Power 25 Update: Week 5

April 30, 2018
By Steve Nielsen & Andy Sroka
Wisconsin Staff

As we head into Week 6 of the WIAA spring baseball season, here’s a look at what happened in Week 5 and the ups and downs of the Power 25. You'll see that we welcomed to brand new teams to the rankings this week, but that means two had to bounce out.

There's a lot to look forward to this week, too.

THIS WEEKEND’S MAIN EVENT

Janesville Craig (10-1) keeps its No. 1 ranking for the third straight week but they’ll put it on the line in a huge game against No. 2 Sun Prairie (8-1) on Saturday.

Sun Prairie must have had a chip on their shoulder after falling to No. 5 last week. They picked up five wins this past week, outscoring their opponents by a combined 60-9. They leap back up to No. 2, making Saturday’s heavyweight bout that much more interesting.

Craig downed crosstown rivals Parker twice last week but did earn their first loss of the season, too.

Both teams now have suffered losses to a scrappy, competitive Middleton team, but are otherwise perfect this season.

WILMOT SLIPS

The Panthers started their season 6-0 before encountering some trouble over the past week-plus. On April 21, No. 3 Kimberly handed them their first loss. Then on Monday, they lost a close game to Waterford and lost a third straight on Tuesday to Badger. The did wind up finishing the week on a high notes with a bounceback win over Badger and a big win over Indian Trail, outscoring the two teams by 18-1.

Still, the losses push Wilmot out of the top five.

NO LONGER UNDEFEATED

The weather last week really provided the WIAA schedule to cram in a ton of games across the state. Because of the slow start, there were plenty of teams that had remained undefeated because of their limited action but that no longer remains the case. Eau Claire Memorial, Oconomowoc, West De Pere, Kenosha Tremper, Eau Claire North, and Catholic Memorial all picked up their first losses of the season last week.

The losses didn’t affect the teams’ standing in the Power 25 much, however, as all of the aforementioned are still comfortably on the Power 25. Only Kenosha Tremper is ranked outside the top 15 of that group and that’s because this is their season debut on the Power 25, and their only loss in 2018 was handed to them by No. 2 Sun Prairie.

THE MIDDLETON MYSTERY

It’s difficult to assess Middleton and their ranking within the latest edition of the Power 25. On one hand, this is a team -- the only team -- who’s handed the two top-ranked squads, Janesville Craig and Sun Prairie, their first and only losses of the season.

On the other hand, they dropped two contests this week, tumbling to 7-4 on the year. They still own two of the most impressive wins of the year, and because of it, they’re the only four-loss team represented on the Power 25.

UNDEFEATED TRIO

There are also some teams that haven’t been as fortunate with the weather. For example, Appleton North (4-0) and Athens (3-0) have each played fewer than five games in all this season. Though, both teams have yet to lose any of their games. North even owns a big win over Oshkosh West this year.

Elsewhere, Columbus has been impressive this spring, winning its first six games out of the gate.They’re ranked within the top 15 this season for the first time because of their 6-0 run.

WEBSTER’S ARMS, DEFENSE LEAD THE WAY

Webster’s (7-2) winning formula is simple: keep their opponent from scoring more than three runs. So far this year, Webster’s earned seven wins and have yet to allow more than three runs in any of those contests.

They’ve got two of the top pitchers in the entire state within their rotation, so run prevention might come naturally to this team. But, it’s when those arms aren’t on the mound that the Tigers will need a little more on offense.

TOP-25 DEBUTS

Waterford has made a splash in the Southern Lakes this spring, splitting a two-game series with Wilmot and leaping out to a 9-2 record on the year, placing them on the Power 25 for the first time this season. They were somewhat surprise sectional finalists last year and they look capable of making a postseason run like that again.

Kenosha Tremper sneaks on to the back-end of the top-25 rankings after a robust 8-1 start to the season. Their only loss is to powerhouse Sun Prairie, helping justify a spot on the Power 25.

FALLING OUT

Hortonville and Kenosha Bradford are the unfortunate casualties of Waterford’s and Tremper’s Power 25 debuts. Hortonville slipped 12 spots from weeks 3 to 4, to No. 22. Now, they’re outside of the top-25 entirely.

Kenosha Bradford had been teetering on the edge of the Power 25 all season, at No. 24 since the preseason rankings dropped, but they bounce just outside of the top-25 ranks through no fault of their own. At 7-2, they have a great chance to find their way back onto the Power 25 quickly.

TEAMS KNOCKING AT THE DOOR

There are a few teams that are right on the doorstep of the Power 25 and are in line to make a big bid for a chance on next week’s ranks if they can perform this week. Westosha Central is a squad to keep an eye on. They already own a crucial win over ranked Burlington.

Union Grove is in a similar position at 6-2, the same record as Westosha Central, though they’re without a Power 25 win.

And also check out Hartford. Even though they’re just 4-2, they’re picked off two then-top-10 teams: Arrowhead and Catholic Memorial.

The Badgers are an extremely polarizing bubble team that warrants a mention here. They’re a disappointing 4-6 but they’ve been embattled, playing maybe the toughest schedule in the entire state. Of their 10 games, all but one has been against a Power 25 or bubble team. They’ve split series’ with Wilmot, Burlington, and Waterford and took a close 5-3 loss to Craig and lost twice to the aforementioned Westosha Central.