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Wisconsin Power 25 Update: Week 6

May 6, 2024
By: Isaiah Glidden & Maddox Durst

Another week has passed in the WIAA spring season, as teams begin to hit the latter half of their 2024 campaign. The Prep Baseball Wisconsin staff broke down some of the action from this past week—shifting programs in our newest update of the Power 25 rankings.

Check out some of the top teams in the state, along with multiple risers, below.

+ VIEW THE FULL PREP BASEBALL WISCONSIN POWER 25 HERE.

AT THE TOP

+ No. 1 Sun Prairie East (14-0): The Cardinals finished 4-0 on the week and continued their undefeated season—maintaining their spot at No. 1 for the second consecutive week. RHP/INF Drew Kavanaugh (2024; Wisconsin-Eau Claire (football)) was the star on the mound, as the right-hander struck out a total of 21 batters over the week’s action—including 15 in a complete game effort against Marquette University. OF Sam Ostrenga (2024; North Dakota (football)) and INF Max Glusick (2025) were each sparks at the top of the order throughout the week for Sun Prairie East—setting the table for the middle of the order to produce. The Cardinals got a signature win against a ranked Monona Grove squad on Wednesday, as RHP Brady Stelzer (2026) and LHP Joseph Tamboli (2026) combined to quiet the Silver Eagles, a feat not many teams have been able to consistently do this season. Sun Prairie East continues to minimize mistakes on the diamond—proving difficult to compete with throughout the first six weeks of the season. This week, the Cardinals will be tested with six games in six days.

MAINTAINING MOMENTUM

+ No. 2 Muskego (13-1): After going 3-0 on the week and moving to 13-1 overall, Muskego jumps up one spot to No. 2 in this update. They kicked off their week with a quality win over then-ranked Waukesha North, backed by a dominant performance from RHP Ben Kuglitsch (2026; Florida State), who no hit the Northstars in his outing while also striking out 10. Senior leader, INF Brock Lulewicz (2024; Wichita State) was the difference maker offensively as he drove in two in the win. After their first win of the week the Warriors offense got hot in their two other games of the week, exploding for 37 runs in those games combined. C Maddux Lessard (2027) has proved to be a force in the heart of Muskego’s lineup this season and he may have his best week yet, as he blasted a few home runs while also bringing in a number of runs, too. Looking ahead, the Warriors may have their most difficult stretch coming up, as they will take on No. 24 Oconomowoc in a two game series, followed by a matchup with a talented Germantown squad on Saturday.

+ No. 4 De Pere (13-2): The Redbirds grabbed five more wins this week in one of their toughest, most competitive weeks yet and they move up to No. 4 today. RHP/OF Easton Arendt (2024; Winona State) continued his dominant season on the mound for De Pere and in this week's action he helped them to a pair of wins, highlighted by a seven strikeout performance against No. 25 Notre Dame Academy on Saturday. He has also been a key piece in offensive attack and he is batting over .400 this season. RHP/INF Axel Donaldson (2024; Madison JC) is the second of a stellar one-two punch the Redbirds have rolled out their on the mound and he earned a win against conference foe Bay Port this past week and he is also the team leader in batting average, at .426. 1B/LHP Landon Raygo (2024) has also been a two-way contributor this season and this week he drove in a big run in their matchup with Bay Port; he also earned a win on the mound to cap off the week. Other names like OF Mason Sequin (2025), CIF Milo Upton (2024; Concordia University (WI)), and INF/RHP Devin Weber (2024) have been consistent contributors at the plate this season, too.

+ No. 6 Manitowoc Lincoln (16-1): Having not lost in over two weeks, the Ships once again are moving up our Power 25 board, up to No. 6 in this update. RHP/INF Noah Wech (2024; Oklahoma State) and INF/RHP Brayden Steinbecker (2025) have made some massive contributions on both sides of the ball for the Ships. On Saturday, Wech twirled a gem in their win over Pulaski in which he punched out 12 and allowed just one hit in the tight contest. As for Steinbecker, he fired a pair of clutch shut-out innings en route to two wins and he has also seen time in a starters role this season as well. Besides the two aforementioned names in Wech and Steinbecker, 1B/LHP Gavin Lettenberger (2024; Wisconsin-La Crosse (football)) has been a threat in the heart of Manitowoc Lincoln’s lineup this season while also seeing some time on the mound. Off to a 16-1 start, they still find themselves a game and a half behind No. 4 De Pere in the Fox River Classic Conference standings, making their May 13th matchup all the more important.

+ No. 7 Stevens Point Area (16-0): Yet again, SPASH put together an undefeated week of WIAA action, taking down both Wausau West and La Crosse Central twice. The pitching has been dominant for the Panthers this season; LHP Noah Marschke (2024; Madison JC) and RHP Ty Rechner (2024; Wisconsin-Stevens Point) have been a huge reason for that. On Wednesday, Marschke’s most recent stellar outing came against Wausau West in which he punched out 12 and allowed just one run en route to the win. As for Rechner, he saw limited time on the mound this week, but in his 2.2 innings he struck out four. Not only have the two names above been dominant on the mound, they have also been big contributors offensively in the heart of SPASH’s lineup. Fellow senior leader OF/RHP Braylen Nystrom (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) has also provided some clutch two-way contributions and look for him to continue to do so heading into the back half of the 2024 season.

+ No. 8 St. Thomas More (12-5): The Cavaliers kicked off their week with a run-rule win over Racine Lutheran/Prairie, highlighted by a strong performance from 1B Brady Johnson (2024; McHenry County JC) who drove in three runs on three hits to pace STMs offense. They followed it up with one of their best wins of the year, taking down No. 9 Arrowhead 6-2. RHP Sam Mommer (2024; Wisconsin-Parkside) continued his stellar season on the bump as he allowed just two runs in his 5.2 inning outing to earn the win. Mommer has also been consistently a threat with the bat, highlighted by a four RBI day in their second win over Racine Lutheran/Prairie on the week. To cap off the week, they lost a close one to a streaking No. 21 New Berlin Eisenhower squad, but 3B/RHP Gabe Schmidt (2025) did shine at the plate, going 4-for-4 in the loss.

+ No. 14 Appleton North (12-2): The Lightning continue to quietly put together one of the strongest resumes in the WIAA to date—tallying three more wins this week to improve to 12-2 on the season. Appleton North’s winning streak has increased to 10, as they have received positive contributions from nearly everyone in their lineup and on their pitching staff. This week, OF’s Levi Watts (2025) and Nicholas Bergin (2024) each put forth multi-hit efforts in a 4-2 victory over Fond du Lac to cap off their week—producing from the bottom of the order. C William Hoerner (2024; Maple Woods JC) has been the anchor behind the dish who has guided this pitching staff to victories. RHP Logan Hudson (2025) and RHP/OF Matthew Hietpas (2026) have both been beneficiaries of Hoerner’s prowess behind the dish, as each put together a quality start this past week to guide Appleton North to a couple of wins. The Lightning continue to hold on to that first place tie with No. 3 ranked Kimberly in the Fox Valley Association, as the two teams will meet up this Thursday for the first time this season.

+ No. 15 Nicolet (14-4): The Knights are arguably the hottest team in the state at the moment, as they racked up four conference wins in six days this week to gain a tie for first place in the North Shore Conference with No. 11 ranked Hartford Union. The work of RHP/INF Nolan Sandee (2024; Northern Illinois) and RHP/C Ben Ott (2024; Wisconsin-La Crosse (football)) on the mound has been noteworthy as of late. It was highlighted by Ott’s outing against the Orioles, where he struck out 13 batters in 6.2 innings of work to eventually earn the win in a huge conference battle—quieting a team that has not dropped too many games this year. With Sandee working the top of the order, INF James Wirth (2025) and OF Hayden Konczal (2027) are a pair of prospects who have elevated their production at the plate—producing runs for Nicolet with ease. They are currently on an 11-game winning streak, and look to maintain that momentum with another week of conference play—including an intriguing matchup against West Bend East on Friday.

+ No. 16 Hudson (10-5): Two big conference wins over River Falls and a non-conference victory over D.C. Everest slotted Hudson up a couple of spots in our newest update, as the Raiders are now tied with Eau Claire North for first place in the Big Rivers Conference entering week seven of action. LHP Aaron Schwechler (2024; Wisconsin-La Crosse) tossed six innings and shutout the Wildcats in their 3-0 victory on Thursday, as the left-hander punched out seven batters in the process while shutting down a powerful offense. INF/RHP Sam Abrahamson (2026) continued to excite as a rising sophomore, as the two-way prospect tallied three hits and all three of the team’s RBIs in that win—maintaining his individual momentum as the season progresses. INF Landon Zeuli (2024; Winona State University) has been a staple in the middle of their order—producing three hits and an RBI against the Evergreens in their non-conference battle. Their week was summed up by an inning of work turned in by C/RHP Hunter Carlson (2024; Wichita State) on the bump. While he continued to hit, the senior struck out the side in one inning of relief for the Raiders in Saturday’s action.

+ No. 17 Union Grove (9-4): After a sluggish start to the season, the Broncos have started to really hit their stride in the 2024 season, as they once again put together a winning week to rise in our rankings. The slate of action included two big wins over Badger, who was previously undefeated before matching up against Union Grove. The Broncos took advantage of multiple miscues in game one, with OF Braxton Hinds (2024; Bryant & Stratton (WI)) and INF/RHP Marshall Loch (2024; Southern Indiana) combining for seven hits and three RBIs in the 13-7 affair. LHP Bobby Barrera (2024; Illinois-Chicago), fresh off of earning the Prep Baseball Wisconsin Pitcher of the Week, followed up his 21-strikeout effort with 11 punch outs in five innings of work to secure Union Grove’s second win of the week over the Badgers. INF Leo Weist (2025) and INF/RHP Landon Dessart (2024; Madison JC) each produced at the plate in a dominant win over Milton to finish the week—extending the Broncos’ winning streak to 10 games.

WELCOME…

+ No. 21 New Berlin Eisenhower (10-4): The Lions are the lone program to make their first appearance on the rankings this week—jumping up to No. 21 after defeating ranked opponents in Pewaukee and St. Thomas More throughout the week. While they did split with the Pirates, New Berlin Eisenhower got a 7-5 victory on Wednesday with the help of a three-RBI performance for INF/RHP Caleb Johns (2026). 1B/LHP Austin Drayna (2024; Wisconsin-Parkside) and INF/RHP Sam Hirthe (2025) each had multiple hits at the plate and held down Pewaukee’s offense on the mound on Wednesday—including a save from Hirthe. The junior followed it up with seven strikeouts against a strong Cavaliers team, getting some help from LHP Cal Schneider (2027), who just garnered attention from Prep Baseball Managing Editor Andy Sroka in ‘The Hotlist’ as a player who has maintained his prowess in the spring. The work turned in both offensively and defensively for the Lions garnered them attention as a Division 2 power to watch out for, as they continue to compete at a high level in southeast Wisconsin.

DROPPED OUT:

+ Waukesha North (9-5)

BUBBLE TEAMS (ALPHABETICAL)

+ Bangor (10-0)
+ Franklin (10-6)
+ Germantown (10-5)
+ Holmen (9-4)
+ Ithaca (13-0)
+ Johnson Creek (17-1)
+ La Crosse Aquinas (10-3)
+ Menasha (10-2)
+ Verona Area (11-3)
+ Waukesha West (10-5)
+ Waupun (13-1)
+ West Bend East (13-5)

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