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Class 1A championship preview: New Life Academy vs. Springfield

By Star Tribune, 06/14/15, 10:27PM CDT

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CLASS 1A: No. 1 New Life Academy (21-2) vs. No. 2 Springfield (23-3), noon

CLASS 1A: No. 1 New Life Academy (21-2) vs. No. 2 Springfield (23-3), noon

 

Why New Life Academy will win: The Eagles are the state’s best team and defending state champions. They are a deeper than they were in 2014, not relying on just a couple of standouts. A team ERA of 1.68 entering the tournament is proving to be invaluable. Pitching comes to the forefront in big games.

Why Springfield will win: The Tigers have been looking forward to this rematch since last year’s state tournament meeting, an 8-2 victory by New Life Academy in the quarterfinals. “This is exactly what we wanted,” Springfield senior Carter Erickson said. “Our performance last year didn’t show what we can do.”

Key to watch: Springfield loves to steal bases. New Life Academy has an excellent catcher with a strong arm in junior Simon Killeen. He is also the Eagles’ closer, saving their first two games in the tournament.

Did you know? Springfield has reached the championship game one other time. It came in the second year of the tournament (1948). The Tigers were the runners-up to Chisholm in the one-class event.

Ron Haggstrom

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