The MHSAA baseball and softball state tournament has been running wild since it began on Tuesday, May 26, and has seen success from multiple South Bend Tribune coverage-area teams on both sides.
In baseball, Brandywine won its first Division 3 district championship since 2008 with a 3-2 victory vs. Buchanan Saturday, May 30, while Niles won a Division 2 district title by beating Lakeshore 9-1 that same afternoon.
Wednesday, June 3, was the regional semifinal round for baseball, and it brought an end to both Niles’ and Brandywine’s seasons. The Vikings were walked off in extra innings in a 2-1 loss to Vicksburg, while the Bobcats were trounced by Schoolcraft 15-3 despite taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning.
Niles finished the season with a 29-10-1 record, led by University of Houston commit Brenden Olsen and Youngstown State University commit Jaxen Racht, both seniors. In the state tournament, Olsen combined for four walks, three stolen bases, two hits, two RBIs, two runs and one double. On the mound, Racht pitched 14 and 1/3 innings, striking out 14 batters and allowing 11 hits, 5 walks, and 1 earned run.
Brandywine finished its historic campaign with a 30-6-1 record. Last season, Kaeden Warfield set a MHSAA record for stolen bases in a single season with 66, and the senior standout ended this season with 55. Sophomore Hudson Aalfs stood out in the Bobcats’ two district games, pitching six innings in a semifinal and allowing four hits, two walks and no earned runs with eight strikeouts. Across three state tournament games at the plate, he combined for four walks, three hits, one RBI and one run.
In softball, Buchanan continued its strong legacy with yet another Division 3 district championship, a 7-4 win over Brandywine on May 30. Dowagiac also won a Division 2 district title, boasting a 5-0 victory over Three Rivers on Saturday.
Leading the Bucks is senior Aspen Berry, who combined for four RBIs, two hits, two triples and one run across two district games. Her younger sister, freshman Reese, and junior Cora Weinberg are also hitting well for Buchanan. Berry combined for one hit, one RBI, one walk and one run in two district games while Weinberg had three runs, two hits, two RBIs, one home run and one walk.
The Bucks (27-10) play Bronson in a regional semifinal at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 6 at Centreville High School. When the two met on April 16, Buchanan took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the game was not finished.
The winner advances to the 2 p.m. regional championship game against Kalamazoo Christian or Coloma.
That same morning at Harper Creek High School, Dowagiac will face Vicksburg in a regional semifinal. The Chieftains beat the Bulldogs 6-3 in the regular season, and the former breezed through the district round, outscoring their two opponents 20-0.
Sophomore Bree Campbell stood out on the mound in the championship game, pitching a seven-inning complete-game shutout, striking out 12, and allowing just two hits and two walks. At the plate across two district games, Campbell had four RBIs, one hit, one run, and one double.
Senior Bree Behnke also had four RBIs while junior Claire Hess had three in the two district games. The winner of Dowagiac vs. Vicksburg will face the winner of Paw Paw vs. Lakeshore in a regional championship game at 2 p.m.
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleMSmedley.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Recapping the 2026 MHSAA baseball and softball state tournament so far
Reporting by Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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By Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune | USA TODAY Network
