Perry County baseball teams learn IHSAA sectional matchups, postseason starts May 27

Perry County’s baseball map is set: Cannelton, Perry Central and Tell City now know their first tournament opponents, their sectional sites and the road that leads to the June 6 regionals.

The Indiana High School Athletic Association released the 2026 pairings May 3, placing 381 teams into the 59th Annual Baseball State Tournament Series. Sectional games begin Wednesday, May 27, and run through Monday, June 1, giving coaches and families a three-week window to plan travel, scouting and practice around the bracket.

Cannelton landed in Class 1A Sectional 64 at Tecumseh and opens against Wood Memorial. That gives the Bulldogs a direct first-round test against a team already slotted into the same sectional path, with the winner moving deeper into a Tecumseh bracket that will quickly sort out who can survive the opening round and keep its season alive.

Perry Central drew a tougher immediate assignment in 2A Sectional 48 at South Spencer, where it opens against the host team. Playing the sectional host is rarely a soft start, and Perry Central will have to handle the home-field pressure right away if it wants to stay on course for a June run. The bracket also places Mater Dei and Pike Central in the same sectional, adding another layer of competition once the first round is settled.

Tell City is also in Sectional 48 and opens against Forest Park, a familiar postseason name for the Marksmen. The matchup carries added interest because Perry Central and Forest Park were already linked in the 2024 sectional draw, a sign that some of these tournament paths continue to repeat from year to year. That kind of continuity can matter in May, when familiarity with opponents, sites and travel routes becomes part of the game plan.

The split classifications underscore how Perry County’s teams are positioned in different tiers of the tournament. Cannelton is in Class 1A, while Perry Central and Tell City are in Class 2A, but each has the same immediate goal: win the opener, survive the sectional, and reach regionals on Saturday, June 6. For county baseball fans, the bracket release does more than set matchups. It tells them exactly where the season gets serious.