2023 Class AAAA State Softball Preview

The 2023 State Softball Tournament is here and will be held at Caswell Park in North Mankato, on Thursday, June 8th and Friday June 9th. Delano and STMA have made it from the Wright County Area, and KRWC will be there for all of the Delano and STMA games. Below is a preview for Class AAAA, where STMA will take on White Bear Lake in the first round, on Thursday at 9 AM.

#1 Seed: Rosemount Irish, 23-0.
Section Final: Defeated East Ridge, 10-5 in Section final.
Key Players: Paige Zender(.385 BA, 11 HR, 39 RBI.), Macy Fry(.421 BA, 2 HR, 17 RBI.), Jessica Snippes(.617 BA, 4 HR, 38 RBI, 17-0 with a 1.29 ERA in the circle.)
About the Irish: They have a player(Zender) with 11 home runs…..and she is not the best player on the team. That would be Snippes, the 2023 Star Tribune Player of the Year. The Irish have had one game all year that was decided by two runs or less. Still looking for a weakness.

Jessie Snippes, above, is the Star Tribune Metro Player of the year.

#2 Seed: Maple Grove Crimson, 21-2.
Section Final: Defeated Centennial, 3-1 in the section final.
Key Players: Danni Strom(.350 BA.), Jeena Steele, Maddie Wihlm(Ace Pitcher.)
About the Crimson: As STMA found out, the Crimson have a great pitcher in Wihlm, but can they hit enough to advance deep into the state tournament?

Maddy Wihlm, above, is one of the top pitchers in the state.

#3 Seed: Forest Lake Rangers, 20-3.
Section Final: Defeated Andover, 8-0 in Section Final.
Key Players: Bethany Weiss(.405 BA, 13 RBI.), Avery Muellner(.549, 22 RBI.), Hannah Tong(.369 BA, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 10-2 with a 1.06 ERA in the circle.)
About the Rangers: The defending state champs started the season 2-2, but have gone 19-1 since then. One issue is the Rangers don’t have a very deep batting order, but Tong makes up for it with her pitching.

Forest Lake, above, celebrated their state championship win last year in Mankato.

#4 Seed: White Bear Lake Bears, 20-4.
Section Final: Defeated N. St. Paul, 3-1.
Key Players: Chloe Barber(.388, 8 HR, 28 RBI.), Heidi Barber(.565 BA, 3 HR, 21 RBI.), Autumn Lund(.276 BA, 4 HR, 15 RBI.)
About the Bears: Chloe Barber is a problem for a lot of teams. She can flat out hit, but the rest of the lineup is not as potent as they only have three players that hit over .300.

Hannah Barber, above, hit eight home runs this year for the Bears.

#5 Seed: STMA Knights, 21-3.
Section Final: Defeated Moorhead, 11-1.
Key Players: Camryn Dubel(.452 BA, 3 HR, 17 RBI.), Taylor Tschida(.434, 3 HR, 17 RBI.), Kendra Behrens(.391 BA, 6 HR, 21 RBI, and 11-0 record with a 1.98 ERA.)
About the Knights: This team is so deep and so talented. They have two great pitchers in Behrens and Luoto, so they could make a deep run in a very deep tournament.

Kendra Behrens, above, has been a big boost to the Knights season as a Sophomore.

Random Draw: Farmington Tigers, 17-9
Section Final: Defeated Lakeville North, 10-2 in the section final.
Key Players: Katie Klotz(.434 BA.)Hannah Hanson(.425 BA.), Lexi Goring(.350 BA.)
About the Tigers: Farmington has won six of eight, but has been inconsistent both in the circle and at the plate, but have played much better as of late.

Katie Klotz, above, leads the Tigers into the state tournament.

Random Draw: Shakopee Sabers, 20-4.
Section Final: Defeated Eden Prairie, 2-1 in the Section Final.
Key Players: N/A.
About the Sabers: The Sabers are red hot, winning eight straight. They are a very good hitting team, scoring 8 runs or more 9 times this year.

Random Draw: Hopkins Royals, 15-7.
Section Final: Defeated, Armstrong 2-1 in Section final.
Key Players: Signe Dohse(.444 BA, 7 HR, 24 RBI, 5-4 with a 2.48 ERA.), Abria Carter(.302 BA, 22 RBI.), Anisa Dysart(.348 BA, 2 HR, 15 RBI.)
About the Royals: After a slow start the Royals have been getting some great pitching, allowing one or less run in four straight games. They have hit all year, so Royals are playing well at the right time.

Signe Dohse, above, improved pitching is one of the big reasons why the Royals have advanced to state.

What about the Knights: I cannot remember a better field than this year! It’s stacked with great players. The good news for the Knights is they are as deep as any team in the state and Behrens has turned into a true ace as a sophomore. It’s going to be an unbelievable tournament, and the Knights have the talent to win it all, but so do about six other teams.

2023 Class AAAA State Softball Tournament Bracket:  

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