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Latest coaches' poll adds intrigue to possible postseason matchups

By Nick Gerhardt, SportsEngine, 05/26/17, 10:15AM CDT

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The top two ranked teams in Class 4A and Class 3A reside in the same sections.


Check the complete rankings here.

The Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches’ Association released its latest poll Thursday, and while not much changed in terms of the top teams in each class, the rankings have set up some potential colossal postseason playoff meetings.

The top two teams in Class 4A and Class 3A both reside in the same sections, and three teams in the top 10 in Class 4A are members of Section 7 while Class 2A, Section 1 is home to three top-10 teams.

With the section playoffs underway and the latest rankings out, an exciting race to the state tournament is sure to take place.

Class 4A

Chanhassen (20-1) continued its reign as the top team in Class 4A and could be headed toward a meeting with second-ranked Prior Lake (20-2) for the Section 2 championship. The Storm breezed past Eden Prairie for 8-2 victory on May 24. The Lakers opened the postseason with a 2-1 win over Chaska on May 24 and followed it with a 2-1, 10-inning win over Minnetonka on May 25.

Anoka (20-1) and Woodbury shared the No. 3 ranking in this week’s poll. The Tornadoes earned the top seed in Section 7 and opened the postseason with a 12-2 win over Andover, but the path to state looks to be more difficult for Anoka with No. 8-ranked Blaine (16-3) and No. 9 Forest Lake (14-6), the defending section champion, still alive in the section playoffs.

Woodbury (20-2) has won 18 straight games and faces a big test with North St. Paul on May 26 in the Section 4 playoffs.

Farmington (18-3) dropped a spot to No. 5 in the rankings but began section play with a 3-0 win over Owatonna on May 23.

Check out the complete rankings here.

Class 3A

Mankato West and Faribault have met twice this season, and the potential still exists for at least one more matchup in the postseason.

The Scarlets (17-3) remained No. 1 in Class 3A this week after splitting the regular season series with the second-ranked Falcons (20-1) in Big 9 Conference play.

Faribault won the first meeting 5-4 on May 12 but didn’t face Mankato West ace Briggs Carlson. Carlson pitched in the second meeting on May 18 and helped lead the Scarlets to a 10-5 victory that clinched the league title for Mankato West.

Hermantown (16-4) held down the No. 3 spot in Class 3A and looked impressive in its first postseason game, defeating Hibbing 17-0 on May 24.

Rocori (20-1) has won its last 11 games, including a 2-0 victory over Zimmerman on  May 25, to solidify the No. 4 ranking.

Totino-Grace (19-2) is marching toward its first state tournament appearance since 2011 behind a 14-game winning streak and open the postseason owning the No. 5 ranking.

Class 2A

The top three teams in Class 2A held their spots, with top-ranked Maple Lake (22-0) maintaining its undefeated run through the first two games of the Section 5 playoffs.

Second-ranked Rochester Lourdes (20-1) stretched its winning streak to 11 games with a 1-0 win over Pine Island in the Section 1 playoffs on May 24. The Eagles face No. 10-ranked Zumbrota-Mazeppa (16-5) on May 26.

Pipestone (21-1) remained at No. 3 following a 3-0 loss to New Ulm in its regular-season finale on May 18. The Arrows kicked off Section 3 play with a 15-0, four-inning victory over Jackson County Central on May 24.

Park Rapids (21-1) moved up a spot in the poll to join Pipestone and Chatfield at No. 3. The Panthers saw their 21-game winning streak snapped with an 11-3 loss to Dilworthy-Glyndon-Felton in Section 8 playoffs on May 25. They will try to bounce back with a victory over Warroad on May 30 in the double-elimination tournament.

Chatfield (21-0) opened the Section 1 playoffs with a pair of wins.

Class 1A

New Ulm Cathedral (18-1), New York Mills (18-2) and Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s (19-2) locked down the top three spots again this week.

The No. 1 Greyhounds and No. 3 Knights could be headed to a clash in the Section 2 playoffs after both opened the postseason with victories.

Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian (19-3), scored 41 runs in its first two games in the Section 3 tournament, climbed to No. 4 in the rankings.

Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg (19-2) dropped a spot to No. 5 following a 6-4 loss to Willmar in the regular-season finale on May 18. The Fighting Saints bounced back in the first round of the Section 3 playoffs with a 5-2 win over Lakeview on May 23.

For the complete rankings go here.

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