Wisconsin Power 25 Update: Week 4

April 22, 2024
By: Maddox Durst & Isaiah Glidden

Week 4 of action in the WIAA provided a successful Prep Baseball Wisconsin High School Invitational at The Rock Sports Complex this past weekend, along with nearly a full slate of games throughout the entirety of the week.

The Prep Baseball Wisconsin staff once again updated the Power 25 rankings, as we have surpassed a month of the season. Check out some of the risers, newcomers and more, below.

AT THE TOP

+ No. 1 Oak Creek (7-0): The Knights remained undefeated this past week with three wins over Racine Horlick (13-2, 12-6, 7-0) in dominant fashion. RHP/INF Payten Jibben (2024; Illinois-Chicago commit) continued to excel from a two-way position, as the right-hander tossed five scoreless innings in the 7-0 victory for Oak Creek—striking out nine batters while scattering a hit. At the plate, Jibben accumulated six hits in their three games—including a three-hit performance in one of them. SS CJ Trask (2024; Bradley) provided a home run over the course of the week—leading the charge from the middle of the order for the Knights. INF Gavin Zastrow (2027), the youngest contributor on this varsity team, got a hit in every game for Oak Creek in their three-game series against the Rebels—providing a spark from the bottom of the order. The Knights take on Indian Trail three times this week before matching up with Greendale in a non-conference battle on Saturday.

RISERS

+ No. 2 Kimberly (9-0): The Papermakers excelled in all portions of the game this past week to finish 5-0—improving their overall record to 9-0 with a couple of wins over teams to watch in the state. The week started with a close 4-3 win over Bay Port, as RHP/DH Alex Vander Loop (2024; Wisconsin-Milwaukee) got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to win it. LHP Brady Koester (2024; Notre Dame) threw five quality innings in a shutout victory over Oshkosh West—punching out nine batters and allowing one hit in the process. Koester then provided a home run against Appleton West and three hits at the plate against a tough Aquinas group in their 7-4 win to cap off the week. RHP/OF Sawyer Deering (2025; Tennessee) remained a threat in the batters box—putting together a 3-for-4 performance on Friday against the Terrors in another tight victory. Kimberly will enjoy three more conference games this week to attempt to defend and extend their undefeated streak in 2024.

+ No. 3 Sun Prairie East (8-0): The Cardinals continued their hot stretch this past week with three wins over conference opponents—including two against Madison West (9-0, 6-4) and one to Sun Prairie West (4-1). Sun Prairie East swept the season series between both teams, and really used their arms to find success throughout. RHP Drew Kavanaugh (2024) maintained his quality work on the mound by twirling six scoreless frames against the Regents in a 9-0 win. RHP Grant Camp (2024) was more of the same for the Cardinals in 3-1 victory over their crosstown rivals on Saturday—tossing 6.1 innings while striking out five batters. OF Sam Ostrenga (2024; North Dakota (football)) was the star who led a comeback on Friday night, as the senior finished a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with an RBI and three stolen bases.

+ No. 4 De Pere (6-1): After losing one game a couple of weeks ago, De Pere enjoyed a solid slate of games this past week—finishing 3-0 to improve their overall record to 6-1 as they enter the No. 4 slot in our newest update. RHP Axel Donaldson (2024; Madison JC) put together a quality pitching outing in a close 1-0 win over Ashwaubenon, as the right-hander tossed six shutout innings to give his offense a chance to produce—striking out eight batters. Donaldson and INF Devin Weber (2024) then combined for five hits in a 5-2 victory over a strong Manitowoc Lincoln team—handing the Ships their first loss of the season. RHP Easton Arendt (2024; Winona State University), a two-way star for the Redbirds, quieted a potent offense by only allowing four hits and two runs to score in 5.2 innings of work. De Pere continues conference play this week with three more games, while taking on West De Pere in a non-conference battle on Tuesday.

+ No. 8 Muskego (5-1): Weather proved to push back some of the Warriors’ competition this past week, but the group competed well with a win over Waukesha South and a close loss to No. 7 ranked St. Thomas More. RHP Bradyn Horn (2024; Wisconsin-Milwaukee) maintained his ace material for Muskego against the Blackshirts—going five innings in the cold on Thursday night, only allowing one hit and striking out six. That allowed UTL Ben Kuglitsch (2026; Florida State), one of the top prospects in the Midwest region, to power the offense. Kuglitsch finished 2-for-4 with a team-high three RBIs and a double in the win. C Maddux Lessard (2027) stayed hot all week—accumulating four hits over the course of the week from the second spot in the order. LHP Joey Shaw (2027) and this young core put up a quality fight against the Cavaliers at The Rock on Friday, but could get that clutch hit in the end to win it. The Warriors take on No. 15 Kettle Moraine twice this week to continue a tough slate of conference play in the Classic Eight.

+ No. 15 Kettle Moraine (6-3): The Lasers bounced back in a strong way this past week to move up seven spots to No. 15 in our newest update—tallying wins over Verona (5-2), Monona Grove (5-4) and St. Thomas More (5-2). Kettle Moraine played arguably the most dramatic game of the weekend at The Rock, putting up four runs in the bottom of the seventh to erase a 4-0 deficit to eventually take down the Silver Eagles. UTL Jonah Roloff (2024; Madison JC), INF JJ Wolbert (2024; Madison JC), OF Chace Staude (2027) and C Lincoln Ascher (2024; Central Missouri) all provided clutch hits throughout the weekend, specifically on Friday night, for the Lasers in their 3-0 week. RHP’s Tate Robillard (2025) and Sam Scaffido (2026) each threw well in their respective starts throughout the week—proving to be important down the stretch for Kettle Moraine.

+ No. 22 Union Grove (6-4): The Broncos provided a similar formula to the aforementioned Lasers this past week—finishing 3-0 coming off of a couple of losses from weeks prior that dropped them in the rankings. Union Grove notched two wins over their rivals in Waterford this past week—outlasting the Wolverines in a 11-8 and 9-8 affair. INF Leo Weist (2025) and RHP/1B Landon Dessart (2024; Madison JC) combined for six RBIs in their first game of the week to lead the way on the offensive end. OF Marshall Loch (2024; Southern Indiana) smacked a home run in game two of the series against Waterford, as Union Grove put up four runs in the final frame to complete their comeback and win it with a walk-off base hit from OF Matthew Gruber (2025). RHP Cody Ashburn (2025) was clutch in their 6-5 win over Mukwonago—throwing the final five frames in a nine-inning battle while scattering one hit and striking out four in the process.

UNDEFEATED POWERS

+ No. 9 Hartford Union (9-0): To kick off their undefeated week, the Orioles took it to then ranked No. 15 Homestead, defeating them 7-0. RHP/UTL Carter Kutz (2025; Nebraska) was dominant on the mound in that one, allowing just three hits while also striking out nine in his complete game efforts. They followed it up with their second and third conference wins of the week, as they took down Port Washington and Grafton, combining to put up 22 in those two games while allowing just four. Their best win of the season so far came at our 4th annual Prep Baseball at The Rock Invitational, defeating then-ranked No. 2 Monona Grove 4-3. The aforementioned Kutz made an impact at the plate in that one, tallying two hits and one RBI. Other names like INF Aidan Kolb (2026), OF Kaiden Romens (2026), and OF RJ Thomae (2024; Valparaiso) have been consistent contributors offensively, too, making this lineup one of the more dangerous ones in the area.

+ No. 17 Westosha Central (10-0): One of the more surprising teams this spring has been Westosha Central, who are off to a blazing start in 2024. In week four, they tallied a pair of wins over a quality Wilmot squad. It wasn’t easy in their first win of the week, as Westosha had to rally back down by four runs in the final frame to avoid the upset. Their only other win of the week came against Racine St. Catherine in dominant fashion. RHP Brody Schulte (2025) and LHP Joseph Suokko have been the two main pieces on the mound for the Falcons. Schulte put together five quality innings in their first matchup against Wilmot, striking out six and holding them to four runs. As for Suokko, he earned the win in the second win over Wilmot, as he allowed one earned run in five innings and also struck out eight. Offensively, C Mason Mitacek (2024; Wisconsin-Parkside) recorded two hits in both of their games against Wilmot, and he has been a consistent threat towards the top of the Falcons’ order all season. Lead off hitter OF/LHP Carson Sieler (2025) has been a spark plug atop the Falcons lineup this season, and he collected a hit in each of the Falcons’ three wins this season - he also earned the win on the mound in the first game of the week, too. Looking ahead, the Falcons take on Burlington twice this next week, wrapping it up with a double header on Saturday in which they will face La Crosse Aquinas and Waukesha West.

NEWCOMERS

+ No. 18 Badger (9-0): Off to an undefeated start, the Badgers earn their first Power 25 spot of the season in this update at No. 18. Badger defeated Elkhorn in their first game of the in dominant fashion, winning a lopsided 10-2 matchup. INF Wade Blakeley (2024) contributed two hits and two RBIs in that one, and he has been a top performer for the Badgers so far this spring. Also, RHP Sam Polyock (2024; Wisconsin-Whitewater), the bonafide ace for the Badgers continued his solid season, as he held Elkhorn to just two runs on five hits en route to the win on Tuesday. Their second win of the week came over the same Elkhorn team on Friday, taking them down with a score of 14-12. INF Bradley McCarthy (2026) and LHP/1B Gavin Stewart (2025) each drove in three runs in that matchup; OF Matthew O’Grady Jr. (2026) also collected two hits, too. To wrap up their week, they took down Port Washington and No. 10 Menomonee Falls, which ultimately earned them a spot inside of our Power 25 for the first time this season.

+ No. 25 Manitowoc Lincoln (7-1): The Ships earn a No. 25 spot after putting together a strong start to the season, currently at 7-1. They earned a narrow 3-0 win over Green Bay Preble to start the week, in which RHP Sean Gibeault (2025) was dominant on the bump. Across 6.2 innings, he struck out seven and held the Preble lineup scoreless on just five hits. Offensively, 1B/LHP Gavin Lettenberger (2024) recorded three hits, and also scored one en route to the win. Their biggest win of the season came against Bay Port who was ranked No. 22 at the time. RHP/INF Brayden Steinbecker (2025) and RHP/INF Noah Wech (2024; Oklahoma State) starred on the mound in that one, with Steinbecker limiting a solid Bay Port lineup to just one run on three hits. Both of them also tallied a hit in the matchup as well and Wech also drove in a run. Lettenberger continued his stellar week, as he tallied two more hits and a pair of RBIs, too. Although they did come up short to No. 4 De Pere to finish the week, they did compete with them all the way until the end of the extra-inning affair.

FALLING

+ No. 10 Monona Grove (6-4): The Silver Eagles looked and played like one of the best teams in the state over the weekend, despite losing two close contests to two of the top teams in the state, Kettle Moraine and Hartford. The lineup is deep, filled with athletic left-handed hitters, and sophomore Cal Moreau looked like one of the best pitchers in Wisconsin, regardless of class, on Friday night. They had three one-run losses last week, but we still like them to turn things around come the postseason.

+ No. 11 Hudson (5-3): The Raiders remain one of the top teams out in western Wisconsin, and they play a fun brand of baseball that's easy to watch and appreciate. They're not yet stringing together consecutive strong performances, but they've also been traversing the state this spring playing the best competition they can, so their record doesn't quite reflect the talent in the dugout.

+ No. 12 Oconomowoc (5-2)
+ No. 16 Menomonee Falls (7-3)
+ No. 23 Brookfield Central (4-2)

DROPPING OUT

+ Homestead (6-5)
+ Bay Port (4-6)

BUBBLE TEAMS

+ Altoona (8-1)
+ Bangor (7-0)
+ Franklin (7-2)
+ Indian Trail (7-3)
+ Jefferson (9-1)
+ Lake Country Lutheran (9-1)
+ Little Chute (7-2)
+ Medford (5-2)
+ Menasha (4-2)
+ New Berlin Eisenhower (9-3)
+ Nicolet (7-4)
+ Reedsburg (8-1)
+ Waupun (9-0)
+ West Bend East (9-3)

Check out the weekly breakdown of all the action from this past week in the WIAA, including an appearance from head coach of Milwaukee Area Technical JC, Caleb Bounds, in an interview.