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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Jonathan Joss, known for roles on “King of the Hill” and “Parks and Recreation,” was allegedly killed by his neighbor on Sunday in an attack the victim’s husband says was motivated by anti-gay sentiment.

According to the San Antonio Police Department and eyewitnesses who spoke with TMZ, the 59-year-old was shot during a heated argument with the neighbor, Sigfredo Alvarez-Cega.

The confrontation turned bloody when Alvarez-Cega pulled out a gun and shot several bullets at the actor before driving off in a car. Officers received a call about the shooting as well as a description of the vehicle.

Joss’ husband, Tristan Kern de Gonzales, released a statement detailing what fueled the altercation, claiming homophobia as the root cause.

In this handout photo released by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, suspect Sigfredo Ceja Alvarez poses for a booking photo on June 2, 2025 in San Antonio, Texas. He was booked on suspicion of murder of Jonathan Joss, a voice actor on the television show “King of the Hill”. (Photo by Bexar County Sheriff’s Office via Getty Images)

Gonzales says the couple went to check the mail at the site of their former home, which had previously burned down. He says a man “yelling violent homophobic slurs at us” approached them and “raised a gun from his lap and fired.”

Gonzales also said they were “harassed regularly” by the “openly homophobic” neighbor.

“He was murdered by someone who could not stand the sight of two men living each other,” Gonzales wrote in a Facebook post. “I was with him when he passed. I told him how much he was loved.”

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He also said Joss was shot in front of him and saved his life by protecting him when the gunman started shooting.

Alvarez-Cega was later found one block from the house and taken into custody.

Paramedics rushed to the scene to provide medical assistance to save Joss’ life, but by the time they arrived it was too late. The 59-year-old actor was pronounced dead on the scene.

Joss was best known as the voice of John Redcorn in “King of the Hill” and his role as Chief Ken Hotate in “Parks and Recreation.” He also had television roles in “Ray Donovan,” The Magnificent Seven,” “True Grit” and “Tulsa King.”

Alvarez-Cega was charged with murder and his bond has been set at $200K.

By JOCELYN NOVECK

Renée Victor, who voiced the no-nonsense, sandal-throwing Abuelita in Disney’s animated hit “Coco” and played the wisecracking Lupita on Showtime’s “Weeds,” has died. She was 86.

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Victor’s death was confirmed on Monday by a representative, Julie Smith, who said the actor had lymphoma for several years. She died Friday at her home in Sherman Oaks, California, Smith said, with family by her side.

A post on the Instagram feed of Pixar, which produced “Coco,” said: “We are heartbroken to hear of the passing of Renée Victor, the voice (of) Abuelita in ‘Coco’ and an incredible part of the Pixar family. We will always remember you.”

Victor appeared in 22 episodes of “Weeds” as sassy housekeeper Lupita between 2005 and 2012, among many other TV credits including “ER,” “Matlock” and “The Addams Family.” But she was perhaps best known for what she called the chancla-throwing grandmother in “Coco,” the 2017 family-friendly movie that explored death through the journey of a young Mexican boy to the land of the dead.

“I play the part of ‘Abuelita,’ the chancla throwing grandma that preaches ‘No Music!’” she wrote on Instagram, looking back several years ago. “Enjoy ‘Coco’ with your family this Dia de los Muertos and forever more!”

FILE – Renee Victor appears at the premiere of “Coco” in Los Angeles on Nov. 8, 2017. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

She also looked back at “The Apostle,” the 1997 movie that Robert Duvall wrote, directed and starred in. “He took a chance on me with this film,” Victor wrote on Instagram. “This is where I got my nickname ‘one take Renée,’” she said, adding laughter emojis. “I had a small role but what a great one! Can somebody give me an amen?!”

Born in San Antonio, Texas, on July 25, 1938, Victor began her performing career as a singer and dancer. She moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s, according to biography material provided by her representatives, where she launched her career singing with prominent big band leaders Xavier Cugat and Pérez Prado. She also taught Latin dancing, including the salsa and tango.

She met her future husband, Ray, during that period, and from 1963 to 1973, they performed together as “Ray & Renée,” a variety show took them around the world — including Australia, where “they enjoyed particular fame,” the materials said.

In the 1970s, Victor hosted the “Pacesetters” public affairs show on KTLA, her representatives said, and by the ’80s had moved into TV and film work.

Her film credits, other than “The Apostle,” included the 2014 horror film “Paranormal Activity 5: The Marked Ones,” “The Doctor” with William Hurt (1991), and “A Night in Old Mexico” (2013), also with Duvall. In 2004, she had a recurring role as Florina Lopez on TV’s “ER,” and the following year was cast in “Weeds.” Other series credits included “Snowpiercer” (2020-2021), “Mayans M.C.” (2022), “Dead to Me” (2020-2022), and Amazon’s “With Love” (2021-2023).

Victor is survived by her daughters, Raquel and Margo Victor, Smith said.

By DEE-ANN DURBIN

The Campbell’s Co. said Monday it saw stronger sales of broth and condensed soup in its latest quarter as more Americans cooked their meals at home.

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“Consumers continue to cook at home and focus their spending on products that help them stretch their food budgets, and they’re increasingly intentional about their discretionary snack purchases,” Campbell’s President and CEO Mick Beekhuizen said during a conference call with investors.

Beekhuizen said Campbell’s saw the highest level of meals cooked at home since early 2020 in its fiscal third quarter, which ended April 27. Campbell’s noted sales of its broths rose 15% during the quarter while sales of its Rao’s pasta sauces were up 2%.

But Campbell’s said sales of its snacks, including Goldfish crackers and Cape Cod potato chips, fell 4% during the quarter.

Other big companies, including McDonald’s, have also noted that Americans are increasingly eating at home as uncertainty over the economy grows. Grocery prices have also moderated. In 2024, prices for food eaten at home rose 1.2%, while prices for food away from home rose 4.1%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Snack makers like PepsiCo, which makes Frito Lay chips, and General Mills, which makes Bugles chips and Golden Grahams, have also noted lower demand for snacks in recent quarters.

Campbell’s net sales rose 4% to $2.5 billion for the fiscal third quarter, which was in line with Wall Street’s expectations, according to analysts polled by FactSet.