Baseball 2025: Prep Championship Series set after drama-filled semifinals

Inclement weather played a scheduling factor on Day 2 of the Minnesota State High School League’s Baseball State Tournament played at four locations, and then a fifth, on Thursday, June 12. Despite the constant presence of heavy clouds that oftentimes gave way to bouts of rain, too much was at stake to dampen the spirits of the semifinalists.

At the completion of the day, all of the championship berths were claimed following the semifinals. Here is a look at the schedule for the Prep Championship Series to be held on Saturday, June 14 at Target Field in downtown Minneapolis:  

Class A

• No. 2 New Ulm Cathedral (23-2) vs. No. 5 Red Lake County (24-5), 10 a.m.

Class AA

• No. 3 Pine Island (20-5) vs. No. 4 Glencoe-Silver Lake (22-4), 1 p.m.

Class AAA

• No. 3 Mahtomedi (18-7) vs. No. 1 Mankato East (23-3), 4:30 p.m.

Class AAAA

• No. 3 Minnetonka (17-9) vs. No. 1 Cretin-Derham Hall (22-4), 7 p.m.

How did they get there? Here is a look at what happened in the semifinals:

Class A

No. 2 New Ulm Cathedral 8, No. 3 South Ridge 1:  

New Ulm Cathedral has found its way back into the Class A championship game for the first time since winning the crown in 2005. 

That came courtesy of an 8-1 victory where early offense and the superb pitching of senior Jake Finstad were a double dose of trouble for the Panthers. Senior Colin Anderson had a two-run single in the second inning when the Greyhounds scored four in building a 6-0 lead. Finstad took care of things from there and didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning on a single by South Ridge ninth-grader Sam Petrasky. 

He continued to dominate until South Ridge was able to manufacture a single run.

Anderson had two hits, as did teammate Elliott Schabert, a senior designated hitter.  

No. 5 Red Lake County 4, No. 1 Parkers Prairie 3:

It took two stadiums located one hour apart to complete this Class A semifinal. The contest with a berth in the Class A championship game at stake began at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. The inclement weather that loomed throughout Minnesota on Thursday finally struck the Granite City and forced a suspension with the score tied at 3-all after eight innings. 

Tournament administrators weren’t optimistic about restarting without a long delay, so they looked at options. They targeted turf fields with high quality drainage, including St. John’s University. The best option was Knute Nelson field in Alexandria. Teams, their supportive fans, the umpiring crew and game management relocated to Alexandria and ensured ample warm-up time was afforded each squad. 

“We had a very small window of time to create the opportunity for these teams to finish their contest,” said tournament manager Emmett Keenan, activities director at St. Cloud Cathedral. “Everything worked out. Shortly after the conclusion, a major downpour came through Alex.”

Red Lake County toppled Parkers Prairie behind a double from junior Kegan Schmitz to left field. He scored moments later on a throwing error that gave the Rebels enough for a 4-3 victory. Red Lake County then turned to defense in the bottom of the ninth inning, using a double play to seal the victory. 

Parkers Prairie was down to its final out when senior Nolan Steidl hit an RBI single to left field to forge a 3-all tie. 

Class AA 

No. 3 Pine Island 6, No. 2 Perham 2: 

Drama-filled baseball has been to Pine Island’s liking this week. 

The Panthers, making their first state tournament appearance since 2016, opened the Class AA tournament with a walk-off hit in the eighth inning to defeat Pierz. Less than a day later, Pine Island needed overtime again in the semifinals. After trading runs in the eighth inning, Pine Island burst things open with four runs in the top of the ninth inning to post a 6-2 victory and secure a berth in the state championship game. 

Junior Nick Thein, senior Brandon Week and junior Benjamin Grabau each had runs batted in during the decisive ninth inning. 

But they couldn’t exhale until holding off Perham in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Yellowjackets didn’t go down easily, hit three consecutive two-out singles to load the bases. But no damage was incurred as Thein secured the final out on a long fly to right field. 

No. 4 Glencoe-Silver Lake 2, No. 1 Marshall School, Duluth 1: 

Ninth-grade pitcher Trevor Engelmann kept a potent Duluth Marshall attack from inflicting major damage, which allowed Glencoe-Silver Lake to record an upset of a top seed. He pitched an eight-inning complete game, throwing 100 pitches and striking out six to propel the Panthers into the Class AA championship game for the first time since winning the crown in 2021. 

In the decisive eighth-inning, senior Luke Roepke delivered a run-scoring single up the middle, sending junior Brody Ruschmeier home from second. Early on, Glencoe-Silver Lake tied the score on a run-scoring single to left field by junior Brody Carlson in the fourth inning. 

Class AAA

No. 3 Mahtomedi 6, No. 7 Hutchinson 5:

Mahtomedi’s quest to make a third consecutive trip to the Class AAA game was in serious jeopardy on Thursday, June 12 at the Mini Met in Jordan. Hutchinson, on the strength a four-run third inning, had a 4-1 lead and the Zephyrs’ window was closing quickly. However little that crack, though, Mahtomedi seized the moment. 

The Zephyrs staged a five-run rally with two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to turn what looked like a third-place game appearance into a journey to a familiar place: Target Field for the Class AAA championship game on Saturday. 

Mahtomedi, the Class AAA champion in 2018 and 2021, were the Class AAA runner-up the past two seasons. They get another crack at a championship following a stunning rally that was highlighted by a two-run, no out double by junior right fielder Connor Finn. The ball had plenty of loft and looked like it had a chance to reach the scoreboard, but instead, it hit at the base of the track. 

Moments later, he scored on a sacrifice fly to give Mahtomedi (18-7) a 6-4 advantage. The run proved pivotal a half inning later when Hutchinson (18-10) inched to within a run. The Tigers loaded the bases with two outs and junior Mathieu Mizinski was summoned to try and close it out for Mahtomedi. 

He did so by fielding an infield grounder by senior catcher Max Martin. Instead of a soft toss to first base to throw out Martin, Mizinski didn’t want to risk anything going awry, so he sprinted to the base himself as the Zephyrs exhaled with relief at sidestepping an upset.

Hutchinson roughed up Mahtomedi senior pitcher Ethan Felling for four runs on five hits in the third inning. The Tigers had four consecutive two out hits, including a dandy bunt single by Martin up the third base line with the bases loaded. That created a three-run advantage and a belief that Hutchinson was poised to complete an upset bid. 

The Zephyrs, champions in 2018 and 2021, have finished as the runner-up the past two years.

No. 1 Mankato East 2, No. 4 Delano 0: 

A rare baseball feat became an added bonus during Mankato East’s 2-0 victory over Delano in the second semifinal at the Mini Met in Jordan. The game already had big enough stakes with a spot in the Class AAA championship on the line. The drama and intrigue thickened with each inning and each out. 

Mankato East sophomore left-handed pitcher Keaton Wojcik tossed a no-hitter to anchor the Cougars’ first-ever appearance in a baseball championship game. But guess what? Delano senior pitcher Jack Scanlon also tossed a no-hitter. 

A no-hitter is a baseball treat, but to have two in the same game is a real rarity. So rare, in fact, that the National Federation of State High School Associations Record Book has no such entry for the feat. 

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Mankato East coach Micah Degner said of the duel. “It is so incredible for one no-hitter, and in a game of this magnitude, to have two makes this that much more incredible. What we saw speaks volumes to the talents of each pitcher.”

Wojcik threw 96 pitches, walked three and struck out six. While Scanlon’s pitching line said he gave up two runs, he walked six and struck out 11. What the box score also says is that Delano committed four errors, which contributed to the manufacturing of all the offense that Mankato East (23-3) would need. 

Mankato East grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a throwing error. Pinch runner Peyton McCormick, a senior, then raced to third after a walk and a passed ball before scoring on a wild pitch. One inning later, another run scored on a combined three-base error on a pickoff attempt. 

Wojcik was the beneficiary of solid defense behind him. 

“I’ve got a lot of trust in my teammates,” he said. “They were really strong and every bit a part of this with me.”

Class AAAA

No. 3 Minnetonka 8, No. 7 Champlin Park 6:

Minnetonka made its way to the big-school championship game for the first time since 2018 with help, in part, from the No. 9 spot in the batting order. That spot is held by senior catcher Lincoln Heitkamp, who capped a late rally with a three-run double to send the Skippers to an 8-6 victory over Champlin Park in the first semifinal at CHS Field in downtown St. Paul. 

Heitkamp enjoys his place in the batting order and it shows: He was 2 for 2 with a walk. 

Minnetonka (17-9), which was the Class AAAA runner-up in 2018, gained some separation on the scoreboard by scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to create an 8-3 lead. Senior first baseman August Berger was 3 for 4 and scored three runs for the Skippers. 

Champlin Park (17-9) jumped on Minnetonka early with runs in each of the first three innings. Senior shortstop Nicklaus Carlson was 3 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI.

No. 1 Cretin-Derham Hall 7, No. 4 Farmington 2

Cretin-Derham Hall wasted little time jumping out to a big lead over Farmington in the second Class AAAA semifinal at CHS Field. But waiting then became a factor as the Raiders and Tigers had to endure a 1 hour, 45-minute delay because of inclement weather in downtown St. Paul. Their patience was eventually rewarded with a 7-1 victory and the Raiders’ first state championship appearance since winning the big-school crown in 2007. 

Senior outfielder Watson Fleming was 3 for 4 with a run scored and another batted in while junior designated hitter Davis Fleming was 2 for 2 to help power the top-ranked Raiders (22-4). The Fleming brothers, and with senior John Henry Kohorst, Cretin-Derham Hall’s top three batters in the order, were a combined 7 for 10 with two walks.