Prep Baseball Report

PBR Wisconsin Power 25 Rankings: Week 3 Update


By Andy Sroka
Illinois and Wisconsin Assistant Director

For the second time this spring, we’re updating our WIAA Power 25 rankings following the first three weeks of play. With three weeks of action established across the state – and fairly good weather over that time – the majority of teams have played 10 or so games, which has helped us gain a greater understanding of which programs we can consider the best of the best, regardless of division.

In case you missed any of our previous coverage, here’s some links you can bookmark as we continue on our trek through the spring:

And now, onto our first update to the state’s Power 25 rankings.

THE TOP-10

The top-10 teams in the state suffered just four losses combined in Week 3 play, and each of the four losses came against fellow-top-10 ranked squads, which made for minor movement up and down the top of the rankings.

+ No. 1 Sun Prairie (8-0): The Cardinals have simply taken care of business so far this spring, and they outscored their three Week 3 opponents 23-1 (Waukesha West, Madison East, Madison West). Liam Moreno was productive in his three games, as he tallied five hits total, and junior Davis Hamilton homered and drove in four in his team’s 11-0 win on Tuesday. The Cardinals play Janesville Craig on Monday and again on Wednesday before facing a big test in a doubleheader at No. 7 Kimberly (7-1) on Saturday.

+ No. 2 Bay Port (10-0): Bay Port went 5-0 in Week 3 with wins over Notre Dame Academy, Green Bay Preble, and two over De Pere on Saturday to reach the 10-0 mark in impressive fashion. We were in attendance for their comprehensive win over Preble a week ago today that showcased their well-rounded squad and senior leadership. The Pirates face a quality Ashwaubenon (7-1) squad today, who’s a young, emerging Bubble team.

+ No. 3 Pewaukee (14-0): Pewaukee has won its first 14 games this season with no real end in sight. A solid Pius XI squad awaits them Monday and Tuesday for some more conference action, but Pewaukee – now a Division 1 squad – really looks like one of the top pound-for-pound teams in Wisconsin. Their pitching staff is one of the best, and their lineup is looking even deeper than we projected it to be in the preseason, having seen it in action a couple times now. We’re a little over a week away from a must-see matchups with No. 20 Greendale, which could have their undefeated season on the line. The Pirates are up from No. 6 to No. 3 in the state this update after a couple convincing wins over New Berlin West.

+ No. 4 Union Grove (12-1): Despite suffering their first loss of the season on Friday night against a formidable No. 8 Kenosha Tremper squad, the Broncos look like, to us, one of the the best teams we’ve seen in the state to this point. Their lineup is aggressive, filled with strong athletes, and their pitching staff has some authentic talent. They rallied from Friday’s first loss to a 7-1 win over a previously undefeated No. 9 Wauwatosa East team with the help of their senior Noah France, who struck out 12 in five one-hit innings. They have three games on the slate this week, two against conference opponents Delavan-Darien, and one with Brookfield East.

+ No. 5 Eau Claire North (12-0): Still undefeated, their early season victories over Rice Lake continue to age really well, as well as their two over Chippewa Falls. The Huskies earned four wins in Week 4 play, with two-game sweeps of Falls and Wisconsin Rapids, and they clearly demand some top-five respect with 12 wins out of the gate while still proudly defending their Division 1 title. Next up: a critical two-game series with Eau Claire Memorial, beginning Tuesday.

+ No. 6 Oak Creek (10-1): There’s not much separating the teams at the top of the rankings, so the Knights’ first loss is somewhat magnified in conjunction with their light conference match-ups to this point. Oak Creek lost its first game of the season in a rainy meeting with No. 7 Kimberly, 5-2, but stormed right back in the game that followed with a 6-1 win over No. 14 West De Pere. Things will continue to pick up for the Knights, as they have a three-game series with Indian Trail this week, and a meeting with the Greater Metro’s No. 10 Menomonee Falls slated for Saturday.

+ No. 7 Kimberly (7-1): The Papermakers scored some clutch wins last week over conference opponents Oshkosh North, Neenah, and Kaukauna, as well as non-conference Oak Creek, but a lopsided loss to No. 12 Arrowhead ended their weekend on a sour note. Still, Kimberly played five tough games in Week 3 and their toughest two came at the end, having spent their top arms in conference action previously. They’ll regroup for a pair of Fox Valley Association games against Appleton West on Tuesday and No. 19 Hortonville on Thursday, before taking on No. 1 Sun Prairie in a doubleheader Saturday. It’s a very meaningful week ahead for the ‘Makers.

+ No. 8 Kenosha Tremper (11-1): Tremper travelled eight spots up the rankings after collecting a five-out-of-five wins in Week 3, including two at our Select event against No. 4 Union Grove and Marquette University. After handing the Broncos their first loss of the spring on Friday night, the Trojans came back on Saturday to pour it on late over the Hilltoppers – and those two wins came after a three-game sweep of then-ranked Indian Trail. It was a big, productive week for Tremper, now ranked No. 8 overall, with Westosha Central on the schedule today and conference match-ups with Racine Case this week.

+ No. 9 Wauwatosa East (12-1): ‘Tosa East leaned on its senior ace Tommy Meyer to lead them to a clutch, late win over No. 12 Arrowhead on Friday, though their undefeated season came to a close on Saturday in a 7-1 defeat to No. 4 Union Grove. They drop two spots, technically, though it’s really only because of the rise of Eau Claire North and Tremper, the two teams who climbed the most spots on the rankings in this update. The Red Raiders seem to consistently find a way to get it done, and they’ll face three conference opponents this week (‘Tosa West, Brookfield Central, and Marquette) to get right back to their winning ways.

+ No. 10 Menomonee Falls (10-1): Falls went 5-0 this past week, though it’s fair to call it a light spot on their calendar, with wins over Waukesha North, Germantown, West Allis Hale, Badger, and Dominican – only one of those teams, Germantown, is over .500 this season. The Phoenix opened the spring as the No. 10-ranked team in the state on our Power 25, and they’ve held that spot on the board since.

WELCOME…

+ No. 16 Franklin (9-3): We were high on the Sabers entering the season, and their youth and inexperience showed right away as they dropped a three-game series with Indian Trail to open the season. Since, however, Franklin has won eight of their last nine, and they look like they’re starting to figure things out offensively. Their lopsided win over No. 15 Whitefish Bay stands out from Saturday morning, especially considering an up-and-coming freshman was able to effectively handle a treacherous Blue Dukes lineup. We’re optimistic that the Sabers’ athleticism is beginning to get comfortable at the varsity level, and that it’ll help them stick around the Power 25. They have a three-game set with Kenosha Bradford on deck, with Westosha Central scheduled for Saturday.

+ No. 19 Greendale (10-2): Like Franklin, Greendale opened the spring ranked on Power 25 but fell off after one week. They were on the edge of last week’s Power 25 update, and did more than enough to secure a spot inside this update. The Panthers won all four of their games in Week 3, including a two-game sweep of Wisconsin Lutheran. They have some really intriguing match-ups ahead, conference series with New Berlin West and Pius XI this week.

+ No. 21 Medford (12-2): Rostering arguably the hottest hitter in the state, junior Caleb Guden, the Medford Raiders have broken through the Power 25 for the first time this spring as one of our top-ranked Division 2 teams in the state. They’ve won eight straight games following narrow losses to Merrill and Appleton West, and they look locked in ahead of a huge meeting with conference rivals Antigo on Monday and Thursday. The Great Northern was represented at state in 2019, and it has a chance to be once again in 2021, with Medford streaking.

+ No. 23 Boyceville (8-0): It’s hard to compare and contrast a Division 4 squad onto the Power 25 board, but the Bulldogs just don’t seem like a typical D4 program. They resemble the previous powerhouse versions of Webster (who’s actually an undefeated Bubble team themselves so far this spring), with Division-I collegiate talent assembled in their dugout that positions them well ahead of typical opponents game in and out. Seniors Walker Retz, Trett Joles, and Connor Sempf shape a roster that looks capable of competing against some of the top D1, D2, D3 teams in the WIAA, and for that reason, they’ve earned a place among the best in state. They’ve allowed just 13 runs in eight games as a team this spring, while their offense has generated 92 runs for. Their Monday meeting with Mondovi is among their biggest remaining tests this season, so they’ll put their Power 25 ranking on the line right away.

+ No. 24 Ashwaubenon (7-1): Ashwaubenon opened their spring 7-0 and lost their first game of the season on Saturday in a doubleheader split with Sheboygan South. Their 3-1 win over Preble helped earn some looks, and the talent on the roster is too good to pass up, especially now that the young players on this roster have proven that they can hang at this level. Senior go-to arm Tanner Katers is also a solid foundation piece to front the rotation, and there’s an underclass core here that should keep this program competitive for the foreseeable future.

ON THE BUBBLE

+ Denmark (11-0): Following and 11-0 start, the Vikings made the most of their Week 3 games, scoring two wins over Waupaca and Freedom each, and another over Kewaunee, to earn a place near the rankings. They earned a come-from-behind victory over Little Chute this evening to start Week 4 play on a high note. They’ll visit Little Chute on Tuesday to conclude this key conference series.

+ La Crosse Aquinas (12-1): The Blugolds are a need-to-know D3 program with a solid resume for a program within that division and representing this part of the state. Aquinas has two wins over D1 Holmen, they’ve beaten quality D3 foes Viroqua, Arcadia, and Prairie du Chien, and their lone loss came last week to D1 Onalaska, in a narrow 9-8 defeat. Senior Jared Everson is capable of single-handedly carrying an offense from the middle of the order, though Aquinas is also rostering some young, exciting talent in its dugout as well that appears to be contributing ahead of schedule. They have an important meeting with Tomah today that could go a long way in determining their Power 25 status.

+ Janesville Craig (6-2): The Cougars looked primed for a spot on the Power 25 following their win over ranked No. 23 Verona, 11-2, on Tuesday, but a 9-1 loss to a streaking Oconomowoc squad prevented them from making it in this time around. They have a two-game series with Sun Prairie on the books Monday and Wednesday, and stealing just one of those games would certainly catapult their chances into a splashy Power 25 debut, and they have another meeting with Verona this Saturday to further enhance their resume.

+ Webster (8-0): Here come the Webster Tigers, yet again. They’re far from an under-the-radar team at this point, as they rostered one of the state’s most exciting teams in 2019, as well as 2018. They graduated some key contributors in 2019 and ‘20, which prevented us from ranking them in the preseason, but senior Owen Washburn is forcing us to take another closer look at this program again, in the final season of his storied prep career.

+ Mineral Point (14-1): The Pointers are another familiar D3 team, as senior Liam Stumpf and junior Dominik McVay have hoisted this offense into one of the state’s most productive. Their one and only loss came without Stumpf in the lineup, though they may be just short an arm or two to authentically land a spot on the Power 25. Still, Mineral Point remains one of the top programs in one of the most interesting and competitive divisions in the WIAA.

+ Beloit Turner (9-0): The Trojans are undefeated this season and have scored some lopsided wins over the last week, with victories over McFarland, Clinton, Edgerton. As perennial contenders, D2 Turner is on the verge of a place on the rankings, with a meeting against Jefferson looming next week.

+ Jefferson (11-1): The Rock Valley rivals, Jefferson and Turner, look poised for a Power 25 place. The Eagles seemed bound for the Power 25 until dropping their final game of the week, 7-1, to Fort Atkinson, but they remain one of the Bubble teams to watch.

+ Oconomowoc (9-4): The Raccoons have won nine straight since dropping their opening two-game conference series with Catholic Memorial and Muskego. Ocon won both its games against a scrappy Waukesha West team and won a huge 9-1 game over Janesville Craig which landed them on the radar.

+ DeForest (6-1): The Norskies are back on the radar following their 10-9 win over Hortonville on Saturday. After an 8-7 Opening Day loss to Baraboo, DeForest is on a six-game win streak as their Badger North action picks up.

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