THE CHAMPIONSHIPS:  The 46th Annual Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Summer Baseball State Championships will take place Wednesday-Thursday, July 28-29, at Bukolt Park in Stevens Point. Action will begin Wednesday at 10:05 a.m. and will resume at 10:05 a.m. Thursday. Ticket prices for the tourney are $6 per session and are available only at the stadium.

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE AND PAIRINGS:  The single elimination tournament features eight teams in one division. The second game of each session will follow the first game.

Be sure to check out the Preps On The Net “State Tournament Central” page for the full schedule

CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES ON FS WISCONSIN:  Watch the delayed broadcast of the WIAA State Summer Baseball Championship game on FSN Wisconsin. The game is scheduled to air on Thursday, Aug. 5 at 7 p.m. Check local cable listings for the channel in your area.

TEAM TOURNAMENT HISTORY:  The WIAA has been sponsoring the State Summer Baseball Championships since 1965. Brookfield Central, Brown Deer, Greendale, Homestead, Oak Creek, West Bend East and West Bend West have won the most State championships with three, followed by Marquette and Nicolet with two. Including this year, New Holstein has made the most State appearances with 18. Ashland is second in the number of tournament appearances with 13; Platteville has made 12 appearances;  West Bend West has made 11; and Arcadia, Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau, Plymouth and West Bend East have each made appearances in 10 State Tournaments. The State Summer Baseball Tournament has been won by 28 different schools.

LAST YEAR:  Arrowhead won its second State championship. The Warhawks edged defending champion Marquette in the championship game, 5-4. They scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to erase a 4-1 deficit. Brian Crook had a pair of hits for the Warhawks, including a key two-run single in the seventh. Karl Sprung also had two hits, including the game winner in the seventh.  

TOURNAMENT FIELD:  New Holstein is making its membership-leading 18th appearance in the State Summer Baseball Tournament and its fourth in a row. The Huskies won the State title in 1965 and have finished runner-up in 1974, 1986 and 2007. They are the champions of the sectional held at New Holstein following a 5-1 win over Kiel in the sectional final. The Huskies were the runners-up in the Eastern Wisconsin Conference this season. West Bend West will be making its 11th appearance at the State Tournament and its sixth in the last seven seasons. The Spartans won State titles in 1972, 1984 and 2007, and added a runner-up finish in 1981. They are the champions of the North Shore Conference this year and qualified through the Random Lake Sectional with a 10-0, five-inning victory over Kewaskum in the final. Franklin is making its third appearance in the last four years and its eighth overall. The Sabers furthest advance in the State Tournament was to the title game in 2000 when they finished runner-up. They reached the State Tournament this season by virtue of their 4-3 win over South Milwaukee in the South Milwaukee Sectional final. The Sabers placed fifth in the Greater Metro Conference this season. West Salem returns to the tournament field for the third straight season and for the sixth time overall. The Panthers played in the semifinals in 2002, which represents their furthest advance in the tournament. They won the Large Division of the Dairyland Conference this year and earned the opportunity to play in the State Tournament by defeating Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 8-6 in the sectional final played at Whitehall. Grafton qualifies for the State Tournament for the second time and for the first time since its only other appearance in 1983. The Black Hawks advanced to the semifinals that season before being eliminated from title contention. They finished third in the North Shore Conference this season  and advanced through the Cedarburg Sectional with a 1-0 shutout over Nicolet in the final. Germantown is also making its second appearance at State. Its only other appearance came in 1986 when the Warhawks advanced to the semifinals before being ousted from championship contention. They finished seventh in the North Shore Conference standings this season and are the champions of the sectional they hosted by virtue of their 2-1 win over Menomonee Falls in the sectional final game. Waukesha West is back in the State Tournament for the sixth time, all coming in the last nine years. The Wolverines made four straight appearances from 2002-05 and advanced to the semifinal round in 2003. They finished first in the Classic Eight Conference this season and proceeded to win the Muskego Sectional, which was culminated by an 8-4 win over Muskego in the final. New Berlin West makes its first-ever appearance in the State Tournament. The Vikings blanked West Allis Hale 10-0 in five innings in the final of the sectional they hosted to earn their initial state experience. They were co-champions in the Blue Division of the Woodland Conference with Cudahy this season.