Class B

Quarterfinals, Thursday, June 4

• No. 1 Castlewood (18-4) vs. No. 8 Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy (11-7), 10 a.m. CT
• No. 4 Hanson (18-4) vs. No. 5 Avon (16-7), noon CT
• No. 2 McCook Central/Montrose (20-2) vs. No. 7 Redfield (10-7), 2 p.m. CT
• No. 3 Florence/Henry (15-4) vs. No. 6 Gayville-Volin (14-5), 4 p.m. CT

Semifinals, Friday, June 5

• Semifinal 1, 2 p.m. CT
• Semifinal 2, 4 p.m. CT

Championship game, Saturday, June 6

• State Title Game, 4 p.m. CT

Analysis

Class AA

This feels like a three-horse race, with Sioux Falls Jefferson, Harrisburg and Sioux Falls Washington having established themselves as the clear top three.

Jefferson has a win over each team, while Harrisburg swept a pair of games against Washington. Neither team lost to anyone else.

The Cavaliers have the top pitching staff in the state with Tya Devericks and Mak Bierman, while also having Macy Bryant post an absurd .828 batting average this season. Devericks posted a 0.93 ERA in 68 innings with 99 strikeouts, and Bryant added 18 doubles, eight triples, seven home runs, 37 RBIs, 51 runs scored and 14 stolen bases. Her slash line is .828/.845/1.688. Brooklyn Herrera has also been a major contributor in the middle of the Jefferson lineup.

Harrisburg also has a potent lineup, with Peyton LaFramboise, Alexis Fey, Jayci Olson, Kennedy Kokenge and Maleia Knutson all helping the Tigers average a Class AA-high 13.4 runs per game.

Washington is led by pitcher Maddy Mescher, who has thrown to a 1.53 ERA in 93 innings with 127 strikeouts. The Warriors have averaged just 2.7 runs in their losses and 11.4 runs in their wins. The Warriors will need to keep their offense hot, having scored in double digits each of the last three games.

Brandon Valley, Sioux Falls Roosevelt and O’Gorman all got hot right before the state tournament and could present early problems for the top teams. One of Brandon Valley and Roosevelt will be eliminated in the second game of the first day, and then will likely face Jefferson.

Rapid City Stevens and Sioux Falls Lincoln don’t necessarily come into the weekend limping, but haven’t had the best stretches. They have Washington and Jefferson, respectively, and those aren’t the best matchups for struggling sides.

This will likely be a three-team race, and I think Jefferson is unbeaten for a reason. The Cavaliers have the best player (Bryant) and probably the best pitcher (Devericks) in the state, and they should take home their second consecutive state championship

Prediction: Sioux Falls Jefferson

Class A

Class A is as wide open as any class, with five teams I feel have a decent chance to win a state championship.

Let’s start with the defending champions from West Central. The Trojans had a more rocky season than normal, but a dynamic lineup can turn things around in a hurry. West Central has wins over the top two seeds and Beresford, its first opponent, so confidence should be high.

Madison is the top seed with losses only to West Central and Tri-Valley. The Lady Bulldogs have the second-best average run differential in the tournament and have scored in double digits in 11 of their 14 wins.

Tri-Valley was both the best team at preventing and scoring runs in Class A, and the Mustangs ripped off an eight-game winning streak during the middle of their season. Tri-Valley went 7-2 against teams that made a state tournament this season, proving it’s a battle-tested side.

Sioux Valley and Dakota Valley are similar, but the Cossacks got a lower seed despite winning seven more games this season. Sioux Valley went just 6-2 against Class A competition, with four of those wins coming against Sioux Falls Christian. Dakota Valley only has two losses coming to South Dakota teams, with one each against Madison and Tri-Valley.

Beresford is the first team I feel is off the true title contention list, mostly because of the lack of offensive firepower against quality competition. Lennox and Elk Point-Jefferson are both just a few games over .500 and haven’t reached 10 wins, and have tough opening matchups.

I feel the second seed has all the tools to win this, but Madison and West Central are also very strong contenders for the crown.

Prediction: Tri-Valley

Class B

Three lower seeds won in the SoDak 16, with No. 14 Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy beating No. 3 Deuel, No. 11 Redfield taking down No. 6 Baltic and No. 9 Gayville-Volin beating No. 8 Chester.

Castlewood, McCook Central/Montrose and Hanson appear to have separated themselves from the pack. Each team boasts solid average run differentials and can get hot over the weekend.

Castlewood has been great at run prevention, McCook Central/Montrose has scored tons of runs and Hanson has managed to thread the middle ground of those two styles.

Florence/Henry, Avon and Gayville-Volin have also shown to be quality opposition, but they’ve just come up short a few too many times against the cream of the crop.

Redfield and Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy need to keep their momentum from the SoDak 16, but have a tall task to make a run here.

This is mostly a coin flip between the top three, but I’m going with Class B’s only 20-game winner.

Prediction: McCook Central/Montrose