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Narrowing the field

By Eric Ebert, MN Baseball Hub, 06/04/12, 11:26AM CDT

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Teams ranked in the regular season haven't necessarily fared well in the postseason

While state rankings have always been a source of contention, they also provide a metric for measuring teams throughout the regular season.

With section play now wrapping up, we're taking a class-by-class look back at how previously ranked top 10 teams have fared this year in the playoffs. We'll also take a look at some of this year's dark horse contenders.
 
All rankings are based on the May 23 state rankings provided by "Let's Play Baseball," before most postseason play started unless otherwise stated.

Class 3A

The defending Class 3A champions shocked everyone by dropping two straight after reaching the double-elimination round of the Section 3 tournament. The Blaze dropped their first game to unranked Eagan before No. 12 Lakeville North ended their run in the loser's bracket.

Maple Grove, the 2011 runner-up, was again forced to fight its way through the loser's bracket after the Section 5, No. 1 seed was upset by unranked Totino-Grace. The Crimson overcame Coon Rapids and will face unranked Robbinsdale Armstrong for a chance to play in the section title game. 

Bemidji has kept up its winning ways in the postseason, earning a spot in the Section 8 championship. The Lumberjacks will face either No. 8 St. cloud Apollo or Rocori for a trip to the state tournament.

After cruising through the first two rounds of the Section 4 tournament, Hill-Murray hit a snag with unranked Roseville. The Pioneers were overpowered in an 11-0, five-inning beating by the seven seed. Hill-Murray faces No. 20 Stillwater in the loser's bracket for a shot at redemption and a state tournament.

The Section 1 No. 1 seed has had no trouble in the postseason and will face unranked Rochester John Marshall for a trip to state.

Benilde-St. Margaret's ended its season with consecutive losses in the Section 6 tournament, posting losses to No. 15 Wayzata and unranked Richfield. The Red Knights were the No. 1 seed in their ssection.

Hopkins awaits the winner of the Wayzata-Richfield game to play for the Section 6 championship. The Royals sent both teams to the loser's bracket on their way to the championship game.

St. Cloud Apollo lost to unranked Rocori in the first round of double-elimination play of the Section 8 tournament. The Eagles will get a second chance to top the Spartans as both teams fight for the final spot in the title game against Bemidji.

Coon Rapids was upset early by unranked Robbinsdale Cooper and was forced to face the state No. 2 Maple Grove in the first round of the loser's bracket. The Cardinals fell 7-1 to the Crimson.

After a promising regular season, No. 10 St. Paul North came up short in the Section 4 tournament, losing to No. 20 Stillwater in its first game of the tournament.

Dark Horse

Unranked in the state, Roseville entered the Section 4 tournament as a seven seed and is now one win away from a state tournament berth. Through the Raiders' playoff run, they have knocked off No. 11 Cretin-Derham Hall, No. 19 Mounds View and No. 3 Hill-Murray. Roseville will get two shots at a win against either Hill-Murray or Stillwater in the section title game.

Class 2A

After losing only one game during the regular season, Little Falls looked to be poised to make a deep playoff run in Section 6. After drubbing Milica 7-0 in the first round, the Flyers came out on the losing end of an eight-inning, 3-2 loss to unranked Albany, ending their season.

Holy Family Catholic came up short in the first round of double-elimination play during the Section 2 tournament, losing 8-5 to unranked Belle Plaine. The Fire fought their way through the loser's bracket, beating St. Peter before winning the rematch with Belle Plaine. Holy Family Catholic must now beat unranked Le Sueur-Henderson twice to advance to state.  

Minneapolis Washburn has cruised through the Section 4 tournament, keeping intact an undefeated season. The Millers face the winner of the game between No. 5 Minnehaha Academy and St. Paul Highland.

Hermantown remains on track in Section 7, advancing to the semifinals of the winner's bracket. The Hawks face unranked Proctor to advance to the title game.

Minnehaha Academy lost 4-3 to Minneapolis Washburn in the semifinals of the winner's bracket and must now beat St. Paul Highland to keep its season alive. 

One of four top 10 ranked Section 3 teams, Fairmont struggled offensively against unranked Morris/Chokia-Alberta in the first round of double-elimination play. The Cardinals will get a rematch against the Tigers in the second round of the loser's bracket, with the winner advancing to the section title game.

The 2011 state champion, St. Cloud Cathedral fell victim to unranked Albany in the first round of double-elimination play. They now face unranked Wadena-Deer Creek to keep their postseason hopes alive.

Marshall earned the No. 1 seed in the north subsection of Section 3 but dropped consecutive games against New Ulm and Fairmont to end its season.

After earning the No. 3 seed in the south subsection of Section 3, Worthington was eliminated by a 2-1 loss to sixth-seeded Pipestone  in the first round.

After earning a No. 1 seed in Section 3, New Ulm rolled through the competition to earn a spot in the section title game. The Eagles will face the winner of the Fairmont versus Morris/Chokio-Alberta game.

Dark Horse

As if knocking the state's No. 1 team out of the playoffs wasn't enough, unranked No. 5 seed Albany managed to toppled defending state champion St. Cloud Cathedral and is one win away from the section title game. The Huskies face Long Prairie-Grey Eagle in the semifinals of the winner's bracket.

Class 1A

Sleepy Eye St. Mary's earned a No. 1 seed in Section 2 but was unable to overcome the state's No. 9 New Ulm Cathedral in the second round of the playoffs. 

West Lutheran was ousted from the winner's bracket in an upset loss to state No. 6 St. Agnes. The Warriors must now beat unranked Southwest Christian to move on to the Section 4 championship game against the Aggies.

The state's No. 3 has not disappointed in the postseason, easily moving on to the semifinals of the winner's bracket in Section 6. The Eagles will face Eagle Valley for a chance to move on to the title game.

Deer River is two wins away from a state berth in Section 7. The Warriors next face No. 16 Ely in the semifinals of the winner's bracket.

Browerville earned a No. 1 seed in Section 5 and will next face unranked Royalton with a trip to the section championship on the line.

St. Agnes upset the state's No. 2 West Lutheran in the second round of the winner's bracket to advance the Section 4 title game. The Aggies will get two shots to beat either West Lutheran or unranked Southwest Chrisitian to earn a trip to state.

BOLD suffered a setback in Section 2 after being upset by No. 9 New Ulm Cathedral, but battled through the loser's bracket to earn a rematch against the Greyhounds. But the Warriors will have to top New Ulm Cathedral twice to earn a trip to the state tournament.

Mankato Loyola was sent home early in the Section 2 tournament after unranked United South Central served up a 3-1 upset.

The state's No. 9 may have been a four seed in the Section 2 tournament, but New Ulm Cathedral has played like a No. 1. The Greyhounds beat No. 1 Sleepy Eye St. Mary's and No. 7 BOLD on their way to the section title game. New Ulm Cathedral is now one win from the state tournament.

After losing to No. 3 New York Mills in the first round of the winner's bracket, Frazee will now face an uphill battle in the loser's bracket to win Section 6.

Dark Horse

 - None -

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