Bracket Breakdown: Division 2
The playoffs begin on Thursday, and we're taking a comprehensive look at the brackets for all four Divisions. Things kick off for Divisions 2-4 with the regional quarterfinals on Thursday, and Division 1 gets underway on May 30. Continue reading as we offer the most in-depth look at the playoffs you'll find anywhere.
Sectional 1 (West Salem)
The hosts of this sectional, West Salem, enter as the slight favorites to reach the state tournament. The Panthers have made it to Appleton two years in a row, and they are 18-2 with two games remaining this season. The champions of the Coulee conference will have home field advantage on the road to Appleton. They’re deep in all facets of the game, and enter the playoffs as our fourth-ranked team in Division 2.
Regional A could be anyone’s to take. Top-seeded Ashland is 11-11 this season, and may be ready to get to sectionals for the first time in recent memory after falling in the regionals finals three years in a row. The road to sectionals won’t be easy, though. No. 2 seed Hayward is 17-8 this spring. They have five starters batting over .300 this year and a solid pitching staff. Third seed Northwestern is 11-5 this spring, but they got swept by Hayward in the regular season. Rice Lake, who reached the sectional finals last season is 7-13 this season after playing several Division 1 teams in the Big Rivers Conference. Their tough schedule might pay off in the form of an upset or two in the playoffs.
Fierce rivals Ellsworth and Prescott might do battle to see who gets out of regional B. The Panthers are 13-7 with one game remaining this spring, while the Cardinals are 19-5. Ellsworth swept Prescott during the regular season. They earned the top seed, and will have home field advantage in the regional. Baldwin-Woodville, who is the No. 3 seed and has a 14-9 record this year, could play the role of dark horse in the regional. They split their regular season series with Ellsworth. Fourth-seeded Osceola is 8-10 this year. They swept Baldwin-Woodville this year, but went 0-4 against Ellsworth and Prescott.
Regional C is home to West Salem, where they are the strong favorites to make it to sectionals. No. 2 seed Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau has a 14-7 record, but got swept by West Salem this year. They did sweep No. 3 seed Black River Falls, who is 13-8 this year. No. 4 seed Altoona is 15-6 this season, and could have upset potential.
Regional D figures to be a tough one. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, Mauston and Westfield, are co-champions of the South Central Conference. Mauston is 15-6 this year with one game remaining. They split their season series with Westfield, who is 14-5 this spring. No. 3 seed Adams-Friendship finished just behind Mauston and Westfield in the SCC standings, but went a combined 1-3 against the two in the regular season. Fourth-seeded Wisconsin Dells is 8-12 this year with a 1-5 record against the top three seeds in the regional.
Sectional 2 (Clintonville)
The Clintonville sectional has a number of contenders, and figures to be one of the toughest sectionals in Division 2 to survive. Antigo might be the favorite, but by a very slim margin. The Red Robins enter the playoffs as our third-ranked team in Division 2 with a 21-2 record. Other contenders include Luxemburg-Casco (21-4), Waupaca (15-5) and Fox Valley Lutheran (16-8).
Regional A is really Antigo’s to lose. The Great Northern Conference champs are easily the top team in the region, although they might face a challenge from the likes of No. 2 Mosinee (11-9), No. 3 Lakeland (10-12) and No. 4 Medford (11-13). However, Antigo went a combined 6-0 against those teams this year.
Regional B figures to be anyone’s game. The top seed, Seymour, is 10-15 this season. They were competitive in the Bay Conference this year, which was a mix of Division 1 and Division 2 teams. No. 2 Marinette (8-12) and No. 4 Clintonville (7-11) both have shown they can hang with good teams this year, so they might be capable of a run to sectionals. No. 3 Peshtigo finished in second place in the Marinette & Oconto Conference, and has a 16-8 record this year.
The toughest regional in this sectional is regional C. A number of teams have a realistic chance of making it to sectionals. Top-seeded Fox Valley Lutheran is 16-8 this season. They went 7-0 this season against the teams in this regional. No. 2 seed Waupaca is the defending state champion. The Comets are 15-5 and went 6-2 against teams in the regional. However, they got swept by Fox Valley Lutheran. Still, they’ve got the experience of a deep playoff run to rely on. No. 3 seed Little Chute is currently 12-9 this year and won eight of their last 11 games. Freedom, the No. 4 seed, is 12-13. Outfielder Cole Evers is playing at an all-state level this year. The Irish have wins over top teams like Luxemburg-Casco and Coleman this year, but have been inconsistent.
Regional D is the home to a couple of conference champions. Top-seeded Luxemburg-Casco won the Northeastern Conference this year and is 21-4. They have wins over the likes of Fox Valley Lutheran, Waupaca and Freedom this year. They also beat Sturgeon Bay, the No. 2 seed. The Clippers won the Packerland Conference title and have a 14-4 record this season. The only team that they’ve faced in this regional is L-C, so they’re a relative unknown in this bracket. No. 3 seed Valders is 13-8 this year. They beat Luxemburg-Casco at the end of the regular season and went 4-1 against teams in this regional. They could be a dark horse to make it to sectionals. No. 4 seed Denmark went 12-11 this season and has had mixed success against top teams.
Sectional 3 (Evansville)
Sectional 3 should see a number of heavyweights duking it out for the chance to play at the state tournament. It is home to the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in Division 2. That’s unfortunate, because if they both win out they’d face each other in the sectional semifinals. Beloit Turner, our No. 1 team in the Division, is 21-3 this year. No. 2 Catholic Memorial is 18-3 with a game remaining. The contenders don’t end there. Prairie du Chien (18-2), Mount Horeb (17-5 with a game remaining), River Valley (16-6) and Racine Lutheran/Prairie (17-3) are all capable of making deep runs.
Prairie du Chien is the heavy favorite to advance from regional A. The Blackhawks made it to the state championship game in Division 3 last year and are 18-2 this spring. They went 8-0 against the other teams in this regional. No. 2 seed Platteville is 10-8 this year. They’ve done well enough this season, but will need to play great baseball in order to beat Prairie du Chien if they square off. No. 3 seed Viroqua (11-14) has a couple of decent wins this year but has been inconsistent. Ultimately, it would be a pretty big upset if anyone other than Prairie du Chien wins this regional.
Regional B might be the toughest regional in Division 2. Top-seeded Mount Horeb is currently 17-5 this season. The Vikings have beaten several Division 1 teams this year and have done very well in the Division 1 Badger North Conference. They are 2-0 against teams in this regional. Edgewood earned the No. 2 seed and has an 11-7 record with two games remaining. They narrowly missed out on the Badger South Conference title. They lost to Mount Horeb earlier in the year, which was their only game against a team in this regional. River Valley is arguably the best No. 3 seed in Division 2. The Blackhawks are 16-6 this season and are the co-champions of the Southwest Wisconsin Conference. They have several high-quality wins this year. They beat top-ranked Beloit Turner, SWC co-champ Prairie du Chien and SCC co-champ Mauston this season. They should be dangerous in the postseason. Fourth-seeded Evansville could be a dark horse, too. The Blue Devils are 16-8 this year and finished near the top of the Rock Valley North standings. No. 5 seed Lodi is 10-11 heading into the postseason. They’ve been inconsistent, but can hang with top teams when they’re on their game.
Beloit Turner is the top seed in regional C. The Trojans are 21-3 this year and will be motivated to do better than last postseason, when they got bounced in the regional finals. The Rock Valley South champs are easily the best team in the regional and one of the best in the state, but they’ll have a target on their backs. No. 2 seed Brodhead/Juda is 13-9 this spring and has good wins over the likes of Jefferson and Whitewater. However, they got swept by Turner late in the season. Third-seeded Edgerton enters the postseason 9-10. They’re 1-3 against teams in the regional. No. 4 seed Monroe is 6-16 this year, but they beat both Brodhead/Juda and Edgerton.
Regional D is unbelievably stacked toward the top. No. 1 seed Catholic Memorial is one of the top teams in Wisconsin, regardless of Division. The Crusaders are 18-3 this year and at the time of publication have a chance to win the largely Division 1 Wisconsin Little Ten Conference. They have wins over top teams such as Arrowhead and Oconomowoc. The No. 2 seed Racine Lutheran/Prairie is 17-3 this season and won the Metro Classic Conference. They lost to Catholic Memorial earlier in the year, but they beat No. 4 seed Martin Luther. The Spartans are also 17-3 this year and have a lot of talent for a four seed. Third-seeded Whitewater is 16-6. They started out the year 10-1 before finishing with a 6-5 stretch. Each of the top four seeds in this regional has the potential to make it to the state tournament.
Sectional 4 (Waupun)
The Waupun sectional has a number of heavyweights that should battle it out for the ticket to Appleton. As the host, Waupun will get to play on its home field as long as they stay in the bracket. The Warriors are 21-5 and have reached sectionals in six of the last seven years. They haven’t reached the state tournament since 2013, but this might be the year for the East Central Conference champions. It could be a tough road though, with fellow contenders Columbus (17-1 with a game remaining), Jefferson (18-6) and Campbellsport (16-7) all playing good baseball.
In regional A, Waupun has a couple of tough teams waiting for them. Ripon, the No. 2 seed, is 14-6 this season. They beat the Warriors early in the season, but lost the overall series 1-2. They also picked up wins over the likes of Campbellsport and Kettle Moraine Lutheran, so they could challenge for a spot at sectionals. Third-seeded Winneconne (8-15) beat Ripon once this year, but finished 3-5 overall against teams in this regional. The other teams in the regional all finished well below .500, so it’s likely one of the top seeds will win this one.
Regional B is stacked with good teams. Top-seeded Columbus is currently 17-1 this season. The Cardinals won the Capitol North Conference title for the first time in 25 years, and boast a deep team capable of making a run to Appleton. When Ohio University commit Randon Dauman is on the mound, Columbus is very difficult to beat. Second-seeded Jefferson is currently 18-6 this year, with a Rock Valley North title under its belt. Cornell College commit Cam Anfang has mowed down opposing offenses this season. No. 3 seed Watertown Luther Prep is 14-7 this season. They should not be underestimated if they’re playing close to their best. No. 4 seed Lake Mills also has a 14-7 record this year. The L-Cats are good, but went 1-5 against teams in this regional this season.
Regional C is also deep. The top seed, Campbellsport, is 16-7 this season. They went 4-0 against the other teams in this regional. Their signature win this year was over Waupun, the top seed in regional A. No. 2 seed Kettle Moraine Lutheran is 15-11 this year. The Chargers got swept by Campbellsport, but beat No. 3 seed Mayville (who is 17-5 this spring). No. 4 seed University School won the Midwest Classic Conference. The Wildcats are 15-3 and will be very dangerous for a four seed. They beat Kettle Moraine Lutheran in their only game against a team from this regional. In many other regionals, they probably would have earned a top two seed.
Regional D is the weakest in this sectional. The top seed, Wisconsin Lutheran, is 7-13 this season. They played a tough schedule against several Division 1 teams, which may help them in the postseason. St. Francis got the No. 2 seed and is 9-12 this year. They have three players hitting over .400 and are 2-1 against teams in the regional. Milwaukee Lutheran reached the state championship game last year, but hasn’t been able to replicate that success this year. The Red Knights got the No. 3 seed despite winning only a few games this year. The rest of the teams in the regional didn’t have much success either. There’s no clear cut favorite in a regional that lacks a dominant team.
*All stats, unless otherwise noted, are from wissports.net
