Several southeast Iowa baseball programs are set to open substate play on Thursday, July 3rd as the quest for a state tournament berth gets underway. Here is a look at the brackets involving area teams.
Class 1A Substate 6
Sixth-ranked Sigourney earned a first-round bye and will host the winner of the Van Buren County and New London matchup on July 7th at 7 p.m. Van Buren County and New London open play on July 3rd at 7 p.m. at Van Buren County.
Also in Substate 6, Burlington Notre Dame hosts Danville at 7 p.m. on July 3rd, while Highland plays Wapello at Burlington Notre Dame at 5 p.m. on July 3rd. The other district in Substate 6 includes Lynnville-Sully, English Valleys, Melcher-Dallas, Montezuma, Baxter, GMG, BGM, and Colfax-Mingo. Lynnville-Sully is ranked ninth in Class 1A according to the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association.
Class 1A Substate 7
Pekin hosts Lone Tree on July 3rd at 7 p.m., while Keota takes on Hillcrest Academy at Pekin at 5 p.m. on July 3rd. The winners of those two games will meet in the district semifinal. The top of the district includes Moravia, Moulton-Udell, Twin Cedars, and North Mahaska. The other district in the substate features Martensdale-St. Marys, Southeast Warren, Earlham, Murray, Seymour, East Union, and Wayne. Martensdale-St. Marys is ranked second in Class 1A according to the IHSBCA.
Class 2A Substate 5
The Class 2A Substate 5 bracket features several area programs with a busy schedule on both July 3rd and July 7th.
On July 3rd, Albia plays West Burlington at Davis County at 5 p.m., with the winner advancing to play Cardinal at Cardinal on July 7th at 7 p.m. Davis County hosts Pella Christian at 7 p.m. on July 3rd, with the winner set to face Central Lee at Cardinal on July 7th at 5 p.m.
In the other half of the bracket, Centerville plays EBF at Chariton at 5 p.m. on July 3rd, with the winner playing at Pleasantville on July 7th at 7 p.m. Chariton hosts Lamoni at 7 p.m. on July 3rd, with the winner traveling to Pleasantville on July 7th at 5 p.m. to face Grand View Christian.
Pleasantville enters the postseason ranked first in Class 2A according to the IHSBCA, making the Pleasantville side of the bracket a significant challenge for any team that advances to face them.
All rankings are according to the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association.
