Bracket Breakdown: Division 4
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 (Shell Lake)
The Shell Lake sectional is the home to several state championship contenders. Clear Lake is the slight favorite to make it to Appleton, but they could have a very challenging road to the state tournament. The Warriors are 23-2 with one game remaining in the regular season. Other top teams in the sectional include Webster (16-5), Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran (18-4), Drummond (12-5), Prairie Farm (15-4 with a game remaining) and Thorp (15-7).
Webster is the top seed in regional A. The Tigers, who are coached by former MLB pitcher Jarrod Washburn, are 16-5 and have wins over top Division 3 teams Regis and Unity this year. They won the Lakeland West Conference and have several starters hitting over .300. Junior Hunter Gustafson is hitting a ridiculous .515 with six home runs and 45 RBIs. Ace Jack Washburn is averaging almost two strikeouts per inning on the mound. No. 2 seed Shell Lake played close to .500 this year, and the other seeds all finished well below .500. Webster should dominate this regional.
Drummond won the Indianhead Conference and is the top seed in regional B. The Lumberjacks are 12-5 this season and have beaten every team in the regional at least once. No. 2 seed Butternut/Mercer is 13-8 with a game remaining this year. Mellen, the No. 3 seed, finished close to the top of the Indianhead Conference, while fourth-seeded Hurley is 7-18 this year.
Clear Lake headlines regional C as the top seed. The Lakeland East Conference champions are currently 2-0 against teams in this regional. The Warriors hit eight home runs this year and have a solid pitching staff. No. 2 seed Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran has similar prospects. The Lancers are 18-4 and won the Dairyland Conference. Their playoff opener will be against No. 3 seed Prairie Farm, who is 15-4 this year with one game remaining against Clear Lake. The Panthers have a great one-two punch on the mound with Jordan Siebert and Jarek Nelson. No. 4 seed Plum City (7-8) will face No. 5 seed and reigning sectional champ Pepin/Alma in the regional’s other game.
Thorp is the top seed in regional D. The Cardinals are 15-7 this year and did pretty well in the Cloverbelt West Conference. Gilman, the No. 2 seed, is 13-9. They went 3-0 against teams in this regional. No. 3 seed McDonell Central has played around .500 this year, while No. 4 seed Bruce is 11-9. This regional is fairly wide open.
Sectional 2 (Assumption)
Sectional 2 could end up being a free-for-all given the relatively small number of dominant teams in the bracket. Pittsville is the early favorite. The Panthers are 19-4 this year and have a great offense and pitching staff. Athens (14-4), Three Lakes/Phelps (11-4) and Gresham (12-5) could also pull off deep runs.
Athens is the top seed in regional A. The Bluejays are the co-champions of the Marawood North Conference. They swept both Rib Lake (the No. 2 seed) and Prentice (the No. 3 seed) this year. Rib Lake has made it to the state tournament two years in a row but hasn’t been as good this year as they were during those runs. Prentice is 12-13 this season. Athens is the clear favorite here.
Regional B is probably the toughest in this sectional. Pittsville is the top seed. They won the Marawood South Conference and all of their starters are hitting over .270. Their top two pitchers, Jacob Neve and Dakota Landphier, have ERAs of 0.97 and 1.04, respectively. They might face a challenge from No. 2 seed Loyal, who is 14-7. The Greyhounds finished a game out of first place in the Cloverbelt East Conference. Third-seeded Greenwood finished 16-8 and as the co-champion of the Cloverbelt East. However, they got swept by Loyal this year. Fourth-seeded Assumption is 9-7 headed into the postseason.
Three Lakes/Phelps earned the No. 1 seed in regional C. They are 11-4 this season and won the Northern Lakes Conference. They did well against the teams in this regional this year, only losing once in five games. No. 2 seed Niagara put together a good season and won the regional last year. That experience might help this year. Third-seeded Wausaukee is 11-7 and split their regular season series with Niagara.
Regional D’s top seed is Gresham. The Wildcats are 12-5 this season and reached the sectional finals last year. They are 2-0 against teams in this regional. The No. 2 seed, Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran, made it to the state tournament last year. The Blazers haven’t been as successful this year, but they can still make a run. Every other team in this regional had very few wins this year, so one of the top two seeds should win it.
Sectional 3 (Riverdale)
This is arguably the toughest sectional in Division 4. It has a number of strong contenders, including De Soto (20-5), defending state champion Ithaca (16-3), Highland (16-4), Cashton (14-4), Royall (16-3) and Independence/Gilmanton (17-5 with a game remaining).
Independence/Gilmanton got the top seed in regional A. The Indees took third in the Dairyland Conference, which was stacked toward the top this year. They swept No. 2 seed Eleva-Strum this year. E-S played around .500 this year. All of the other teams in the regional finished well below .500, so one of the top two seeds should move on.
Cashton and Royall could be on a collision course in regional B. The two are co-champions of the Scenic Bluffs Conference. Top-seeded Cashton is 14-4, while Royall is 16-3. Cashton swept the season series, which helped them grab the No. 1 seed. Third-seeded New Lisbon played a few close games against the top two seeds this year, but ultimately finished 0-4 against them.
Much like in regional B, the top three seeds are a step above the rest in regional C. No. 1 De Soto is 20-5 and was the co-champion of the Ridge & Valley Conference along with No. 2 seed Ithaca, who is 16-3. The two split their season series this year, so if they meet in the regional finals it would practically be a toss-up. No. 3 seed Seneca is 12-6 this season and finished just below De Soto and Ithaca in the Ridge & Valley. It might be too much of a tall task for any of the other seeds to make a run to sectionals, as they’d likely have to beat two of the top three seeds to do it.
Highland is the strong favorite in regional D. The Cardinals are 16-4 this year and took second in the Six Rivers Western Conference. They have five starters hitting over .300, and three hitting over .450. Drew Hennessey has a .492 batting average with four home runs, 33 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. No. 2 seed River Ridge is 12-11 this year and got swept by Highland in the regular season. The other teams in the regional haven’t done much to suggest that they’ll go on a deep run, but you never know when it comes to playoff baseball.
Sectional 4 (Barneveld)
If sectional 3 isn’t the toughest in Division 4, then sectional 4 is. It has plenty of good teams who are capable of reaching the state tournament and winning a championship. Pecatonica enters the playoffs as the top-ranked team in Division 4 and with a 19-1 record. Other contenders include Johnson Creek (17-6), Oakfield (15-3 with a game remaining), Almond-Bancroft (20-2), Rosholt (15-7) and Living Word Lutheran (16-5).
Regional A should be tough to get out of. Top-seeded Almond-Bancroft won the Central Wisconsin Ten Conference title this season. They swept their season series against No. 2 seed Rosholt, who is 15-7 and took second in the CW-10. Third-seeded Wild Rose is 14-10 and finished in third in the CW-10. They were swept by Almond-Bancroft, but won two games over Rosholt this year. No. 4 seed Tri-County played around .500 this year, and the Penguins have a win over Wild Rose under their belts.
Regional B is probably the toughest one in this sectional. No. 1 seed Oakfield won the Trailways North Conference title. They went 4-1 against teams in the regional, with a surprising loss to seventh-seeded Cambria-Friesland at the end of the season. No. 2 seed Living Word Lutheran’s 16-5 record is impressive, and the Timberwolves have a powerful offense which hit six home runs this season. Third-seeded Rio is 9-7 and has a solid offense, but hasn’t found much pitching after ace Trajan Prochnow. No. 4 Hilbert/Stockbridge also finished right around .500 this year. One of the top two seeds should win this regional.
Top-ranked Pecatonica is the No. 1 seed in regional C. The Vikings have only lost once this year, to Shullsburg/Benton, a top team in Division 3. They won the Six Rivers Eastern Conference ahead of No. 2 seed Barneveld. The Golden Eagles are 13-7 this spring, but got swept by Pecatonica in two games this year. No. 3 seed Argyle is 10-12 this year and went 2-5 against teams in the regional. The rest of the teams in the regional had very few wins, so one of the top three seeds should move on to sectionals.
Johnson Creek is the clear-cut favorite in regional D. The Bluejays are 17-6 and won the Trailways South Conference. They are a level above the rest of the teams in the regional. No. 2 seed Catholic Central played around .500 this season, as did No. 3 seed Williams Bay. It’s not inconceivable that a team other than Johnson Creek advances to sectionals, but it would be a pretty big upset.
*Stats, unless otherwise noted, are from wissports.net
