Bracket released for stacked Trailblazer Conference tournament

NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. - The Trailblazer Conference released the bracket for its annual baseball tournament on Wednesday afternoon. This season's field is as stacked as ever with all seven teams having a realistic shot at the title.

Wahoo will receive a first-round bye as the top seed after getting off to a 10-1 start overall and 2-0 in conference play. Class C No. 1 Malcolm (8-0, 3-0) is the No. 2 seed followed by Plattsmouth, Beatrice, Nebraska City, Platteview and Ralston. 

The 2023 tournament appears as wide open as ever. A fact only further exemplified by Nebraska City's 10-6 win over No. 1 ranked Omaha Skutt in Class B action Tuesday. The Pioneers scored 10 runs in the sixth after trailing 3-0 and have pop at the top of the lineup. 

Beatrice has already beaten last year's Class B champ Elkhorn North 2-1 thanks to a sizzling effort on the mound from Nebraska recruit Tucker Timmerman (10 strikeouts across six innings). Malcolm has established itself as the team to beat in C, but Plattsmouth and Platteview are in the thick of things there, too.

The Trojans are just 4-6 but have played a gauntlet of a schedule through the first 10 games. Wins over Bennington and Blair are proof this team is dangerous. Meanwhile, the Blue Devils own the best pitching staff in the field and have outscored their opponents by 70 runs this season. 

Then there are the Rams of Ralston who are off to a tough start to the 2023 campaign having lost five in a row, but four of those losses came to teams ranked in the Top 10 in all three classifications. 

Buckle up, this year's tournament may just be one for the record books. 

Below are the matchups along with a photo of the official bracket. 

Tuesday, April 11

Game One

No. 4 Beatrice (8-2) vs No. 5 Nebraska City (4-6)

Game Two 

No. 3 Plattsmouth (7-2) vs No. 6 Platteview (4-6)

Game Three

No. 2 Malcolm (8-0) vs No. 7 Ralston (2-6)