INDIANAPOLIS -The sectional draw was not especially kind to the Warsaw baseball team today.

The Tigers will face defending state champion Penn in a first-round tournament game to begin their postseason. Warsaw will also face the Kingsmen on their home field as realignment has added Penn to the sectional field for a seven-team Class 4-A event.

Warsaw, which is still in contention for a conference championship, will get a look at the Kingsmen come this Saturday. The Tigers face No. 5 Penn, who are led by star senior pitcher Skylar Szynski, in their own tournament.

The pairings for the 50th annual state tournament series were made this morning by the IHSAA. A field of 385 teams statewide will begin sectional play next week. Sectional championship games are set at most sectional sites for Monday, May 30.

The Tigers have put together a strong season this Spring in the Northern Lakes Conference. Coach Mike Hepler’s team improved to 9-4 in league play with a thrilling 7-6 home win over NLC foe Concord Monday night. The Tigers, who are tied atop the NLC standings with Plymouth and Northridge (with NorthWood at 8-4) are  11-9 overall.

Warsaw has been led by the pitching duo of Jordan Jones and Zach Witt. The Tiger offense has gotten strong efforts from the likes of Sterling Hay, Marselo Rodriguez, Henry Howard and Witt.

The Tigers will play at Mishawaka Wednesday and host Elkhart Memorial Thursday in the final NLC game before hosting the Tiger Tournament on Saturday.

The Penn Sectional begins action with Goshen versus Elkhart Memorial on May 25. The six-team event was previously hosted by Memorial prior to this season. Northridge won the sectional crown at Memorial in 2015.

Penn, which has won the Northern Indiana Conference title this Spring, boasts a star in Szynski. The 6-2 senior right-hander, who has a fastball that hits the low 90s on the radar gun, has already signed with Indiana University, but could be drafted as high as the third round in the MLB Draft according to scouts.

Wawasee will open tournament play versus Tippecanoe Valley in the Class 3-A Lakeland Sectional on May 25. The Warriors are 5-17 on the season after an 8-3 NLC loss to Goshen Monday night. The Vikings, who edged rival Rochester Monday night to improve to 12-6, are led by standout senior pitcher Eric Hammer.

NorthWood, which has won three straight sectional titles and received votes in this week’s Class 3-A coaches poll, will face West Noble in a first-round matchup at Lakeland.

Whitko, now playing in Class 2-A, will travel to the Wabash Sectional. Coach Erik Hisner’s squad, which sits at 18-5 after a big Three Rivers Conference win over Peru Monday night, will meet defending sectional champion Cass in the sectional opener on May 25. Oak Hill, which faces host Wabash in the semifinal bye game, is ranked No. 8.

Triton, which claimed a sectional title a year ago, will take part in the seven-team field at the Class 1-A Bethany Christian Sectional. The Trojans, who are 8-12, received a bye and will play in a semifinal game on May 30.

The four-team regionals will be played on June 4 with area teams feeding into regionals at LaPorte (4-A), Belmont (3-A), Wabash (2-A) and Caston (1-A). One game semistates are scheduled for June 11 at either Kokomo or Plymouth. Semistate locations will be made on Sunday, June 5.

The State Finals will be played June 17 and 18 at Victory Field in Indianapolis with one game Friday night and three more on Saturday. The schedule of games is to be announced at a later date.

Sectional Pairings

Class 4-A
At Penn

May 25: 6 p.m.: Goshen vs. Elkhart Memorial
May 26: 5 p.m.: Northridge vs. Elkhart Central; 7 p.m.: Penn vs. Warsaw
May 28: 10 a.m.: Concord vs. Goshen-Memorial winner; 12 p.m.: Northridge-Central winner vs. Penn-Warsaw winner
May 20: 11 a.m.: Championship

Class 3-A
At Lakeland

May 25: 5 p.m.: Wawasee vs. Tippecanoe Valley; 7 p.m.: NorthWood vs. West Noble
May 27: 5 p.m.: Wawasee-Valley winner vs. NorthWood-W. Noble winner; 7 p.m.: Lakeland vs. Fairfield
May 30: 12 p.m.: Championship

Class 2-A
At Wabash

May 25: 5 p.m.: Cass vs. Whitko; 7 p.m.: Manchester vs. Rochester
May 28: 10:30 a.m.: Cass-Whitko winner vs. Manchester-Rochester winner; 12:30 p.m.: Oak Hill vs. Wabash
May 30: 11 a.m.: Championship

Class 1-A
At Bethany Christian

May 25: 5 p.m.: Fort Wayne Blackhawk Christian vs. Hamilton
May 28: 10 a.m.: Elkhart Christian Academy vs. Fremont; 12 p.m.: Bethany Christian bs. Lakewood Park Christian
May 30: 10 a.m.: Triton vs. Blackhawk-Hamilton winner; 12 p.m.: ECA-Fremont winner vs. Bethany-Lakewood Park winner
May 30: 4 p.m.: Championship