COLD SPRING — Perhaps no amateur baseball team in the area put more pressure on itself during the Region 11C tournament in 2015 than the Cold Spring Rockies.

A half-dozen Rockies made it very clear that they were retiring, one way or another, at the end of the season, which culminated with Cold Spring and Watkins being host to the state tournament.

It didn't go well. The Rockies fell short of state, though they helped pull off a very well-received state tournament with co-host Watkins.

There is a lot less pressure in 2016 heading into Region 11C. Cold Spring and Watkins are host to a 14-team, double-elimination tournament that begins Saturday with six games.

"It was unfortunate the way it ended last year," Rockies manager Reece Hemmesch said. "This year definitely has a little different feel.

"But ultimately, you still have to win a couple games to get into the state tournament."

In Cold Spring, the Rockies play Sacred Heart (No. 4, Corn Belt) at 1:30 p.m. That's followed by Kimball (No. 3 CVL) and Willmar (No. 6 Corn Belt) at 4 p.m. and St. Nicholas (No. 8 CVL) vs. Luxemburg (No. 2 CVL) at 6:30 p.m.

In Watkins, St. Augusta (No. 4 CVL) plays Granite Falls (No. 5 Corn Belt) at noon. At 2:30 p.m. Bird Island (No. 3 Corn Belt) vs. Eden Valley (No. 6 CVL) with Raymond (No. 2 Corn Belt) playing Pearl Lake (No. 7 CVL) at 5 p.m.

Play continues at noon Sunday at both sites, with top-seeded Watkins of the Central Valley League playing the St. Augusta/Granite Falls winner at Watkins. The Milroy Yankees, the Corn Belt League's top seed, plays the winner of the Rockies and Sacred Heart in Cold Spring.

All 14 teams seek berths into the Class C state tournament in Hutchinson and Dassel.

"It seems like team by team, it's really balanced this year," Hemmesch said of the field.

Cold Spring went 8-6 to earn the Central Valley League's fourth seed in the tournament. The Rockies are 13-10 overall.

"I expect us to have our top nine ready," Hemmesch said. "One thing about the team this year, is we're very deep.

"Everyone we have can play their position."

Play continues next Friday in Watkins, which hosts all the games next weekend. Play concludes Aug. 13-14. Three Region 11C teams advance to the state tournament.