Another season in the Crow River Valley League is about to come to an end. What a season it has been.
Every year, the excitement for the return of amateur baseball always gets a lot of attention. Between doing a hot stove edition and normal coverage for the league, the beginning of the season is always an exciting time.
As this season got underway, I thought I had a good idea of how this season would go. As I look at where we sit right now, I was wrong.
I and everyone knew Waconia would be a very good team once again this season. I wasn’t surprised that they won the CRVL North division, but the way they have done it is impressive, to say the least.
The Lakers find themselves heading into the final week of the regular season undefeated in league play. Waconia has a chance to make history this year as no team in the CRVL has finished the regular season in league play undefeated. Waconia closes out the season with matchups against Mayer and Winsted.
While it’s no surprise that the Waconia Lakers have positioned themselves as the top team in the CRVL, the biggest surprise of the season has been the success of the Plato Bluejays. After going 1-12 last season in league play, Plato is the CRVL South division champions and will be the No. 2 seed in the Region 7C Tournament. That’s a remarkable turnaround.
What Plato has done this season is what’s great about the CRVL. No matter what a team did last year, it doesn’t matter going forward.
Plato’s young core combined with a few veterans has put the Bluejays on the map again. Give a lot of credit to Adam Dammann, Joe Nix, and the rest of the veterans on that team for what they’ve done this season. Success in the CRVL is not easy.
Another team enjoying an impressive season that some might not have seen coming is the Mayer Blazers. Mayer didn’t have a team for three years before returning to the CRVL last season. In their first year back, the Blazers reached the Region 7C Tournament and even found themselves in a state qualifier game.
It would have been predictable for the Blazers to take a step back this season but that’s not the case. Mayer finds themselves in a great position to not only get back to the Region 7C Tournament but possibly snag one of the four state tournament bids up for grabs next month.
Success comes and goes in the CRVL. It’s not an easy thing to keep things rolling. Just take a look at the Winsted Wildcats. A season ago, the Wildcats were the No. 2 seed in the Region 7C Tournament after finishing behind only Waconia. This year, the Wildcats are in a fight to stay out of the last place in the CRVL as the playoffs loom on the horizon.
A lot can change in a year in the CRVL. Teams get better. Teams get worse. Players move to different teams. Younger players improve. It’s hard to predict what can happen throughout the season.
If it’s hard to predict what can happen in the regular season, the playoffs are on a whole different level. I love how the CRVL sets up their postseason. The two-division champions get a bye into the Region 7C Tournament. The remaining 12 teams battle it out in a best of three-game series to determine the final six spots in the Region 7C Tournament.
The league playoffs are one of my favorite times of the year coverage-wise. There’s nothing better than covering those games and chasing scores down from around the league to keep people updated. Last year we had two series go to three games. With the depth of the league this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more than this year.
Then it comes to the Region 7C Tournament. We’ll have eight teams battling it out for four berths in the state tournament. With this year’s state tournament in the backyard of the CRVL (Waconia and Hamburg), teams have a little extra motivation to make it this year.
Since Region 7C has gotten four state tournament entrants, only once have the top four seeds in the tournament survived and made it to state. That’s remarkable.
It’s not crazy to see a sixth, seventh, or eighth seed make it to state out of Region 7C. Last year Carver made it to the state tournament as the No. 8 seed out of Region 7C. Not only that, but the Black Sox made it to the final weekend picking up wins over Clinton and Delano. Carver’s run came to an end against St. Patrick, who finished as runner-ups.
The Region 7C Tournament will have a familiar look this season after mixing things up last year. Plato will serve as the main host for the 2021 tournament. Hamburg will be helping out the Bluejays by hosting the night games during the week as Bluejays Stadium doesn’t have lights.
It’s bound to be an exciting finish in the CRVL. I look forward to taking in more games at ballparks across the league as we get ready to take in what should be another fantastic postseason push from all of our teams.
The Region 7C Tournament begins Thursday, Aug. 5, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 15.
To stay updated on the final stretch of the CRVL regular season, the league playoffs, and the Region 7C Tournament, stay connected with the Herald Journal and crvlbaseball.com. For in-game updates, scores, schedules, stories, and more, follow Herald Journal Sports Editors Kip Kovar and Jared Martinson on Twitter.
@Kovar_HJSports
@Jared_NHR