(KWMN)-
After three months of regular season action, the Winona Chiefs are in the Class 2B Section Playoffs as the number five seed. Their opponent is a team who they faced to start the 2026 campaign, the Stewartville-Racine Sharks. In that opening matchup, the Winona Chiefs dropped that contest 6-2. Ben Brinkman was the top performer of that contest, picking up the first home run of 2026 to left field. The Sharks would get the best of the Chiefs again on June 26th when at Shark Park. A narrower victory belonged to Stewartville once again 5-4. The third matchup between these Twin River rivals will have a spot in the semifinals on the line on Saturday.
Two weeks ago, Winona did not have a secure spot in the postseason as they took on Rush Creek Spartans in their home finale as well as three more road games to close the season. The Chiefs knocked out those four oppositions to finish the season above .500 in league play. Some notable performances include their victories against the Austin Blue Jays (5-2) and Rochester (7-5) in their last two road games. Now it’s up to their offense to keep up the pace.
Playoff baseball comes down to many factors, but finding a hot streak can help send a team on a run. The Chiefs have multiple sluggers that can provide the spark. Carson Jones has consistently found himself atop in batting average (.412). He also has the most doubles on the team with 8 on the year. Jake French is the power hitter of the Chiefs, having the most home runs on the team (3). Cole Schossow has found the most influence on the board for Winona, leading the team in runs and runs-batted-in (9). Another aspect of a postseason run will be the strength of a team’s bullpen.
The Chiefs have a rotated plenty of arms on the mound this season, but there have a couple of consistent arms to throw into the mix. Cody Hundorf, one of the top pitchers in the rotation for Winona, has pitched the most innings (37) and recorded the most strikeouts on the team (31). He finished the season on the high note, picking up a complete game in the victory against Austin. Manager Lee Trocinski is second in Ks (23) in only 17 innings. He isn’t the only versatile the arm the Chiefs have to offer. Tucker Merchlewitz catches plenty of opponents on his breaking ball, leading the team in ERA (3.15).
The playoffs have arrived in the Minnesota Baseball Association, and it all starts on Saturday. First pitch against the Stewartville-Racine Sharks for the 2B Section Quarterfinals will be at 5 PM. Coverage will start at 4:45 on 99.3 The Fan – Winona.
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!
