Prep Baseball Report

Wisconsin Power 25: Week 3


By Andy Sroka & Isaiah Glidden

For the first time this season, the PBR Wisconsin staff is updating its Power 25 rankings following the third week of the WIAA season. And while there have been three weeks of play, technically, poor weather has made it difficult for many of the programs all over the state to play the majority of their games to this point. In turn, that made it a chore to effectively re-arrange the Power 25, as some teams have played five-plus official games, while others have played only one.

Still, we’ve gathered enough information to this point to move some things around to the best of our abilities. We’ll be breaking down the Power 25 in full today, as we have some teams that have made dramatic rises up the board, as well as three teams debuting onto the rankings inside this update – which also means we have three that have fallen off it in the process.

TOP-3

+ Current No. 1 and undefeated, Whitefish Bay (5-0) stays atop our rankings. The Blue Dukes have been dominant to say the least as they are averaging 15 runs per game and have only allowed seven runs combined in their first five games. It is not surprising though as they are bolstering some serious talent from top-to-bottom. Recently, Whitefish Bay took on No. 22 Medford in the PBR Wisconsin High School Invitational where they won 16-2 at Franklin Field.

+ No. 2 Arrowhead is staying put as they are 2-0 on the season. Bad weather has plagued many high school teams all throughout the Badger State and Arrowhead is one of them as they have only played two games this season, which were two convincing wins against Waukesha North. This roster remains one of the best in the state, for us, and we’re eager to see them tested, finally, in the week ahead (weather permitting) with Brookfield East, Mukwonago, Oshkosh North, and Menomonee Falls on the schedule.

+ Rounding out the top-three is Franklin (3-0), which has also been plagued by the bad weather. Franklin has only played three games this season, all resulting in wins. If the weather cooperates, this Sabers squad will take on No. 17 Greendale, No. 18 Muskego and a solid Neenah team over the next week. The Sabers’ lineup has been hard at work, with 28 hits in three games so far.

CLIMBING

+ No. 4 Milton (4-0): The Red Hawks moved up two spots with their undefeated start to the 2022 season. Milton took one against a quality Verona Area squad in convincing fashion. With three other quality wins on their resume, the Red Hawks moved up a couple of spots in our first Power 25 update. While we anticipated Milton to own one of the most productive lineups in the state, their pitching has been excellent in the early going, having allowed just nine runs in their four games. Meanwhile, seniors SS Gavin Kilen (Louisville commit) and C/1B Alec Campbell (Winona State) are expectedly churning the offense at a high rate.

+ No. 6 Janesville Craig (5-0): Off to one of the hottest starts in the state, the Cougars move up eight spots in our Power 25 update. The backbone for this Janesville Craig squad has been their pitching. Other than allowing seven runs against Madison Memorial, this pitching staff has given up just five combined runs. In the season opener RHP Jack Ryan (2022; Wisconsin-Whitewater) and 1B/LHP Aiden Schenk (2023) combined for a no-hitter and have continued to dominant early into the season. Schenk has also been contributing to this team offensively and his most recent offensive outburst came against Madison West where he drove in three runs on a homerun and double. Recent Future Games participant, INF Jake Schaffner (2023) is also contributing to the Cougars success as he is off to a hot start at the plate. It seems that everything is clicking early for this Janesville Craig squad and they are showing no signs of slowing down. 

+ No. 7 Marquette University (7-0): Unlike other teams, the Hilltoppers have been lucky enough to play seven games already. Two of Marquette’s best wins came against a talented Catholic Memorial squad in which the ‘Toppers coupled great pitching with some timely hitting to get the double-header sweep. One of their best wins came against a formidable opponent in Menomonee Falls. In this game, the Hilltoppers exploded for 14 runs against quality pitching. On the mound, RHP Luke Agnew (2023; Wichita State) and RHP Samuel Wronski (2023) combined for a solid pitching performance. Off to a undefeated start which include some quality wins, Marquette rises up 16 spots in our most recent Power 25 update.

+ No. 9 Hudson (5-0): We had high hopes for the Raiders prior to the start of the season, as we liked the roster on paper, featuring some upside underclass talent that’s been meeting expectations so far. They swept Wausau West in a doubleheader on April 9, by a combined score of 14-1. They tallied another 11 hits and seven runs in a 7-1 win over Prescott on April 11, and they’re fresh off another doubleheader sweep of Marshfield this past Saturday, by another lopsided combined score of 25-3. It’s been a loud start to the spring for uncommitted 3B Jake Busson (2023), who has 10 hits and 10 RBIs in five games, including three doubles and a triple. Senior RHP Logan Von Berge (2022; Augustana) has 16 Ks in nine innings; senior teammate LHP/1B Owen Weadge (2022; St. Cloud State) has 19 Ks in 10.2 innings, and he’s allowed just one earned run this spring on seven hits, two walks. Sophomores LHP Bradyn Bezanson (2024), C Hunter Carlson (2024), and INF Landon Zeuli (2024) are finding ways to regularly contribute as well, supporting a senior core that’s playing very well, thus far. They have a huge series on deck this week against No. 12 Eau Claire Memorial before they host Mahtomedi (MN) on Saturday.

+ No. 13 Stevens Point Area (2-0): SPASH is another one of those programs stricken by the weather, as they’ve played just twice this year – a doubleheader sweep of DeForest on April 9. In those two ballgames, Stevens Point recorded 19 hits combined and they received a quality outing by RHP Josh Opiola (2023) andRHP/CIF Kaden Thauer (2022) struck out four in three relief innings and he added a pair of hits; Bennett Klish’s (2023) two doubles in game two helped them reach 2-0, where they’ve sat ever since. They’ll travel to No. 22 Medford for a big showdown with the Raiders on Tuesday before hosting Onalaska for a doubleheader this Saturday at Bukolt Park.

+ No. 14 Beloit Turner (5-0): The Trojans have been rolling this spring, so far, owning some one-sided box scores. They’ve scored 74 runs in five games this spring – supported by a 30-3 victory over Whitewater – and they’ve allowed just 11 runs along the same stretch. Senior LHP/OF Jackson Burk (2022; Western Illinois) has been as advertised on the mound, and junior OF Connor Hughes (2023) has been a huge offensive spark. Head coach Jeff Clowes is rostering one his deepest groups ever, and he’s had some talented squads in the Rock Valley.

WELCOME… 

+ No. 16 Union Grove (6-1): The Broncos battled Brookfield East in the night game on Friday at the PBR Wisconsin High School Invitational where we came away very impressed, as a staff. Union Grove entered the season unranked because, we thought anyway, that the program had too many of its key players graduated from the squad that made it to state in 2021. Well, they quickly disproved that, as their lineup featured one competitive at-bat after another, and there’s some interesting (albeit inexperienced) youth inside the pitching staff that has us intrigued. Senior SS Josh DeGroot (2022; Mesa CC) and OF Remmi Sweet (2022; Bryant & Stratton JC) are capable of leading the way, offensively, while juniors like UTL Nathan Williams (2023) and OF Owen Nowak (2023) keep contributing, returning experience they earned as regularly featured sophomores last year. The battle for the top of the Southern Lakes is one of the most interesting conference races in the state this spring, as there are now three SLC programs ranked on our Power 25, and there’s plenty of talent rostered beyond those three.

+ No. 19 Westosha Central (5-0): Bolstering one of the most talented pitching staffs in the state, Westosha Central is off to an undefeated start and is nestled in at No. 19 in this updated Power 25 rankings. This staff has allowed just four runs combined in their first five games and is anchored down by LHP Michael Mulhollon (2023; Wichita State) and RHP Adam Switalski (2023; Indiana). Mulhollon’s most notable performance came against Delavan-Darien where he nearly threw a complete game no-hitter and tallied 16 strikeouts. At the end of its games, Westosha has been relying on RHP Scotty Schulz (2023) to close the door to opposing lineups, and he has been doing just that. Central’s offense has started slower, but if they’re able to generate runs with a little more regularity, the Falcons are one of the last teams opponents would want to see come playoff time.

+ No. 23 University School of Milwaukee (7-0): USM, a Division 2 program, is the biggest surprise of the spring so far, as they’ve bolted out to a 7-0 start this season, and they’ve captured some significant wins along the way. After winning their opener, the Wildcats knocked off then-ranked No. 10 Catholic Memorial, 7-5, they swept Kenosha Christian Life in two games, and they scored another win over a ranked opponent, Greendale, 6-3. RHP/INF James Reese (2022; Lafayette) has been excellent on both sides of the ball, as expected, and junior C/OF Vidal Colon (2023) continues to hit at a rate that has him considered among the top uncommitted bats in the area within his class. There’s more talent on this roster as well, and it’ll be exciting to see how they proceed from here, with a conference series against Brookfield Academy on the horizon.

FALLING

+ No. 21 Pewaukee (5-3): Pewaukee’s slow offensive start spoiled Opening Day, where they dropped their first contest of the spring, 6-4, with Waukesha North. They went on to split two tightly contested series with rivals No. 17 Greendale and Wisconsin Lutheran, and they mixed in wins over Milwaukee Lutheran and Whitnall to bring them to 5-3 to this point in the season. There’s been some highs and lows, but they’re also getting back to full health soon, and that should boost them back up the board sooner than later. They’re tasked with a two-game set with Pius XI on Tuesday and Wednesday, before weekend meetings with Brown Deer/Shorewood and Mauston.

+ No. 25 Bay Port (5-3): Bay Port’s record is somewhat misleading, considering they opened their season in Florida on an out-of-state trip that returned them to Wisconsin 2-2 already. They opened their year with a couple wins over Osseo (MN) and Tampa Prep (FL) and then added three more victories against conference opponents Pulaski, Green Bay Southwest, and Sheboygan South – but mixed in was a 5-4 loss to a scrappy Green Bay Preble squad, which is 4-0 in their own right. We believe in the team the Pirates are rostering, and we expected some growing pains, considering so much of their everyday lineup are players who did not see much action in 2021. So they’re clinging to the final spot on the Power 25 this week with Notre Dame Academy and Ashwaubenon on deck this week.

DROPPED OUT

+ Catholic Memorial (3-5)
+ Verona Area (2-3)
+ New Berlin West (4-1)

ON THE BUBBLE

+ Green Bay Preble (4-0)
+ Wautoma (5-0)
+ Kenosha St. Joseph (3-0)
+ Campbellsport (4-0)
+ La Crosse Aquinas (6-0)
+ Amherst (6-0)
+ De Pere (1-0)
+ Lake Country Lutheran (1-0)
+ Coleman (6-0)
+ Wisconsin Lutheran (4-1)
+ Edgerton (4-0)
+ D.C. Everest (1-0)
+ Middleton (4-1)

**Click here to view the PBR Wisconsin Power 25 board in full.**


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