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Wisconsin Power 25 Update: Week 8

May 22, 2023
By: Isaiah Glidden, Maddox Durst & Andy Sroka

In our sixth Power 25 rankings update of the season, the PBR Wisconsin staff is updating its top-25 following the latest week of the WIAA season, and we have postseason action coming at us later this week as the season begins to reach its conclusion. 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.

 Janesville Craig is turning in one of the most dominant regular season performances in recent memory, and they’re ranked No. 1 overall in the state for the third straight week, still undefeated. We’ll update the Power 25 this time next week for the last time until the playoffs conclude.

 In this week’s update, three teams exited, making way for two Fox River Classic squads, including a program that began the spring on the Power 25, as well as a Division 2 program that’s won 20 straight games.

THE TOP THREE

+ No. 1 Janesville Craig (21-0): The Cougars continued to display their dominance of the WIAA field, as they finished with an unblemished 5-0 record this past week, including the defeat of No. 10 Sun Prairie East twice. In the Big Eight Conference, a respected field of Division 1 teams, Janesville Craig has a run differential of +184 in 17 conference games. The offensive numbers have been extreme, led by the likes of SS Jake Schaffner (2023; North Dakota State commit), 1B Aiden Schenk (2023; North Dakota State commit), and OF/2B Jackson Adams (2023; Wisconsin-Stevens Point commit), as they’ve put up 202 runs in conference, 62 more than the next highest team (Sun Prairie East). The arms have been dominant too, as RHP Denver Hughes (2023) picked up two wins on the mound last week, holding down strong offenses in Milton and the aforementioned Cardinals of Sun Prairie East. The Cougars enter the final week of the regular season with Coleman (18-0) as one of the only undefeated teams remaining in the WIAA.

+ No. 2 Union Grove (19-2-1): The Broncos have not lost a game in over a month, and after enjoying yet another undefeated week, they find themselves at the No. 2 spot. To start the week, they grabbed two dominant wins over a solid Elkhorn team, backed by dominant outings from LHP/OF Owen Nowak (2023; McHenry County JC commit) and RHP/OF Landon Dessart (2024), who each allowed just one run in their complete game efforts. As for the offense, they exploded for a combined 23 runs in their first two games and followed it up with an eight run game versus then a ‘rising’ No. 19 Muskego squad. Union Grove has been one of the most consistent teams inside of the Power 25 all season long as they have not left the top-five all year long, and they now look to a busy four-game week, highlighted by a conference matchup with rival No. 13 Waterford.

+ No. 3 Kimberly (19-3): Since falling down to No. 7 after being atop our Power 25 rankings for the first handful of weeks of the season, the Papermakers have been continuing to rise, and now settle in at the No. 3 spot in this update. To start the week, Kimberly grabbed a dominant 10-0 win over Appleton West, led by a 10 strikeout performance from RHP Brayden Deering (2023; Upper Iowa commit), who has been one of this team’s aces all year long. They then earned the season sweep over a streaking No. 6 Hortonville team with a 9-4 win on Thursday, highlighted by a four-hit day from INF Brayden Pleau (2023; Bryant & Stratton commit). While Kimberly did go through a small rough patch just a few weeks ago, it seems like that is long behind them, and it could not have come at a better time with playoffs just around the corner. 

RISING

+ No. 7 Stevens Point (19-1): This SPASH squad just keeps rolling, as they added on four more wins to their record, and moved to 19-1 on the season. Their first two wins of the week came in dominant fashion over a solid Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln squad, as they outscored them 17-1 in those games combined, highlighted by a one-hit, six strikeout performance from RHP Ty Rechner (2024) on Tuesday. They followed this up with two even more dominant wins over then ranked No. 22 De Pere. In the first game of the doubleheader, OF/RHP Braylen Nystrom (2024) came up huge on both sides of the ball, driving in three runs, and also held a talented Cardinal lineup to just one run on four hits. The Panthers have been quietly putting together an impressive season, and with just three games left before playoffs, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them have yet another undefeated week in the WIAA. 

+ No. 12 Oak Creek (18-5): The Knights got five more wins under their belt in Week 8, finishing their 2023 season off strong, most notably taking down previous No. 2 Menomonee Falls on Saturday. RHP Payten Jibben (2024), the arm that has carried Oak Creek in many of their important matchups, got the job done once again, leading the Knights to a 4-3 win over the Phoenix. The savvy right-hander settled in after struggling in the second inning, finishing one out away from throwing a complete game, earning the victory in the process. INF CJ Trask (2024) and INF Evan Calderon (2023; St. Norbert College commit) both finished with two hits in the win, capping off a successful offensive week for Oak Creek. Earlier, the Knights outscored Racine Park 60-0 in three games, throwing two one-hitters in those battles. With a win over non-conference foe South Milwaukee, this 5-0 week moved Oak Creek up the highest, jumping six spots to No. 12 in the Power 25. 

+ No. 14 Monona Grove (19-4): After a 3-0 week, highlighted by quality victories over Waunakee and McFarland, the Silver Eagles rose five spots and inserted themselves at No. 14 in the final week of regular season play. Monona Grove received solid pitching outings in both of those wins, using multiple arms to navigate through each matchup. RHP Cal Moreau (2026) was big in relief, as the No. 11 overall prospect in the Badger State’s 2026 class pitched five innings this past week, earning a win in one appearance, and a save in the other. Moreau struck out a total of seven batters, walking zero in his time on the bump. 1B/RHP Jackson Hewitt (2023; Saint Mary’s, MN commit) led the way offensively, putting up a team-high three RBIs in a 10-1 over DeForest earlier in the week.

+ No. 19 Muskego (16-6): The Warriors climbed up four spots in our most recent update, as they took down rival Mukwonago once and defeated Waukesha West twice on the week. Their lone loss in their 3-1 week came to No. 2 Union Grove, as the Broncos offense was too much to handle on Saturday. Strong pitching performances have been the key for this Muskego team, as they won all three games this past week by a combined five runs. LHP Steven Wintheiser (2023; Wisconsin-Stevens Point commit), RHP Zachary Olson (2023; Hawaii commit), and RHP Bradyn Horn (2024) each got a win, all of which threw at least six innings. Olson’s work stood out the most in a 1-0 win over Waukesha West, as the right-hander twirled a complete game shutout, punching out six batters while throwing a three-hitter. 

WELCOME…

+ No. 21 Ashwaubenon (17-5): The offense and strong resume of the Jaguars earned them a spot on the Power 25 for the first time in the 2023 campaign, entering the week at No. 21. C Caden Van Duyse (2023) and INF Eason Hurd (2024; Creighton commit) have been the sparks on the offensive end, as Van Duyse most recently had three RBIs in Ashwaubenon’s 7-2 win over Fond du Lac on Friday. Hurd hit two home runs in the Jaguars’ 4-0 week, including a two-run bomb against previously ranked De Pere to power his team to an 8-2 victory. A multitude of pitchers have consistently kept opponents quiet on the offensive end, including RHP Ian Aoki (2025), who earned the victory over the Redbirds earlier in the week.

+ No. 22 Bay Port (15-6): After a 3-0 week, the Pirates find themselves back in the Power 25 after making an exit early in the season. Bay Port has picked up momentum after the slow start, getting back on track by winning eight out of their last 10 games. Their biggest victory of the week came against a then newly ranked No. 20 Manitowoc Lincoln team on May 15th, led by the performance of LHP Ethan Plog (2024; uncommitted). Plog, who has emerged as one of the top uncommitted left-handed pitching prospects in the 2024 class, has been the workhorse for the Pirates on the bump. Against the Ships, Plog went the distance, striking out 10 batters and only allowing one hit to a potent Manitowoc Lincoln offense, winning the game 3-1. Bay Port now sits tied at the top of the Fox River Classic Conference heading into the last week of play.

+ No. 25 Chilton (21-1): The Tigers are welcomed to the Power 25 rankings for the first time this season, coming off of another successful week, extending their winning streak to 20 games and sliding into the No. 25 spot this week. Chilton picked up three wins in Week 8, defeating Roncall, Hilbert/Stockbridge, and Valders. In each game, the Tigers’ offense put up double digit numbers against their opponent, led by 1B/OF Max Mueller (2023; MATC commit) and SS/RHP Austin Grube (2023; Wisconsin-Parkside commit). Mueller was 4-for-4 with three RBIs in their 11-7 victory over Valders, and Grube turned in a 3-for-3 performance in the 15-1 run-rule win against Hilbert/Stockbridge on Tuesday. Both seniors have been key pieces to this successful run for Chilton, as they have locked up the No. 1 seed in their Division 2 sectional. 

DROPPED OUT

De Pere (16-7), Waupun (17-4), and Burlington (16-8) are the three teams dropping out of the Power 25 entering the final stretch of the regular season. Each team lost multiple games during the week, and now find themselves on the Bubble among multiple quality teams entering Week 9 and the playoffs. 

ON THE BUBBLE

Movement in the rankings has led to a handful of teams finding themselves knocking on the door of the Power 25, including Kettle Moraine Lutheran (21-3), which defeated Waupun twice this past week, taking the East Central Conference championship in the process. Menasha (16-4), the Bay Conference champions, Altoona (18-4), a team that has shifted around the rankings for the entirety of the season, and Medford Area (20-4) are other teams to look out for as the season winds down. Here's some other on-the-bubble teams to know ahead of the postseason:

+ Chippewa Falls (16-6)
+ Coleman (18-0)
+ Dodgeville (18-3)
+ Eau Claire Regis (16-2)
+ Eleva-Strum (18-1)
+ Fennimore (19-4)
+ Kenosha St. Joseph (16-5)
+ Kewaunee (19-4)
+ La Crosse Aquinas (16-2)
+ Mauston (17-2)
+ Middleton (16-7)
+ Milwaukee King (17-5)
+ Pecatonica (18-1)
+ Reedsburg (14-3)
+ Saint Croix Falls (20-2)
+ Whitefish Bay (16-7)

FOLLOW THE 2023 WIAA SEASON

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

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