(WIAA) – The 50th Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association State Softball Tournament will take place Wednesday-Saturday, June 10-13, at the Goodman Softball Complex on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison, Wis.
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE AND PAIRINGS: The single-elimination tournament features five divisions. Eight teams qualify in Division 1 and four each in Divisions 2, 3, 4 and 5. All teams are seeded in each of the divisional brackets. The second game of each session will begin approximately 30 minutes following the first game.
DIVISION 1
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, June 10
Game-1: #2 Muskego (26-2) vs. #7 Marshfield (18-8) – 11 a.m.
Game-2: #3 Stevens Point (25-4) vs. #6 Appleton North (19-7) – 1:30 p.m.*
Game-3: #1 Hamilton (27-1) vs. #8 West Allis Hale/Central (15-11) – 4 p.m.
Game-4: #4 Sun Prairie East (21-4) vs. #5 Union Grove (23-6) – 6:30 p.m.*
Semifinals – Thursday, June 11
Game-5:Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 7 p.m.
Semifinals – Friday, June 12
Game-6: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 – 9 a.m.*
Championship – Saturday, June 13
Game-7: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 – 6:30 p.m.*
DIVISION 2
Semifinals – Friday, June 12
Game-1: #1 Medford (28-1) vs. #4 Pewaukee (20-9) – 4:30 p.m.
Game-2: #2 Turner (25-3) vs. #3 Fox Valley Lutheran (24-3) – 7 p.m.*
Championship – Saturday, June 13
Game-3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 4 p.m.
DIVISION 3
Semifinals – Friday, June 12
Game-1: #1 Lomira (25-3) vs. #4 Spooner (23-1) – 11:30 a.m.
Game-2: #2 New Holstein (23-7) vs. #3 Lodi (20-7) – 2 p.m.*
Championship – Saturday, June 13
Game-3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 1 p.m.*
DIVISION 4
Semifinals – Thursday, June 11
Game-1: #1 Grantsburg (25-0) vs. #4 Johnson Creek (25-4) – 2 p.m.
Game-2: #2 Mineral Point (26-4) vs. #3 Marathon (25-5) – 4:30 p.m.*
Championship – Saturday, June 13
Game-3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 10:30 a.m.*
DIVISION 5
Semifinals – Thursday, June 11
Game-1: #1 Belmont (21-6) vs. #4 Athens (16-11) – 9 a.m.*
Game-2: #2 Almond-Bancroft (26-1) vs. #3 Blair-Taylor (21-7) – 11:30 a.m.
Championship – Saturday, June 13
Game-3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – 8 a.m.
* Games begin approximately 30 minutes following previous game.
PRE-FINALS LIVE ON WIAA.TV: The pre-finals of the State Softball Tournament will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a subscription basis. To purchase a subscription for $13.99 per month, log on to WIAA.TV or www.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the subscription graphic in the upper right side of the homepage.
STATE TOURNAMENT ON THE AIR: The championship finals of all five divisions will be aired live on the WIAA State Television Stations WKOW 27.2, WAOW 9.2, WQOW 18.2 and WXOW 19.2, WVTV 24.1 in Milwaukee and WCWF 14.1 in Green Bay/Appleton. The finals will also be streamed live on the Network stations’ websites.
FIFTY YEARS OF TOURNAMENT HISTORY: The WIAA has been sponsoring the State Softball Tournament since 1976. Stevens Point leads all programs in State titles won with nine. Kimberly has claimed seven titles, and Kaukauna, Marion, Oakfield and Poynette have six. Denmark and Pacelli have won five. Stevens Point has appeared in the most State Tournaments with 19. Oakfield is next on the list with 17 and Ashwaubenon has qualified 16 times. Chippewa Falls and Kimberly have 14 appearances, followed by Cedarburg, Pacelli and Poynette with 13. The State Tournament was held in Madison the first year and then moved to Saratoga Softball Complex in Waukesha in 1997. In 2002, the tournament returned to Madison at its current home, the Goodman Softball Complex. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the State Tournament was held at UW-Green Bay. This year, the 175th WIAA State Softball Tournament champion will be crowned. Including this year, 249 programs have qualified for the State Tournament, and 90 have won State championships.
LAST YEAR: Second-seeded Kaukauna won the Division 1 title last season with a 1-0 shutout over top-seeded Kenosha Bradford in the championship game. In Division 2, second-seeded Denmark won the title with a 4-1 victory over top-seeded Jefferson in the final. Poynette, the #2 seed in Division 3, captured the crown with an 11-5 win over top-seeded Fall Creek in the championship game. In the Division 4 championship game, second-seeded Mishicot blanked top-seeded Pacelli 1-0 in nine innings to earn the title, and Belmont, the #1 seed, downed second-seeded Almond-Bancroft, 8-3, to win the Division 5 championship.
THE DIVISION 1 FIELD: Hamilton is the top seed in the bracket. The Chargers qualify for the third year in a row and for the fifth time in the last six seasons. It’s the 13th time the Chargers have advanced to State overall. Their deepest tournament runs in the program’s previous 12 appearances ended in the semifinals in 1980, 1987 and last season.They earn another shot at a title by rolling to a 9-0 victory over Cedarburg in the sectional final hosted by Hamilton. The Chargers are the champions in the Greater Metro Conference this year. Second-seeded Muskego makes its return to the State Tournament for the first time in three decades. The Warriors’ only other appearance at State resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals. They were 6-3 victors over Waukesha West in the sectional final hosted at Muskego. During the regular season, they were the champions in the Classic Eight Conference. Third-seeded Stevens Point Area Senior High is making its membership-leading 19th overall appearance at State. The Panthers have also won the most State championships of any member school with nine. They won four straight titles from 2001-04, won back-to-back titles in 2008-09 and added championships in 2011 and 2016. In addition, they captured the State Class A championship in 1986. Furthermore, they were runners-up in 1985 and 2000. They are the champions of the Wisconsin Valley Conference this year, and they advance to State from the sectional hosted by the Panthers following a 7-6 win over Green Bay Preble in the final.Last year’s runner-up Sun Prairie East is the fourth seed in the bracket. The Cardinals qualify for the fourth consecutive season after the school district split into two schools in 2023. Sun Prairie, before it split into two schools, made eight appearances, winning its lone championship in 2018 and finishing runner-up in 2012, 2019, 2021 and 2022. This season, Sun Prairie East finished atop the standings in the Big Eight Conference, and they advance to the State quarterfinals following a 5-2 victory over Waunakee in the Middleton Sectional final. Fifth-seeded Union Grove is making its first appearance at State since 2023 and its seventh overall. The Broncoswon Division 2 championships in 2007 and 2011. They also advanced to the title game in 2003. They topped Oak Creek 8-7 in the final of the Kenosha Sectional to earn their berth in the tournament. The Broncos placed runner-up in the Southern Lakes Conference this year. Sixth-seeded Appleton North returns to the tournament for the first time since 2018 and for the seventh time overall. The Lightning won their lone State Championship in 2005. They returned to the title game two years later and finished runner-up. The Lightning edged Kimberly 9-8 in the final of the Kaukauna Sectional to claim their berth in the tournament. Appleton North finished tied for second place in the Fox Valley Association in 2026. Marshfield, the seventh seed, advances to State for the fifth time and for the first time since 1998. The Tigers advanced to the championship game in three of their four previous experiences at State. They won their two championships in 1991 and 1997, and finished runner-up in 1998. The Tigers placed second in the Wisconsin Valley Conference this season behind third-seeded Stevens Point. They are the representatives from the Chippewa Falls Sectional after an 11-0, six-inning rout over the host Cardinals in the final. Eighth-seeded West Allis Hale/Central will make the co-op’s first-ever appearance at State. Prior to forming a co-op program, West Allis Hale made one appearance in the tournament. That experience in 1998 resulted in a loss in the quarterfinals. This season, the Blue Jays placed in a tie for fourth place in the Greater Metro Conference standings, and they advance to State with a 5-2 triumph over Brookfield East in the final of the Wisconsin Lutheran Sectional.
THE DIVISION 2 FIELD: Top-seeded Medford will make its third appearance overall and its first since 2006. The Raiders’ first experience was in 2003. In both their previous experiences, they lost in the semifinals. They are back in the State Tournament after a 20-year hiatus following an eight-inning, 6-4 win over Baldwin-Woodville in the Altoona Sectional final. The Raiders were the champions of the Great Northern Conference during the regular season. Turner, the second seed, qualifies for State for the sixth time and for the first time since 2023. The Trojans’ most notable experiences were a Division 2 runner-up finish in 2017 and a Division 3 runner-up finish in 2002. They shut out Mount Horeb 3-0 in the final of the Portage Sectional to earn their berth in the State semifinals. They are the champions in the Rock Division of the Rock Valley Conference this season. Fox Valley Lutheran, the #3 seed, qualifies for the second time and for the first time since the Foxes’ inaugural appearance in 2002, which resulted in a loss in the semifinals. This season, they finished tied for first in the Bay Conference during the regular season. The Foxes ousted former defending champion Denmark, 7-6, in the Plymouth Sectional final to earn their berth in the tournament field. Fourth-seeded Pewaukee qualifies for the first time in the program’s history after the Pirates placed third in the West Division of the Woodland Conference. They celebrate their first appearance in the tournament after downing Whitnall 4-2 in the West Bend Sectional.
THE DIVISION 3 FIELD: Top-seeded Lomira is making its third State appearance and its first since 2021. The only other experience in the tournament came in 2015. Both of the Lions’ previous appearances resulted in losses in the semifinals. They rolled to a five-inning, 11-0 win over Clinton to earn the opportunity to continue their pursuit of a State title. The Lions are the champions of the Wisconsin Flyway Conference this spring. Second-seeded New Holstein makes its second appearance at State. The only other State experience was a runner-up finish in 2022. The Huskies are the champions in the Eastern Wisconsin Conference this spring, and they have advanced to the semifinals in quest of their first State title following a 9-2 victory over Wittenberg-Birnamwood in the sectional final played at Wrightstown. Lodi, the #3 seed, qualifies for State for the second time and for the first time since 1998 when the Blue Devils finished runner-up in Division 2. They needed extra innings to secure their spot in the State semifinals, edging Adams-Friendship 8-7 in eight innings in the Prairie du Chien Sectional final. The Blue Devils placed fourth in the North Division of the Capitol Conference this season. Fourth-seeded Spooner began celebrating the program’s first-ever trip to State following its 5-4 triumph over Prescott in the Cumberland Sectional final. The Rails were the champions of the Heart O’ North Conference during the regular season.
THE DIVISION 4 FIELD: Grantsburg is the #1 seed. The Pirates qualify for the 11th time in program history and for the first time since 2023. They have advanced to the championship game four times, winning three State titles. The Pirates claimed the crowns in 2006, 2009 and 2022, and they finished runner-up in 2016. This season, they are undisputed champions of the West Division of the Lakeland Conference, and they advance to the State semifinals by virtue of a 12-6 win over McDonell Catholic in the sectional final played at Grantsburg. Second-seeded Mineral Point makes its second consecutive appearance in the State Tournament and its fourth overall. The Pointers won the Division 3 championship in 2013. This season, they blanked Fennimore 3-0 in the sectional final played at Riverdale to earn their return trip to Madison. The Pointers were the champions of the Southwest Wisconsin Athletic League this spring. Third-seeded Marathon makes its first-ever appearance at State. The Red Raiders edged Auburndale 3-2 in the sectional final held at Marathon. This season, they finished second in the South Division of the Marawood Conference. Johnson Creek is the #4 seed in the bracket. The Bluejays are making their fifth State appearance and the first since 2003. In each of their four previous tournament experiences, they have been ousted from title contention in the semifinals. They qualify this season following an 8-0 shutout over Algoma in the sectional final played at Johnson Creek. The Bluejays finished first in the South Division of the Trailways Conference this season.
THE DIVISION 5 FIELD: Defending champion Belmont is the top seed in the bracket. The Braves return to the State Tournament for the ninth time in the program’s history. In addition to last season, they have won the State championship in Division 4 in 2002 and the Division 5 title in 2019. They also advanced to the Division 4 finals on two other occasions, finishing runner-up in 2003 and 2006. They earned a chance to play for a second straight championship by shutting out Ithaca/Weston 7-0 in the River Ridge Sectional final. The Braves placed third in the Six Rivers Conference this season. Last year’s runner-up Almond-Bancroft was issued the #2 seed. The Eagles are making their fourth appearance in the tournament. They also advanced to the championship game in Class C back in 1982 and finished runner-up. This season, the Eagles are the champions in the Central Wisconsin Conference. Their path to State featured a 6-1 win over Cambria-Friesland in the sectional final played at Almond-Bancroft. Third-seeded Blair-Taylor will make its fifth State appearance overall and its first since qualifying in Division 4 in 2021. The most notable of the Wildcats’ experiences at State were Division 5 runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2019. They return to the State semifinals as a result of a 6-1 victory over Northwood/Solon Springs in the sectional final played at Blair-Taylor. The Wildcats were the champions in the Small Division of the Dairyland Conference this spring. Fourth-seeded Athens will be appearing in the State Tournament for the first time in program history after defeating Wausaukee 7-0 in the sectional final hosted at Athens. The Fighting Bluejays were champions in the North Division of the Marawood Conference this spring.
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