Spring 2025 State Championship Lookahead: Baseball

For the third year in a row, the site of the 2025 MIAA Baseball State Championships will be Polar Park, home of the Worcester Red Sox. There will be a pair of games on Friday, June 13, while a tripleheader of action is scheduled for Saturday, June 14.

Here is a look at what’s ahead:

Division 1

Braintree High School vs. Chelmsford High School
Friday, June 13 … 7 p.m.

One of the most decorated teams in MIAA baseball history squares off against a program that has had very little previous opportunity on this stage.

No. 8 Braintree is making its record-tying ninth state title game appearance, but the Wamps haven’t been here since winning back-to-back Division 1A championships in 2015-16. Braintree previously won Division 1 titles in 1972, 1984 and 1989.

Meanwhile, No. 14 Chelmsford not only is on a Cinderella run through the postseason, but the Lions’ only title game berth came before the MIAA era. Back in 1966, Chelmsford won a 6-5 battle with Stoughton that went a title game-record 14 innings.

ROAD TO POLAR PARK: Braintree – beat Springfield Central (4-3), Leominster (4-1), Natick (2-0), King Philip (8-3) … Chelmsford – beat Shrewsbury (1-0), Bishop Feehan (12-3), Wellesley (1-0), Saint John’s (5-3)

Division 2

Reading Memorial High School vs. Walpole High School
Saturday, June 14 … 6 p.m.

The final matchup of the five-game, two-day slate pits a pair of public powers on opposite ends of the championship spectrum.

No. 2 seed Reading won its only state championship in 1996 (7-0 over Auburn) and the Rockets haven’t been back since.

Meanwhile, No. 4 Walpole will be looking to avenge its 9-2 loss to Plymouth North last June at Polar, but the Timberwolves already took care of a piece of that business by knocking out the defending champ in the state semifinals. Walpole is 0-2 all-time in state finals, having also lost in 2005 (Division 1, 1-0 to West Springfield).

ROAD TO POLAR PARK: Reading – beat West Springfield (6-2), Hopkinton (2-0), Dartmouth (2-1 in 8 innings), Somerset Berkley (5-2) … Walpole – beat Minnechaug (5-1), Grafton (6-2), Mansfield (2-1 in 12 innings), Plymouth North (10-2)

Division 3

North Reading High School vs. Arlington Catholic High School
Friday, June 13 … 4 p.m.

The five-game slate opens with another battle between relatively lower seeds who fought their way through the bracket.

North Reading is the No. 8 seed and is making its eighth overall appearance, but first since 2016 (5-4 loss to Groton-Dunstable). The Hornets are four-time winners, but not since beating Mount Everett in the 2012 final, 8-4 (also 1969, 1970 and 1974).

No. 11 seed Arlington Catholic has never appeared in a state final. The Cougars reached the Round of 8 in 2022, falling to Dighton-Rehoboth.

There is some championship history between the schools, as North Reading beat AC in the 2006 Division 3 North final (8-6).

ROAD TO POLAR PARK: North Reading – beat Medfield (8-0), Weston (6-4), Apponequet (5-4), Wakefield (6-0) … Arlington Catholic – beat Medway (7-2), Tewksbury (14-3), Foxborough (5-3), Sandwich (5-4 in 8 innings)

Division 4

Lynnfield High School vs. Millbury Memorial High School
Saturday, June 14 … 3 p.m.

It’s been more than 20 years since either of these programs has made it to the championship round.

No. 1 seed Lynnfield dropped a 3-2 decision to Nipmuc in the Division 3 final in 2005. The Pioneers’ only state title was back in 1961, a 6-5 defeat of Holbrook under the pre-MIAA state tournament format.

No. 5 Millbury’s lone state title was in 1984, when the Woolies beat Matignon, 4-3, in Division 3. They also fell short in Division 3 finals in 1989 (5-1 to Norton) and, most recently, in 2003 (2-1 to Marian).

ROAD TO POLAR PARK: Lynnfield – beat Amesbury (15-5), Stoneham (3-1), Northbridge (8-2), Hamilton-Wenham (17-3) …Millbury – beat West Bridgewater (10-1), Monument Mountain (9-0), Saint John Paul II (4-0), Pittsfield (11-7)

Division 5

Pioneer Valley Regional School vs. English High School
Saturday, June 14 … 12 p.m.

Only one team has a chance to complete an unbeaten season in MIAA baseball, but would need to take out the defending state champion to do it.

No. 1 seed Pioneer Valley has run the table so far, but would also like to add the program’s first state title. The Panthers fell in the school’s previous two appearances in 2000 (7-5 vs. Ashland) and 2011 (9-4 vs. Newburyport).

Meanwhile, No. 2 seed English was on this stage a year ago, when the Blue and Blue rolled to a 7-1 win over Georgetown for the school’s first baseball state championship.

ROAD TO POLAR PARK: Pioneer Valley – beat West Boylston (12-1), Georgetown (4-3 in 9 innings), Greenfield (8-1), Hopedale (12-2) … English High – beat Mount Greylock (16-2), Westfield Tech (8-0), Charlestown (9-3), Drury (9-7)