RAPID CITY — The playoff path for South Dakota American Legion Class A postseason baseball is now set.
The seven best-of-three series to qualify for the state tournament were announced on Saturday, with No. 1 seeded Rapid City Post 22 receiving a bye as the state tournament host. The Hardhats have the state’s best record at 41-11 overall and 12-2 against Class A teams. The postseason field was seeded based on Class A teams’ records against other Class A opponents only, following the standard seed-point formula used in South Dakota High School Activities Association sports.
That leaves No. 2 Sioux Falls West as the top-seeded team in action starting Wednesday, July 22, when Game 1 of each series will be played, followed by Game 2 and the if-necessary Game 3 on Thursday, July 23. Sioux Falls West will host 15th-seeded Huron in its playoff series.
The other top series include No. 3 Yankton hosting No. 14 Aberdeen, No. 4 Brandon Valley hosting No. 13 Spearfish, No. 5 Brookings welcoming No. 12 Sioux Falls East and No. 6 Rapid City Post 320 hosting No. 11 Palace City (Mitchell) Post 18.
Two other first-round series include No. 10 Watertown heading to No. 7 Pierre, and No. 9 Renner Post 307 traveling to No. 8 Harrisburg. Harrisburg is the reigning Class A state champion, topping Yankton, and also won the state title in 2023. Renner was the 2024 champion after defeating Brookings, which has played in two of the last three championship games, as well.
In 2025, seven of the eight first-round hosts advanced, with the only upset coming from No. 11 Rapid City Post 320 over No. 6 Sioux Falls East.
The double-elimination Class A state tournament will begin at Fitzgerald Stadium in Rapid City on Tuesday, July 28 and run through Saturday, Aug. 1. The state bracket will be re-seeded 1-through-8 based on the winners from the first-round series.
South Dakota Class A Senior Legion playoffs
First round — Best-of-three series — July 22-23
Format: Game 1 on July 22, with Game 2 and Game 3 (if necessary) on July 23. July 24 will be a rain date. Times will be added when available.
Teams listed with overall record and Class A SD record
No. 1 Rapid City Post 22 (41-11, 12-2 SD) is the state tournament host and has a bye through the first round.
No. 15 Huron Post 7 (4-25, 1-20 SD) at No. 2 Sioux Falls West Post 15 (31-12-1, 18-7 SD)
No. 14 Aberdeen Post 24 (12-22, 6-17 SD) at No. 3 Yankton Post 12 (21-11, 15-6 SD)
No. 13 Spearfish Post 164 (13-21, 3-17 SD) at No. 4 Brandon Valley Post 131 (20-14, 13-6 SD)
No. 12 Sioux Falls East Post 15 (15-26, 9-16 at No. 5 Brookings Post 74 (16-17, 13-7 SD)
No. 11 Palace City (Mitchell) Post 18 (20-22, 11-14 SD) at No. 6 Rapid City Post 320 (32-13-3, 12-7 SD)
No. 10 Watertown Post 17 (34-23, 12-12 SD) at No. 7 Pierre Post 8 (16-17-1, 15-10 SD)
No. 9 Renner Post 307 (19-25, 14-15 SD) at No. 8 Harrisburg Post 45 (14-24, 10-8 SD)
Marcus Traxler is the assistant editor and sports editor for the Mitchell Republic. A past winner of the state’s Outstanding Young Journalist award and the 2023 South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year, he’s worked for the newspaper since 2014 and covers a wide variety of topics. A Minnesota native, Traxler can be reached at mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com.