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Wisconsin Power 25 Update: Week 4

April 24, 2023
By Andy Sroka & Isaiah Glidden

For the second time this season, the PBR Wisconsin staff is updating its Power 25 rankings following the fourth week of the WIAA season. This past week, Wisconsin was interrupted by rain that even turned to snow by the weekend, mixed in with the cold, which made for a generally light week of action in the state. Still, our staff was able to collaborate and update the top-25 rankings, which featured new team’s to the board this week, including one which was ranked in the preseason and spent this past week just off the rankings.

We’ll be breaking down the Power 25 in full today, covering the two programs back on the board this week, as well as the teams in the state on the rise headed into Week 5 play.

AT THE TOP

+ No. 1 Kimberly (5-1): The Papermakers are still atop our Power 25 rankings after a spotless 3-0 week. On Tuesday, Kimberly started the week with a 9-2 win over a solid Kaukauna team. In that win, LHP Brady Koester (2024; Notre Dame commit) homered twice and drove in a team-high six RBIs while three pitchers combined to limit the Galloping Ghosts to just two runs. Game two of the week for the Papermakers was won in much more dominating fashion as they took down Appleton West, 19-0. While the pitching staff is ultra deep for this Kimberly squad, sophomore right-hander RHP Sawyer Deering (2025) is enjoying a solid start to the season, highlighted by a five-inning shutout win in Kimberly’s matchup with Appleton West. The Papermakers then rounded out their week with a 8-2 win over then-ranked No. 12 Oak Creek, in their first game against a ranked opponent. In that win, RHP Alex Vander Loop (2024), who is steadily becoming a need-to-know junior in the state, held a talented Oak Creek lineup to one earned run on four hits, while striking out six across his six innings of work. While we expected the pitching staff to be dominant for Kimberly, the offense has been gaining steam with each passing game this season, and if they can keep it up, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this Papermaker squad retain this No. 1 spot for the majority of the spring.

CLIMBING

+ No. 2 Franklin (9-0): The Sabers are off to a 9-0 start in the 2023 season, and they have moved up to our No. 4 spot in this rankings update as a result. To start the week, Franklin notched three overwhelming wins over Racine Park in which they exploded for 50 runs in the three-game sweep, and their pitching staff did not allow a run either. Franklin’s latest win came against Kaukauna at the PBR at The Rock High School Invitational on Saturday morning, which, yet again, came in dominant fashion. In that win, OF Lucas Farin (2023; Wisconsin-Oshkosh), and 3B Boston Halloran (2023; Oakland) tallied multi-hit performances to lead Franklin to victory, but it was really a full team performance that showcased the Sabers' depth up and down the roster. Now looking to this week, Franklin begins their hardest stretch of the regular season, starting with a three-game series against No. 21 Kenosha Tremper, followed by a three-game series against rivals No. 18 Oak Creek next week.

+ No. 6 River Falls (6-0): The Wildcats are rising to the No. 6 spot this update, now the top-ranked team inside the competitive Big Rivers Conference. River Falls played just two games this past week, in which they tallied two wins over conference foe New Richmond. In these two games, River Falls’ offense put up 20 runs combined, and their pitching staff twirled two shut-out gems, highlighted by a 14-strikeout performance from their ace RHP Keenan Mork (2023; Notre Dame). It's rivalry week, as Falls prepares to take on No. 9 Hudson, which entered the season ranked ahead of the Wildcats on our board, though both are playing like two of the best programs in the state.

+ No. 7 Janesville Craig (8-0): The Cougars are 8-0 to start the season, behind one of the most productive offenses in the state so far. They’ve been held to less than 12 runs just once this season, and it actually came this past week in an 8-0 win at Beloit Memorial on Tuesday. On Friday, Craig took on its toughest test of the season so far at Waterford in non-conference play where star seniors, both of whom are North Dakota State recruits, 1B Aiden Schenk (2023) and SS Jake Schaffner (2023) exploded offensively, as per usual. Schenk notched a double and a home run in the victory, while Schaffner tripled and touched home three times as the team’s catalyst at the top of the order. It’s a big week for them, as they prepare to meet their new conference foes No. 19 Sun Prairie West for the first time on Tuesday and Thursday, and a visit to Verona awaits them after that.

+ No. 8 St. Thomas More (9-1): After authoring a 3-0 week, the Cavaliers move up to the No. 8 spot in this Power 25 update. To start the week, St. Thomas More cruised to a 13-2 win over Dominican in which reigning ‘Player of the Week’, MIF Alex Alicea (2023; Louisville) tallied three hits en route to the win. Then, the Cavaliers played two games at the PBR at The Rock High School Invitational, starting with Kaukauna. In the 9-4 win, Alicea just continued to rake, and he logged a pair more doubles in the win. In their second game of the weekend, Weeks 1 & 2 ‘Pitcher of the Week’ RHP Elijah Niemiec (2023; Wisconsin-Stevens Point) continued his dominance this season as he struck out 12 in STM’s 9-1 win over New Berlin Eisenhower. The Cavs rose five spots in this week's update, primarily because they showed one of the deepest lineups in the state over the weekend, and it's clear they're also gifted on the mound, and not just for a Division 2 program. A pivotal week approaches, as St. Thomas More and Kenosha St. Joseph are set to square off for a two-game set that will likely decide the Metro Classic.

+ No. 12 Hortonville (8-2): While the Polar Bears do have two losses on their record, both of them came to quality teams outside of the state while on an early season trip to LakePoint. After yet another solid week in the WIAA, Hortonville is still undefeated to teams in the Badger State. On Tuesday, Hortonville cruised to a 9-0 win over Oshkosh West. On the Friday that followed, Hortonville had to rally late to defeat a competitive Appleton West team. Senior SS/RHP Camden Kuhnke (2023; Wisconsin-Milwaukee) led the team offensively this week, though it was C Turner Kuhnke's (2025) go-ahead opposite-field home run that sparked Hortonville into the late lead, from which Camden shut it down in his typical closer's role in a clean seventh inning with two Ks. Hortonville and No. 1 Kimberly square off this week with the Fox Valley Association on the line in a must-see matchup.

+ No. 14 Whitefish Bay (8-0): The Blue Dukes are rolling, winners of its first eight games this spring, including two lopsided wins against North Shore programs Port Washington and Cedarburg, 16-6 and 12-2, respectively. While Whitefish Bay has some real star power in its dugout, it was senior 1B Austin Wienke (2023) who paced the Blue Dukes last week, generating six RBIs in the team’s first win, and he stayed hot at home against the Bulldogs. Things get a little tougher this week, with a visit to West Bend East, then they’ll host Nicolet at Cahill Park before three straight conference away games at Grafton, Slinger, and Homestead next Monday.

+ No. 15 Kettle Moraine (7-2): The Lasers won both of their games in Week 4, and that’s including a tremendous win over then-ranked No. 2 team in the state, Marquette University. In the key non-conference matchup, Kettle Moraine pitched two of their top arms, LHP Tyler Wille (2024) and RHP Miles Burchardt (2024), and the uncommitted juniors combined to punch out six batters each and they limited the ‘Toppers to just five hits and one run. Meanwhile, the depth of the Lasers’ lineup was on display as the bottom half of their order put up 10 of the team’s 12 hits, led by two doubles and three RBIs from sophomore Layson Fabisiak (2025). In their 10-5 win later in the week against Waukesha South, seven of Kettle Moraine’s nine hitters recorded a hit, further highlighting the team’s offensive strength.

+ No. 16 Sun Prairie East (7-0): East’s toughest tests lie ahead of them on the schedule yet, but the Cardinals’ wins have been comprehensive so far this spring. They won their lone Week 4 game at La Follette, 13-1, and they’re getting into a busy week with conference two-game series against Parker and Beloit Memorial before ending the week with a huge matchup with No. 13 Monona Grove on Friday at home.

WELCOME…

+ No. 22 Waterford Union (6-2): After spending a solitary week off the Power 25, the Wolverines are back on the board despite splitting the two games they played last week. Waterford began its week with a win at rivals then-No. 18 Westosha Central which featured a combined no-hitter authored primarily by its star senior RHP Dylan Questad (2023; Arkansas). While they were trounced in non-conference action with undefeated No. 7 Janesville Craig on Friday night, Waterford still has a top-25 resume, and their only losses have come at the hands of Craig and an early season matchup with a competitive Burlington squad.

Dylan Questad (4/10/23)

+ No. 25 Wisconsin Rapids (10-0): The Raiders are winners of 10 straight to start the spring, and that includes a few quality victories already, too, including a season sweep of Antigo to start the season, a 7-5 win against a tough Medford Area program on April 11, and they’re fresh off a doubleheader sweep of La Crosse Central last Saturday. Sophomore INF/RHP Brett Simonsen (2025) has been the team’s engine so far this season, and on both sides of the ball.

DROPPED OUT

With two teams joining the Power 25, unfortunately there were two teams that have to drop out. The first we'll mention is Westosha Central, which fell nine spots in last week's update, and after a 2-2 performance in Week 4, they're now on the outside looking in at 7-4 overall. The other team left off this time around is Bay Port, which has been off to an inconsistent start, now 4-4 overall. The Pirates graduated nearly a full team from a year ago, and while they're still talent-packed, it's just taking a bit more time than expected for them to get in a rhythm. 

ON THE BUBBLE

  • Manitowoc Lincoln (7-1)

  • Muskego (5-2)

  • Altoona (6-1)

  • Waupun (11-1)

  • Kettle Moraine Lutheran (9-1)

  • University School (7-1)

  • Notre Dame Academy (7-2)

  • Kenosha St. Joseph (4-1)

  • La Crosse Aquinas (6-0)

  • Deerfield (13-1)

  • Saint Croix Falls (8-0)

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