Girls Softball: Five teams making state tournament debuts this week

Five teams among the 32 that qualified are making debuts when the Minnesota State High School League’s Girls Softball State Tournament is played this week at two locations. The quarterfinals, semifinals, consolation rounds and third-place games will be played at Caswell Park in North Mankato, the League’s longtime venue partner since 1994, on Tuesday, June 3, Wednesday, June 4 and Thursday, June 5.

A new-look series of four championship games is scheduled for Jane Sage Cowles Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus on Friday, June 6. 

Teams making their exciting first trips include: Champlin Park (Class AAAA); Byron (Class AAA); Spectrum (Class AA) and Blackduck and United South Central in Class A. 

Here is a look at the state tournament: 

Tuesday, June 3

Class AAAA quarterfinals, 10 a.m.

• No. 8 Edina (15-9) vs. No. 1 Forest Lake (22-1)
• No. 5 Brainerd (17-6) vs. No. 4 Bloomington Jefferson (23-2)
• No. 7 Eagan (15-8) vs. No. 2 Champlin Park (21-2)
• No. 6 White Bear Lake (18-6) vs. No. 3 Farmington (22-2)

Spotlight

Since its lone loss of the season to Stillwater on April 23, Forest Lake is on a 14-game winning streak and poised to win its first big-school crown since 2022. Did you know, Rangers head coach Sean Hall is the only Minnesota high school coach to win championships at three different schools? Hall led St. Bernard’s to the Class A crown in 2002 and then North St. Paul to the Class AAA championship in 2007. His third was with Forest Lake in 2022. Champlin Park dethroned defending big-school champion Rogers in the Section 5AAAA tournament to qualify for its first-ever state tournament berth. Farmington, the Class AAAA champion in 2017, is on a five-game winning streak since losing to Eagan, another state tournament entrant, on May 14. Junior Lila Johannsen leads the Tigers in batting with a .538 average and senior Lexi Goring is at .420. Bloomington Jefferson faced Minnetonka three times in the Section 2AAAA tournament, the final two were successive victories in the championship series. This is the Jaguars’ first state tournament trip since 2014. Brainerd senior pitcher Mya Tautges is participant in a League state-level event for the third time this school year. She was a gold medalist during the Swimming and Diving State Meet and helped lead the Warriors to the Girls Basketball State Tournament. In softball, the University of St. Thomas recruit keys Brainerd’s hopes for a first state crown. The Warriors were the Class AAAA runner-up in 2022. After a one-year hiatus, White Bear Lake returns as the Section 4AAAA champion. The Bears opened the season in the tough Suburban East Conference with a 1-4 mark. Since a loss to Forest Lake on May 2, White Bear Lake has rattled off 11 consecutive victories. Eagan battled through the equally tough South Suburban Conference before running off four postseason wins in a row to earn a berth for the first time since 2009. Senior Jocelyn McClary leads the Wildcats at the plate with a .543 average. Edina finished sixth during last year’s state tournament. The Hornets had a four-game skid in the mid-season but have reversed course and are 8-2 in their past 10 games.

Class AAA quarterfinals, 12:30 p.m.

• No. 8 Simley (14-10) vs. No. 1 Mankato East (20-4)
• No. 5 Rocori (17-5) vs. No. 4 Becker (16-9)
• No. 7 Benilde-St. Margaret’s (12-12) vs. No. 2 Chisago Lakes (19-4)
• No. 6 Byron (15-6) vs. No. 3 Cretin-Derham Hall (13-11) 

Spotlight

Top-seeded Mankato East is looking to become the first three-peat champion since the four-enrollment class was implemented in 2016. There has not been a three-time state champion since New Life Academy’s dynastic run of four Class A crowns from 2008 to 2011. Mankato East opened the season 13-1 and looked powerful in wrapping up another Section 2 championship with two five-inning victories. Senior pitcher Kylinn Stangl is 19-4 in the circle with 192 strikeouts. Chisago Lakes is making its third state tournament appearance in the past four seasons. In 2023, the Wildcats were the Class AAA runner-up. Chisago Lakes is on nine-game winning streak. In that stretch, the Wildcats outscored the opposition, 55-15. Cretin-Derham Hall was the runner-up to Mankato East last season. The Raiders are led by junior shortstop Allie Castro, who has a .533 batting average. Apart from a loss to Mankato East on April 26, the Raiders’ other setbacks were to Class AAAA schools. Becker, the Class AAA champion in 2021, is 5-1 in its past six games entering the state tournament. Junior infielder Adyson Petty leads the Bulldogs with a .414 batting average.  Rocori won the consolation bracket during the 2024 state tournament. This edition of the Spartans are 15-2 since April 24. Byron dethroned Winona in the Section 1AAA tournament to make its state tournament debut. In eight victories this season, the Bears have produced at least 10 runs, including a win when they scored 25. Benilde-St. Margaret’s is a longtime representative of Section 6AAA. The Red Knights are making their second consecutive state tournament trip and seventh since 2016. Senior catcher/infielder Brooklyn Riley leads the Red Knights at the plate with a .468 average. Simley placed sixth in last season’s state tournament. The Spartans are on a six-game winning streak. If you see a familiar face playing in Simley’s outfield, you aren’t mistaken. That is sophomore Charli Raymond, a four-time wrestling state champion and the younger sister of Randolph standout softball player, Carter Raymond.

Class AA quarterfinals, 3 p.m.

• No. 8 Esko (17-8) vs. No. 1 Randolph (23-1)
• No. 5 Spectrum (20-0) vs. No. 4 St. Cloud Cathedral (23-2)
• No. 7 Jackson County Central (22-4) vs. No. 2 St. Agnes (22-2)
• No. 6 Hawley (25-2) vs. No. 3 Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial (23-2)

Spotlight

With a combined 13 losses between the top seven seeds, this could be the most entertaining bracket of the entire tournament. Randolph is the defending Class AA champion and is favored to repeat. The Rockets opened the season on an 18-game winning streak. It was halted on May 12 in a 1-0 loss to United South Central, the top seed in the Class A field. Four days later, Randolph defeated Mankato East in the regular-season finale before a four-game run through the Section 1AA tournament where it surrendered just one run. St. Agnes is making its third consecutive state tournament appearance. In 1983, the Aggies were the Class A runner-up. One of St. Agnes’ two losses this season was a 4-0 setback to Spectrum on April 22. Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial was the runner-up to Randolph a season ago. The Knights are 14-1 since April 29. St. Cloud Cathedral topped St. Agnes in 2024 in the third-place game. The Crusaders had one loss during the regular season, to Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial, 3-2, on May 2 and an 8-5 setback to Kimball in the Section 6AA tournament. St. Cloud Cathedral, however, answered with a 10-4 victory and a fifth state tournament trip. Spectrum, located in Elk River, is also making its state tournament debut. The Sting have surrendered just two runs this season. Junior Addison Wallschlaeger powers Spectrum from the plate and in the pitching circle. She is batting a lofty .646, and as a pitcher, has a 0.15 earned-run average and 181 strikeouts. Hawley had losses to Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (regular season) and Roseau (postseason) but reversed those during the Section 8AA tournament. Jackson County Central returns for the first time since winning a second consecutive Class AA crown in 2005. The Huskies ended the state tournament dry spell by outlasting Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta for a 7-2 victory in 14 innings in the Section 3AA championship game. After a three-game losing streak in late April, Esko is on a 7-1 run in making the state tournament for the first time since 2019. Esko was the Class A champion in 1998.

Class A quarterfinals, 5:30 p.m.

• No. 8 Blackduck (22-3) vs. No. 1 United South Central (23-1)
• No. 5 Wabasso (19-6) vs. No. 4 Braham (22-2)
• No. 7 Bethlehem Academy (16-4) vs. No. 2 Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley (23-1)
• No. 6 Badger/Greenbush-Middle River (19-6) vs. No. 3 Moose Lake/Willow River (18-6)

Spotlight

United South Central, located in Wells, is making its state tournament debut and doing so as the top seed. The Rebels cruised through the regular season and the first three games of the postseason without a loss. Martin County West changed that with a 6-5 victory in the championship series, but United South Central answered with a 6-0 shutout to secure the state tournament trip. A signature win for the Rebels came on May 12 with a 1-0 victory over Randolph. Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley was the runner-up to New Ulm Cathedral and looking to take another step this week. Like United South Central, Clinton-Graceville-Beardsley didn’t encounter its first loss until the postseason, but the Wolverines bounced back with a shutout over Swanville. A year ago, Moose Lake/Willow River placed sixth in the eight-team Class A field. The Rebels opened the season on a 5-1 streak and are on the same run dating to May 13. Braham is making its first state tournament trip since 1985. The Bombers outscored the opposition 29-5 in their four-game Section 4A tournament run. Wabasso, the Class A champion in 1999, is on a six-game winning streak entering the state tournament. Junior pitcher Aylah Jenniges powered the Rabbits in a 5-1 victory over Edgerton/Southwest Christian in the Section 3A championship game. This is Wabasso’s first state tournament trip since 2010. Badger/Greenbush-Middle River, a seemingly perennial entrant in the state tournament, returns as the Section 8A champion. The Gators are 10-1 since May 2. The only loss in that stretch was a regular season setback to Red Lake Falls, the defending Section 8A champion. Bethlehem Academy is making its second state tournament trip and first since the Cardinals’ debut in 2023. The Cardinals are 11-1 since back-to-back losses to Randolph and United South Central, respectively. In its journey to the state tournament for the first time, Blackduck had an 11-game winning streak, as well as a current 6-1 run that includes five postseason victories.