WIAA Power 25: Update
May 4, 2026
Today, for the third time this spring, we’re updating the Prep Baseball Wisconsin Power 25 Rankings. This was an eventful week which made for some volatility up and down the rankings, as four teams exited the top-25 which made way for four new teams to climb into the Power 25 for the first time this season, led by new No. 16 Janesville Craig.
WIAA HEADLINES
Let’s break down the movement inside our latest Power 25 update of 2026.
AT THE TOP
+ No. 1 Kimberly (9-1): The Papermakers make their way to the top spot after a big 3-0 week including a top-two matchup against Hudson where they were able to narrowly squeeze out a 2-1 victory in a low-scoring contest. The depth is immense throughout the roster with a trio arms at the top of the rotation that compete whenever they step on the mound.
The Hermus brothers have been big for Kimberly to start the year, Maddux competes both on the mound and in the box serving as the teams ace as well as a main run producer in the lineup. Beckett has broken onto the scene after securing the everyday job at shortstop, playing quality defense at the spot too while swinging an impactful bat just as a freshman to pair.
Outside of their sole loss, 7-2, to Fondy a couple weeks back, the Papermakers have not allowed more than five runs in a game and they have recorded four shutouts in 10 games.
+ No. 2 Hudson (14-2): Constantly testing themselves through the first month of the season, and performing up to standards more or less, the Raiders ran into some tough luck on the tail end of their 2-2 week facing four Power 25 opponents. Sweeping No. 19 Chippewa Falls convincingly before going on the road for the third consecutive weekend and taking on two of the best Fox Valley Association teams in No. 4 Hortonville and new No. 1 Kimberly, losing two tough contests. Even still, this is the most threatening lineup in the WIAA this spring so far, and they’re getting some big pitching performances out of their two-way senior INF/RHP Sam Abrahamson (2026; St. Thomas, MN), so they still feel like one of the top threats to be D1 champs in June.
+ No. 3 Appleton North (10-1): The Lightning continue to play like one of the top teams in the state this spring after another spotless week in which they took care of business against Appleton East, Fond du Lac, and Fox Valley Lutheran. Today, they’ll visit new No. 1 Kimberly in a big meeting between Fox Valley Association rivals.
+ No. 4 Hortonville (14-1): Moving into the top three after yet again another strong 3-0 week where they outscored their opponents 20-4 on the week. It’s a well-coached squad that really executes both at the plate and defensively across all levels.
Senior heavy squad, leading the way is a trio of senior position players in 1B Derek Baumbach, SS Gary Wuest and 3B Brock Wolter who are each hitting north of .300 on the year while getting contributions from a number of players up and down the lineup throughout the week. On the mound, OF/RHP Isaac Behnke, RHP Mason Burrichter and RHP/INF Elijah Yeager have been nails all season turning in effective outings each time they toe the rubber for the Polar Bears.
BIG RISERS
+ No. 5 Bay Port (14-2): Bay Port has suffered just one loss to a Wisconsin opponent (Kaukauna) this spring so far, and they’ve otherwise dominated from both the mound and the batter’s box. They have a team OPS of .913, led by INF Cayden Heier (2026), OF/RHP Carson Hawley (2026; Winona State), OF Ethan Orlando (2027), and C/1B Arthur Adams (2027), each of whom have an OPS closer to 1.100 or above. Hawley has been just as important to the Pirates from the rubber, where he’s K’d 41 batters in 17.2 innings with a 2.38 ERA. RHP Parker Lawson (2026; UW-Oshkosh) is in the midst of a special start to his senior season, having allowed just two earned runs in 34 innings (0.41 ERA) with 40 strikeouts and just 10 walks.
This past week, they won all three of their games against West De Pere, Ashwaubenon, and Fond du Lac and they’re in action later today against Pulaski next.
+ No. 6 Milton (12-2): Jumping up four spots as they extended their winning streak to five after a 3-0 week including a Power 25 victory over No. 17 Mukwonago in a tight down to the wire game. The lineup is led by senior SS Jake Cummins (2026; Wisconsin-Milwaukee) who doubles as one of the top leadoff hitters and shortstop defenders in the state with a number of strong bats following him in the lineup in OF Easton Agnew (2026), INF Charlie Fitzke (2026; Wisconsin-Stout), C Jack Spielmann (2027; West Virginia) INF Landon Schwartz (2027).
+ No. 7 Germantown (12-0): The Warhawks are still undefeated now into May this WIAA season, due in part to the offensive production from OF John Murkowski (2026) and MIF Ty Olszewski (2026; UW-Whitewater), as well as junior backstop Grady Cheever (2027; Toledo), who leads the team with five extra-base hits. They went a clutch 3-0 last week inside conference matchups with Wauwatosa East and No. 10 Marquette. In their first meeting at Tosa East, senior RHP Liam Hagland (2026; South Dakota State) tossed a six-inning no-hitter with 12 Ks and just one hit-by-pitch stood between him and a perfect outing. They wrap up their series with Marquette later today in a big meeting with conference implications on the line.
+ No. 8 Muskego (9-4): The Warriors rerouted themselves back to looking like a powerhouse this past week, winning four straight over Catholic Memorial (twice), No. 17 Mukwonago, and No. 9 Franklin.
OF/RHP Ben Kuglitsch (2026; Florida State) slugged a three-run homer in extras at CMH to start the week that helped them spark a win streak. The next day, RHP Tyson Grulkowski (2026; South Florida) punched out nine batters in four strong frames while C Maddux Lessard (2026; Minnesota) homered, tripled, and drove in four runs.
RHP Cruz Ramirez (2026; UW-Stevens Point) threw four stellar innings against Mukwonago while Grulkowski pitched in offensively this time, slugging a homer and double. Then on Saturday against Franklin, the Warriors were down 6-4 in the bottom of the sixth when SS Kyle Rogosienski (2027; Vanderbilt) smashed a two-run double with two outs, followed by a go-ahead RBI single from OF Callen Tomsyck (2026; South Dakota State) that ended up winning Muskego its fourth straight game.
+ No. 9 Franklin (11-1): Was one of the hotter teams to start the spring after rattling off 11 straight wins, winning the first two games last week against Burlington 13-0 and Kettle Moraine 5-1 before falling to a rejuvenated Muskego squad 7-6. C Tavin Nass (2028) and OF Dominick Walters (2027) continue to lead an otherwise stacked Sabre lineup, while consistent pitching out of senior RHP Sam Ortiz (2026; Bryant & Stratton) and RHP Colby Kamlay (2027) have continued to turn in strong outings on the mound.
+ No. 10 Marquette University (9-5): The Hilltoppers went into last week with four games against four Power 25-ranked squads and they came away with three wins. No. 7 Germantown had their number Friday, but Marquette otherwise swept Brookfield East and ended the week strong Saturday with a nice 6-3 victory over No. 12 Wisconsin Lutheran. OF Boden McGourthy (2027) has been swinging a hot bat of late, and he tallied five hits on the week, including a 3-for-3 game in the win hosting B’East on Wednesday, in which LHP Ben Schroeder (2027) went five strong, allowing just one unearned run in five innings, leading the squad to a 4-1 win.
+ No. 12 Wisconsin Lutheran (8-4): Constantly testing themselves to start the spring the Vikings picked up three quality wins against Waukesha North (6-5, 10-8) and Slinger 7-3, falling to No. 10 Marquette University 6-3. OF Carter Fry (2027) has started out the year hot out of the lead off spot with more impactful production coming from SS Cooper Sievert (2027; West Virginia) who swatted a home run in a conference victory over Waukesha West came away with four hits and four RBIs on the week.
+ No. 15 West Bend West (12-0): It’s hard to deny the Spartans’ start to the 2026 spring. They’re undefeated and they’ve scored double-digit runs in seven of their 12 games so far this spring, and their pitching has allowed more than five runs just once. OF/RHP Cullen Roell (2027) had a huge week, starting 3-for-3 against Sheboygan South in their first game of the series before taking the mound in game two, in which he tossed a complete game, K’ing 11 batters in six frames, allowing just one run on two hits, two walks. SS Ryan Rose (2027) recorded at least one hit in each of the team’s three wins last week, including a home run in their 7-2 win over Hartford Union on Saturday.
NEWCOMERS
+ Janesville Craig (8-3): The Big Eight is beating up on each other right now. The conference is well-represented on the Power 25, with three teams currently ranked in the top-25 and Madison Memorial just barely on the outside looking in.
As for Craig, it’s a scrappy squad with some youth that is fitting in quickly at the varsity level, like LHP/OF Malachi Schoonover (2028), for example. The two-way athlete was up to 87 mph in the preseason and we watched him strike out six batters in four solid innings of work at Madison Memorial on April 23. Junior OF Asher Schoonover (2027) is typically setting the table atop the lineup alongside his brother, although the two both pitched in Craig’s key win Saturday versus Verona, 5-2, where Malachi K’d four in five clean frames and 6-foot-3, 211-pound righty Ethan Forrett (2027) came in and locked down the save in the seventh, punching out the side in the process. Forrett was up to 89 mph in the winter on a fastball spinning at over 2,300 rpm and equal spin feel for a hard slider. There’s a really interesting mix of athleticism and upside in this Cougars’ dugout and they’re clicking faster than anticipated.
+ Verona Area (7-3): Before dropping Saturday’s game at No. 16 Janesville Craig, Verona had won six straight games, including a two-game sweep of No. 20 Sun Prairie East earlier that same week. It’s just a hard-nosed squad that’s getting it done right now on both sides of the ball, but especially from the mound, with a team ERA under 2.00. Senior RHP Landon Lassahn (2026; Rock Valley JC) is tasked with taking on the team’s toughest assignments each week and he’s been doing his duty as Verona’s ace. In 20.2 innings, Lassahn has 32 strikeouts and a 1.69 ERA. INF/RHP Caden Martin (2028) is playing shortstop for this team and he’s been effective as a No. 2 in the rotation behind their go-to senior, and he has a team-high seven RBIs. Offensively, C Oliver Heckelsmiller (2027) leads the team with a .958 OPS. It’s a well-rounded club without any major holes.
+ Kewaunee (13-0): The Storm remain undefeated on the spring thanks in large part to LHP/OF Brett Paulsen (2026, Wisconsin-Parkside) who did not allow a hit on the mound across his first 16.2 innings pitched this spring spanning across four outings including a no-hitter and a perfect game. Another senior heavy squad with Paulsen leading the way in the lineup with INF Waylon Delain (2026) and OF Connor Kilgore (2026) leading the way for the Storm on offense.
+ Pewaukee (13-2): The 13-2 Pirates make their debut after a 4-0 week where they outscored opponents 64-2. The Woodland West looks to be a stronger and deeper conference this spring and this young and talented squad has fought well through the early part of their conference schedule. SS Cayden Burtness (2027) has been a key piece all year providing excellent defense at the most important defensive position while being a constant contributor at the plate picking up eight hits this week.
DROPPED OUT
+ Arrowhead (3-6)
+ Brookfield East (7-6)
+ Fond du Lac (6-4)
+ Whitefish Bay (8-5)
ON THE BUBBLE
+ Barneveld (11-0)
+ Boyceville (11-1)
+ Brillion (13-2)
+ Crivitz (12-1)
+ D.C. Everest (4-2)
+ Dodgeville (10-1)
+ Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran (7-0)
+ Eau Claire North (9-3)
+ Elk Mound (13-1)
+ Elkhorn Area (6-2)
+ Jefferson (10-5)
+ Kiel (9-0)
+ La Crosse Aquinas (7-2)
+ Living Word Lutheran (11-1)
+ Madison Memorial (7-4)
+ Middleton (10-4)
+ Milwaukee Reagan (9-3)
+ Monona Grove (10-5)
+ Omro (12-1)
+ Pittsville (11-2)
+ Reedsburg Area (11-2)
+ Rhinelander (9-0)
+ River Falls (7-4)
+ St. Croix Falls (10-1)
+ St. Thomas More (11-3)
+ Stratford (12-1)
+ Tremper (8-3)
+ Waterford Union (8-2)
+ Waukesha North (8-3)
+ Waupun (11-3)
+ Wisconsin Dells (10-3)
+ Wittenberg-Birnamwood (12-3)
+ Whitnall (12-4)