Prep Baseball Report

Updated Wisconsin Power 25 Team Rankings


By Steve Nielsen & Andy Sroka
Wisconsin Staff

It was a telling week for the Power 25 in a stretch that featured plenty of ranked action. Once again, the top three remains the same, including top dog Arrowhead. The Warhawks are beginning to separate themselves from the rest of the pack with their third straight week atop the board. Athens, Westosha Central, and Burlington make their returns after brief hiatuses, forcing a few teams off the Power 25 in their wake.

And even though Webster lost its magnificent shutout streak, it looks as threatening as ever to the Division-3 race.

With postseason play nearing, check out all of last week’s action that’s bound to have a big effect on the upcoming playoffs.

ARROWHEAD AFFIRMS TOP SPOT

As the Power 25’s top three begins to solidify, Arrowhead has demonstrated no reason to be bumped from the No. 1 spot for the third straight week. In fact, the Warhawks further proved that they’re the top team in the state with a 5-0 week that featured wins over Catholic Memorial, Oconomowoc, and ranked Middleton. Arrowhead has so overwhelming in their wins over the Raccoons and Crusaders that it contributed to both teams are now off the Power 25 entirely.

Arrowhead is 18-2 this spring, the Warhawks will occupy the top rank for as long as they continue to show that they are the most complete team in the state.

SUN PRAIRIE CLEANS UP

The Cardinals put together another big week by going 4-0 with wins over ranked Waupun and Antigo. They’re now 19-3 and have won 10 straight since being swept in their two-game series with Madison Memorial at the start of the month, keeping them comfortably in the No. 2 spot on the board.

Alex Oakley helped them achieve the two wins over Waupun and Antigo, too – he drove in three runs across the two games. He also started the game against Antigo and threw five shutout innings and scattered five hits, did not walk a batter, and he struck out three.

They have a huge game against Janesville Craig today (Monday), weather permitting, and two against Madison LaFollette and one on Saturday against Mukwonago before Regiona play gets into gear.

HUSKIES SPLIT WEEK KEEPS THEM AT NO. 5

Eau Claire North had two two-game series against rivals Eau Claire Memorial and La Crosse Central and the Huskies split them both, coming away with a 2-2 record on the week. Entering the week, they had only one loss on the calendar, to Minnesota’s Stillwater High, meaning they had still remained perfect on the spring within the state. That streak ended on Tuesday with their 3-0 loss to the Old Abes.

They bounced back on Thursday though thanks in part to Carter Hesselman’s pitching. He threw a complete game and allowed just one run on six hits, one walk, and he struck out four in the 5-1 win. In that game, Tyler Greenlund also slugged two homers and drove in three of his team’s five runs.

North remains the No. 5 team on the Power 25 in this week’s update.

THE RACCOONS STUMBLE OFF board

Oconomowoc has struggled within their rugged Classic Eight calendar, highlighted by last week’s four losses, including two to Catholic Memorial and another to top-ranked Arrowhead. Sitting at 11-8 on the spring without a key win on their resume forces them to take a lofty fall from their former No. 7 rank to a place just off the top-25 list. Still, this Oconomowoc remains talented, it’s just taking a little longer for it to coalesce than anticipated. They have the arms to quiet most teams but they’ll need their bats to come alive in order to make their Power 25 return.

20 WINS FOR ANTIGO

Despite their loss last week to Sun Prairie, the Red Robins move up four spots on the Power 25, no win into the top 10, for all their incredible work this month and 5-1 record last week. Actually, their Sun Prairie loss marked just their first of the month and only their second of the spring. They were the first team in the state to earn win No. 20 and are now perched at 23-2 on the season.

Antigo’s in fine shape and are getting hot at the right time with playoff action just around the corner.

WEBSTER’S 14 IN A ROW

Webster looked impervious for much of this season – underscored by an incredible 11-game shutout streak that only just ended this past week. Despite allowing their first run in over two weeks, the Tigers still look as untouchable as they did while they were in the midst of that spotless run. They still went 4-0 last week and have won 14 consecutive games.

Their only blip on the radar last week came against Siren on Tuesday when they allowed what has become an unprecedented seven runs – but they made up for it on offense by scoring 22 of their own, led by Hunter Gustafson and his grand slam and six total RBIs.

WELCOME BACK, BURLINGTON

After a two-week hiatus from the Power 25, Burlington finds themselves right back where they left off, at No. 16, after a big 4-0 week with two wins over ranked Wilmot. They needed extras on Tuesday at Wilmot but scored their go-ahead run in the eighth inning on a wild pitch to clinch the win. They had an easier time on Thursday, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first for starter Trent Turzenski, which was more than enough to protect. He threw a complete game and allowed just one unearned run on three hits, two walks, and he struck out three.

Spread in between their games with the Panthers were two games with Delavan-Darien, a series in which they won by a combined score of 16-4. Their win on Friday also clinched them their third straight conference title, too.

POINT’S PANTHERS MARCH INTO TOP 10

After spending their first two weeks on the Power 25 teetering on back edge of the board, Stevens Point went 4-0 this past week to launch themselves 14 spots to No. 9. They won their two-game, mid-week series against D.C. Everest handily, outscoring them 17-5. That set them up for a big doubleheader against De Pere on Saturday.

Both games were nail biters, and ended in 2-1 scores in Stevens Point’s favor. Dayne Hoyord’s two-run single in the fourth inning was the difference maker in the first game and their pitching told the story in the second game. J.D. Schultz pitched five innings and allowed just one unearned run on five hits, two walks, and he struck out eight. Relievers Reese Gaber and Brady Franz pitched a mostly spotless sixth and seventh innings to earn their team’s 17th win of the spring (17-2).

KEY NOTES

  • Wilmot’s 1-3 week, featuring their aforementioned two losses to Burlington, sees them slip 11 spots to the No. 19 rank in this week’s update.

  • Columbus lost for the first time this spring, to Lakeside Lutheran. The Division-2 program drops just a couple spots to No. 13 and are 11-1 this season.

  • Catholic Memorial’s two wins over Oconomowoc just weren’t enough to keep them on the board following their Arrowhead loss. They’re still a great candidate to make their return some time soon.

  • Kenosha Tremper leaps 10 spots to No. 11 overall in this update thanks in part to a 4-0 week and 16-2 record. They have an important stretch to close their season that will pit them against three Power 25 teams in their last five games.

  • While Middleton boasts an impressive collection of wins over Janesville Craig and Sun Prairie their 16-6 record tempers expectations somewhat. Their the new No. 14 squad.

  • D-4 Athens is still undefeated at 13-0 this spring. They make their return to the No. 25 spot.

  • Tomah falls off the board for the first time this spring after a five-loss week.

  • Westosha Central won all three of its games last week in convincing fashion. They outscored Delavan-Darien by the combined score of 21-3 in two wins and beat Oconomowoc on Wednesday to earn themselves a return onto the board.

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