The Devils Lake Storm Legion A team will be competing in the annual Dakota Classic held in the Sioux Falls, S.D., area this weekend. It is presented by Buffalo Wild Wings.
The tournament runs from June 12 through potentially June 15. Every team is guaranteed at least four games.
There are 46 teams listed as participants. Both Dakotas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri and Manitoba are represented.
The bracket is split into eight pools — six pools with six teams each, and then two pools with five teams each. Devils Lake is in the Renner pool for the second time in the last three years. Renner is a small community just north of Sioux Falls, with games played at Renner Ballpark.
With six teams in the Renner pool, the pool-play format is slightly different from past years. The pool is split into two sub-pools with three teams each. Those teams will play each other, and then they’ll be assigned to play teams from the other sub-pool based on how they do in their own sub-pool.
Pool play will still consist of four games for each team. That part hasn’t changed. It’s just a different way of organizing which teams they will play. With six teams in the pool, Devils Lake won’t play all of the other teams. In past years, pools only had four or five teams each.
Devils Lake is in Sub-Pool B alongside the Dakota Valley Panthers (S.D.) and Lincoln North Star (Neb.). Sub-Pool A consists of the host, Renner Post 307, along with Creighton Prep (Neb.) and the St. Peter Saints (Minn.).
Sub-Pool B schedule
Friday, June 12
- 5 p.m. Lincoln North Star vs. Dakota Valley Panthers
- 7:30 p.m. Dakota Valley Panthers vs. Devils Lake Storm
Saturday, June 13
- 12 p.m. Devils Lake Storm vs. Lincoln North Star
Sub-pool placement games
Saturday, June 13
- 2:30 p.m. A third place vs. B third place
- 5 p.m. B second place vs. A first place
- 7:30 p.m. A second place vs. B first place
Sunday, June 14
- 9:30 a.m. Other pool team TBD vs. A third place
- 9:30 a.m. Other pool team TBD vs. B third place
- 12 p.m. A second place vs. B second place
- 2:30 p.m. B first place vs. A first place
The tournament schedule notes that the faceoff between the A third-place and B third-place teams — scheduled for Saturday at 2:30 pm — will designate the fifth- and sixth-place teams from the pool.
Those two teams will play corresponding teams from a different pool on Sunday. The matchups will be determined following the conclusion of all 2:30 p.m. games on Saturday.
The tournament also has a clear procedure in the case of tiebreakers. The first determinant is head-to-head matchups, but only if all of the tied teams have played each other. The next tiebreaker is runs allowed. If it’s still a tie, they will look at runs scored. It’s worth noting that this is different from merely looking at run differential; the amount of runs a team scored is irrelevant in a tiebreaker situation if it allowed more runs than another team.
If it’s still tied after all of that, then the tiebreaker will be determined with a coin flip.
With only three teams in a sub-pool, it’s very possible that all three could go 1-1 in sub-pool play.
Going 2-0 in sub-pool play would assure first place. Going 0-2 would assure third place. But going 1-1 could result in first, second or third place. Tiebreakers will greatly benefit strong pitching.
A team that comes in third place in its sub-pool could technically still go 3-1 overall and have a chance at winning its pool, depending on tiebreakers and other teams’ performances.
At the end of each team’s four games, a pool champion will be determined. The tiebreaker procedure is the same as listed above.
The eight pool champions will be seeded, and will then play in the quarterfinals Sunday at 6:30 p.m. The semifinals will be held Monday at 9 a.m., with the tournament championship at 11:30 a.m.
In 2025, Devils Lake won its pool and made it to the semifinals. In 2024, however, competing in the Renner pool, the Storm lost three of their four games and were done early Sunday morning.
The team is also planning on attending the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., after completing its tournament run.
For the full list of regulations and the up-to-date results, visit siouxempirebaseball.org/dakotaclassic.