Nixa, Catholic, Ash Grove are in high school baseball semifinals. Here's what to know.

The road to a state championship comes to an end in Ozark this week and the immediate Springfield area features three teams that made the state semifinals.

Ash Grove, Catholic and Nixa will each compete for championships in their respective classes at Sky Bacon Stadium (formerly US Baseball Park) in Ozark.

The Ozarks also features Webb City in the Class 5 state semifinals. It will play its first semifinal game on Friday at 1 p.m. for a trip to Saturday's 1 p.m. championship game.

Here's what you need to know about the three teams from the area and who they're going up against.

Ash Grove

Class 2

The only undefeated team remaining in the state, Ash Grove will play in its fourth-ever state semifinal game and is seeking its first championship in the school's history.

At 23-0, the Pirates feature one of the best offenses in the state that's averaging 11 runs per outing while allowing just 2.3. They won their first district championship since 2014 this season while being led by head coach Berrah Brown.

A quarterfinal win over Iberia got the Pirates to this spot with Bryce Davis and Parker Crow leading the way. Brock Mooneyham has had his moments throughout the season on a deep team that's done no wrong this season.

Monday, 7 p.m. — Class 2 state semifinals vs. Maysville

From northwest Missouri, Maysville will make its way down to the Ozarks with a 16-9 record and a seven-game winning streak. The Wolverines were a bit inconsistent throughout most of the regular season before finding their stride when it mattered most.

Maysville is a baseball program that started in 2019 and has already climbed its way up to a state semifinal appearance. It's scored seven or more runs in each game during the postseason and came from behind to win its last two games.

Tuesday, 7 p.m. — Potential championship vs. Chaffee or Salisbury

Salisbury is the highest-ranked team, other than No. 1 Ash Grove, remaining in the field as it was ranked seventh entering the postseason. The Panthers are 23-1 this season and haven't lost since their first game of the season at Macon on March 20.

Salisbury has been dominant both in the field and at the plate while averaging 10.2 runs offensively while opponents have been held to 2.3 per game.

Chaffee got hot in the postseason after it entered on a three-game losing streak. The Red Devils haven't allowed more than three runs in a game since the final game of the regular season. Their offense hasn't put up big numbers consistently since late March.

Catholic

Class 4

It doesn't matter what classification Catholic plays in — the Irish are going to be there fightin' for a state championship in the end.

Catholic is back in the semifinals for the second-straight season and it's looking to finish the job this season and earn its first state championship victory since 2014.

The combo on the mound will grab the headlines for the Irish with Ben Smith and Coleman Morrison combining to make maybe the best one-two punch in the state. Smith has been his usual dominant self while Morrison has been excellent and making a bigger name for himself in the Irish's biggest games of the postseason.

The two aren't the only ones capable of coming up clutch for the Irish this week when Logan Ripper, Ben Ruter, Cole Schoen and Jack Schoen have each had their time to shine throughout this season.

Wednesday, 7 p.m. — Class 4 state semifinals vs. Excelsior Springs

Ranked No. 7 in Class 4, Excelsior Springs is 28-12 this season and has had great pitching throughout the entire month and it's found itself playing for a title.

While allowing 4.7 runs per game on the season, don't let it fool you. Since the beginning of May, the Tigers are allowing 1.9 per outing.

Offensively, the Tigers have been up and down but scored nine and seven runs in their sectional and quarterfinal games respectively. Notably, Excelsior Springs played Willard three times this season and went 1-2 — winning the first game of a doubleheader on April 4 before losing the following game 18-2.

Thursday, 7 p.m. — Potential championship vs. John Burroughs or Fulton

John Burroughs is the highest-ranked remaining team in the field as it was No. 2 entering the postseason — with Logan-Rogersville being No 1, which Catholic defeated in districts. Fulton has enjoyed a magical run when it was an afterthought entering the playoffs.

John Burroughs is 26-3 this season and hasn't lost since March 22. The pitching has been top-notch when the Bombers have only allowed more than three ones in one game since the same date. Air Force commit Bowen Brantingham is 10-0 this season with a 1.04 ERA while senior Julian Scenck is 7-0 with a 1.51 ERA and Metro League Player of the Year honors.

Fulton has enjoyed a deep postseason run while making its first semifinal appearance since 2016 when it finished fourth in the state. The Hornets are 19-8 and got hot at the right time while limiting opponents to two or fewer runs in all of its playoff games but one. The one was in a 12-9 quarterfinal win over St. Charles West that required the Hornets to score five runs in the sixth to pull off a comeback.

Nixa

Class 6

Southwest Missouri's best "big school" all season has rightfully found itself in the state semifinals for the first time since 1974.

At 32-6, the Eagles have been on fire as of late while entering the semifinals on a nine-game winning streak. A lineup featuring no easy outs has put up big numbers offensively when the pitching staff has held top-tier opponents to minimal runs in every outing.

The Eagles have had many different players step up in the biggest of moments throughout this season. Tanner Grant had the big two-run double to put the Eagles ahead of Blue Springs for their quarterfinal win. The likes of Wyatt Vincent, Rylan Michel, Caeden Cloud and others have had their moments at the plate with Collin Kelley, Rylan Evans, Jackson Gamble and Ethan Taylor being among those to get it done on the bump.

Friday, 7 p.m. — Class 6 state semifinals vs. Liberty North

Liberty North is the reigning state champion and is the highest-ranked remaining team in Class 6 as the No. 2 team in the state. Blue Springs South was defeated in district play by Blue Springs — which Nixa beat on Saturday.

The Eagles are 32-7 this season and they feature a pitching staff that hasn't given up a run through four games of the postseason. Arkansas signee Tate McGuire and Kansas signee Ty Wisdom have Liberty North looking like a team destined to repeat. The two are also among the best at the plate.

It doesn't end there for Liberty North which also features Arkansas State two-way commit Jackson Downing, Tennessee 2024 commit Trey Snyder and Oklahoma 2024 commit Bo Jonas making this a special lineup that Nixa will look to take down.

Saturday, 7 p.m. — Potential championship vs. Jackson or Francis Howell

Whether Nixa plays in a championship or third-place game, it's going to have familiarity with its Saturday opponent as it's played both teams on the opposite side of the bracket this season.

Jackson is a team Nixa outscored 22-9 in a doubleheader sweep on April 8. Jackson is 33-6 this season and features one of the better players in the state in Missouri State signee Caden Bogenpohl. It also features a Tulan 2024 commit in John-Paul Sauer giving it a good one-two punch on the mound.

Francis Howell took care of Nixa 7-1 on April 29 in the Columbia Tournament. The Vikings are 30-10 this season and have a 15-5 win over Jackson from March 22. They haven't allowed more than two runs since May 8.

The Vikings' lineup features a pair of Mizzou commits in 2024 prospect Tytus Cissell and 2023 prospect Brett Norfleet.

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: What to know about Springfield area high school baseball semifinals