The journey to this year’s Class B State American Legion Baseball Tournament starts today as teams throughout the area begin region tournaments.

This year’s state tournament is in Salem next week.

There will be some interesting questions that will soon be answered in regions involving area teams. Redfield, a perennial power in Region 5, has now moved to Region 6. Because Salem-McCook-Canova is that region and gets an automatic bid, two teams will qualify in that region.

With Redfield gone from Region 5, it means that a new team will be advancing to the state tourney for the first time in a couple of years. The big question is who?

“It is a very, very open region. I think anybody on any given day can win it,” said Warner-Ipswich-Northwestern coach Jeremiah Maxfield, who’s squad is among the six-team field in Region 5. “You’re going to have to come out and play. It’s all going to be who shows up on that day.”

The region field includes Clark-Willow Lake, Claremont, Groton, Mobridge, Faulkton-Highmore, and Warner-Ipswich-Northwestern. Action starts today in Clark.

“In the playoffs anything can happen,” Maxfield said. “It doesn’t matter if you think you’re the best team, it’s just on any given day, anybody can beat anyone.”

That said, Maxfield believes that Groton will be a team that figures to be in the mix somewhere.

“You know at some point you’re probably going to have beat Groton to go through to the championship game or to win the championship game,” Maxfield said. “They’re a solid program, too. If had the opportunity to see them earlier, I’d rather do it then.”

The two squads have met three times this season with Groton winning each contest, one in walk-off fashion.

Maxfield likes his team’s chances heading into the region, saying, “When they are playing on all cylinders, they are a hard team to beat.”

For Maxfield, the key to surviving in the playoffs comes down to one simple ingredient.

“I think in the postseason it really comes to pitching. A lot of these teams can hit, but it’s how’s your pitching depth? Have you developed more than two or three guys?” Maxfield said the postseason is much different than the regular season where teams can get by with two or three pitchers. “Once you get this postseason stuff, you better have five to seven guys that you can call on in big situations, because that’s what it’s going to come down to.”

Region 1 is comprised of Milbank, Sisseton, Webster, Castlewood, and Big Stone City.

Region 5 teams are Redfield, Lake Norden-Badger, Alexandria, Hartford-Humboldt, and Salem-McCook-Canova.

Maxfield said regardless of which eight teams advance to the state tournament, each one will have earned it after getting through their respective regions.

“If you make it through your region, you’re going to be a good stinkin’ team,” Maxfield said. “You’re going to have to be good up and down the lineup, starting pitching and pull ben.”

For complete opening round pairings, see today’s schedule on the SD SportScene home page.