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Rough draft proposal could shake up Region 2C playoffs next year

NEW ULM — A proposed “rough draft” by the Minnesota Baseball Association (MBA) would change the landscape of the Tomahawk East League for the playoffs next season.

This would impact the New Ulm Brewers, placing them in Class B next year for playoffs for a proposed newly formed district.

The MBA said that the rough draft is subject to change but should provide a good idea of where teams may be assigned for the 2025 postseason. These changes are based on Total Criteria Points as of July 1, 2024, and are subject to change based on team performance in the 2024 state tournament or other circumstances. Upon completion of the 2024 championship game, the MBA will work to finalize the classes and the respective sections/districts/regions and will announce it timely. The MBA said it will work to ensure teams from the same league who are in the same class are assigned to the same section/district/region.

This will be based on the team’s league as of the MBA finalization announcement date. In this rough draft, the 2025 state tournament would be comprised of 24 teams in Class A, 24 teams in Class B and 32 teams in Class C.

Under the new playoff proposal, Region 2C, which is currently comprised of all of the teams in the Tomahawk East League would see the departure of the New Ulm Brewers and the addition of the Marshall A’s, the Milroy Yankees, the Sacred Heart Saints, the Granite Falls Kilowatts and the Wabasso Jaxx, making it a 17-team region, with four teams qualifying for the Class C state tournament.

The New Ulm Brewers would be placed in a newly-formed six-team District 8 with the Willmar Rails, the Bird Island Bullfrogs, the Raymond Rockets, the Luverne Redbirds and the Fairmont Martins. Of the six teams in this district, three — or half of the teams — would qualify for the State Class B tournament.

New Ulm Brewers manager Al Flor, who is also President of the Tomahawk East League, said that he is taking a “wait-and-see attitude” regarding the proposed change.

“For us [Brewers], going to the new district gives us a 50% chance of going to the state each year,” he said as three of the six teams qualify for state. “And as far as being bumped up to Class B for the playoffs, it will be hard to see how it will affect us until we start playing. And I do not think that it will affect our status in the Tomahawk East League.”

The TEL is currently made up of all Class C teams.

And the proposed change may also affect New Ulm’s status to host Region 2C tournaments.

In the past, New Ulm has been one of the host sites for the Region 2C tournament. But with the move to District 8, that may no longer be the case.

The proposed changes has received lukewarm, at best, reception from teams in the TEL.

Steve Helget, long-time manager of the Springfield Tigers, said he is not 100% sure why the MBA is making the change.

“We had just figured out that now our region [with 17 teams] is going to be one of the biggest ones and traveling is going to come into play,” he said. “But I am not in favor of the change.”

Helget thinks that the biggest issue with the switch is that in the past, New Ulm and Springfield have co-hosted the Region 2C tournament.

“We finally had it figured out to where we had this two-site regional tournament and that really put our (attendance) numbers up there good,” he said. “And now I would doubt if they would allow New Ulm to be a host for the 2C tournament. Milroy and Granite Falls is going to want to host the tournament, as is Marshall. Sleepy Eye and Springfield and St. James are going to want it. Overall, I was in favor of staying the way we were.”

Stark manger Dusty Mangen said that overall, he does not agree with the proposed reclassification of splitting Class C.

“In my opinion, I do not think that is solves the issues that the they think it will,” Mangen said. “When myself, Al [Flor] and Marty Brandl [Region 2C Commissioner] went to the state board meeting, they said this would enhance teams currently in Class C that do not have as good of a shot to make state the way it is currently constructed. But the way that they proposed it, I still think that those teams have the same chance or even in some cases less of a chance to make it.”

Mangen added that the proposed regions that they have will not solve issues that they think it is going too.

“If it were up to me, and I know that there are some people in our league feel this way too, instead of splitting it up, maybe just add more teams to the state tournament — keep Class C the way it is — and make it a 64-team tournament and you can add spots to every region to get the teams that you want in for more representation, but you are not destroying regions and leagues.

“The way they have it now and you look at Hibbing in Class A, they are now playing with all Minneapolis teams. They don’t want teams to fold, but then they present something like this. Some teams are going to have to have no choice but to fold.”

Mangen said that taking out a good team like New Ulm but then adding five very good other teams to their region may end up with the region having less representation at the state based off of the five teams coming in.

“Our region [tournament] has been incredibly attended for the last few years now,” Mangen said. “Now Marshall, Granite and Milroy all have nice fields and are region-worthy to host, who is to say you will have that same attendance from people who now have to drive that extra hour to now they drive 15 minutes for a game. The Region 2C tournament is one of the best in the nation and I do not know why they are messing with it.

“To me, it is like adding two more classes to the state high school hockey tournament. I hope that they re-evaluate it and hopefully that people that disapprove it really voice their opinion.”

Essig manager Terry Helget said he thinks the proposal is for an extra class to give teams like Essig a chance to get into the state tournament.

“I told a couple of the state board members on separate occasions that I am not in favor of it,” he said. “I would rather just stay with what he have. Our Region 2C tournament is in great shape now with New Ulm in it. We know that New Ulm is probably going to state every year. We [Essig] are not good enough — we went to the state in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2010. But I told the state that I would rather see the state go back down to 32 teams in the Class C tournament instead of 48. That way, the 16 regions only get two teams each in the state.”

Helget said he is not in favor of the new proposal.

“Just leave it be the way we have it right now,” he said.

Flor said they will have to wait and see how the proposed realignment ends up.

“We won’t have any definitive answers until after the October meeting,” Flor said. “But I do think that there will be some changes to that rough draft.”

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