Last season Chaska won its first conference title since 2015, then registered back-to-back upsets of Shakopee and Eden Prairie in the Class 3A, Section 2 playoffs. St. Louis Park had an even more resounding breakthrough, beating Bloomington Jefferson 3-2 in the Class 3A, Section 6 title game to reach the state tournament for the first time.
Now what? The 2020 season, once postponed because of COVID-19 concerns but now in full swing, reveals that both programs are primed for what might be equally impressive encores. Chaska’s only loss came in a 3-0 defeat on Oct. 22 to No. 8-3A St. Michael-Albertville. St. Louis Park was off to a 3-0 start before suffering recent losses to No. 1-3A Wayzata (3-0 on Oct. 20) and section rival Bloomington Jefferson (3-1 on Oct. 22).
Standout hitters Mallory Heyer, Hanna Thompson and Ella Christ are top returners for the No. 10-3A Hawks (4-1, 4-0).
St. Louis Park (3-2, 3-1) features star hitters Hannah Howell, Raegan Alexander and Kendall Coley. Former Orioles assistant coach Emily Minnick is the new head coach after taking over for Whitney Meierotto-Simon, who's now coaching at Concordia University St. Paul.