State tournament starts Friday at Chanhassen High
Two streaks are on the line at this weekend’s state adapted softball tournament.
Dakota United, a co-op program that includes Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Eastview, Lakeville North, Lakeville South and Rosemount high schools, has won the last three state championships in the PI Division and hasn’t lost a state tournament game since 2018 (the tournament was not held in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19).
The same goes for the Burnsville/Farmington/Lakeville CI Division co-op. Nicknamed the Blazing Cats, they too have won three consecutive state championships. Because of the COVID disruption, the championship streak extends to 2019.
“We have two players who were on the 2019 team and are still with us – J.T. Koczur and Riley Deutsch,” Blazing Cats coach David Diehl said. “They’re seniors now. I think we can say it started with them. As other players joined, they became a team and developed a culture. We’ll be saying goodbye to a lot of them after this weekend’s tournament.”
Dakota United is the top seed and favorite in the PI Division tournament. The Hawks’ state quarterfinal game is against Anoka-Hennepin at 5 p.m. Friday at Chanhassen High School.
Burnsville/Farmington/Lakeville is not the top seed in the CI Division, but history suggests that might not mean all that much. Last year the Blazing Cats took a 5-3 record into the state tournament and won three in a row, including a 7-5, 11-inning victory over Dakota United in the championship game.
The Blazing Cats’ state quarterfinal is against the South Suburban Jets at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Chanhassen High. Dakota United’s CI team is the top seed from the South conference and will play Chaska/Chanhassen/Prior Lake/Shakopee in the quarterfinals at 8 p.m.
The state tournament continues Saturday with championship games scheduled for 1:45 p.m. (PI) and 3:45 (CI).
Dakota United and Robbinsdale/Hopkins/Mound Westonka met in last year’s PI Division championship game, with DU winning 13-6. Few will be surprised if the same teams meet in this year’s final. The two programs have combined to win 15 of the last 16 state softball championships.
“Robbinsdale has a solid squad and will give us fits in the tournament if we play undisciplined ball, which we have during a few games this year,” Dakota United coach Brett Kosidowski said.
Last year the Hawks could rely on the leadership of since-graduated Fiona Sitzmann to pull them through difficult stretches, Kosidowski said. Dakota United is a veteran team – six juniors and two seniors are among the starters – but has had to get it done a different way.
“We can’t rely on one person like we used to do with Fiona, so watching this team come together and play as a unit has been a different experience,” Kosidowski said.
Cayden Needham, a junior, is the Hawks’ pitcher and probably their top player. Seniors Sam Holland and Amisha Etter are in their second year as starters. Seventh-graders Bryce Andrews and Dylan Burns also have contributed this season.
Burnsville/Farmington/Lakeville is not just going for a third consecutive CI Division softball championship. The Blazing Cats are pursuing a ninth consecutive state title across all three of the adapted team sports they play – soccer, floor hockey and softball.
“A big part of the culture they’ve developed is learning how to play their best in the state tournament,” said Diehl, who also coaches the Blazing Cats in floor hockey.
Senior Caden Roseth is the state’s career scoring leader in CI Division adapted soccer and floor hockey, and he’s also a key part of the softball lineup. Last year the Blazing Cats moved him to shortstop to solidify the defense. Cayleigh Sorenson, a sophomore, is a returning pitcher.
Diehl said the Blazing Cats know better than to underestimate any team in the state tourney. “I think any team that gets there is a good team,” he said. “We played (first-round state opponent) South Suburban in the regular season and they scored some runs on us, so our players know they have to be ready.”
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