The 2025 Minnesota state softball tournament will open with a similar feel to past editions, but end with more of a grand crescendo.
The tournament begins Tuesday at its traditional site, Caswell Park in North Mankato. The six-field facility will host quarterfinals on Tuesday and semifinals on Wednesday across all four classes, with consolation championships and third-place games played Thursday south of the metro.
But the changeup to this year’s festivities comes Friday, when the state championship games are played on the U campus at Jane Sage Cowles Stadium in Minneapolis.
Here is a look at the east metro teams competing this week for state titles.
Class 4A
Forest Lake
A moment of appreciation is necessary for Rangers coach Sean Hall for the consistent power he has built with Forest Lake. It’s one thing to routinely get back to state tournaments; it’s quite another to always be in the championship conversation in Class 4A.
Yet here the Rangers (22-1) are again, as the No. 1 seed in this week’s tournament, poised to potentially reach the semifinal round for the sixth straight season. Included in that run are three straight championship game appearances and the 2022 state title.
This team carries similar aspirations.
The Rangers — who will square off with eighth-seeded Edina at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the quarters — are powered by ace hurler Avery Muellner, a Wisconsin commit with a sub-1.0 earned-run average. Forest Lake is comfortable and confident playing in tight, lower-scoring games with which the path through the state tournament is often littered.
Farmington
The Tigers (22-2) are back at state for the second time in three seasons, this time as the No. 3 seed. They have just two losses on their resume all spring and ran roughshod over the Section 1 tournament field to reach this point.
Junior pitcher Kayla Schweich, a St. Cloud State commit, has been dominant in the circle for much of the year for Farmington, with Lexi Goring and Wisconsin commit Lila Johannsen filling out a lethal top of the order.
White Bear Lake
Facing Farmington at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Round 1 is sixth-seeded White Bear Lake (18-6), back in the state tournament for the third time in four seasons.
Bears ace Lilly Martin has amassed a gaudy 254 strikeouts this season. She was masterful throughout sections, and needed to be. The Bears’ first three postseason victories were all by a 2-1 scores before downing favored Stillwater 5-3 in the section final.
White Bear Lake lost its first three games of the spring on the way to a 3-5 start, but the Bears starts the tournament as a winner of 15 of its last 16 contests.
Eagan
The Wildcats are the No. 7 seed in Class 4A and will meet second-seeded Champlin Park in the state quarters at 10 a.m. Tuesday after the Wildcats (15-8) upset Rosemount in the section final.
Eagan was 5-5 in its final 10 regular-season games this spring but hit its stride in sections. North Dakota State commit Jocelyn McClary can impact the game from in the circle or at the plate.
CLASS 3A
Cretin-Derham Hall
A year after it was just one inning away from claiming a state crown, Cretin-Derham Hall has again put itself in position to kick the door down. The Raiders (13-11) are the No. 3 seed in Class 3A, and after playing against bigger schools in the Suburban East Conference, they’re certainly battle tested. They’ll play Byron at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Cretin-Derham Hall pitcher Brooke Nesdahl, center, celebrates with her teammates after they defeated St. Francis 5-4 during a Class 3A semifinals of the State Softball Tournament at Caswell Park in Mankato on Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Craig Lassig / Special to the Pioneer Press)
Pitcher Brooke Nesdahl remains the heartbeat of the Raiders, while Allie Castro, Camille Castro and Hannah Yaeger supply plenty of pop with the bats.
Simley
Simley (14-10) is on the other side of the bracket, seeded eighth with a first-round date with top-seeded Mankato East on the docket at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday. But don’t discount the Spartans, who have established themselves as a softball force in recent years and have an offense capable of putting a scare into any foe.
Emma Seelhammer, Tamari Christopher and Charli Raymond provide the bulk of the offensive production. The latter is an all-world wrestler for the Spartans and the younger sister of Randolph ace Carter Raymond, a Gophers softball commit.
CLASS 2A
St. Agnes
Having made state semifinal appearances the past two springs, St. Agnes aims to continue climbing the ladder this week.
The Aggies (22-2) are the No. 2 seed and armed with junior ace Angela Proper, one of the best pitchers in Minnesota who nearly ended the reign of Randolph — the top seed again in this year’s tournament — in last year’s semifinals striking out 13 Rockets batters in a 1-0 defeat.
The Aggies also feature Rosella Berthiaume, who is hitting .444 this season. St. Agnes will meet seventh-seeded Jackson County Central at 3 p.m. in Tuesday’s state quarterfinals.
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