By Nick Gerhardt
The top 10 remains pretty clear for our pollsters, but based on last year’s results for the teams in this final edition of the rankings, nothing is certain on Labor Day weekend.
Howard Lake, Courtland, Hanska and Glencoe all made Labor Day weekend last year and remain in the final top 10 but after that it seems up for grabs. Could another Victory League team make a run to Labor Day weekend, a la the Pierz Lakers. We’re looking at the Randall Cubs with the return of Caleb Strack, the 2021 Class C State Tournament MVP winner.
Regardless, we have one new team in the top 10 this time around while the others have shuffled around. Windom held down the No. 1 spot behind another year with a gaudy record but Hanska, which claimed the top spot last time, slipped to No. 2 this time. Glencoe swooped in to take the No. 3 spot and Courtland, last year’s No. 1 pre-tournament, moved up to No. 4.
Cannon Falls dipped to No. 5, despite what some new fangled formula might say, and Elrosa rose to No. 6. Litchfield claimed the No. 7 spot, after not cracking the top 10 last time. And Howard Lake, which beat Windom to advance to Labor Day weekend, dropped to No. 8. The Orphans have the lineup, but will they get the same pitching this year?
Morris has a stellar record and Perham has put together an impressive resume. They shared the No. 9 ranking last time, but the Pirates to the North garnered the No. 9 spot this time while the Eagles dove to the No. 10 spot.
There’s plenty of postseason play to watch and follow along, remember to check mnbaseball.org/section-regions for updated brackets as the games get completed and state bids get secured. Also, don’t forget the 2026 MBA State Tournament Bracket Reveal Show will air live on the MBA YouTube Channel Aug. 16 at 6 p.m. You’ll be able to watch all the games through NSPN.TV if you can’t make it to any of the games at Chaska, Jordan, New Prague and Shakopee from Aug. 21-23, 28-30 and Sept. 4-7.
John Anderson — Litchfield Blues
The best part of the baseball season is upon us and another summer is seemingly flying by. League Playoffs have begun for many and region play is on the doorstep. Now before we go “Back to School” and our Sundays are dominated by fantasy football, we’ve got some incredibly fun baseball to play and/or spectate. Everyone is looking to punch that state ticket — from the favorites to the written-off underdogs — Good luck to all as you battle through your regions!
1. Hanska Lakers — Holding steady at my No. 1 overall, the Lakers are the team to beat in a very good Region 2C. It will be fun to monitor potential 2C matchups with Courtland and Granite Falls.
2. Glencoe Brewers — The Brewers might just be the most well rounded team in class C. They’ve sharpened their blade with great CRVL matchups all summer, now it’s time to shine in 7C.
3. Windom Pirates — One of the winningest teams at C (sea), the Pirates will look to sail through Region 10C. Do I think they’ll plunder a state bid? Aye, matey.
4. Cannon Falls Bears — The Bears have been playing solid ball against strong teams all season. I expect them to land one of the two bids out of Region 5C.
5. Courtland Cubs — Another big team out of 2C, the Cubs are on the other end of the region bracket opposing Hanska. I see them both landing bids and battling over seeds. (Ed’s note: No bear puns?)
6. Elrosa Saints — The best team out of the SCL, the Saints will look to continue playing great baseball in 8C — Hosted by Regal (RIP).
7. Litchfield Blues — Ended at the top of the NSL-C, solid pitching has positioned the Blues well for a Region 6C run.
8. New York Mills Millers — The boys up north finally get some love at the No. 8 spot. The No. 1 seed in Region 11C, the Millers will have to compete to land one of the two available state bids.
9. Luxemburg Brewers — The number one seed out of the Central Valley, the Brewers will look to repeat their Region 6C winning ways this August.
10. Howard Lake Orphans — The Orphans danced late into the tournament in ’25. Can they repeat that magic?
Brandon Johnson — Detroit Lakes Ligers
Playoffs are upon us, and records, rankings or any superlative means nothing between the chalked lines. A season that has seen teams make drastic strides, and opening people’s eyes to their talent, while on the other side of the coin, once great contenders, have slipped to pigtail games of region brackets. It’s exciting, and I cannot wait to stay tuned all next month, which is Christmas time for all of us Townball enthusiasts. There is a group that has shown consistent success throughout the year to lock in a top 10 spot, providing the Class C landscape as I currently see it.
1. Windom Pirates (20-2) — (Insert too many Pirate puns here). They’re good, they’ve won games at a scorching rate, and they’ve been hot all year.
2. Hanska Lakers (15-4-1) — All season they have been at the top of these lists. Despite a few bumps in the road, they’ve shown all year that last year’s run was no fluke.
3. Glencoe Brewers (20-6) — Looking all year to prove last year’s state tournament would serve as an introduction to the state to a team that looks to be a problem in Class C for a long time with such a great blend of veteran leaders, and young bucks. You’re in for a battle against these Brewers.
4. Cannon Falls Bears (21-11) — The most battle tested, conditioned and winning team in Class C this year. Much like Glencoe, look out for this crew for a long time coming with that great blend of experience and endurance.
5. Courtland Cubs (19-6) — Last year’s wire-to-wire favorite, has quietly stayed near the top all year without making any loud splashes. I’m willing to bet the Cubs love it that way. It’s the perfect storm for a commanding playoff run.
6. Elrosa Saints (19-6) — Finishing the season on a 10-2 run, the Saints are looking to come marching into the Region tournament playing their best ball.
7. Howard Lake Orphans (19-8) — They’ve continued to win games against very solid clubs but have had a couple tough losses to D-C, and got thumped by run rule by Litchfield late this year. Flush it and move on, or are we seeing some cracks?
8. Morris Eagles (13-1) — They’ve continued to win with just the one loss. They have some clear talent, and should continue to roll. Interested to see if a state tournament run benefits from the unfamiliarity to the out of league teams.
9. Perham Pirates (15-4) — A win over New York Mills edges the Pirates here, despite being the No. 2 seed headed into the Region 11 playoffs where New York Mills is the Hi-10 Class C champion. They can hit with any lineup they throw out, and pitching depth to dream about.
10. Granite Falls Kilowatts (16-8) — Talkin’ Townball’s darlings have limped to a 2-4 finish, but they have shown all year they have an electric team ready to put runs on the board in a flash. Region 2 should be selling tickets at a high rate this year to see who can earn those four bids with Hanska, Courtland and Granite Falls fighting off a deep field of worthy teams such as Lamberton and Milroy chomping at their heels.
Just missed the list — Milroy Yankees (14-6), New York Mills Millers (14-4), Madison Mallards (12-2), Minnesota Lake Royals (10-2) and Litchfield Blues (13-7).
Chad Knutson — Heron Lake Lakers
1. Windom Pirates (20-2) — Continue to hit and pitch at a high level; they lost to Fairmont 3-0. The road still runs through them.
2. Courtland Cubs (20-6) — Lost a couple at Jordan tourney, but that will have them well prepared to make a deep run.
3. Hanska Lakers (15-4-1) — Five straight wins to end the regular season. C. Knowles has 11 HR and Portner is undefeated on the mound.
4. Glencoe Brewers (20-6) — Win the Crow and top team in Region 7. Won eight of the last 10. Cologne, Brownton and Hamburg are also contenders.
5. Cannon Falls Bears (21-12) — 20 wins is pretty impressive with the gauntlet schedule they played.
6. Elrosa Saints (18-6) — Top team in the Stearns and always a tough team to play.
7. Litchfield Blues (14-8) — Won eight of last nine and avenged their loss to Howard Lake, tough region to get out of.
8. Granite Falls Kilowatts (16-8) — Beat undefeated Morris. and then lost two, one-run games to Bird Island and the Milroy Yankees. Third seed in Region 2. Young, dangerous team.
9. Perham Pirates (14-4) — Top team from the North. New York Mills may have a say in that. Pitching staff has over 200 Ks.
10. Luxemburg Brewers (14-8) — Top team from CVL. Two good pitchers: Harren and Pfannenstein, lead them.
Honorable mention: Morris Eagles, Howard Lake Orphans, Brownton Bruins, Waterville Indians, Starbuck Stars, Fairmont Martins, New Prague Orioles, Randall Cubs, St. Nick Nicks, Milroy Irish and New York Mills Millers.
AJ Hadley — Elrosa Saints
We have come to that special time of year: Playoffs have started, some seasons have already ended and campers are getting ready for WeFest, Region Tournaments are around the corner and host teams will be judged on the quality of their taco in a bag. Games are happening so fast Twitter pages and league standings forget to get updated and no one knows what’s going on as teams forget to Tweet their losses.
August is around the corner, so let’s throw some more rankings at the wall and get moms and grandmas fired up for their local fanbases. I initially thought the TownBall QRF could be something, but it’s only as good as the records that get input into the MBA website (Ed’s note: FOR THE LOVE OF GOD POST YOUR SCORES, IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW OR YOUR TEAM ISN’T POSTING SCORES, EMAIL NICKGERHARDT@MNBASEBALL.ORG). So for now, it will just be a gimmicky argumentative tool on why a 9-11 team is better than a 13-1 team. At the end of the day, this time of year comes down to one thing — Winning!
1. Windom Pirates (20-2) — Speaking of winning, they have been doing that a lot. As they head into the Region 10 “tournament,” they can plan on another state tourney trip.
2. Courtland Cubs (20-6) — A couple of tough losses at the Charlie Larca won’t slow them down as they rebounded just fine. Shouldn’t have any troubles in Region 2.
3. Glencoe Brewers (20-6) — Two losses since the end of May to Young America and Watertown. Cream of the crop in Region 7.
4. Hanska Lakers (15-4-1) — Great Twitter follow and a nice baseball team. Still waiting to see their new uniforms. Will be one of four state tourney bids out of Region 2.
5. Litchfield Blues (14-7) — Unblemished since a late June 2-1 loss to Howard Lake, which was later avenged. They will be coming out of Region 6.
6. Howard Lake Orphans (19-8) — Split the season series with Litch, a couple of tough losses to Dazzel. They will be fine grinding their way out of Region 6 as well.
7. Elrosa Saints (20-6) — Well, here we are. Let’s see if they are prepared to face some nice arms in Region 8C. A couple of Class A and B wins and winners of the last 11 of 13.
8. Perham Pirates (16-5) — Clipped New York Mills twice and should be a three-horse race out of Region 11 between them two and Urbank. Why all the forfeits out up north?
9. Morris Eagles (13-1) — One loss to Granite Falls, who finished 1-4 since that game. Should come out of Region 3.
10. New York Mills Millers (16-4) — Will they be one of the two teams or will Urbank be headed to the dance?
Class C rankings (As of July 28)(Pts)(Previous)
8. Howard Lake Orphans (10)(6)
Also receiving votes: New York Mills Millers, Luxemburg Brewers, Granite Falls Kilowatts, Brownton Bruins, Waterville Indians, Starbuck Stars, Fairmont Martins, New Prague Orioles, Randall Cubs, St. Nick Nicks, Milroy Irish, Madison Mallards and Minnesota Lake Royals.
