For the fourth time this season, the PBR Wisconsin staff is updating its Power 25 rankings following the latest week of the WIAA season, as it's already nearing the postseason after a week of May baseball. It was a busy week of action that featured many key conference matchups across the state, spanning divisions, which played critical roles in the most movement on the Power 25. With that said, the teams ranked on the Power 25 performed very well, for the most part, which made for a steady update without much substantial movement.

Still, we have a new program at the top of the rankings in a shuffled top-three, and just one time fell off the board entirely this update, which yanked a team ranked in the preseason back onto the board for the first time since they fell off earlier in the spring.

NEW-LOOK TOP-THREE

+ No. 1 Janesville Craig (16-0): The Cougars have been one of the hottest teams in the state as we enter the back half of the season, and they now find themselves at No. 1 in this Power 25 rankings update. To start their 4-0 week, Janesville Craig shut out a solid Verona team, backed by a dominant performance from LHP/1B Aiden Schenk (2023; North Dakota State commit) who has continued to prove himself as one of the Cougar’s aces this year. They then would grab two more dominant wins over Madison West, outsourcing them 18-1. To wrap up their week, they defeated Verona yet again by a score of 10-2. This Janesville Craig squad is definitely a talented one, and they have proved to have depth on both sides of the ball which is something that will be valuable come playoff time. 

+ No. 2 Franklin (14-2): While the Sabers did suffer their first two losses of the year, both of them came at the hands of Power 25 teams. To start the week, Franklin took on then-ranked No. 16 Oak Creek in a major conference matchup and they ultimately fell short in an extra-inning affair. They responded with two close wins over Oak Creek later on in the week to win the three-game series. On Saturday, they unfortunately suffered a tough loss to No. 22 Muskego for their second loss of the season. Despite the two losses, the Sabers still proved to be one of the top teams in the state with the conference series win over Oak Creek and now with the hardest part of their schedule over, they look to continue to bolster their already impressive record. 

+ No. 3 Menomonee Falls (16-1): Despite sliding down just a spot in this rankings update, Menomonee Falls is still enjoying a successful season thus far. On Tuesday, Menomonee Falls completed the season sweep of conference foe, and then ranked No. 10 Marquette University with a dominant 8-4 win. In that win, 1B/RHP Zach Wolfram (2023) continued his hot season at the plate as he homered and finished the day with two RBIs. They then took on both Wauwatosa West and Wauwatosa East, and ended up with two more wins to add to their total. In their game against Wauwatosa West, RHP/MIF Derek Steinbrenner (2023) twirled a shut-out gem over the run-rule shortened game.  On Friday though, Menomonee Falls did suffer their first loss of the season in a 2-1 loss to Rufus King, which ultimately led to this slight drop in this Power 25 update. Still, the Phoenix have proved to be a dominant team in the WIAA this year, and despite the close loss, they still find themselves inside the top-three in this update. 

RISING

+ No. 10 Arrowhead (11-3): After struggling during the start of the season, it seems like the Warhawks have started to figure it all out after going 4-0 last week. Arrowhead started off their week with two dominant wins over Waukesha West. In these two games, Arrowhead’s offense exploded for 30 runs combined, which is a good sign. Then they grabbed two more wins as they defeated Catholic Memorial, with both coming in lopsided fashion. Their hot offensive streak continued as they scored 12 runs in game one and 11 in game two. Talent is littered up and down this Arrowhead squad and they seem to have been playing their best baseball as of late, moving back up to the No. 10 spot as a result. 

+ No. 11 Denmark (16-2): While Denmark hasn’t moved much since our preseason Power 25 update, they do find themselves back up to No. 11 in this update. Last week, the Vikings enjoy a successful 4-0 week, with each win coming in dominant fashion. On Tuesday, the Vikings grabbed two lopsided wins over Marinette, outsourcing them 44-3 in those games combined. Then Denmark didn’t see any action until Saturday when they played their second double-header of the week as they took on Wrightstown for two games. In game one, they cruised to a 5-1 win but game two was a different story. In the second game, things were close until the fourth inning when the Vikings exploded for a whopping 20 runs in one inning to end the game. For a handful of years now, Denmark has been one of the most consistent teams in the entire state, and this year seems to be yet another one of those seasons. 

+ No. 13 Stevens Point Area (11-1): After going 4-0 this past week, the Panthers jumped up five spots to No. 13 in the Power 25, earning two wins over both Wausau West and La Crosse Central. Multiple Stevens Point pitchers shut down the River Hawks in their doubleheader, including RHP Braylen Nystrom (2024) and RHP Carl Biechler (2023). Offensively, C Deacan Koback (2023) and OF Benett Klish (2023; Minnesota-Duluth commit) had big days at the plate on Friday, combining to drive in seven runs for the Panthers, summarizing a dominant week from start to finish. 

+ No. 14 De Pere (12-1): The Redbirds made the biggest jump in the Power 25 this week, moving up six spots as the team was 4-0 and notably defeated a tough Division 2 team in Notre Dame Academy, twice. RHP Easton Arendt (2024) and RHP Deuce Musial II (2023; Arkansas State commit) both had quality outings this past weekend against the Tritons in the doubleheader, silencing a potent offense. De Pere put up four runs in the final frame of Game Two, after being down 3-0 to take the lead and eventually win the game. INF Lucas Koskey (2025) had a big two-RBI single and Arendt drove in the game-winning run. C/3B Bryan Gerbers (2023; Crown College commit) put together a couple of solid offensive performances as well, wrapping up the winning week for the Redbirds. 

+ No. 17 Waterford Union (11-2): The Wolverines put together a 3-0 week behind quality pitching outings from their staff. RHP Dylan Questad (2023; Arkansas commit) and LHP Max Northrop (2023; uncommitted) combined to shutout Badger on Tuesday, and RHP/OF Garrett Kay (2023; UIC commit) followed with a solid performance on Friday, where he struck out 10 batters in his five-inning start. Questad struck out nine batters and only allowed one hit in 5.2 innings. To win both, Northrop notched saves in each of them, holding leads and finishing off close games. On Wednesday, in a 12-1 win over Kenosha Bradford, Kay was a single away from completing the cycle, going 3-for-4 on the day.  

+ No. 20 Waupun (16-1): The Warriors continue to add onto their win total, as they defeated Plymouth twice this week, only playing two games. The offense was hot for Waupun, led by a 2-for-2 performance from UTIL Evan Sauer (2024) on Tuesday, where he doubled and homered. INF Hunter Kamp (2023) and UTIL Bryant Ferris (2025) also put together two quality outings in the doubleheader, tallying multiple hits in each game. LHP/OF Mason Holz (2024), the former PBR Wisconsin POTW, tossed 6.2 innings of one-hit baseball on Thursday as well. 

+ No. 21 Wisconsin Lutheran (14-2): The Vikings shot up a couple of spots in this update after going 4-0 this past week, including defeating a tough New Berlin Eisenhower squad twice. The week was highlighted by a three-hitter from RHP Jake Ross (2024), which gave Wisconsin Lutheran a 1-0 victory. To cap off their slate of games, Ross launched a home run on Saturday against West Allis Hale. RHP/INF Wynn Hotchkiss (2025) has continued to be productive in the middle of this order too, as he also hit a home run this past week, paired with a multi-hit performance in a walk-off win against the Lions. 

WELCOME…

No. 25 Altoona (13-1): The Railroaders are back in the Power 25 this week, after falling out of the top 25 after the first update. Altoona dropped their first game of the year to Holmen, but since then, the team has rattled off 13 straight wins, earning them the No. 25 spot. This past week, the Railroaders got two wins over conference foe Saint Croix Central, and one victory against Bloomer, scoring a combined 35 runs. Helping out on the offensive end was C/3B Evan Gustafson (2023; Oregon State commit), OF Ben Kuenkel (2023), and C/3B Colin Boyarski (2023), who inserted themselves all over the stat sheet this past week. Gustafson had a 3-for-3 performance against the Panthers, doubling twice and driving in four runs. Kuenkel put up five hits in two games as well. On the mound, RHP Bennett Stokke (2025) struck out 12 batters and walked zero in his one start of the week, going the distance and earning the win for the Railroaders. 

DROPPED OUT

It was a pretty successful week for the Power 25 in full as there was not much movement, and only one team fell out, Appleton North (9-4). The Lightning made their first appearance in the Power 25 in last week's update but after a lackluster 1-2 week they unfortunately fell off. Though, we could see the Lightning climb back on the near future as we're familiar with the kind of talent that lines up on the diamond game in and out. 

ON THE BUBBLE

+ Ashwaubenon (9-3)
+ Bay Port (11-4)
+ Burlington (12-6)
+ Chilton (13-1)
+ Chippewa Falls (12-3)
+ Eau Claire Regis (11-1)
+ Homestead (9-4)
+ Kettle Moraine Lutheran (15-2)
+ Manitowoc Lincoln (11-2)
+ Medford Area (14-3)
+ Menasha (10-2)
+ Milwaukee King (12-3)
+ Saint Croix Falls (14-0)
+ Watertown (11-6)
+ Whitefish Bay (11-3)

FOLLOW THE 2023 WIAA SEASON

+ Complete Power 25 Rankings
+ Daily Roundup
+ Player of the Week

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