Prep Baseball Report

Wisconsin Power 25: Week 4


By Andy Sroka & Isaiah Glidden
Wisconsin Staff

The PBR Wisconsin staff updated the Power 25 rankings for the first time on April 25, and we’re publishing the second update of the spring today – featuring three newcomers to the board after Week 4 play.

It was yet another week of up-and-down weather, which in turn has muddied up the process of stacking teams against each other for rankings purposes, but we did our best anyway.

With that being said, there wasn’t much movement within the top-10 itself, as just one team cracked the top-10 that wasn’t in it last week. In total, three new programs joined the top-25, which meant three programs dropped off the board – for now.

TOP OF THE BOARD

+ No. 1 Whitefish Bay (8-0): The Blue Dukes continued their dominant season with a 3-0 week. In their most recent game, DJ Kojis (2022, Wisconsin-Milwaukee) twirled a no-hitter while the offense put up 10 runs, one their lowest scoring games of the season. The Blue Duke offense is something that is truly impressive as they are averaging roughly 13 runs a game and the pitching staff has been equally dominant, allowing just 14 combined runs in their eight games. On both sides of the ball, RHP/3B Mitch Voit (2022; Michigan) has been someone who the Blue Dukes have relied on. On the mound Voit has yet to allow an earned run in his three starts while tallying 28 strikeouts. When he is not on the mound, Voit will be in the everyday lineup for the Blue Dukes and has logged a .882 average and two home runs on the season. With other players like INF Jack Counsell (2023; Michigan), INF J.D. Dix (2024; Alabama) and Michael Lippe (2022; Louisville) and many more scattered throughout this roster, the Blue Dukes certainly have the talent to make history in Whitefish Bay. 

+ No. 2 Arrowhead (5-0): The Warhawks’ convincing win over Menomonee Falls, 9-0, on Saturday gave us a glimpse at the best version of Arrowhead. Junior LHP Michael Carpenter (2023) was electric, as was sophomore RHP Nolan Buss (2024), and yet the pitching staff is led by seniors RHP Mason Buss (2022; Kansas State) and RHP/INF J.J. Vargas (2022; Upper Iowa), typically. Their offense was relentless on Saturday as well, and it didn’t even receive the boosts it should usually get from star juniors INF Ethan Hindle (2023; Kentucky) and C Thomas Curry (2023; Missouri), two players ranked inside the state’s top-10 on its junior board. Junior INF Connor Olson (2023) led the way with three hits in between Hindle and Thomas in the order, which jump started the lineup behind him. Seniors 1B Michael Zordani (2022; Wisconsin-Parkside), OF James Duncan (2022; Illinois State), and OF Jacob Stevens (2022) combined for six hits, four doubles, and five RBIs to further illustrate the talent up and down the lineup. They were one of the programs most affected by the poor weather at the start of the season, but it doesn’t seem to have mattered much.

CLIMBING

+ No. 3 Milton (8-0): After moving up two spots in our first Power 25 update, the Red Hawks continue to trend upwards and move up one spot in our most recent update. Last week, Milton went 4-0 with all of their wins coming in convincing fashion. The pitching staff for this squad has been lights-out as they allowed just three combined runs in their four games last week, highlighted by a shutout performance from LHP Trey Jones (2025). With arms like RHP Michael Birkhimer  and RHP Jack Campion (2022) also enjoying productive seasons thus far, this Red Hawk rotation has been a dominant one. On the other side of the ball, the Red Hawks offense has been on fire as they put up 46 runs combined, in last weeks action. This high-octane lineup is being led by SS Gavin Kilen (2022; Louisville) and C Alec Campbell (2022; Winona State), with many other making a great impact for this Red Hawks squad. It seems that everything is clicking for Milton as they continue to win in dominant fashion, and roughly mid-way through the season, they show no signs of slowing down.

+ No. 6 Marquette University (8-0): The ‘Toppers took advantage of some losses ahead of their spot on the Power 25, which in turn bumped them up to No. 6 overall. They took care of business in this weekend’s non-conference matchup against Verona Area as part of the PBR Wisconsin Invitational at The Rock Complex, 4-1, in their only game of the week. With a spotless record overall this spring, armed with a deep pitching staff, Marquette is looking like a real state contender early on. Senior RHP Gavin Gawronski (2022; North Central College) has been the team’s most dependable starter in the early going, and he was the one who authored the victory over Verona on Saturday.

+ No. 7 Hudson (7-1): Despite splitting their crucial Big Rivers series with Eau Claire Memorial, the Raiders still earned a two-spot bump in this update. Their two-game series with the Old Abes was tightly contested and both games came down to the wire. We like Hudson’s depth on staff, and we think their offense will start to cash in on run-scoring opportunities more often as the season progresses. They have an exciting week ahead, with rivals River Falls (6-1) on the schedule. Senior LHP/1B Owen Weadge (2022; St. Cloud State) was, once again, critically important to Hudson in their battles with Memorial, and he’ll continue to steer Hudson as a two-way leader.

+ No. 9 Eau Claire Memorial (4-2): Memorial battled Hudson closely in their two-game series with the Big Rivers rivals last week, and they kept up pace enough to split those contests a game apiece. Their performance against a talented Hudson team that we consider to be among the tops in the state has us considering both ECM and crosstown Eau Claire North (3-1) as top-10 programs right now in what’s shaping up to be the most interesting conference race in the WIAA.

+ No. 13 Pewaukee (8-3): The Pirates did have a slow start to the season, going 5-3 in their first games of the year. Since then, Pewaukee has rattled off three straight dominant wins and to move up eight spots in this weeks Power 25 update. This Pirate lineup seems to be lighting the way for Pewaukee as they put up a whopping 43 runs in just three game last week, led by Wisconsin-Milwakee commit, OF/LHP Carson Hansen (2022) who has paced this lineup from the leadoff spot. Due to some injuries, Pewaukee and Head Coaches Adam and Marc Dobberstein have relied on some young arms like RHP Drew Dobberstein (2025) to collect some innings so far. In their most recent game, RHP Logan Dobberstein (2022; Kansas State) got his first inning on the mound. While it is unclear exactly how much the future Wildcat will pitch this season, having him back on the bump is a great thing going forward for Pewaukee. 

+ No. 14 Waterford Union (4-2): In their two games of the week, Waterford split with rival No. 17 Westosha Central. Waterford began the season without their ace RHP Dylan Questad (2023; Arkansas) but in their first game against Westosha, Questad got his first start of the year. With him back, it truly gives Waterford the chance to win every game he is on the mound. The Wolverines are not without help on the offensive side of things either. OF Garret Kay (2023) has been enjoying an outstanding season thus far and has led this lineup to four wins on the season. With four games coming up throughout this next week, the Wolverines will be looking to build their already solid resume. 

+ No. 17 Westosha Central (8-1): The Falcons and Southern Lakes rivals Waterford Union took a game from one another last week, and Westosha earned a couple more quality wins later in the week, against a previously undefeated Columbus team, as well as a respectable D.C. Everest program. While Central’s pitching is clearly among the deepest and most talented in the state, questions remain about their general run-scoring capabilities. But even then, they proved that the staff doesn’t need much help to cross the finish line, the uncharacteristic 9-6 loss to the Wolverines notwithstanding. SLC action heats up this weekend as Westosha takes on Burlington, as well as Delavan-Darien, which they beat 2-0 on April 5.

+ No. 20 Brookfield Central (7-2): After not moving in last weeks update, a 4-1 week for the Lancers caused them to go up four spots in this update. With the young squad that Brookfield Central has, there has been a few growing pains thus far. Nonetheless, the talent they bolster is something impressive and if they can keep it up, the Lancers have the chance to be a dangerous team when the playoffs come aorund in the always competitive Greater Metro Conference. The Lancers are looking to build off their successful week, as they go up against undefeated Marquette on Thursday. 

WELCOME… 

+ No. 19 De Pere (3-0): The Fox River Classic graduated a ton of Class of 2021 talent, which appears to have created a wide-open race for the conference crown. While Green Bay Preble is technically seated atop the FRC at 6-0, we like the Redbirds’ chances to keep overpowering their opponents behind a sturdy lineup with some depth attached to their rotation. RHP/OF Quinn Falish (2023) has demonstrated that his offseason gains that he showed off over the winter are translating in-game, where he’s been both dominant from the mound, as well as the center of the order. Reliable 2022s like SS Bryson Webb, RHP/OF Ethan Hoops (Wisconsin-Eau Claire), LHP/1B Patrick Rotherham (Lewis), and C/OF Garrett Foth are setting the table for talented underclassmen like 3B Javin Gauthier (2024; Illinois State) and OF/RHP Easton Arendt (2024) to shine through without the pressure to do so. More juniors like C/OF Bryan Gerbers (2023) are also contributing early this spring, which has swiftly turned De Pere into a Power 25 program.

+ No. 21 Kettle Moraine (6-1): The Lasers are among the biggest surprises of the spring so far, fresh off consecutive shutouts of then-ranked Muskego – 5-0, and 2-0. They were firmly on our radar following a 4-1 start after Week 2, showing that they can win in a multitude of ways. We don’t think Kettle Moraine has caught lightning in a bottle, either. There’s some sustainability to their early season success. The top of their order, in particular, is very talented – sophomores INF JJ Wolbert (2024), LHP/OF Tyler Wille (2024), and C Lincoln Ascher (2024) sandwich junior outfielders Nolan Schopp (2023) and Owen Bond (2023) to generate a steady flow of offense. Senior LHP Daniel Heikkinen (2022) tossed the complete game shutout that won them Tuesday’s meeting with Muskego, to go along with 12 Ks. Sophomore RHP/INF Jonah Roloff (2024) followed that up with five shutout innings of his own, with seven Ks, and classmate Wille finished it off with the final two scoreless innings after going 2-for-3 in that game with a run scored. The Lasers are perched atop the Classic Eight at 5-1, though No. 2 Arrowhead and Oconomowoc trail closely behind at 4-0.

+ No. 22 La Crosse Aquinas (11-0): After being on the bubble in last weeks update, the Blugolds are nestled in a No. 22 that can be attributed to a 5-0 week to stay undefeated on the season. The pitching for this Aquinas squad has been light-out thus far and kept it up last week as they allowed just three runs in their five games. In their tight contest against Onalaska, RHP Kahler Key (2022; Rock Valley JC) and Will Deets (2024) combined for a shutout over an Onalaska team that recently defeated No. 12 Stevens Point. With the best record in the state, it is obvious that La Crosse Aquinas earned to be inside this update of our Power 25. The Blugolds will look to keep their undefeated season intact with a three game slate over this next week. 

FALLING

+ No. 24 Greendale (6-3): Greendale has embraced a difficult early season schedule, and they’ve come out better for it. In Week 3, they split their two games with No. 13 Pewaukee – two games that could have went either way. In Week 4, an 8-1 loss in which they were simply overmatched by No. 4 Franklin has them stumbling down seven spots, but it’s a competitive ballclub that we think will resiliently rebound, though they have a tough conference series ahead with New Berlin Eisenhower (8-3).

+ No. 25 Hortonville (2-3): It’s hard to knock the Polar Bears off the Power 25 completely after losing two non-conference games on Saturday without pitching either of their top arms, all while facing two quality lineups. Still, we were somewhat concerned with their ability to manufacture runs, and the fact that they’ve scored just five or more runs once this spring is concerning. They don’t get much time to regroup, either, with No. 5 Kimberly headed their way on Tuesday.

DROPPED OUT

+ Muskego (4-4)
+ University School of Milwaukee (8-1)
+ Bay Port (5-4)

ON THE BUBBLE

+ Edgerton (5-1): The Crimson Tide handed No. 15 Beloit Turner its first loss of the season, and against their top arm, too. They had a chance to win their second meeting on Thursday, and look like an authentic threat to jump onto the Power 25 at some point this spring, especially if Peyton Lee (2022; Winona State) and Carson Dupuis (2023) continue their stellar play.

+ New Berlin West (6-1)
+ Lake Mills (7-1)
+ Middleton (6-1)
+ Green Bay Preble (6-0)
+ Edgewood (5-0)
+ Amherst (6-0)
+ Deerfield (9-0)
+ Wautoma (6-1)
+ Lake Country Lutheran (5-0)
+ Oconomowoc (4-0)
+ Campbellsport (6-0)
+ Coleman (8-0)
+ New Berlin Eisenhower (8-3)

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


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