With a portion of the seven Class B district tournaments starting today I’d like to give my predictions for the 32-team field for the 2024 Class B state amateur baseball tournament from Aug. 7-18 at Cadwell Park in Mitchell.

My predictions below will include who I think will win each district championship, along with the other 25 representatives who will make up the rest of the field.

The representatives from each district are in no particular order, just the list of teams I think will represent each league at the state tournament.

District 1B (Eastern Dakota League)

Champion - The Eastern Dakota League is always an interesting one because I could realistically see 4-5 teams win this district, but I think the Milbank Firechiefs will end up taking it. Milbank is 13-2 this season with just one loss against an EDL opponent, a 6-4 13-inning loss to Lake Norden on June 9. The Firechiefs may just have the best pitching staff in the state, which includes Dom Boerger, Brady Krause, Taylor Boerger, Mitch Quade, and Kaden Krause. Dom Boerger has been Milbank’s ace all season long, in 45.1 innings Boerger has allowed just two earned runs (only two earned runs allowed were in that 13-inning loss to Lake Norden) on 21 hits and nine walks, striking out 85 batters, good for a .40 ERA.

Representative No. 1 - Lake Norden is another EDL team that could easily win this district, especially since it was the only team to beat Milbank in league play. Lake Norden is the No. 10 team in the most recent amateur baseball poll and has been a tough out for any team they face at the state tournament, let alone at the District 1B tournament. With a favorable matchup against Ramona in the quarterfinals, all the Lakers need is one win in the semifinals to punch their ticket to Cadwell.

Representative No. 2 - The Castlewood Ravens have become a serious threat in the EDL this year after combining the two Castlewood teams, Ravens and Monarchs, from a season ago. They swept the season series against both Clark and Elkton and most recently had two tough losses to Lake Norden, 7-4, and Milbank, 5-4. Gus Steiger and Nate Phinney seem to be battling for who can hit more homers this season (both are at 5), and Kellan Benck has been an excellent ace for the Ravens on the mound this season with a 2.2 ERA in 39 innings.

Representative No. 3 - I think for the last spot in the EDL, despite how the last three games of league play have gone, the Clark Traders will find a way back to the state tournament yet again. They lost their last three games of league play by a combined difference of seven runs, but I think they’re pitching staff and hitting can take them into one of those last representative spots in districts. Peyton Garbers and Andrew Magedanz have been mashing the baseball this year for the Traders, Gerbers is batting .531 with four doubles and two homers in 11 games, while Magedanz is batting .340 with three doubles, five homers, and 15 RBIs in 13 games.

District 2B (Northern Plains League)

Champion - When it comes to the four-team Northern Plains League, I think it’s safe to say that Redfield Dairy Queen is the odds-on favorite. DQ is the only remaining undefeated team in South Dakota amateur baseball and a big reason why is due to its hitting. Redfield has nine guys batting over .300, three are batting over .400, and the leader, Camden Osborn, is batting an even .500 heading into the district tournament. Redfield has outscored the other Class B Northern Plains League teams by a combined score 97-22 in six league games, and I think they’ll continue to dominate in the District I tournament in Redfield.

Representative No. 1 - The NPL takes just two teams to the state tournament so things could get interesting with a smaller league. But ultimately, I think Groton Locke Electric will find its way into the district championship. All three remaining NPL teams have played less than 10 games but Groton has seemingly been the most consistent of the three, beating both Faulkton and Northville in both regular season matchups.

District 3B (Pony Hills League)

Champion - I think the Kimball/White Lake Nationals are the best team in the Pony Hills, and I don’t think it’s particularly close. The Nationals are 13-1 this season, only losing to the Burke Bombers 2-1 on June 13. Dylanger Pierson has been mashing the baseball this season with seven homers, and they’ve earned my District 3B title spot.

Representative No. 1 - Despite dropping two games to Colome and another against Burke to end the year (was suspended after three innings due to weather), Wessington Springs has picked things up in July. The Owls swept the season series over No. 4 Four Corners, No. 3 Plankinton, and No. 5 Winner making it difficult to really put anyone over them. They have an excellent three-headed monster in the pitching staff with Mason Schelske, Parker DeJean, and Terrek Butterfield, all with sub-2.00 ERAs.

Representative No. 2 - After seeing Four Corners run a gauntlet of four games in four days and still finding a way to go 2-2 (including a 3-1 loss to KWL to end the stretch), the team from Hayes is my third pick to make it out of District 3B. What I like about 4C is their depth on the mound; in just 12 games on their GameChanger page, 4C has six guys with over 10 innings pitched, four of which have sub-five ERAs. Now that may seem like a lot but in the Pony Hills, you never know what to expect when it comes to final scores.

Representative No. 3 - I actually think Burke will be a surprise team in this district tournament, despite being the No. 6 seed, I could easily see it in the Pony Hills League championship. Of its eight league losses, six of them have been by three or less runs, and that includes a 6-5 loss to the top-seeded Nationals on July 14. Don’t be surprised when a first round upset of Plankinton and a pitching staff of Hunter Van Nieuwenhuyse, Brogan Glover, and Aaron Sundquist that’s allowed just 13 earned runs in 79.1 innings, takes it to the District 3B championship.

Representative No. 4 - Unfortunately, Winner’s late season woes have me a little more skeptical about this pick, but I still have them in my last spot to make it out of the Pony Hills. They’ve lost two of their last three games, including an extra-inning loss to Plankinton and a 16-1 thwacking at the hands of Four Corners, but I think it’ll still have the pitching to make it out of District 3B. Ethan Bartels and Evan Farner have been an excellent duo this season, Bartels has given up just 20 earned runs in 54 innings while fanning 82 batters, and Farner has given Winner 50.1 innings allowing just 17 earned runs.

District 4B (Cornbelt League)

Champion - Look, out of the entire 32-team state tournament field, there’s absolutely no doubt the Dell Rapids Mudcats don’t make it to Cadwell Park. The Mudcats are 19-2 this season, with losses to Canova, 6-5,  and a non-league loss to Renner in the last game of the regular season. The core of the Dell Rapids Mudcats are still as good as anybody in the state. Ty Hoglund, Carter Gullickson, Mark Abrahamson, and Kole Zimmerman are all some of the best hitters in the state. Toss Dalton Lehnen or Kris Regas on the mound and watch them throw 15 strikeout games and how this team is gunning for its third championship in the last four years starts to make sense.

Representative No. 1 - I have the defending Class B state champions, the Canova Gang, in my first representative slot because they have been dominant in July. The Gang are 6-1 in July, including the aforementioned win against the Dell Rapids Mudcats on July 9. Jared Miller is leading all of amateur baseball in home runs with eight, while driving in 29 RBIs at a .441 pace. But Canova’s pitching is what really separates them from the field, Derek Miller has allowed just 16 earned runs in 50 innings, but the pitching staff as a whole has a team ERA of 1.6.

Representative No. 2 - I really like what Madison Dairy Queen has done as we inch closer to districts. Between losses to the Mudcats, Madison went on a six game win streak, with wins over Hartford/Humboldt, Dell Rapids PBR, and Canova. While the Mudcats might be the Broncos kryptonite, they played great baseball against every other Cornbelt opponent, warranting a spot in the state tournament, especially with a pitching duo of Tyler Tappe and Aspen Dahl, who have allowed a combined 29 earned runs in 86.1 innings.

Representative No. 3 - The Hartford/Humboldt Gamecocks, while being a sort of on-and-off team, will still be in the state tournament, there’s just too many spots in the Cornbelt League for them to not make it. Joe Hanisch, Blake Svoboda, and Broc Haldeman have been great at the plate this season, all batting over .340 with a combined 16 doubles. On the mound, Cole Barthel has been the Gamecocks workhorse allowing just 23 earned runs in 48 innings, but the pitching staff has great depth with five other guys having thrown 20 or more innings this season.

Representative No. 4 - The Flandreau Cardinals 2024 season has been full of tough breaks. Flandreau has lost six games by two or less runs this season, including back-to-back 6-5 losses to Dell Rapids PBR and the Dell Rapids Mudcats. But, it still finished .500 in league play and that’s enough for me to put them in my state tournament field. On top of that, the Cardinals have seven guys batting over .300 this season, along with a deep pitching staff that includes the likes of Zak Wallner, JaColby Anderson, Dallas Schneiderman, and Bret Severtson, all with 25 or more innings pitched this season.

Representative No. 5 - After a rough June, Dell Rapids PBR is playing at the level relative to their 2023 state semifinal run. PBR is 4-2 in July, with losses to Madison DQ, 4-2, and the Canova Gang to end league play, 4-3. This team has shown the ability to make a deep run in the state tournament, and with the help of Drew Sweeter, Matt Gillogly, and Zach Puetz all batting above .375, I think they find a way in the District 4B tournament. On top of Sweeter’s bat, he’s also given up just eight earned runs in 31.2 innings this season, not to mention Riley Hoffman and Grant Sweeter who have allowed a combined 24 earned runs in 65.2 innings this season.

Representative No. 6 - For my last pick in the Cornbelt League, I’m going to go with a team that’s played close games with some of the best in District 4B, the Flandreau Blue Teal. Flandreau has had close losses to the Mudcats (1-0), the Flandrau Cardinals (3-2), and even the Hartford/Humboldt Gamecocks (11-10), but with the pieces they’ve got offensively, combined with Ethan Johnson and Gage Sharping giving up just 31 earned runs in 73.2 innings, I’d really like to see the Blue Teal in their inaugural season make it to Cadwell Park.

District 5B (Sunshine League)

Champion - These past few years have felt like the same story in the Sunshine League. Will it be Alexandria or Winner/Colome to take the District 5B title? And while that question may have been more difficult to answer in years past, it’s at least somewhat easier to answer this year. The Winner/Colome Pheasants have been an absolute machine this year, and that’s putting it lightly. The Pheasants have outscored opponents 216-70 in 18 games this year. In other words, they are averaging 12 runs a game while allowing just under three runs per contest. They’ve scored 12 or more runs in 14 of their 18 games this season and if you saw our updated individual amateur stat leaders from July 18, all of these stats here don’t surprise you.

Representative No. 1 - Referring back to the District 5B champion, I think Alexandria is easily the second best team in the Sunshine League this year. The Angels have four losses entering districts, and luckily for Alexandria all four losses (two to Winner/Colome, one to Mount Vernon, one to Dimock/Emery) are against teams on the opposite side of the winner’s bracket. Alexandria is another team with lots of hitting up and down the lineup, nine guys are batting above .300, including Jordan Gau batting .431 with five doubles, two homers, and 14 RBIs in 15 games, as well as Cole Wenande batting .333 with four doubles, six homers, and 14 RBIs in 17 games.

Representative No. 2 - The Dimock/Emery Raptors are actually a team I’d look out for in the state tournament to do some damage. Dimock/Emery was one of two Sunshine League teams in the quarterfinals last year and with the addition of Landon Waddell to the pitching staff, it could make a statement in Cadwell. Waddell is second on the team in innings pitched with 48, but is one of the best strikeout pitchers in the state and is currently in a three-way tie for first in strikeouts (85) this season. Phil Johnson still doing his thing at the plate, batting .415 with 13 RBIs in 14 games, Sam Pischke is batting at a .317 clip with eight doubles and 21 RBIs in 21 games, and Chase Arend is batting .360 with five doubles, a triple, three homers, and 16 RBIs as well.

Representative No. 3 - The Platte Killer Tomatoes ran into some tough breaks in July but I still think they find a way into the state tournament. They’ve lost three Sunshine League games by two or less runs and despite not scheduling any non-league games this season, they are the only team to hand Winner/Colome a loss this season, an 8-1 victory in their first game of the season. Platte is hitting extra base-hits at an MLB-level this season, as a team they have 27 doubles, two triples, and 14 home runs in 14 games. Hayden Kuiper has hit the long-ball four times this season while batting .304, while Richard Sternberg has knocked six doubles in 13 games at a .293 pace. Travis Gant, Dawson Hoffman, and Micheal Buitenbos have been an excellent three-headed monster on the mound to complement the offense; they've combined for nearly 90 innings giving up just 46 earned runs this season.

Representative No. 4 - You can call it recency bias but sometimes it’s all about getting hot at the right time, and the Mount Vernon Mustangs, at the very least, have built some momentum ahead of the District 5B tournament. After starting League play 0-6, they finished the year 5-3, picking up big wins over Dimock/Emery, Platte, Alexandria, and Corsica and jumped from the bottom of the standings to the No. 5 seed in the last week of the regular season. Deric Denning has been the Mustangs’ workhorse (pun intended) on the mound this season, allowing 27 earned runs in 58 innings pitched. Walker Hultgren, Chase Hetland, Cameron Deinert, and Bradley Dean have all played huge roles in the Mustangs mid-season turnaround offensively, combining for 13 doubles, a triple, six homers, and 42 RBIs. 

Representative No. 5 - The Parkston Devil Rays, despite finishing last in the Sunshine League, will make the state amateur tournament. The beauty of the Sunshine League tournament is that it’s the second largest qualifying tournament in Class B, and gives those final three teams that are duking it out for the very last spot so many opportunities to earn it. Dylan Soulek, Jonah Schmidt, Jake Helleloid, and Seth Muth have been excellent at the plate for the Devil Rays, all batting above the .300 mark, combining for 16 doubles, three triples, nine homers (three by Soulek, six by Helleloid), and 47 RBIs. On the mound Jake Helleloid and Ty Neugebauer each find themselves in the top 10 list in strikeouts, including a 1.9 ERA from Helleloid and a 3.3 ERA from Neugebauer. 

District 6B (South Central League)

Champion - This feels like a revenge tour for the South Central League, which looks to bounce back from having two teams in the state semifinals, with Lesterville falling short in the championship. However, I feel like the Tabor Bluebirds have flexed a little more muscle this regular season, beating Lesterville both times in League play. Tabor’s pitching staff only added more depth from last year with Jared Miller. Miller has an ERA of .45, allowing just two earned runs in 39 innings while tossing 64 strikeouts. Add him into a rotation with Chase Kortan, Riley Rothschadl, and Bryce Scieszinski, and Tabor could easily make it back to the state semifinals, if not further.

Representative No. 1 - I don’t think Crofton will have any issue making the state amateur tournament. It swept four of the five South Central League teams below them in the standings with just one loss to Wynot in a 2-1, 12-inning thriller on June 16. The Blue Jays face Irene, a team they most recently beat in a double header 11-1 and 12-3 and will most likely face Lesterville in a great semifinal matchup. Austin Tramp has been the Blue Jays best bat at a .361 clip, including five doubles, a triple, and 14 RBIs in 18 games this season. Zach Hegge has also been excellent on the bump for Crofton, allowing just 12 earned runs in 50 innings pitched, while striking out 65 batters this season.

Representative No. 2 - Not far behind Crofton, Lesterville is back and hungry to return to the state championship from a year ago. Lesterville's only losses this season are to Tabor (2), Crofton (2), Yankton (2), and Dimock/Emery but was dominant in its eight wins. I think if Crofton doesn’t face Tabor in the district championship, then it’ll be Lesterville. The Broncs have had some strong hitting all year with Ethan Wishon batting .407 with five doubles and three homers, Michael Drotzmann at a .353 clip with four doubles and three home runs, and Tanner Van Driel hitting .327 with three doubles, three homers, and 16 RBIs.

Representative No. 3 - The last spot in the South Central League can kind of be a wild card. It seems Menno always seems to find a way into the state tournament, but I’m going to go with the Freeman Blacksox for the final spot. Freeman has played some great baseball in July winning games over Class A Renner, Irene (2), and the Parkston Mudcats while dropping close games with Wynot and Tabor. Bailey Sage has been one of the best hitters in the South Central League, hitting .417 with three doubles and four homers, while Trey Christensen and Jackson Fiegen have been an excellent 1-2 punch on the mound, giving up a combined 31 runs in 62 innings.

District 7B (State Line League)

Champion - When it comes to the State Line League, while you could make a case for Garretson in this spot, I think Larchwood is the team to beat. The Diamonds have lost one game to a Class B State Line League team this season, a 1-0 loss to Elk Point on June 2. Since then, Larchwood has only lost to Class teams, and has picked up dominant wins over Garretson, 11-4, and Lennox/Chancellor/Worthing twice.

Representative No. 1 - With how the State Line district tournament is shaped, Larchwood and Garretson have to win just one game to be in the district championship, so I’ll take my chances on Garretson being the second team to represent District 7B at state. While my knowledge on Garretson this year is relatively slim, I know they are capable of making a deep run in the state tournament (state runner-up in 2022) which is why I’m putting them in this spot. Also, whoever  runs the Garretson Blue Jays Facebook account writes incredible recaps, you have to check them out.

Representative No. 2 - Outside of a couple bumps against Larchwood and Class A teams, Lennox/Chancellor/Worthing has played excellent baseball this season down the stretch. After starting the year 3-6 it finished 5-4 and even picked up a win over Garretston. While I could see the Dirt Devils in the District 7B championship, I just think the teams I listed previously have the slight edge.