Updated Wisconsin Power 25 Team Rankings
June 11, 2018
In today’s Power 25 update, we’ll take a look at how the rankings shook out after last week’s Sectional semifinals and finals were played. There are currently 10 Power 25 teams still alive in the postseason; seven Division-1 squads, two D-2, and one D-3. Of the teams eliminated, Sun Prairie, the state’s top-ranked team entering Sectionals, had to play in one of D-1’s toughest brackets that included Arrowhead, Oconomowoc, Watertown, and Hartford. They earned a spot in the Sectional finals but in their head-to-head with Arrowhead, the Warhawks came out on top.
Joining Sun Prairie on the sidelines is Stevens Point, West De Pere, Tremper, Antigo, and Middleton – all top-15 ranked teams headed into Sectionals.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 12, the D-1 teams left standing will participate in the State quarter- and semifinals. The D-2, D-3, and D-4 semifinals will be held on Wednesday.
Teams across the state will be participating in the WIAA Sectional semifinals and finals, making for a long day of action to determine which teams are headed to State quarterfinals on June 12. All four divisions will play in Thursday’s finals. Every game will be played at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium, in Grand Chute.
SECTIONAL EXITS
There are 16 teams that were featured on last week’s Power 25 that have since been eliminated from this year’s postseason. Of the D-1 teams, Sun Prairie lost to Arrowhead, Stevens Point fell to Eau Claire North, West De Pere dropped their match-up with Kimberly, Kenosha Tremper was defeated by Burlington, and Antigo was tripped up by Green Bay Preble. Each of the aforementioned games took place in the Sectional finals, meaning all of the winners are headed to State tomorrow. Waterford, Wilmot, and Beaver Dam were all eliminated in their Sectional finals, too.
There were six D-1 teams that exited the postseason before reaching the Sectional finals: Middleton, Eau Claire Memorial, Hortonville, Westosha Central, Oshkosh West, and Kenosha Bradford.
D-2 OUTLOOK
Taking a quick peek at D-2, there are now three teams on the Power 25 – up from two last week. Ranked Waupun won their heavyweight contest with Catholic Memorial in last week’s Sectional finals. Power 25-ranked Beloit Turner, if you’ll remember, lost to Edgerton on May 29. Edgerton won its next two games and set itself up for a meeting with the second-ranked team in their Sectional, Jefferson, and lost, 11-1. The Sectional title vaults Jefferson to No. 23 on the top 25, their debut on the list this spring.
Elsewhere, Ellsworth beat Wisconsin Dells for a trip to Appleton where they’ll meet Waupun. Jefferson will take on Mosinee in Wednesday’s State quarterfinals.
WEBSTER HEADED TO D-3 STATE
Webster, the lone D-3 ranked team, is returning to State after making their program’s first-ever at the tournament in 2017. They’re up to No. 14 on the Power 25, the highest they’ve been all year – especially impressive for a team in its debut season at the D-3 level after it was in D-4 a season ago. Webster downed Cumberland, Chequamegon, and Elk Mound to win its second straight Sectional crown. They’ll play Kenosha St. Joseph on Wednesday in the Fox Cities. Saint Mary Catholic and Mineral Point are the other two teams headed down to the D-3 State semifinals.
ATHENS LOOKING FOR D-4 REPEAT
Last year’s D-4 champions, Athens, are headed back to State – their first back-to-back tournament appearance in their program’s history. Athens has spent some time on the Power 25 this year, which is a great achievement for a D-4 school. Their postseason run has them knocking back on the door. They’ll play Ithaca on Wednesday in the semifinals.
On the other side of the bracket, Thorp will play Johnson Creek. This is Thorp’s first-ever State appearance and Johnson Creek’s fourth, and first since 2012.
D-1 QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW
Tomorrow, Tuesday, both the D-1 quarterfinals and semifinals will be played. In Game 1, Eau Claire North will be taking on Waunakee. The Huskies are ranked No. 3 on the Power 25 presently, their highest rank of the spring. Waunakee’s ranked No. 11 certainly has a shot to make a run to the finals behind the bat of one of the state’s top-ranked juniors, Nate Stevens. North has one of the best records among their D-1 peers, at 21-3, and they own two Power 25 wins this season, so they’re battle-tested, too.
Game 2’s contest will see Green Bay Preble take on powerhouse Kimberly. The Papermakers coasted in the regular season to a good-not-great 17-7 record but their postseason run thus far, with wins over ranked Hortonville and West De Pere, has them threatening to make another run at the State title in their 12th appearance. Preble is led by a couple high-profile arms on the mound, so they’re fully capable of winning two on Tuesday in their third straight State berth. Preble and Kimberly are ranked No. 7 and 8 on the Power 25, respectively.
Game 3 between Arrowhead and Burlington is intriguing considering how impressive the Demons have looked in the playoffs. Burlington owns wins against ranked Oconomowoc, Wilmot (twice), and Tremper this spring and could be the ones to topple Arrowhead. But, the Warhawks are strengthening back up at the right time. They came out on top of a brutally difficult Sectional No. 6 that featured the Power 25’s top-two teams. In their third straight appearance in Appleton, it could be Arrowhead’s year.
Finally, Game 4 pits Janesville Craig and Milwaukee King against one another. Craig snuck by a narrow meeting with crosstown rivals Parker last week. The Cougars have been one of the state’s toughest teams all spring and, with catcher Jacob Campbell heating up at the plate, they could turn into tournament favorites. But they’ll have to get by King first. The Generals emerged from the Milwaukee-area Sectional last week as expected, ranked as the top seed in their bracket. It’s King’s first appearance in the State tournament since 2003, so they’ll be looking to take advantage of the opportunity.
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2018 SEASON
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