Badminton

Here are the first-round pairings for the 2021 Iowa state baseball tournament

Here are the first-round pairings for the 2021 Iowa state baseball tournament

We’ve hit the final leg of the 2020-21 athletic season, with the state baseball tournament wrapping things up next week in Carroll and Iowa City. The first-round pairings have been released following Wednesday’s exciting night of substate action.

There were a handful of upsets sprinkled alongside title contenders taking care of business. State baseball action runs Monday through Thursday at Merchants Park in Carroll (Class 1A and 2A) and Wednesday through Saturday at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City (Class 3A and 4A).

The Des Moines Register will have coverage throughout the entire week. Until then, here are the state pairings and some instant analysis.

Class 4A
Thursday, July 29

No. 1 Pleasant Valley (34-4) vs. No. 8 Ottumwa (30-9), 11 a.m.
No. 4 Dowling Catholic (32-7) vs. No. 5 Cedar Rapids Prairie (32-8), 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 Ankeny (31-6) vs. No. 7 Waukee (26-15), 5 p.m.
No. 3 Johnston (35-7) vs. No. 6 Dubuque Hempstead (30-10), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 30

Semifinal No. 1, 5 p.m.
Semifinal No. 2, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 31

Championship, 2:30 p.m.
Instant analysis: Not a ton of stunners here, with the top seed advancing to Duane Banks Field in seven of the eight substates. Waukee was the only non-No. 1 seed to qualify, but the Warriors rolled by Norwalk, 13-0, in what really wasn’t an upset at all. Waukee now gets Ankeny in the most intriguing first-round matchup, which should feature tons of power pitching. Give me Jackson Wentworth vs. Brody Brecht (on his future field) all day long.

Class 3A

Wednesday, July 28

No. 4 Central DeWitt (23-15) vs. No. 5 Waverly-Shell Rock (33-7), 11 a.m.
No. 1 Marion (34-6) vs. No. 8 ADM (12-17), 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 Cedar Rapids Xavier (26-12) vs. No. 7 MOC-Floyd Valley (27-8), 5 p.m.
No. 3 Wahlert Catholic (30-10) vs. No. 6 Winterset (22-11), 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 30

Semifinal No. 1, 11 a.m.
Semifinal No. 2, 1:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 31

Championship, noon

Instant analysis: A lot more upsets here than 4A, with only two of the top eight substate seeds advancing to Duane Banks Field. Four qualifiers — Waverly-Shell Rock, Central DeWitt, Cedar Rapids Xavier and Winterset — beat No. 1 seeds to reach the state tournament, while ADM will begin play next week with a losing record. With so little substate chalk, this tournament sets up nicely for top squads Marion and Wahlert Catholic.

Class 2A

Tuesday, July 27

No. 4 Unity Christian (20-7) vs. No. 5 Clarinda (18-11), 11 a.m.
No. 1 Van Meter (28-7) vs. No. 8 Davis County (15-18), 1:30 p.m.
No. 3 Camanche (23-6) vs. No. 6 Denver (18-18), 4:30 p.m.
No. 2 Centerville (19-14) vs. No. 7 New Hampton (19-15), 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, July 28

Semifinal No. 1, 4:30 p.m.
Semifinal No. 2, 7 p.m.
Thursday, July 29

Championship, 2:30 p.m.

Instant analysis: When comparing the final IHSBCA 2A rankings to the 2A state field, one might think there were several misprints. Not the case, though. On an upset-filled Wednesday, Van Meter was the only team ranked in the final poll to reach Merchants Park. Six substate finals featured a ranked team losing to an unranked team: No. 1 Roland-Story fell to New Hampton, No. 3 Panorama fell to Clarinda, No. 4 Mid-Prairie fell to Davis County, No. 7 Estherville Lincoln Central fell to Unity Christian, No. 8 Jesup fell to Denver and No. 10 Beckman Catholic fell to Camanche.

Class 1A

Monday, July 26

No. 1 Remsen St. Mary’s (26-3) vs. No. 8 Grundy Center (19-8), 11 a.m.
No. 4 Kee (33-9) vs. No. 5 New London (26-1), 1:30 p.m.
No. 2 St. Albert (32-8) vs. No. 7 Lisbon (25-13), 4:30 p.m.
No. 3 Tri-Center (28-2) vs. No. 6 Alburnett (28-9), 7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 28

Semifinal No. 1, 11 a.m.
Semifinal No. 2, 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 29

Championship, noon

Instant analysis: With powerhouse Newman Catholic and defending champion Don Bosco both out, new blood will emerge in 1A. Only two of these qualifiers have won a baseball state title this century (Remsen St. Mary’s in 2016, Kee in 2005), while three others have never won (Grundy Center, New London and Alburnett).

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