TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: The single-elimination tournament features four teams in each of the four divisions. Below are the seeds, pairings and time schedule of games.
Division 1
Friday, June 14
#1 Waunakee (16-1-3) vs. #4 Kimberly (21-2-1) – 4:30 p.m.
#2 Muskego (15-1-4) vs. #3 Brookfield East (15-3-2) – 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 15
Championship Game – 7:05 p.m.
Division 2
Friday, June 14
#1 Oregon (16-1-1) vs. #4 River Falls (13-3-7) – 11 a.m.
#2 Cedarburg (16-2-2) vs. #3 Whitefish Bay (16-5-5) – 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 15
Championship Game – 4:35 p.m.
Division 4
Thursday, June 13
#1 Cedar Grove-Belgium (22-0-1) vs. #4 Regis/McDonell Catholic (18-1-1) – 11 a.m.
#2 Kiel (24-1-2) vs. #3 The Prairie School (15-4-2) – 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 15
Championship Game – 11 a.m.
PRE-FINALS LIVE ON WIAA.TV: The pre-finals of the State Softball Tournament will be streamed live on the WIAA.TV portal of the NFHS Network on a subscription basis. To purchase a subscription to the live programming, log-on to wiaa.tv or www.nfhsnetwork.com and click on the blue subscription graphic in the upper right side of the homepage.
STATE TOURNAMENT ON THE AIR: The championship finals of all four divisions will be aired live on the WIAA State Television Stations WKOW 27.2, WAOW 9.2, WQOW 18.2 and WXOW 19.2, WVTV 24.1 in Milwaukee and WLUK (FOX)/WCWF(CW) in Green Bay/Appleton. The finals will also be streamed live on the Network stations’ websites.
TOURNEY NOTES: Catholic Memorial has captured the State championship a membership-leading 11 times. Whitefish Bay has won 10 titles, and Brookfield Central has won six championships with Madison West and Divine Savior Holy Angels each possessing five titles. Homestead and Ozaukee have each claimed four championships. Whitefish Bay has now qualified for 24 State Tournaments to lead all programs. Catholic Memorial is next on the list with 16. Neenah and Notre Dame have qualified 15 times with Brookfield Central qualifying 14 times. Next on the list is Divine Savior Holy Angels, Madison Memorial and Madison West with 12. Homestead and Xavier have appeared at State 11 times.
LAST YEAR: Muskego won the Division 1 championship for the second year in a row. The Warriors scored a 3-1 victory over Kettle Moraine in the title game. Whitefish Bay turned the tables on Oregon with 2-1 win in the Division 2 championship game after Oregon defeated Whitefish Bay 1-0 in the 2022 title tilt. In Division 3, Plymouth downed Edgewood 2-1 in the championship final to earn the State title, and Kiel was crowned champion in Division 4 with an epic 6-5 overtime win over Cedar Grove-Belgium in the title game.
DIVISION 1 NOTES: Waunakee has been issued the #1 seed. The Warriors are making their fifth appearance in the State Tournament and their second in the past three seasons. They won the Division 2 championship in 2014 and advanced to the Division 1 championship game and finished runner-up in 2008. The Warriors return to the field following a 3-0 result in a shootout following a 0-0 tie with Middleton in the sectional final hosted at Middleton. They are tied with Division 2 qualifier Oregon for first in the Large Division of the Badger Conference this season. Two-time defending champion Muskego is seeded #2. The Warriors qualify for the ninth time and for the third year in a row. They had a six-year string of appearances that ended in 2019 with the Warriors winning the championship for the first time. This season, they claimed a 4-0 victory over Kenosha Tremper in the sectional final held in Kenosha to earn the opportunity to defend their crown. They finished third in the Classic Eight Conference this season, which was won by Arrowhead. Third-seeded Brookfield East is making its fifth appearance and its first since 2019. The Spartans won the State championship in 1989 before the divisional format change. They finished runner-up to Hamilton in the Greater Metro Conference this season. Their advance to the State semifinals comes by virtue of a 5-4 advantage in a shootout following a 1-1 tie with Divine Savior Holy Angels in the sectional final hosted by Divine Savior Holy Angels. Kimberly was issued the fourth seed in the bracket. The Papermakers advance to State for the first time since 2011 and for the third time overall. Their furthest advance in the tournament was to the semifinals in 2011 when eight teams qualified in the division. The Papermakers are the champions in the Fox Valley Association during the regular season, and they have advanced on from the Wisconsin Rapids Sectional following a 4-0 victory over D.C. Everest in the Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln Sectional final.
DIVISION 2 NOTES: The bracket features three of the same four teams that participated in the State Tournament the past two seasons. Last year’s runner-up Oregon is seeded #1 in the bracket. It’s essentially the Panthers ninth consecutive appearance, taking in consideration the canceled 2000 season because of COVID-19, which also accounts for their overall total. Five of their other previous State experiences ended in the championship game. Their three titles came in 2015, 2019 and 2022, and their three runner-up finishes were in 2016, 2018 and last season. The Panthers’ return to the tournament this season comes after 2-0 shutout over Westosha Central in the sectional final played at DeForest. They are the champions in the Large Division of the Badger Conference this spring. Second-seeded Cedarburg is making the program’s eighth appearance in the State Tournament overall and its third straight. The Bulldog’s first four experiences came in Division 1 when there was only one division of play. They finished runner-up in 1994 and 2004, and then won the championship in 2013 prior to qualifying to Division 2 in 2014 and last season, resulting in losses in the semifinals. The Bulldogs qualify this season with a 1-0 win over Nicolet in the West Allis Sectional final. They are co-champions in the North Shore Conference standings this year with Whitefish Bay. Defending champion Whitefish Bay is seeded third. The Blue Dukes are making their membership-leading 24th appearance in the State Tournament and essentially their fifth consecutive trip with the cancellation of the 2020 season and tournament. They have won 10 State titles, which also leads the membership. Six of their titles have come in Division 2 from 1998-2000, 2017, 2021 and last year. Four came prior to the expansion of the tournament to more than one division (1983-85 and 1994). They have claimed second-place finishes in 1997, 2001, 2005, 2019 and 2022. This season, the Blue Dukes advanced to the State semifinals with a 3-2 advantage in a shootout following a 1-1 tie with Pewaukee in the sectional final played at Whitefish Bay. They placed second behind second-seeded Cedarburg in the North Shore Conference this spring. Fourth-seeded River Falls returns to the tournament for the third time. The Wildcats’ only other appearances in 2011 and 2018 resulted in losses in the semifinals. They were runner-up to New Richmond in the Big Rivers Conference this season. They qualify in pursuit of their first win in the State Tournament following a 1-0 blanking of Onalaska in the final of the Altoona Sectional.
DIVISION 3 NOTES: Defending champion Plymouth makes its fourth State appearance. The Panthers also advanced to the championship game in 2021 and finished runner-up. In their only other experience at State in 2000, they were eliminated from title contention in the semifinals following a tie and the subsequent shootout. The Panthers defeated Notre Dame 2-1 in the sectional final game played at Plymouth to earn their opportunity to win back-to-back titles. They are the champions of the East Central Conference this spring. McFarland is the #2 seed. The Spartans are back for the third time in the past four seasons and for the sixth time overall. They have advanced to the championship game twice, winning the Division 3 title in 2021 and placing runner-up in Division 2 in 2007. The Spartans advance to the semifinals this season by virtue of a 1-0 win over Edgewood in the sectional final hosted by the Spartans. McFarland finished second in the Small Division of the Badger Conference this season. Third-seeded Catholic Memorial will participate in the State Tournament for the first time since 2019 and for the 16th time overall, which ranks second-most in the membership. The Crusaders’ 10 State championships lead all schools. They were a juggernaut between 2004-2019. Their first three titles came in Division 2 in 2004, 2006 and 2007. Then they won a tournament-record six straight championships from 2012-17. The first two championships of the string of titles came in Division 2 in 2012 and 2013, and the last four came in Division 3 from 2014 to 2017. The Crusaders’ most recent championship came in Division 3 in 2019. In addition, they have also had three runner-up finishes. Those came in 2008, 2009 and 2018. Prior to joining the WIAA, Catholic Memorial won three WISAA titles and finished runner-up once. The Crusaders are back in the tournament following a 2-2 tie with New Berlin Eisenhower in the sectional final played in Waukesha and advancing with a 5-4 advantage in the shootout. They finished fourth in the Classic Eight Conference this season. Fourth-seeded Rice Lake will make its third appearance at State and the first since a pair of back-to-back experiences in 2017 and 2018, which resulted in losses in the semifinals. They return to the tournament field following a 1-0 win over Ashland in the sectional played at Rice Lake. During the regular season, the Warriors finished sixth in the Big Rivers Conference.
DIVISION 4 NOTES: Last year’s runner-up Cedar Grove-Belgium has been issued the #1 seed in the bracket. The Rockets make their fourth appearance in the State Tournament and their third in the past four seasons. In their previous three experiences, they finished runner-up in 2018, 2021 and again last year. The Rockets’ road to State this year culminated with a 3-1 win over Sheboygan Lutheran/Christian in the sectional final played at Cedar Grove-Belgium. They are the champions in the Big East Conference this year. Defending champion #2 seed Kiel makes its third straight appearance in the State Tournament, which also accounts for the Raiders’ overall total. They were eliminated from title contention via a shootout in the semifinals of their first State appearance in 2022. The Raiders advanced to the semifinals this season with a 6-0 shutout win over Lourdes Academy/Valley Christian in the St. Mary Catholic Sectional final. They are the champions of the Eastern Wisconsin Conference this year. The Prairie School is the third seed in the bracket. The Hawks will be participating in the State Tournament for the ninth time and for the second time in three years. They have won Division 4 championships in 2016 and 2019. In addition, the Hawks have advanced to the championship game five other times that resulted in runner-up finishes in Division 3 in 2003, 2004, 2010, 2012 and 2013. This spring, they advance to the semifinals by defeating Lake Country Lutheran 6-2 in the sectional final played in Racine. The Hawks finished atop the standings in the Metro Classic Conference this season. Fourth-seeded Regis/McDonell Catholic co-op has qualified for the tournament field for the second time in program history. The Saints first experience resulted in a loss in the semifinals in 2018. The co-op was the champion in the Mid-Western Wisconsin Conference this year. They needed to work overtime to defeat River Valley 4-3 in the final of the Altoona Sectional to advance to the State semifinals.
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