High school summer baseball playoffs begin this week for Waukesha teams

Published on: 7/9/2012

After battling their opponents, the dry conditions and the oppressive heat, the high school summer baseball teams now begin their battle for a state championship this week.

With a new format and a new location for the state tournament, each of the four sectionals boasts 14 teams. And all four of the Waukesha-area baseball teams reside in the same one.

Three of the teams begin their run at a state title on Tuesday evening as the WIAA summer baseball postseason gets underway across the area.

Of the Waukesha-area teams, Waukesha West, seeded second, appears to have the best chance to emerge from the sectional and play in the one-day, four-team state tournament series July 20 at the new Kapco Park in Mequon on the shores of Lake Michigan and the Concordia University campus.

The state tournament was previously held at Bukolt Park in Stevens Point and featured eight teams over two days.

With a 16-5 record, Waukesha West shared the Classic 8 regular season title with Kettle Moraine. But the Lasers, not the Wolverines, earned the top seed in the Waukesha West Sectional thanks to a 2-1 record over West this year.

The two teams could meet for a third time in the sectional final at 7:30 p.m. July 16.

Since Waukesha West is hosting the sectional, that game would be at West as are both sectional semifinal games.

West received a first-round bye into the regional finals and won’t play until 8 p.m. Friday. West’s opponent in that game will be either Catholic Memorial or Pewaukee.

The Crusaders, 13-12 overall and 10-10 in Classic 8 play, are seeded 10th and play seventh-ranked Pewaukee (21-9, 12-6 Woodland) at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Waukesha County Technical College.

West went 2-1 against CM during the regular season. While the Crusaders and Pirates are in different conferences, the two played a non-conference game in June with CM coming out on top, 9-7.

Waukesha North (7-21, 3-17 Classic 8) is seeded 13th and travels to Brookfield East (14-14, 10-10 Greater Metro Conference) to take on the fourth-seeded Spartans at 5:30 p.m.

Waukesha South (3-23, 2-17 Classic 8) is the 14th seed and begins its tournament against Pius XI (20-10, 14-7 Classic 8), seeded third, at 5 p.m. at Wisconsin Lutheran College.

This will be the fourth meeting between South and Pius this year with the Popes winning each of the previous three games by scores of 16-7, 13-2 and 15-7.

The Blackshirts finished last in conference play and its only Classic 8 victories were over Waukesha North and Catholic Memorial.

Besides Kettle Moraine, the other top sectional seeds are Oak Creek, Kewaskum and Menomonee Falls.

Overall, Waukesha North has three state summer baseball appearances but none since 1996. South has two, with its last coming in 2001.

West, meanwhile, has had more recent success getting to the state tournament, as the Wolverines have seven total appearances – all since 2002. However, the state title has eluded them each time and West has come away winless five of the seven times.

The opponent, recently, they can’t overcome is Franklin. The Sabers knocked out the Wolverines in the quarterfinals last year and after West won its quarterfinal game in 2010, it was once again eliminated by the Sabers, who went on to win the state title both years.