Northfield at Farmington
4:30 p.m., Monday, April 4

Northfield upset two-time defending state champion Mounds View in the opening round of the Class 3A state tournament last year on its way to a fourth-place finish.

The departure of eight seniors leaves the No. 5-3A Raiders with a void in the middle infield entering this season, but Northfield should be well grounded with the return of ace pitcher Hunter Koep, who finished the season with a 5-0 record, 3.36 ERA and 35 strikeouts. 

The junior also shut out Mounds View through six innings before being relieved in the seventh at last year's state tournament.

Farmington surprised some of the south metro’s top teams in its first year in the South Suburban Conference, including perennial powerhouse Lakeville North. The Tigers' early season victory over the Panthers kindled a seven-game winning streak that helped Farmington finish in a four-way tie for second place in the league standings with a 10-7 record. The Tigers ended the season 12-10 overall.

Junior Sam Wilson leads a group of six returners who helped the team outhit opponents 95-47 and finish with a .336 collective batting average in the regular season. Wilson posted a .474 batting average and 14 RBI last year.

Pitchers Justin King (0.84 ERA) and Mitch Fox (5.37 ERA) are also back.