WIAA releases D-1 Sectional brackets, seedings
May 22, 2018
This week, the WIAA released the Division-1 tournament brackets and Sectional pairings. The postseason will begin a week from today, on Tuesday, May 29. Below, we’ll examine all eight D-1 Sectional brackets as well as the top contenders from each one, including the Power 25 representatives. Here’s the link to the WIAA’s official site with information regarding the state playoffs. You can find information about the Sectional seedings here.
Stay posted for even further coverage of the WIAA baseball season, now that conference titles are being crowned and the postseason is just around the corner.
SECTIONALS NO. 1 & 3
| RANK | EAU CLAIRE MEMORIAL | RANK | MIDDLETON |
| 1 | Eau Claire North (No. 5) | 1 | Middleton (No. 14) |
| 2 | Stevens Point (No. 9) | 2 | Waunakee (No. 12) |
| 3 | Eau Claire Memorial (No. 17) | 3 | Holmen |
| 4 | River Falls | 4 | DeForest |
| 5 | Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln | 5 | Reedsburg |
| 6 | Chippewa Falls | 6 | Sauk Prairie |
| 7 | New Richmond | 7 | Tomah |
| 8 | Superior | 8 | Onalaska |
| 9 | Hudson | 9 | Portage |
| 10 | Menomonie | 10 | La Crosse Central |
| 11 | Marshfield | 11 | Baraboo |
| 12 | Merrill | 12 | Sparta |
In Sectional No. 1, the top-ranked team is Eau Claire North. The Huskies are currently ranked No. 5 in the Power 25 and are 16-3 this spring. They’ve had a strong season and will surely be the team to beat out of this side of the bracket, but they might have to go through rival Eau Claire Memorial to get back to state, where they ended up last year. Memorial and North actually just split a two-game series last week, making any potential postseason matchup that much more interesting. The Old Abes are 12-4 this spring and are also a Power 25 team, ranked No. 17. They’re the No. 3-ranked team in their Sectional, however, and will await the winner of Marshfield and Chippewa Falls in their Regional title game.
Stevens Point only just recently earned a spot on the Power 25, but their 17-2 record has carried them all the way to No. 9 in the top 25, and they’re the No. 2-ranked team in Sectional No. 1. They’ll be playing either New Richmond or Menomonie on May 31’s Regional championship game.
Moving on to Sectional No. 2, Middleton is operating as the top-ranked team here. Middleton is having an interesting season. At 16-6, their record isn’t overly impressive, but their resume is. They have three combined wins over two other State favorites: Janesville Craig and Sun Prairie. They do also own some bad losses, which is the primary reason why they’re ranked No. 14 in the Power 25, but they’re still the favorites to come out of this bracket. The No. 2-ranked squad in their Sectional is Waunakee. The Warriors are 13-5 this spring with five games remaining on their regular season schedule. They’re the No. 12-ranked Power 25 team and have been among the top-25 teams in the state all season. Holmen (12-6) is the No. 3-ranked team here and currently sits On The Bubble of our Power 25.
SECTIONALS NO. 2 & 4
| RANK | BAY PORT | RANK | APPLETON EAST |
| 1 | Antigo (No. 8) | 1 | West De Pere (No. 4) |
| 2 | Green Bay Preble (No. 10) | 2 | Kimberly (No. 6) |
| 3 | Bay Port | 3 | Hortonville |
| 4 | Wausau West | 4 | Oshkosh West |
| 5 | De Pere | 5 | Appleton North |
| 6 | D.C. Everest | 6 | Neenah |
| 7 | Green Bay Southwest | 7 | Appleton West |
| 8 | Pulaski | 8 | Kaukauna |
| 9 | Shawano Community | 9 | Menasha |
| 10 | Ashwaubenon | 10 | Appleton East |
| 11 | Green Bay East/West | 11 | Manitowoc Lincoln |
| 12 | Wausau East | 12 | Oshkosh North |
Antigo is the top team in Sectional No. 2, and has steadily become one of the best teams in the state ranked No. 8 on our Power 25. They were the first D-1 team to earn their 20th win of the spring and are presently 23-2 this spring. The Red Robins are formidable favorites to come out of this Sectional to earn themselves a State quarterfinals berth.
Elsewhere in the bracket is No. 2-ranked Green Bay Preble. They’re another team that’s been on our Power 25 all season long and are currently ranked No. 10. They were the preseason’s No. 5-ranked team so things haven’t gone exactly according to plan, but the Red Robins will certainly hope they can dodge a meeting with either of the Hornets’ top arms, which are plentiful. Bay Port is another On The Bubble team and they’re the No. 3-ranked team in Sectional No. 2.
In Sectional No. 4, West De Pere is the No. 1-ranked team. The Phantoms are having an excellent season, sitting at No. 4 in the Power 25 with a record of 18-4. They’re fully stocked with next-level talent eager to earn silverware before as their last contributions to the program. The No. 2- and 3-ranked teams on the other end of the bracket are Kimberly and Hortonville. These two Fox Valley Association rivals are on course to knock one of themselves out in the Sectional semifinals. The Papermakers, last year’s D-1 champions, are built for the playoffs and are a scary proposition to anyone lurking as the No. 2 seed.. Kimberly is ranked No. 6 in the Power 25, too. Hortonville was ranked in the preseason but they were bounced from the rankings in the middle of April after a tough stretch. Since, the Polar Bears have gotten back on track and are 12-5 this season. They’re a Power 25 bubble team but one you wouldn’t want to draw in the playoffs, and recently upset the Papermakers on Tuesday.
SECTIONALS NO. 5 & 7
| RANK | JANESVILLE RIVERSIDE | RANK | WISCONSIN LUTHERAN |
| 1 | Janesville Craig (No. 3) | 1 | Milwaukee King |
| 2 | Janesville Parker | 2 | Milwaukee Reagan |
| 3 | Verona | 3 | Wisconsin Lutheran |
| 4 | Madison West | 4 | Milwaukee Riverside Univeristy |
| 5 | Madison Memorial | 5 | Milwaukee Bradley Technical |
| 6 | Oregon | 6 | Languages Co-op |
| 7 | Stoughton | 7 | Milwaukee Hamilton |
| 8 | Milton | 8 | Milwaukee South |
| 9 | Fort Atkinson | 9 | Milwaukee Vincent |
| 10 | Elkhorn | 10 | Milwaukee Washington |
| 11 | Beloit Memorial | 11 | Milwaukee Bay View |
| 12 | Madison La Follette | 12 | Milwaukee Pulaski-Juneau |
Janesville Craig is one of this tournament’s true favorites. The Cougars are stacked with talent, including senior C Jacob Campbell, who’s looking to win his second State title since his freshman season. Campbell’s leadership, experience, and mighty bat can help get Craig to bounce back from last year’s Sectional semis exit. The Cougars have been ranked within the top three of the Power 25 all spring long and, without another Power 25 team in either their Sectional or No. 7, their path could be a little easier than it has in years past.
The No. 2-ranked team in Craig’s Sectional is crosstown rivals Parker. The Vikings have had an up-and-down season but they’re hitting their stride now. Parker’s won six straight games since dropping a pair of close games to Middleton earlier this month. They did also get swept in two games by Craig at the end of April, making a prospective Sectionals finals meeting with the Cougars a revenge game. First, the Vikings will have to play either Stoughton or Elkhorn in their Regional championship game before moving on to the Sectional semis where No. 3-ranked Verona could be lurking.
Sectional No. 5 is comprised of Milwaukee-area schools, led by No. 1-ranked Milwaukee King. The Generals are 9-7 this spring and have had a couple of one-sided performances this month, proving that their offense can be a force. King’s led offensively by Keshun Nelson and brothers Tomas and Natanael Pinet. All three have an OPS over 1.000 this spring. They’ll be looking to put a dent into either Milwaukee’s Vincent or South programs to earn back-to-back Regional championships.
Milwaukee Reagan is the No. 2-ranked team on the other side of the bracket. They were a Regional champ last spring and return seven starters from last year’s squad, including sophomores Conley and Keegan O’Keefe, as well as senior 2017 first-teamers Parker Matel and Brennan Ray.
SECTIONALS NO. 6 & 8
| RANK | OCONOMOWOC | RANK | KENOSHA TREMPER |
| 1 | Arrowhead (No. 1) | 1 | Kenosha Tremper (No. 11) |
| 2 | Sun Prairie (No. 2) | 2 | Burlington (No. 16) |
| 3 | Watertown | 3 | Wilmot Union (No. 19) |
| 4 | Beaver Dam (No. 24) | 4 | Westosha Central (No. 22) |
| 5 | Oconomowoc | 5 | Waterford (No. 21) |
| 6 | Hartford Union | 6 | Kenosha Bradford |
| 7 | Fond du Lac | 7 | Kenosha Indian Trail |
| 8 | Slinger | 8 | Union Grove |
| 9 | Monona Grove | 9 | Badger |
| 10 | Sheboygan North | 10 | Racine Horlick |
| 11 | Madison East | 11 | Racine Case |
| 12 | Sheboygan South | 12 | Racine Park |
These two Sectional groups are very likely the two toughest in the state’s seedings. Sectional No. 6 features the top-ranked team in the Power 25, Arrowhead, and the No. 2-ranked Sun Prairie in the same bracket. Arrowhead is 18-2 this spring and has yet to lose in the month of May. They’re on a 14-game win streak despite playing multiple games against Oconomowoc, Catholic Memorial, Middleton, and Wisconsin Lutheran along the stretch. A State semifinals appearance last season has only made them hungrier for more this spring, and it shows.
Sun Prairie is 19-3 this spring and are riding a respectable 10-game win streak themselves. They beat Antigo most recently, highlighting the caliber of their squad. They fell in last year’s State championship game to Kimberly and entered this spring as our preseason No. 1. They’re filled with talent on offense, defense, and on the mound if it weren’t for their geographical and conference ties, they’d be the top team in just about any other bracket.
The No. 3 and 4 teams in Sectional No. 6 also warrant a mention here. Watertown is a Power 25 bubble team and No. 4 Beaver Dam has been on the past two editions of the Power 25. The Golden Beavers are 13-5 and own two wins over Waunakee that’s bolstered their resume. Oconomowoc is in a slump, 11-8 this spring, but were ranked No. 7 in the preseason. They’ll have to beat Sheboygan South for a shot at Beaver Dam in their Regional title game.
Turning our attention to Sectional No. 8 and we see five more Power 25 teams. Here, Kenosha Tremper is top-ranked team, No. 11 on the Power 25, with their 16-2 record. The No. 2-ranked team in the Sectional is Burlington, who just yesterday made their return to the Power 25 after downing Wilmot Union twice last week. Wilmot comes in ranked No. 3 in this bracket and No. 19 in our rankings. Power 25-ranked Westosha Central is the No. 4-ranked team in the bracket and own wins this spring against, Burlington, Wilmot, Oconomowoc, and Waterford. And finally, speaking of Waterford, they’re our fifth team in Sectional No. 8 who also has a spot on the Power 25. They’re 13-5 this spring and were handed a hard-luck No. 5-rank within this Sectional, forcing them to play Racine Park in order to get to the Regional championship against Westosha Central.
It’ll be interesting to see who comes out of the dogfight that will be sectionals No. 6 and No. 8, because whoever it is will be battle-tested and ready for a real shot at a state title.
Keep an eye out for continued coverage regarding the D-1 playoffs, as well as some insight on the D-2, D-3, and D-4 brackets.
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