2025 MINK Playoffs set, road to championship goes through St. Joseph

Entering the final day of a chaotic summer college baseball season, the playoff picture was already set, and the road to the championship will take a similar path as previous years.

The St. Joseph Mustangs (34-8, 28-7 MINK) won the regular season title and earned the No. 1 seed in the postseason for the third consecutive year. The stellar regular season earned the Mustangs a first-round bye, a home game in the semifinal round, and potentially games two and three of the league championship series at Phil Welch Stadium if they stay alive.

The Clarinda A's (26-16, 23-13 MINK) were on St. Joe's heels in the final weeks of the season, but couldn't close the gap. Clarinda's efforts lifted them to the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. The A's will also host a semifinal round game.

The battle for the No. 3 seed was close, but the Chillicothe Mudcats (20-17, 18-15 MINK) did just enough to clinch that spot and a home game in the MINK Wild Card round.

The Jefferson City Renegades (20-21, 18-18 MINK) will also host a wild card game as the No. 4 seed in next week's tournament.

The Carroll Merchants (18-18, 17-18 MINK) finished the regular season strong winning six of eight. Carroll rolls into the postseason as the No. 5 seed.

After missing the playoffs in 2024, the Nevada Griffons (10-24, 10-24 MINK) will make their return. The Griffons edged the Sedalia Bombers (8-27, 8-27 MINK) for the final spot in the postseason.

The tournament begins on Monday with the wild card round. No. 3 Chillicothe will host No. 6 Nevada. Weather forced No. 4 Jefferson City's matchup against No. 5 Carroll at Vivion Field to be pushed to Tuesday evening.

The winners of the opening round will move onto the semifinal games. The No. 1 Mustangs will welcome the lowest remaining seed for a one-game playoff at Phil Welch Stadium, and the highest remaining seed will visit the No. 2 A's (e.g., No. 1 would host No. 6, while No. 2 would host No. 4). Monday's wild card game between Chillicothe and Nevada will set the first semifinal round matchup with either St. Joseph or Clarinda and will be played Tuesday. The second wild card winner will go on the road to face one of the top two seeds Wednesday in the semifinals.

The MINK League Championship will be a best-of-three series beginning Thursday. Game one will be played at the home of the lower seed. Games two and three (if necessary) will be hosted by the higher seed.

MINK League Playoff Schedule (UPDATED)