The Class 3A and 4A brackets have been released in baseball, and the Oskaloosa Indians know they will dodge Pella until the substate final.
In Class 3A, the substate groupings were split in two districts. In District 11, Pella will face Fort Madison, and then would face either Fairfield or Keokuk in the District Final. Fairfield is the site for all three games, which could bode well for the Trojans, who were ranked for a large chunk of the season.
In District 12, Oskaloosa will play Centerville in the first round, and then would play Mount Pleasant or Chariton in the District Final. All games will be played in Oskaloosa, which is a break for the Indians. Should Osky win those two games, they would play in the Substate 6 Final for a trip to the state tournament. The site is yet to be determined.
The postseason begins for these teams on Friday, July 17th.
Also starting on the 17th is Substate 7, which is headlined by Knoxville. The Panthers will be the favorite to make it to state, but in District 13, they’ll have to beat Norwalk to get to Bondurant-Farrar or Winterset. They do get to host those games. Their potential substate final will be at Saydel on the 22nd for a trip to the state tournament.
In Class 4A, the Ottumwa Bulldogs are in Substate 6, and will have to go on the road in the first round despite an 18-12 record. That game will be against City High out of Iowa City, who are 18-13-1 on the year. That six-team bracket will be reseeded when the three winners are determined, allowing one of the remaining teams to get the bye and only need one more win to go to state. That first round game will be on July 17th.
For a complete list of all of the brackets in all four classes, check out this link: https://www.iahsaa.org/secure/brackets.php?sport=bs&year=2015
