The playoff field is set.
The MIAA on Wednesday announced the high schoolbaseball tournament pairings. The South Shore will be represent by 25 teams spread across the five divisions.
Defending Division 2 state champ Milton is seeded No. 1 in its quest for a repeat in a field that also features No. 5 Whitman-Hanson and No. 9 Plymouth North.
More:Title contenders step up to the plate: South Shore high school baseball top 10 rankings
Div. 1 also includes three top-10 teams with No. 7 BC High, No. 8 Weymouth and No. 9 Bridgewater-Raynham. Hanover is the top local seed in Div. 3 at No. 10, while Abington is No. 12 in Div. 4. In Div. 5, No. 25 Carver is the highest-seeded South Shore team.
Here's a look at the all the locals who will be vying for state titles:
Division 1
The Field
- Franklin
- Taunton
- Westford Academy
- Central Catholic
- Xaverian
- St. John's-Shrewsbury
- BC High (12-8)
- Weymouth (17-5)
- Bridgewater-Raynham (16-4)
- St. John's Prep
- Milford
- Andover
- Chelmsford
- Lincoln-Sudbury
- Natick
- Wachusett Regional
- Walpole
- Springfield Central
- St. Paul Diocesan
- Boston Latin School
- Methuen
- Beverly
- Braintree (10-10)
- Bishop Feehan
- Shrewsbury
- Barnstable
- Waltham
- Algonquin
- Attleboro
- Winchester
- Durfee
- Lexington
- Hingham (10-10)
- Lynn Classical
- Marshfield (10-10)
- Doherty Memorial
- Acton-Boxborough
- Newton South
- Cambridge Rindge & Latin
- Lynn English
- Malden
- Everett
Bracket breakdown
State champ prediction:No. 2 Taunton
Best first-round game:No. 17 Walpole at No. 16 Wachusett Regional
Upset pick:No. 35 Marshfield over No. 30 Winchester (preliminary round)
Who do the South Shore locals play?
No. 7 BC High vs. winner No. 26 Barnstable/No. 39 Cambridge Rindge & Latin (preliminary round)
No. 8 Weymouth vs. winner No. 25 Shrewsbury/No. 40 Lynn English (preliminary round)
No. 9 Bridgewater-Raynham vs. winner No. 24 Bishop Feehan/No. 41 Malden (preliminary round)
No. 23 Braintree vs. No. 42 Everett (preliminary round)
No. 33 Hingham at No. 32 Lexington (preliminary round)
No. 35 Marshfield at No. 30 Winchester (preliminary round)
Favorite, contender or underdog?
No. 7 BC High - Contender:The Eagles won six of their last eight regular-season games and have faced many of the top Div. 1 clubs already.
No. 8 Weymouth - Contender: This has been a magical season for the Wildcats, who have wins over B-R and Div. 2 power Milton. So why not dream even bigger?
No. 9 Bridgewater-Raynham - Contender: The Trojans recently handed No. 1 seed Franklin its first loss and also beat BC High. They definitely could win it all.
No. 23 Braintree - Underdog: Don't count out the Wamps, who finished on an 8-4 hot streak and are much better than that .500 record would suggest.
No. 33 Hingham - Underdog: The Harbormen won seven of their last 10, including a final-day conquest of Weymouth, and have a lot of momentum.
More:Senior who 'hasn't played much' helps Hingham baseball top Weymouth to clinch playoff spot
No. 35 Marshfield - Underdog: The Rams lost four of their last five regular-season games but they did sweep Hingham and split with Div. 2 Duxbury.
Division 2
The Field
- Milton (17-3)
- Leominster
- King Philip
- Hopkinton
- Whitman-Hanson (16-4)
- Westwood
- Pope Francis
- Holliston
- Plymouth North (15-7)
- St. Mary's-Lynn
- Masconomet
- Somerset Berkley
- Dartmouth
- Duxbury (15-7)
- Mansfield
- West Springfield
- Norwood
- Westborough
- North Attleboro
- Westfield
- Nashoba
- Woburn
- Wakefield
- Billerica
- Salem
- Reading
- Minnechaug
- Burlington
- Marblehead
- Canton (8-12)
- Silver Lake (9-11)
- North Quincy (9-13)
- Grafton
- Danvers
- Agawam
- Somerville
Bracket breakdown
State champ prediction:No. 1 Milton
Best first-round game:No. 19 North Attleboro at No. 14 Duxbury
Upset pick:No. 21 Nashoba over No. 12 Somerset Berkley
Who do the South Shore locals play?
No. 1 Milton vs. winner No. 32 North Quincy/No. 33 Grafton (preliminary round)
No. 5 Whitman-Hanson vs. No. 28 Burlington
No. 9 Plymouth North vs. No. 24 Billerica
No. 14 Duxbury vs. No. 19 North Attleboro
No. 30 Canton vs. No. 35 Agawam (preliminary round)
No. 31 Silver Lake vs. No. 34 Danvers (preliminary round)
No. 32 North Quincy vs. No. 33 Grafton (preliminary round)
Favorite, contender or underdog?
No. 1 Milton - Favorite:The Wildcats won it all last year and really haven't missed a beat this spring. Sophom*ore transfer Scott Longo (6-0, 2.29 ERA) has been quite a find.
No. 5 Whitman-Hanson - Contender: The Panthers won the Patriot League Keenan Division and enter the playoffs on a 15-2 tear.
No. 9 Plymouth North - Contender: The Blue Eagles split with Whitman-Hanson and swept Duxbury and boast a deep pitching rotation.
No. 14 Duxbury - Contender: With slugging third baseman Nick Ayres, the Dragons could bash their way to the semis.
No. 30 Canton - Underdog: The Bulldogs play in the Hockomock League, so a sub-.500 record can mask a lot of talent.
No. 31 Silver Lake - Underdog: The Lakers are 5-4 since enduring a seven-game losing streak, so they're pointed in the right direction.
No. 32 North Quincy - Underdog: The Raiders have faced a lot of the area powerhouses so they won't intimidated by the field.
Division 3
The Field
- Taconic
- Medfield
- Bishop Stang
- Oakmont
- Tantasqua
- Foxboro
- Weston
- Ashland
- Bishop Fenick
- Hanover (13-5)
- Lynnfield
- Pittsfield
- Hudson
- Greater New Bedford
- Sandwich
- Middleboro (11-9)
- Stoneham
- Apponequet
- North Reading
- East Bridgewater (13-7)
- Triton
- Archbishop Williams (11-9)
- Newburyport
- Fairhaven
- Groton-Dunstable
- Dedham
- Arlington Catholic
- Dover-Sherborn
- Medway
- Dighton-Rehoboth
- Belchertown
- Nipmuc
- Boston Latin Academy
- Norwell (13-7)
- Greater Lowell Tech
- East Boston
- Bristol-Plymouth
- Watertown
- Essex North Shore
- Worcester Tech
- Diman
- Southeastern (9-9)
- Putnam Votech
Bracket breakdown
State champ prediction:No. 6 Foxboro
Best first-round game:No. 17 Stoneham at No. 16 Middleboro
Upset pick:No. 20 East Bridgewater over No. 13 Hudson
Who do the South Shore locals play?
No. 10 Hanover vs. winner No. 23 Newburyport/No. 42 Southeastern (preliminary round)
No. 16 Middleboro vs. No. 17 Stoneham
No. 20 East Bridgewater at No. 13 Hudson
No. 22 Archbishop Williams vs. No. 43 Putnam Votech (preliminary round)
No. 34 Norwell at No. 31 Belchertown (preliminary round)
No. 42 Southeastern at No. 23 Newburyport (preliminary round)
Favorite, contender or underdog?
No. 10 Hanover - Contender:The Hawks hit the playoffs on a 12-1 hot streak and are loaded with young talent, headlined by ace Gabe Knudsen (6-1, 0.89 ERA) who also is hitting .396.
No. 16 Middleboro - Contender: The Sachems will be looking to recapture the magic of late-April/mid-May when they won nine straight, outscoring opponents 92-19.
No. 20 East Bridgewater - Contender: The Vikings have an eight-game winning streak on their resume and will need some heroics from star pitcher Ray McNaught.
No. 22 Archbishop Williams - Underdog: Maybe a sneaky underdog. The Bishops won six of their last eight to finish above .500 for the first time since 2019 and boast a talented rotation.
No. 34 Norwell - Underdog: The Clippers have made great strides this spring, but this isn't an easy road -- a long trip to Belchertown for the preliminaries and then, perhaps, a matchup against No. 2 Medfield.
No. 42 Southeastern - Underdog: Another tough road to navigate, but the Hawks have qualified for the playoffs for the second straight season.
Division 4
The Field
- Bellingham
- English
- Seekonk
- Bay Path
- Shawsheen Valley
- Uxbridge
- Monument Mountain
- Blackstone Valley
- Northbridge
- Hamilton-Wenham
- Millbury
- Abington (12-8)
- Amesbury
- Tyngsborough
- Wahconah
- Lowell Catholic
- Leicester
- Clinton
- Hampshire
- Southwick
- Mashpee
- Littleton
- Ipswich
- South Hadley
- Joseph Case
- Lunenburg
- Winthrop
- Advanced Math & Science
- Whittier RVT
- Manchester Essex
- Cohasset (9-11)
- Assabet Valley RVT
- Monomoy
- Sturgis Charter West
- New Mission
- Maimonides
- Charlestown
- Bishop Connolly
- Snowden International
- Lynn Votech
Bracket breakdown
State champ prediction:No. 3 Seekonk
Best first-round game:No. 21 Mashpee at No. 12 Abington
Upset pick:No. 24 South Hadley over No. 9 Northbridge
Who do the South Shore locals play?
No. 12 Abington vs. No. 21 Mashpee
No. 31 Cohasset vs. No. 34 Sturgis Charter West (preliminary round)
Favorite, contender or underdog?
No. 12 Abington - Contender:The Green Wave's 12-8 record was dragged down by a late four-game losing streak that featured a pair of one-run defeats. They're as legit as usual.
No. 31 Cohasset - Underdog: The Skippers could pull some upsets. South Shore League teams always have a chance.
Division 5
The Field
- Georgetown
- Bourne
- Oxford
- Hopedale
- Pioneer Valley Regional
- Ayer Shirley
- Ware
- Douglas
- Hopkins Academy
- Westport
- Smith Vo-Tech
- Millis
- Drury
- Frontier Regional
- Bromfield School
- Saint John Paul lI
- Quaboag Regional
- Maynard
- Upper Cape Cod RVT
- Lenox Memorial
- Boston Collegiate Charter
- Sutton
- Mount Everett Regional
- McCann Tech
- Carver (7-13)
- Greenfield
- Mystic Valley Reg. Charter
- O'Bryant
- Blue Hills (6-12)
- Tahanto Regional
- West Boylston
- Pathfinder RVT
- South Shore Tech (14-6)
- Old Colony RVT
- Boston International
- Westfield Technical Academy
- Mahar Regional
- Smith Academy
- Atlantis Charter
- Avon (12-7)
- Springfield Int'l Charter
- Salem Academy Charter
Bracket Breakdown
State champ prediction: No. 2 Bourne
Best first-round game: No. 33 South Shore Tech at No. 32 Pathfinder (preliminary round)
Upset pick: No. 41 Springfield International Charter over No. 24 McCann Tech
Who do the South Shore locals play?
No. 33 South Shore Tech at No. 32 Pathfinder (preliminary round)
No. 25 Carver vs. No. 40 Avon (preliminary round)
No. 29 Blue Hills vs. No. 36 Westfield Tech (preliminary round)
Favorite, contender or underdog?
No. 25 Carver - Contender: Yes, a 7-13 record doesn’t scream contender, but the Crusaders are peaking at the perfect time. Since breaking a nine-game skid, Carver ended the season on a 5-3 streak, highlighted by a 15-2 win over South Shore League Tobin Division champion Mashpee.
No. 29 Blue Hills - Underdog: The Warriors earned the No. 29 seed despite a 6-12 record. No. 4 Hopedale looms large in the first round.
No. 33. South Shore Tech - Underdog: The Vikings (14-6) had their best season in years and a preliminary round game against Pathfinder looks like one of the best in the bracket.
No. 41 Avon - Underdog: Despite a solid record (12-7), the Panthers didn’t receive much love from the power-ranking formula.
