The Ankeny baseball team will start the postseason at home.
Crosstown rival Ankeny Centennial will have to hit the road.
The Class 4A substate pairings were announced by the Iowa High School Athletic Association on Wednesday. Second-ranked Ankeny (25-6) is the top seed in Substate 1, while Centennial (18-15) is the No. 4 seed in Substate 7.
The Hawks will host winless Des Moines North (0-28) in a substate quarterfinal on Friday, July 16 at 7 p.m. With a victory, they would advance to the substate final on Wednesday, July 21 at 7 p.m.
Fifth-ranked Sioux City East (31-4) is the No. 2 seed in Substate 1. The Black Raiders will host Sioux City North (8-25) and third-seeded Valley (13-19) will host Sioux City West (12-16) in the other substate quarterfinals. The winners of those two games would meet in a substate semifinal on Monday, July 19–assuming Ankeny defeats North.
Centennial will play at third-seeded Des Moines Roosevelt (26-10) in a substate quarterfinal on Friday, July 16 at 5 p.m. The Jaguars swept a doubleheader against Roosevelt on June 2.
Third-ranked Johnston (28-6), the defending state champion, is the top seed in Substate 7. The Dragons will host Marshalltown (6-26) and second-seeded Indianola (22-9) will host Des Moines East (10-23) in the other substate quarterfinals.
If Johnston defeats Marshalltown, the Dragons will advance to the substate final on Wednesday, July 21. The winners of the other two games would meet in a substate semifinal on Monday, July 19.
