Wisconsin Power 25 Update: Week 5

April 29, 2024
By Wisconsin Staff

After another full slate of action in the WIAA this past week, the Prep Baseball Wisconsin staff has created another update to the Power 25 rankings as the season approaches its halfway mark. This week’s update includes a change at the No. 1 spot, along with the addition of four newcomers who are making their debut after recent hot stretches.

+ View the full Prep Baseball Wisconsin Power 25 here.

AT THE TOP

+ No. 1 Sun Prairie East (10-0): After yet another undefeated week, the Cardinals now find themselves at our No. 1 spot in this Power 25 rankings update. While they only played a pair of games this week, both of them came against then ranked No. 24 Madison Memorial and they outscored them by 19 runs combined in those games. The offense for Sun Prairie East has been stellar this season, as four everyday starters are currently hitting over .500 this season, led by 1B/RHP Drew Kavanaugh (2024) who leads the offense in a number of categories. He has also been this teams bonafide ace, pitching to an ERA of .913 in a team high 23 innings of work. OF Sam Ostrenga (2024; North Dakota, football), OF/1B John Hadley VI (2024; UW-Milwaukee) and INF Max Glusick (2025) are three other prospects who have enjoyed stellar seasons so far, and they have been a huge reason for the Cardinals success this season.

(John Hadley IV; 9/24/24)

RISERS

+ No. 3 Muskego (10-1): After losing a tough one to St. Thomas More at the annual Prep Baseball at The Rock HS Invitational, the Warriors responded by rattling off four wins this past week and move up to No. 3 as a result. To kick off the week, they took down then-ranked Kettle Moraine backed by solid outings from RHP/INF/OF Ben Kuglitsch (2026; Florida State) and RHP/1B Tyson Grulkowski (2026), who are just a pair of the talented underclassmen core the Warriors possess. They then grabbed a narrow win over now-ranked No. 24 Waukesha North and a dominant win over a quality Franklin squad to cap off the week. On the offensive end it has been a well rounded effort, with senior leaders INF Brock Lulewicz (2024; Wichita State) and OF/LHP Bradyn Horn (2024; Wisconsin-Milwaukee) leading the way. Other names C Maddux Lessard (2027), INF Daniel Hauboldt (2025), INF Dean Staudacher (2025) amongst plenty others have been key pieces for Muskego this season, and expect them to continue to contribute throughout the year.

(Maddux Lessard; 3/3/24)

+ No. 9 Pewaukee (13-1): Despite dropping a tough one to wrap up a doubleheader on Saturday, the Pirates are still moving up after putting together arguably their best week of the season. On Monday they matched up with then-ranked No. 11 St. Thomas More in which they clawed for a narrow 2-1 win, backed by a dominant outing from RHP/INF Greyson Zach (2025; Minnesota), who has been off to a roaring start this season. Then in their Tuesday win over Oconomowoc, Zach came up huge with the bat when he blasted a two-run homerun in the eighth which ultimately led to their second Power 25 win of the week. The Pirates wrapped up their week with splitting a Saturday double header. RHP Owen Dobberstein (2025) has found himself as the second of a dominant frontline of arms for the Pirates and he has yet to allow a loss. INF Karl Eidem (2024) and OF Drew Dobberstein (2025) have provided a spark on the offensive end this season, too, while a number of others have helped them to their 13-1 record.

+ No. 10 Manitowoc Lincoln (12-1): After a 4-0 week, Manitowoc Lincoln continues to rise up our Power 25 board, slotting in at No. 10 in this update. RHP/INF Noah Wech (2024; Oklahoma State) and INF/RHP Brayden Steinbecker (2025) have been huge two-way contributors this season. This week, Steinbecker helped them to a Power 25 win over Notre Dame Academy in which he struck out 10 in his near complete game efforts. As for Wech, he punched out 14 in his near complete game efforts; both of them have also been consistent threats in the top of the Ships lineup, too. In their double-header sweep over Ripon on Saturday, 1B/OF/LHP Gavin Lettenberger (2024; Wisconsin - La Crosse (football)), came up clutch on both sides of the ball amongst others. Looking ahead, the Ships look to a Thursday matchup with Sheboygan South, followed by a game against Winneconne on Friday and a double-header versus Pulaski to wrap up their week.

(Noah Wech; 4/6/24)

+ No. 12 Badger (11-0): The Badger’s collected two more wins in Week 5 of the WIAA season and remain as one of the handful undefeated teams in the state. Both of their wins of the week came against Waterford and they outscored them 15-8 in the two matchups combined. On Monday, 1B/LHP Gavin Stewart (2025) and INF Ryan McCarthy (2025) each collected multi-hit performances, en route to the 10-5 win. RHP Sam Polyock (2024; Wisconsin - Whitewater) continued to shine on the mound on Monday too, and he has consistently been a top performer for Badger for a couple of years now. Thursday’s win over Waterford was a little closer but the Badger’s still came out on top to move to 11-0. The aforementioned McCarthy shined yet again with the bat, collecting three hits and driving in a pair of runs. INF Wade Blakeley (2024) and OF Matthew O’Grady Jr. (2026) are two other names that have provided consistency atop of the Badger’s lineup this season.

(Matthew O'Grady; 2/17/24)

+ No. 13 Menomonee Falls (11-3): The Phoenix added four more wins to their record this week and they move up our Power 25 board, yet again, to No. 13. RHP Jayden Forbes (2025) continued his solid work on the mound this past week, as he put together five shut-out innings for the Phoenix in their win over West Allis Hale on Monday. Fellow right-hander Cail Geiger (2026) is the second of a dominant one-two punch head coach Tim Gotzler has relied on this season and he helped the Phoenix grab a dominant win over Brookfield Central this week, too. Offensively, Geiger has been a force in the heart of the Phoenix’s lineup, while other names like INF Henry Lynde (2025), 1B Jordan Hedrick (2024), C Wilson Kershner (2024), and INF Ty Cieslewicz (2024) have all been main contributors with the bat, too.

(Cail Geiger; 2/17/24)

WELCOME…

+ No. 16 Appleton North (9-2): The Lightning debut at the No. 16 spot in our update this week—boasting a resume and roster that can compete with anyone in the state. Currently, Appleton North is riding a six-game winning streak entering Week 6 of play—winning seven of their last eight games. In their first two games of the week, the Lightning outscored their opponents 16-2 with the help of quality outings from their pitching staff of RHP/OF Matthew Hietpas (2026) and RHP/INF Logan Hudson (2025). C William Hoerner (2024; Maple Woods JC) and OF Levi Watts (2025) have provided a spark on the offensive end, as Appleton North has proven to score runs in a hurry against its competition. INF Alex Ramus (2024; Ripon College) and OF Bennett Popp (2024) are a pair of seniors who have put in quality time at the top of the lineup for the most part, setting the table to showcase the depth of this unit, who is currently tied for first with No. 3 Kimberly in the Fox Valley Association with a 7-1 record.

(Matthew Hietpas; 2/24/24)

+ No. 22 Reedsburg Area (11-1): The Beavers enjoyed a 3-0 week by defeating a couple of opponents in Beaver Dam and Sauk Prairie twice. Reedsburg makes their first mark on the Power 25 after ranging around the bubble for a majority of the early portion of the season. It’s been the work of INF Winston Alonso (2026) and C/RHP Mark Othmer (2024) and OF Alek Southworth (2025) with the bats who have allowed this team to take off. The offense has been the strong suit of this group, who has not skipped a beat after the departure of a quality 2023 class from last year. They sit in a battle for the Badger - Small Conference between Mount Horeb and McFarland, two more competitive Division 2 squads. The Beavers get the Vikings twice this upcoming week—looking to create some separation between themselves and Mount Horeb by the next update.

(Winston Alonso; 3/10/24)

+ No. 24 Waukesha North (8-2): The Northstars outlasted Sussex Hamilton in a true back-and-forth ballgame two weekends ago at The Rock, which proved to be a big win on their resume and garnered attention. Waukesha North finished 2-1 on the week, taking down two non-conference opponents in Brookfield East and New Berlin West. They did drop a game to No. 3 ranked Muskego, but gave the Warriors their biggest challenge of the week with a 5-4 final. The Northstars have used their workhorse in OF/LHP Cooper Haas (2025) to really find success, as the junior has taken over in the leadoff spot and continues to thrive on the mound. His production, in addition to the work of RHP/SS AJ Curtis (2024; Wisconsin-La Crosse) and RHP/CIF Connor Curtis (2025), as the pair of brothers have locked in during their two-way performances. The depth of Waukesha North continues to be on display, as they have emerged as a dark horse contender for the Classic Eight crown after a couple of successful weeks of play.

(AJ Curtis; 7/2/23)

+ No. 25 Nicolet (10-4): The Knights secured the final spot in our newest update, as they enter Week 6 on a seven-game winning streak, and have taken over the second place spot in the North Shore Conference behind No. 7 Hartford Union. It has been a full team effort for Nicolet thus far, led by the likes of RHP/INF Nolan Sandee (2024; Northern Illinois), C/RHP Ben Ott (2024; Wisconsin-La Crosse (football)) and OF Hayden Konczal (2027), to name a few standout prospects. The Knights finished 3-0 on the week—including two conference wins over Sligner and Whitefish Bay. Their losses have been quality so far, which consists of only one conference blemish to the Orioles—dropping that game 1-0 earlier in the season. This week, Nicolet looks to stay hot when they play four conference games in six days—including a rematch against Hartford Union on Wednesday and a competitive Homestead group on Saturday.

(Nolan Sandee; 4/20/24)

DROPPED OUT

+ Germantown (7-4)
+ Kettle Moraine (6-6)
+ Madison Memorial (8-3)
+ Brookfield Central (6-5)

BUBBLE TEAMS (ALPHABETICAL)

+ Franklin (9-4)
+ Jefferson (10-2)
+ Johnson Creek (14-0)
+ Kenosha St. Joseph (7-3)
+ Lake Country Lutheran (12-2)
+ Little Chute (9-2)
+ Medford Area (10-2)
+ Menasha (7-2)
+ New Berlin Eisenhower (11-4)
+ Onalaska (9-2)
+ River Falls (7-1)
+ Verona Area (8-3)
+ Waukesha West (8-3)
+ Waupun (11-1)

Our staff broke down some of the standouts from this past week of action in episode five of the WIAA Podcast. Check out what Maddox Durst and David Go have to say about some of the results—including a guest appearance from Adam Dobberstein from Pewaukee.