Madison has the aforementioned win over West Central already, but has taken a loss to Tri-Valley. The Bulldogs have consistently had an offense in the top third of Class A, but things can change quickly if the big-game run prevention shows up.

Elk Point-Jefferson, like Tri-Valley, is off to a 3-0 start. The difference is the Huskies haven’t quite faced the level of competition as the Mustangs. Elk Point-Jefferson has dispatched of that opposition accordingly, and early-season momentum is never a bad thing.

Dell Rapids has finished third each of the last three seasons, and lots of young talent returning can help the Lady Quarriers break through the barrier. Dell Rapids’ seed has gotten worse over the last three years, so there’s also the chance there’s another dip.

Dakota Valley has been the most up-and-down of the teams in this tier, bouncing from the third seed to seven seed year to year. The Panthers have a difficult early-season schedule, where a lot will be learned about this group.

Dark Horses: Beresford, Sioux Valley

This is a short list with the top contenders in Class A being so stable, but each team has a reason for being listed.

Beresford is off to a 2-0 start and has clubbed Class B’s Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy and Castlewood. The Watchdogs’ next two games are against Madison and Dakota Valley, so their long-term viability in this race will be determined soon.

Sioux Valley is looking to build off a 16-8 2025 season with only two seniors to replace. The Cossacks have already lost a 6-2 game to Tri-Valley, but they need just a couple big wins to break through into the upper tier of the class.

Class B

Defending Champion: Deuel

This is the first defending champ who doesn’t have a clear path to a repeat due to the graduation of pitcher Katrina Hagberg. A strong pitcher can be overwhelming, especially at smaller schools, and losing that weapon can pose serious problems for a team that surrendered 43 runs in 24 games.

Also, Deuel only scored five runs in the last two state tournament games, fully relying on pitching and defense to beat elite competition.

Counting out the defending champs is never a good idea, especially with so much of the team coming back, but this feels like a year for the Cardinals to reset and find a new way to win games.

Contenders: Castlewood, Flandreau, Gayville-Volin, Florence/Henry, Bon Homme

The theme here is teams that didn’t lose their star pitcher or lots of seniors from last year, as pitching is at a premium in Class B.

Castlewood has lots of roster continuity, while also coming off a 16-6 season and a sixth-place finish in the state tournament. The Warriors won the 2023 championship and were second in 2024, and have a few tough tests against Class A teams lined up to determine how strong they really are.

Flandreau could technically be considered a dark horse given they weren’t in the state tournament a season ago, but the Fliers are off to a dominant 2-0 start with 32 runs scored. Flandreau could make a leap from a SoDak 16 appearance to a run in the Class B state tournament.

Gayville-Volin is also 2-0 this season, and the Raiders have won in a low-scoring game and had the offense go for 16 runs. The Raiders made a run to the state championship game as the No. 6 seed, and this could be the year they bump up a step and win it all.

Florence/Henry is another example of a team that went to the state tournament and has a lot of roster continuity. The Watchdog Classic on May 9, will determine a lot about how the Falcons will fare this season, with Beresford, Dell Rapids, Tri-Valley and West Central all set to test Florence/Henry.