Chaska’s Baseball team won four games in the elimination bracket to force a winner-take-all Section 2AAAA Championship game, only to fall to Prior Lake 10-5.
This year’s Chaska High School baseball season was one that had been anticipated for years. The Hawks featured talented upperclassmen rated among the best in their class: powerful at the plate, graceful in the field, and as many as five pitchers that could hit 90 MPH on the radar gun.
Chaska cruised through the regular season with a 17-5 record, winning the Metro West Conference championship, and were consistently ranked in the Top 5 in Class AAAA. This gave them the #2 seed in Section 2AAAA, arguably the toughest in the entire state.
But unlike most sports, where the most talented teams usually find a way to win, baseball is one where momentum, weird bounces, being in the right place at the right time, and inspired efforts from unlikely heroes can produce giant upsets.
That was the case in this year’s Section 2AAAA playoffs, with the lowest-seeded team, Prior Lake, winning the championship game over Chaska, upending the Hawks after their gutsy four-game win streak through the elimination bracket. The Lakers punched their unexpected ticket for the State Tournament and ended Chaska’s excellent season after a 10-5 victory.
For the Hawks, it was an inspired post-season run after a surprising loss to Bloomington Jefferson in the playoffs’ second game. In section baseball, a team is not eliminated until they are beaten twice, but an early loss makes it an uphill battle to make it to State. In Chaska’s case, it meant they would have to win five straight, including two in a row against the same team. The Hawks won four, but fell short in their quest to win a fifth.
The loss ended the high school careers of a large and talented senior class, several of whom will continue on to play baseball at the college level. One such player is Owen Strey, a shortstop and pitcher, who is a Mr. Baseball finalist and will play at Creighton University.
Another is Parker Killian, one of Chaska’s top pitching prospects in years. Parker, who battled an arm injury this season, limiting his time on the mound, will play for the Gophers, one of only a handful of Hawks to play in the Big Ten.
Other 2026 grads playing at the next level include three-sport star Matthew Welter, who will play at Augustana; catcher Ethan Williams, who will play at Southwest Minnesota State in Marshall; and Will Holk, a guy who can play any position he is needed, who will head to St. Paul to play for one of the MIAC’s top programs at Macalester College.
Chaska’s 2-0 win over Eden Prairie
The Hawks opened Section 2AAAA play with a victory over the Eden Prairie Eagles, as Matthew Welter pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out seven. The Hawks, who also struggled a bit at the plate, got key hits from senior Mason Gutowsky and junior Max Epple. Gutowsky would eventually score on a wild pitch to break a 0-0 tie in the 5th inning, and give the Hawks the only run they’d need with Welter dealing on the mound. Senior Dylan Giese plated senior Joseph Brau in the 6th with an insurance run, and the Hawks were on to the winners’ bracket.
Hawks upset by Bloomington Jefferson
Baseball can be a weird game sometimes. In many sports, if you dominate another team twice in a season, it would imply you’d dominate them every time you play them. That was not the case in the winners’ bracket semifinals where Chaska, who had beaten Jefferson 10-0 and 11-0 in the regular season, struggled at the plate in a 4-2 loss to the Jaguars. Jefferson had some key hits early to take a lead, and the Jaguars held off a couple of late comeback attempts by the Hawks, who seemed to have the knack of hitting everything hard, but right at a Jefferson player.
With the loss, the Hawks would be forced to come out of the elimination bracket, meaning they would need five straight wins to make it to State.
Chaska topples Shakopee
Many expected the Hawks and Sabers to face off for the section championship, as both squads were ranked in the Top 3 in the polls at the end of the regular season. Instead, they played an elimination game early in the section playoffs. The Hawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the second after an RBI double by junior Kalin Jochum and two-RBI single by junior Giovanni Valente. The Hawks pushed the lead back to 4-2 with a two-out rally in the top of the 4th. The Sabers would tie the game yet again in the bottom of the 6th, before the Hawks busted the game open in the 7th with RBI singles by Williams and Holk. Junior Josh Keenan got the start and pitched well, giving up only two hits in four innings, and Strey pitched the Hawks out of a jam late in the game. Chaska ended Shakopee’s excellent season and kept their own run going.
Chaska survives Waconia
Ethan Williams led the way with three hits, including a fourth-inning home run and the lead-off hit in a three-run sixth, as the Hawks took a 4-1 lead into the top of the 7th. Things got a little interesting as the Wildcats attempted a big comeback, plating two runs and chasing Hawks starter Matthew Welter with just one out to go. Owen Strey came in to get the Hawks out of the jam, collecting the save, and allowing the Hawks to advance to the elimination bracket final. Welter only allowed one earned run in 6 2/3 innings of work, striking out six.
Hawks gain revenge
In the elimination bracket final, Chaska would have a chance to avenge its previous loss to Bloomington Jefferson. This game would look much more like their regular-season tilts against the Jaguars, as opposed to their surprising loss just over a week prior. Junior Kalin Jochum earned his first postseason start on the mound and was stellar, throwing a complete game shutout. The bottom of the Hawks lineup — Giovanni Valente, Parker Killian and Mason Gutowsky — combined for four hits, and each contributed an RBI, with Valente also scoring two runs. The Hawks would score seven overall, defeating Jefferson 7-0. That put the Hawks into the Section 2AAAA Final against eighth-seeded Prior Lake. The Hawks would need to win twice to win the title.
Hawks beat Prior Lake
Sophomore Thomas Leeper, who threw a no-hitter earlier this season, got the call in the Hawks’ biggest game of the season, and he did not disappoint. He threw a complete game with eight strikeouts, giving up just five hits. Owen Strey led Chaska with two hits, and Welter, Williams, and Valente all drove in runs for the Hawks. The Lakers, who had the home field advantage due to their 3-0 postseason record, made things interesting in the bottom of the 7th, loading the bases and putting the winning run on board with two outs. Leeper was able to keep his composure, retiring the final Laker batter on a line drive to centerfielder Max Epple. Chaska’s win set up a true championship game the following afternoon, which would be the Hawks’ fourth game in four days.
Prior Lake ends Chaska’s season
Coming out of the elimination bracket is a tough task for any team. While Prior Lake got several days of rest for its roster, the Hawks had to squeeze every inning they could out of their pitching staff. Junior Josh Keenan drew the start and was effective early, but rang up a high pitch count quickly. Strey came in in relief, but the Hawks’ regular shortstop had a tough time with the Lakers’ bats. A Hawks error in the 6th inning allowed Prior Lake to score three unearned runs to break a 4-4 tie. Prior Lake would add three more in the 7th, and hold on for a 10-5 win, ending Chaska’s season, despite a strong day at the plate for the Hawks players, who had 9 hits. Strey and Epple each had two hits in Chaska’s final 2026 game.
A season to remember
The Hawks would end the year with a 22-7 overall record, one of the finer Hawks seasons in recent memory. While the squad didn’t advance to this year’s State Tournament, a 20+ win season, a conference championship, and a host of accolades made this a successful campaign. With many talented juniors and one of the state’s best sophomores in Leeper returning next year, the Hawks will be poised to make another run at a Section 2AAAA Championship.
