Prep Baseball Sectionals Set
The postseason path is now set for high school baseball teams across the state.
The IHSAA conducted the pairings draw for the 52nd annual tourney Sunday night.
A total of 387 teams across the state are set to open sectional action May 23 with tournament championship games slated for May 28. Four-team regionals in each of the four classes are slated for June 2 with two-team semistates June 9 and the State Finals June 15-16 at Victory Field in Indianapolis.
The draw did not do Warsaw any favors. The Tigers will have to face host and defending sectional champion Penn in a first-round game on May 24.
Warsaw sits at 3-11 on the season. The Kingsmen, who are receiving votes in the Class 4-A poll, have won four straight sectional championships. The Kingsmen also own four state titles under longtime coach Greg Dikos, with the latest coming in 2015. Penn was state runner-up a year ago.
The seven-team field at Penn opens with Concord facing Northridge on May 23. Elkhart Memorial drew the bye and will face the winner of the Concord-Northridge game in a semifinal matchup.
NorthWood will look to extend its sectional title streak in the Class 3-A Lakeland Sectional. The Panthers have claimed five straight sectional crowns. NorthWood, sitting at No. 8 in the 3-A poll, will face Angola in the opening game in LaGrange on May 23.
NorthWood sits at 13-3 on the season under first-year coach AJ Risedorph. The Panthers are powered by the likes of slugger Payton Bear, along with Matt Dutkowski and Jade Miller.
Wawasee, which is 8-9, will face Fairfield in a first-round contest at Lakeland on May 24. Tippecanoe Valley drew the bye at Lakeland and will play the winner of the NorthWood-Angola contest in a semifinal game.
Triton will head North to play in the Class 1-A sectional hosted by South Bend Career Academy, The Trojans will meet Oregon-Davis on May 24 in a first round game. South Central is the defending champion in the sectional, which will be played at Clay Field.
The Penn Sectional champion advances to the LaPorte Regional to face the LaPorte Sectional winner.
The Lakeland Sectional winner moves on to the Bellmont Regional to square off with the Bellmont Sectional champion.
The South Bend Sectional champion will play the Caston Sectional winner in the Caston Regional.
The North Semistate hosts will be Plymouth and Kokomo. The IHSAA will make the semistate pairings on June 3.
Sectional Pairings
Class 4-A
At Penn
Game 1: Wednesday, May 23: 6 p.m.: Concord vs. Northridge
Game 2: Thursday, May 24: 5 p.m.: Goshen vs. Elkhart Central
Game 3: Thursday, May 24: 7 p.m.: Warsaw vs. Penn
Game 4: Saturday, May 26: 10 a.m.: Elkhart Memorial vs. Game 1 winner
Game 5: Saturday, May 26: 12 p.m.: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 6: Monday, May 28: 11 a.m. Championship: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Class 3-A
At Lakeland
Game 1: Wednesday, May 23: 5:30 p.m.: NorthWood vs. Angola
Game 2: Thursday, May 24: 5:30 p.m.: West Noble vs. Lakeland
Game 3: Thursday, May 24: 7:30 p.m.: Wawasee vs. Fairfield
Game 4: Saturday, May 26: 10 a.m.: Tippecanoe Valley vs. Game 1 winner
Game 5: Saturday, May 26: 12 p.m.: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 6: Monday, May 28: 11 a.m.: Championship: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner
Class 1-A
At South Bend (Clay Field)
Game 1: Wednesday, May 23: 5:30 p.m.: Culver vs. Argos
Game 2: Thursday, May 24: 5:30 p.m.: Triton vs. Oregon-Davis
Game 3: Thursday, May 24: 7:30 p.m.: South Central vs. South Bend Career Academy
Game 4: Saturday, May 26: 11 a.m.: LaCrosse vs. Game 1 winner
Game 5: Saturday, May 26: 1 p.m.: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
Game 6: Monday, May 28: 12 p.m.: Championship: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner