South Ridge Baseball Set to Make 6th State Tournament Appearance in Last Eight Seasons

The Panthers are vying for their first state quarterfinal victory since the 2018 season.

CULVER, Minn.- Last year, the South Ridge baseball team was just one win away from making their 4th straight state tournament.

Fast forward to this season, and the team left no doubt as they ran the table in the Section 7A tournament.

The Panthers will enter the tourney as the 3rd seed and will battle the 6th seed Hayfield out of Section 1A.

It’s the 6th time in the last eight years that South Ridge has made it to the final eight.

Head Coach Aaron Weber detailed the challenges of facing a Vikings squad that’s gone 16-9.

“They’re a good team. I don’t want to say a tough draw. You knoe they’re a six seed but they’re a very good team, much better than their seed shows. They took their team down to Arizona this year before the season started. They have like nine losses but they beat some of the best teams in the state on their way to the state tournament. They’re playing really good baseball right now too so we’re going to have to play our best in order to get that first game. After that, you never know,” said Weber.

For the players, they say it’s all about supporting each other in these big games.

“We know we just have to see ball and hit ball. So that’s what we’re going to do, limit the errors. That’s definitely our mojo, we like to keep the dugout high and if we have an error, no big deal, we have the boys to back you up,” said pitcher and outfielder Gavin Willeck.

“A lot of chemistry, everyone here is friends, everyone is good. We play good as a team, everyone is in the right spot,” added pitcher and designated hitter Zyere Alexander.

The Panthers are vying for their first state quarterfinal victory since the 2018 season.

First pitch between Hayfield and South Ridge is scheduled for Wednesday at 1 PM at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud.