The WIAA State (Spring) baseball championships open at Fox Cities Stadium this morning.
Defending Division 1 champion Bay Port (22-7) kicks things off at 8am against Merrill (22-4). Bay Port beat Wilmot Union in the title game last year, 5-2.
Kimberly (22-7) last won the Division 1 title in 2007. The Papermakers are making their 4th straight appearance and will face Waunakee (25-4) at 10:30am. Waunakee is in the field for the first time.
Hartford Union (9-15-1) will square off against Waterford (14-11) in game 3 at 1pm. Hartford is in the state tournament for the 3rd time, but the 1st since 2002. Waterford is also in the field for the 3rd time.
Fort Atkinson (8-21) faces Madison La Follette (17-9) in the final quarterfinal game at 3:30pm. La Follette is making it’s fourth appearance, losing all three previous quarterfinal games. Fort Atkinson started the season 1-21 and has won 7-straight. The Blackhawks finished 7th in the South Division of the Badger Conference and qualified as the 12th and final seed in the Janesville Craig Sectional.
The winners meet in tonight’s semifinals. There is rain in the forecast for day 1.
AUDIO: Bill Scott previews today’s state baseball tournament :41