The Hutchinson Huskies will take their eye-popping success story on the road this week as they open the Region 12C playoffs.
Hutchinson, 24-5 overall, earned the second seed for the region tournament and will square off against the seventh-seeded Cokato Kernels at 4 p.m. Saturday at Optimist Park in Litchfield. (See the accompanying bracket for complete tournament schedule.)
The Huskies head into the game as one of the hottest teams in the state, having won 23 games in a row, including a 9-0 win over the Brainerd Bees that closed out their regular season schedule on July 27.
That incredible run has helped Hutchinson rise from an afterthought in statewide rankings to No. 9 in the most recent Minnesota Baseball Association Class C poll. Rankings being what they are, one could argue that the Huskies deserve more pollster respect. The state’s second-ranked team — Delano — was among the Huskies’ victims during their torrid streak.
Hutchinson’s 10-2 win over Delano on June 26 gave it a season split with the Athletics, who beat the Huskies 6-5 on May 27.
That late-May loss was the last blemish on Hutchinson’s record, however. Since then, the Huskies have reeled off those 23 consecutive wins.
And they’re not just winning. They’re doing so impressively.
With their latest win over Brainerd last week, the Huskies have outscored the opposition 286-57 during the past 64 days. They have won 16 games during their 23-game win streak by 10 runs or more.
As they say, the playoffs are a new season. But if the Huskies can maintain anything close to what they did in the regular season, advancing to the State Class C Tournament should be achievable.
Two wins in the eight-team, double-elimination Region 12C Tournament would be enough to qualify. Four teams from the region will advance to the state tournament.
