Anoka at Centennial
4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 14

Anoka made its first state tournament appearance in 10 years last year and returns the majority of a bullpen that compiled a 20-7 record, but primary concerns for the No. 8-4A Tornadoes are at catcher and in the outfield.

Golden Gophers commit and senior first baseman Alex Farley and senior Alex Pribyl, who's bound for Quincy University, will be Anoka’s top two pitchers.

Farley, a 6-foot-3 left-hander, has plenty of power on the mound, which transitions to the batter’s box. He clocked a 94 mph exit velocity (a metric used to measure the speed of the ball after contact) at the Prep Baseball Report MN Top Prospect combine last summer.

Pribyl has several pitches that’ll keep hitters off-balance, from an 85-mph fastball to a 65-mph knuckleball.

Minnesota-Duluth commit and shortstop Chase Thomas will lead off for the Tornadoes. He batted over .400 and stole 19 bases last season.

Jacksonville State commit and junior third baseman Trent Palmer will be Anoka’s No. 3 pitcher. He went 5-0 last season and clinched significant wins over Totino-Grace, Eden Prairie and St. Francis in Class 3A, Section 7 playoffs.

Centennial, which fell to Mounds View 5-4 in last year’s Class 3A, Section 5 finals, graduated eight seniors, but this year’s roster is 11 seniors deep. Sprinkle in five juniors, and the No. 12-4A Cougars look to have what it will take to improve upon their second-place finish in the Northwest Suburban Conference a year ago.

The Tornadoes won last year’s meeting 7-2. Farley hit two homers while Pribyl threw a five-hit complete game and didn’t allow a single earned run.