Breaking down the brackets: MIAA releases high school baseball state tournament matchups

The playoff field is set.

The MIAA on Wednesday announced the high school baseball 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

1. Franklin

2. Taunton

3. Westford Academy

4. Central Catholic

5. Xaverian

6. St. John's-Shrewsbury

7. BC High (12-8)

8. Weymouth (17-5)

9. Bridgewater-Raynham (16-4)

10. St. John's Prep

11. Milford

12. Andover

13. Chelmsford

14. Lincoln-Sudbury

15. Natick

16. Wachusett Regional

17. Walpole

18. Springfield Central

19. St. Paul Diocesan

20. Boston Latin School

21. Methuen

22. Beverly

23. Braintree (10-10)

24. Bishop Feehan

25. Shrewsbury

26. Barnstable

27. Waltham

28. Algonquin

29. Attleboro

30. Winchester

31. Durfee

32. Lexington

33. Hingham (10-10)

34. Lynn Classical

35. Marshfield (10-10)

36. Doherty Memorial

37. Acton-Boxborough

38. Newton South

39. Cambridge Rindge & Latin

40. Lynn English

41. Malden

42. 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

1. Milton (17-3)

2. Leominster

3. King Philip

4. Hopkinton

5. Whitman-Hanson (16-4)

6. Westwood

7. Pope Francis

8. Holliston

9. Plymouth North (15-7)

10. St. Mary's-Lynn

11. Masconomet

12. Somerset Berkley

13. Dartmouth

14. Duxbury (15-7)

15. Mansfield

16. West Springfield

17. Norwood

18. Westborough

19. North Attleboro

20. Westfield

21. Nashoba

22. Woburn

23. Wakefield

24. Billerica

25. Salem

26. Reading

27. Minnechaug

28. Burlington

29. Marblehead

30. Canton (8-12)

31. Silver Lake (9-11)

32. North Quincy (9-13)

33. Grafton

34. Danvers

35. Agawam

36. 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. Sophomore 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

1. Taconic

2. Medfield

3. Bishop Stang

4. Oakmont

5. Tantasqua

6. Foxboro

7. Weston

8. Ashland

9. Bishop Fenick

10. Hanover (13-5)

11. Lynnfield

12. Pittsfield

13. Hudson

14. Greater New Bedford

15. Sandwich

16. Middleboro (11-9)

17. Stoneham

18. Apponequet

19. North Reading

20. East Bridgewater (13-7)

21. Triton

22. Archbishop Williams (11-9)

23. Newburyport

24. Fairhaven

25. Groton-Dunstable

26. Dedham

27. Arlington Catholic

28. Dover-Sherborn

29. Medway

30. Dighton-Rehoboth

31. Belchertown

32. Nipmuc

33. Boston Latin Academy

34. Norwell (13-7)

35. Greater Lowell Tech

36. East Boston

37. Bristol-Plymouth

38. Watertown

39. Essex North Shore

40. Worcester Tech

41. Diman

42. Southeastern (9-9)

43. 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

1. Bellingham

2. English

3. Seekonk

4. Bay Path

5. Shawsheen Valley

6. Uxbridge

7. Monument Mountain

8. Blackstone Valley

9. Northbridge

10. Hamilton-Wenham

11. Millbury

12. Abington (12-8)

13. Amesbury

14. Tyngsborough

15. Wahconah

16. Lowell Catholic

17. Leicester

18. Clinton

19. Hampshire

20. Southwick

21. Mashpee

22. Littleton

23. Ipswich

24. South Hadley

25. Joseph Case

26. Lunenburg

27. Winthrop

28. Advanced Math & Science

29. Whittier RVT

30. Manchester Essex

31. Cohasset (9-11)

32. Assabet Valley RVT

33. Monomoy

34. Sturgis Charter West

35. New Mission

36. Maimonides

37. Charlestown

38. Bishop Connolly

39. Snowden International

40. 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

1. Georgetown

2. Bourne

3. Oxford

4. Hopedale

5. Pioneer Valley Regional

6. Ayer Shirley

7. Ware

8. Douglas

9. Hopkins Academy

10. Westport

11. Smith Vo-Tech

12. Millis

13. Drury

14. Frontier Regional

15. Bromfield School

16. Saint John Paul lI

17. Quaboag Regional

18. Maynard

19. Upper Cape Cod RVT

20. Lenox Memorial

21. Boston Collegiate Charter

22. Sutton

23. Mount Everett Regional

24. McCann Tech

25. Carver (7-13)

26. Greenfield

27. Mystic Valley Reg. Charter

28. O'Bryant

29. Blue Hills (6-12)

30. Tahanto Regional

31. West Boylston

32. Pathfinder RVT

33. South Shore Tech (14-6)

34. Old Colony RVT

35. Boston International

36. Westfield Technical Academy

37. Mahar Regional

38. Smith Academy

39. Atlantis Charter

40. Avon (12-7)

41. Springfield Int'l Charter

42. 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.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: MIAA high school baseball state tournament pairings