door the past few years and will be once again. Still have one of the best state tournament T-shirts ever.
The Dark Horse: Watertown Red Devils — Which Watertown town team will show up? The one that made deep runs in 2021 and 2022 or the one that missed the last three state tournaments? Either way, the Red Devils are back and have the reigning Class B state tournament MVP to help lead the way along with a talented lineup behind them.
The Upset: Watertown/Maple Lake winner over Sauk Rapids. It won’t be an easy game for either Watertown or Maple Lake, but whoever comes out on top of that one has a chance to advance to Labor Day weekend as they get another win.
The Sleeper: Nisswa Lightning — I had them listed as the sleeper in their quad a year ago and all they did was make the title game. Again, truly not a sleeper, but that’s what happens when the field is this loaded where anyone can win it. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Nisswa make another run at all.
Justin Plein — Red Wing Aces
Quad I
The Favorite: Delano — Getting back into last season’s form. Questions started to arise in July, but Delano and [Max] Otto are back and ready to make another run.
The Dark Horse: Princeton — From play-in to state bid. This team knocked off Plato last year, and played an epic 18-inning game with New Ulm.
The Upset: Red Wing over Buckman. Am I biased? Yes. Is Buckman a really good team? Yes. Will Victory League burners have fun with this? Yes. Can it happen? Yes.
The Sleeper: St. Martin — Hard to call a District Champ a sleeper. This team may be known for getting no-hit twice in one tournament, but with Lieser throwing they may become the first team to throw 2 no-hitters in one tournament.
Quad II
The Favorite: Webster — Ran into a tough Jordan team in the district finals. This team is looking to make a Labor Day weekend run and has the fire power to do it.
The Dark Horse: Bluffton — They’re back and ready to show everyone what northern baseball is all about. The lone representative from District 5, comes in with an excellent record and a chip on their shoulder.
The Upset: Foley over Cold Spring — Cold Spring will be extra focused, after having to come through the losers’ bracket to qualify, but I like how Foley has been playing lately.
The Sleeper: Stewartville — Because Tyler Schmitz … Be patient and he will throw 150 pitches and beat you, attack early and he will go complete game shutout on 90 pitches. One thing to be sure of is he is not coming out.
Quad III
The Favorite: Jordan — Looking to get back to the championship game when they are a host. 29-6 and winners of 14 straight. It’s always tough to host a tournament and be competitive, but Jordan has proved over the years it can do it.
The Dark Horse: Kimball — From being the last seed in its district tournament to qualifying for state is an accomplishment by itself, but they are not satisfied with just being here. A matchup with the [Bird Island] Bullfrogs on the opening weekend should be a good one.
The Upset: This quad has some great matchups. Many people are already excited for a Young America/Jordan second-round matchup. Don’t overlook the Lakers of Pierz. The No. 5 seed out of District 4, are extremely capable of ruining that match up.
The Sleeper: Sobieski — The champs from District 4 are hardly a sleeper, but when you have Jordan, Young America and Bird Island in your quadrant, it’s easy to overlook a team that has had too much August and September success to be counted out.
Quad IV
The Favorite: Nisswa — A top 10 team all season and a track record of postseason success. An opening round win sets up a must see matchup with Raymond.
The Dark Horse: Le Sueur — But don’t make plans for Nisswa/Raymond just yet. This Le Sueur team knows what it takes to win. If you have Cole Pengilly on your team you have a good chance to win
The Upset: The winner of game one of the tournament will make it to Labor Day weekend. The Tschida/Cheetah jacket goes to the winner. Sorry to everyone else that plays in Shakopee on Saturday after Watertown and Maple Lake there might not be any beer left by the time these two teams finish.
The Sleeper: Raymond — Everyone loves Raymond, unless you are playing them because they are good. Looking to make it back to back years getting to Labor Day weekend.
Tom Elliott — West Central Tribune
Quad I
Favorite — Delano. The Athletics are loaded and talented.
Dark Horse — Princeton. The Panthers came through their region, surprising several teams, including the Cold Spring Springers.
The Upset — How about St. Martin over Buckman? The Martins are a Class C team from the Stearns County League disguised as a B team. But they have one of the better pitchers around in 36-year-old Scott Lieser.
The Sleeper — Union Hill. It’s a tough call, because the Bulldogs can hit, so I’m not exactly sure they are a sleeper.
Quad II
Favorite — Bluffton. The Braves have consistently ranked in the top 10, so they aren’t unknowns anymore. They have talent, but they tend to stay off the radar because of their location. Here’s the Braves’ chance to put Bluffton on the map.
Dark Horse — Webster. The Sox have been consistently strong all year and have an opportunity to come out of this quad despite not being a top seed out of their region.
The Upset — How about the Foley Lumberjacks over the Cold Spring Springers? Foley started the year slowly, but play in a strong Victory League. They were no favorites to get out of their region, but they did. I could see either Cold Spring or Foley winning this quad, by the way.
The Sleeper — Stewartville-Racine. The Sharks beat some good teams to win their region. They can win this quad.
Quad III
Favorite — Jordan. The Brewers are always a safe bet. Even as they make changes in their lineup from year to year, they’re always tough.
Dark Horse — How about the Pierz Lakers, your 2025 Class C state champions. Can they shock folks in their first year in Class B? It’ll be fun to find out.
The Upset — That would be the Pierz Lakers over Young America.
The Sleeper — It’s hard to call Sobieski a sleeper, but here you go. The Skis can get past Jordan.
Quad IV
Favorite — Raymond. The Rockets have had a great summer, have a mix of veterans and talented younger players and will have to get through a difficult quad to make it to the final four.
Dark Horse — Watertown. The Red Devils are good enough to win this quad and make it to the semifinals.
The Upset — Le Sueur. The Braves can surprise the Nisswa Lightning.
The Sleeper — Sauk Rapids. The Cyclones are back in the state tournament for the first time since 2018. They’ve at times struggled to field a team in recent years, but they’re talented.
In the quarterfinals, it’ll be Delano over St. Martin, Bluffton over Webster, Sobieski over the Pierz Lakers and Raymond over Watertown.
In the semifinals, I’ll take Delano over Bluffton and Raymond over Sobieski. Delano wins the state title over Raymond.
Nate Jackson — St Boni Saints
Quad I
The Favorite: Delano Athletics — Trevor Jaunich is healthy. They have hitters up and down the lineup. The pitching is led by Max Otto with the bullpen to support. The champs are looking to repeat.
The Dark Horse: Princeton Panthers — This team is known to put up runs but it appears to be on a soft schedule. Nolan Spence and Eli Gibbs will need support to lead the offense. Brent Tholen and Damon Rademacher will need to be electric on the bump. A fresh James Green going into the final weekend has this team riding the dark horse.
The Upset: Union Hill Bulldogs — Winning is contagious and that’s what the Bulldogs have been doing over the last six weeks. Although, in a loaded quad, they appear to be overshadowed. I would consider it an upset if they make it to the final weekend. Masberg, Bergs and Becker rake, Nordrum and Hemann shove, and they make history.
The Sleeper: Red Wing Aces — Aaron Johnson and Drew Ball are horses. Red Wing plays stout defense with a combination of small ball and extra-base hits. Savvy vets with some young talent makes this team a pick to sleepwalk into the final weekend.
Quad II
The Favorite: Bluffton Braves — The Josh Dykoff and Tyson Barthel Show. One loss all season to their rival New York Mills. Can these two and their supporting cast get them to the final weekend? Their regular season record says yes.
The Dark Horse: Foley Lumberjacks — They had a bad stretch of games at the end of May through the month of June. They rattled off six of eight wins to end the season and took the scenic route in Districts to snipe the No. 3 seed from Nisswa. They made a run last year as the No. 3 seed. Let’s see if they can do it again.
The Upset: Plato Blue Jays — Known to have some of the best pitching in the state, the bats will need to make some noise to advance. Beating Webster is no easy task. Plato has shown throughout the season it can grind out games. This will be a regular theme for them to make it to Labor Day.
The Sleeper: Stewartville-Racine Sharks — Hard to give a one seed the sleeper pick but the Sharks haven’t been to the tourney since 2019. Two weeks off can be a problem for teams. This could be a long wait for them. Will they be ready for Webster or Plato who make consistent trips to the tourney? Sharks win!
Quad III
The Favorite: Jordan Brewers — Once again the one seed but I expect a different result this year. The offense seems to be more potent with the Derek Dahlke, Brandon Arnold and Nate Beckman power surge. Vets like Joe Lucas with Tommy Thompson and Jacob Allen leading the charge on the mound. Two losses by one run since June 7. Mark Sept. 7 on your calendar for 1 p.m.
The Dark Horse: Sobieski Skis — As Buckman and Nisswa stole the show during the regular season, the Skis decided to steal the show in districts. Thus, giving themselves a week off to see Kimball and Bird Island battle it out while eyeing a potential matchup with Jordan. If they make the final weekend, they become a front runner for the title.
The Upset: Pierz Lakers — Defending Class C champs made it look easy last year. They’ll need to beat two perennial powers to make it to the final weekend. I think we can call that an upset if they make that happen.
The Sleeper: Kimball Express — The Express ride the train into state with a couple wins over Buffalo and sneaking past Loretto. Not sure what to make of it. Players must have showed up at the right time. They’ll need to show up again because Bird Island and the Skis stand in the way.
Quad IV
The Favorite: Nisswa Lightning — Yes, they’re the No. 4 seed out of District 4 but it really doesn’t matter. Defending runner-up who’s made numerous appearances and won Class C a few years ago. Everybody loves Raymond seems primed for a deep run, but the Lightning could strike twice to enter the final weekend.
The Dark Horse: Maple Lake Lakers — The life of the party. Shoe beers are in order! Hunter Malachek will need to eat innings and take some hacks as well. Nathan Zander and Ben Clapp need to hit so they can ride off into the sunset because anything can happen in the final weekend.
The Upset: Le Sueur Braves — Runner up from “C” last year. They’re in a similar spot as Pierz. They get a tough matchup with Nisswa to start the tourney. If they win, then Raymond awaits them. That seems like an uphill battle against two perennial powers.
The Sleeper: Watertown Red Devils — Cheetah and company won the Crow. Districts was a different story. They fell to defending champs and survived a scare from St. Boni. Rebounded against Plato. They haven’t been to the tourney for a couple years. Some may look past them but that will be hard to do if they take out the Lakers. Jackson Hunter will need to dominate to get them out of the first round.
Final Four:
Jordan vs. Nisswa
St. Martin vs. Bluffton
Championship:
St. Martin vs. Jordan
2026 Class “B” Champs = St. Martin Martins
