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WIAA Power 25: Update

April 21, 2025
By: Andy Sroka & Josh Fields
Wisconsin Staff

This second in-season update to our Power 25 rankings was a particularly tough one – it’s tough to weigh non-conference meetings against those key conference battles, assessing which losses mean more. This past week was full of examples like that one, which made for a messy top-25 list, which now features three new programs, and two of the four debuting teams in last week’s update dropped back outside the Power 25.

THE TOP-5

Three of the top-five teams in this updated Power 25 were ranked inside the top-five last week, including our No. 1 squad, Monona Grove, but we’ve got two Big Eight programs that vaulted themselves into this group in this update: No. 3 Sun Prairie East and No. 4 Madison Memorial.

+ No. 1 Monona Grove (7-1): Despite losing their first game of the spring this past week, a 3-2 defeat to conference foe Oregon, the Silver Eagles redeemed themselves quickly with a rebound victory against the Panthers. Then on Saturday, Monona scored a huge win against powerhouse Kimberly in a thrilling extra-innings contest. That ballgame was held as part of the Prep Baseball Wisconsin High School Invitational, set at Franklin Field, the stadium that houses both UW-Milwaukee baseball and the Milwaukee Milkmen. That environment was perfect for a big game like this one, and it totally lived up to expectations. Grove’s brand of baseball is a likable one. They don’t make many mistakes and they’re competitive at-bats up and down the order. They retain their top spot for these reasons – though it helped that most of the rest of the top-10 dropped games last week, too.

+ No. 2 Hudson (7-1): Seeing the top-ranked program from western Wisconsin at the Prep Baseball High School Invitational again was exciting as always. A sloppy week from the rest of the top-10 squads smoothed over a sour end to their weekend, a 13-1 loss to the talent-laden Muskego Warriors, but this was a fantastic overall look at Hudson nonetheless. Hudson’s lineup is jam-packed with physicality and we got to see several of their “depth” arms this weekend that would be go-to starters for most other teams in the state, like senior Bennett Brathol (Concordia, St. Paul commit), who can be a legitimate two-way contributor in college. And we also got to witness our latest home run off the bat of sophomore Logan Hagman, who has a knack of doing so in front of our staff.

They ran into one of the best juniors in the state on the mound Saturday, which makes the loss sting maybe a little less, but they still look like a complete team and one we think has a chance to win it all this spring.

+ No. 3 Sun Prairie East (6-1): Again, losses around the top-10 helped push the Cardinals up a few spots themselves despite dropping their first game of the season too. They wound up splitting their season series with cross-towners Sun Prairie West in two narrow matchups, losing last week’s 2-1 late. Otherwise, East swept Madison West handily this week, helping soften that first loss. We had the chance to see them earlier this season and really liked what this squad had on its roster, and we’re especially excited to see them battle Madison Memorial this week in two huge Big Eight contests.

+ No. 4 Madison Memorial (8-0): Still undefeated, the Spartans climb all the way to No. 4 on the board this week after a perfect 4-0 week in which they held their opposition scoreless in three of the games. They completed their season sweep of Sun Prairie West with a 2-1 victory last week, as well as a sweep of Madison West. We mentioned it in last week’s update story, but junior brothers Caleb and Ezra Liggon continue to hit and generate offense while two-way Brayden Banyai (2026; UW-Milwaukee commit) energizes the team on both sides of the ball, and Oliver Soldat (2025; UW-Whitewater) has been huge for them as well. They have a showdown with Sun Prairie East on Tuesday and Thursday this week.

+ No. 5 Kimberly (4-2): The Papermakers slide only one spot despite dropping two games this week, but we still view them as a formidable program in the FVA and beyond. The way they played the No. 1 squad in the state over the weekend looked as if they, too, can be called state contenders. They also dropped a close ballgame against Appleton North, but this was also a game in which senior Sawyer Deering (2025; Tennessee) looked like he can end the year with some of the best two-way stats in the state. They have depth at multiple positions, and Deering can help be the go-to arm and bat that keeps them in the FVA hunt – and they’re also one of the last teams you’d want to see in the postseason.

ON-THE-RISE

+ No. 6 Pewaukee (8-0): The top-ranked Division 2 team in the state remains undefeated after a two-game sweep of Greendale and a walk-off winner against a competitive Seymour squad. The Pirates were ranked No. 11 in the preseason and they’re up to No. 6 now, with a robust group of seniors leading the way here and really performing. Senior two-ways Greyson Zach, Drew Dobberstein, and Owen Dobberstein have each been great this spring – and Owen is coming off a particularly productive week, with a five-inning no-hitter Thursday and his walk-off base hit earned them the win Saturday.

+ No. 7 De Pere (5-1): The Redbirds find themselves moving up inside the top-10 after a 3-0 week including close wins over Pulaski (6-3) and Green Bay Preble (7-1). Senior outfielders Mason Sequin and Ryan Wettstein along with catcher Trenton Kriewaldt have been the leading run producers on offense throughout the week consistently performing at the top of the lineup. The Redbirds have gotten strong outings from multiple arms on the roster adding to the depth on the roster.

+ No. 10 Germantown (5-2): Germantown reenters the top-10 after splitting a two-game set with Menomonee Falls and then winning the night cap of our High School Invitational under the lights at Franklin Field against ranked Wisconsin Lutheran. Senior Evan Lauer (Bryant & Stratton JC) pitched one of the best games we saw this spring, a seven-inning shutout with 10 Ks and complete control over his full arsenal, making their pitching staff feel that much more potent. The bats are still, sort of, finding their way though, but we think this could be a team that eventually climbs even higher up this list as long as they continue to put everything together – and with head coach Jay Wojcinski at the helm, this team certainly can start to coalesce more as the weather warms.

+ No. 12 St. Joseph (8-1): The Lancers went 3-0 this week with two lopsided wins against Racine St. Cat’s, outscoring them 52-2, and then they went on to earn a 9-6 win over Westosha Central, which was the No. 5-ranked squad at the time. This is one of the most lethal lineups in the WIAA, and just for Division 3.

+ No. 13 Whitnall (6-1): The Falcons were boosted all the way up to No. 13 in the state following a 3-0 week with quality wins over Marquette (7-0), Waterford (7-6), and Brookfield Central (5-4) – and don’t forget about their 9-3 win over Muskego earlier this spring either. This has been one of the most high-energy teams we’ve seen this season and they play like it. We continue to like what we see out of them on the mound, like from Luke Parkinson (2026) and Lucas Weber (2027) in Saturday’s win against BC. They have a ton of competitive at-bats in their lineup, too, and that’s definitely helped them exceed even our own high expectations of this team to this point.

+ No. 16 Wisconsin Lutheran (7-1): WISCO opened its week with a two-game sweep of West Allis Central by a combined score of 28-0, before coming to The Rock for our Invitational, where they split their two games against Mukwonago and Germantown. Muk’s squad is pretty talented, so this was a quality 6-4 win before they played Germantown close in 3-0 loss. In that ballgame, we got our latest look at Eli Dreier, a live-armed sophomore who reached 91 mph multiple times in the relief appearance. He and fellow sophomore teammates Cooper Sievert and Carter Fry make for a tough lineup, underscored by the fact that both Sievert and Fry homered in the Mukwonago win, too.

+ No. 19 Hortonville (6-2): The Polar Bears are back on track, taking care of business in their three games last week against New London, Appleton West, and Neenah. They dropped close contests to Pulaski and Kaukauna earlier this season, though those are two respectable defeats. They got their latest excellent outing from Braylon Brantner (2026) in the win over West, and it feels like they might be figuring out the best way they line it up still, which raises their ceiling higher.

WELCOME…

+ No. 9 Waukesha North (5-1): Since their opening day loss to Union Grove, 4-3, the Northstars have won five straight including two last week over conference rivals Muskego. They shut out their opponents in their first three wins, headlined by RHP/3B Connor Curtis (2025; UW-La Crosse), who has been dominant on both sides of the ball this spring. He’s K’d 29 batters in 16 innings this spring, with zero earned runs, and he is also the team’s best slugger. On Saturday at The Rock, Curtis paced the offense with three doubles and six RBIs, giving you a glimpse of the run-production he’s providing as well. It isn’t just Curtis though, Waukesha North two-way senior Cooper Haas (UW-Whitewater) is hitting lead-off for this team playing and out in center when he isn't pitching, catcher Thomas Radomski looked good over the weekend both at the plate and behind it, sophomore Tyler Flemming is one of the better left-handed hitters in the area, and junior left-hander Caleb Mosley is a breakout prospect to know in the state.

+ No. 20 New Berlin Eisenhower (6-1): The Lions have won six straight since dropping their season opener against No. 12 St. Joseph 4-2. Outscoring opponents 61 to 9 in the last six games and seemingly clicking on offense and as a pitching staff. Senior Sam Hirthe has stacked multiple strong outings together, Rising sophomore left-hander Cal Schneider has pitched well when called on both as a starter and in relief. Outfielders Carter Hollenback (2025) and Collin Harrington (2026) have gotten off to strong starts early this season leading the team in OPS and RBIs with nine on the year.

+ No. 21 Whitefish Bay (4-0): The Blue Dukes’ season didn’t start until April 12 with a win over Division 3 contender Cedar Grove-Belgium, 6-2, and they’ve won the three games they’ve played since. They’ve gotten some big performances on the mound from senior Mitchell Kryger, who earned the wins against the Rockets as well as Grafton on Thursday. Junior OF/LHP Charlie McIntyre (Youngstown State) has also been off to a great start, recording at least one hit from the lead-off spot in every game this spring, and he also pitched six strong innings in the team’s huge win over Hartford. Sophomore right-hander Chase Wolter has been deployed in relief so far, but the results look good as well, and he gives the Dukes another quality arm on a staff that looks deep all of a sudden.

+ No. 22 Sussex Hamilton (7-1): The Chargers have won seven of their first eight games this season, including two last week in a sweep of Wauwatosa East, 10-0 and 9-5, respectively. Hamilton’s lineup is deep and really hitting so far this season, outside of a 6-1 loss to Waukesha West on April 11. Junior John Arnold is 10-for-20 so far with three doubles, leading the team in hits, though not far behind is senior Luke Lehnen (Concordia, St. Paul), who has nine hits, six walks, and eight runs scored himself. The Chargers’ pitching staff also looks up to the task, led by junior Jacob Osmanski and senior Ethan Hibicke (UW-River Falls). Osmanski has allowed just three earned in 16 innings with 19 Ks, while Hibicke has 20 Ks in 14 innings with two earned runs. There’s more talent elsewhere on the staff, too, like RHP Nick Brauhn (2025; St. Thomas, MN), so Sussex is capable of keeping this up.

DROPPED OUT

+ Badger (6-3)
+ Brookfield Central (5-3)
+ Pulaski (6-3)
+ Westosha Central (5-3)

It wasn’t an easy week for these four, but all four feel like teams that can easily find their way back to the Power 25, even as early as a week from today. The Southern Lakes Conference has been a dogfight in the early going, with these teams really beating up on each other. Westosha had a three-loss week with two losses to conference opponents Wilmot, while Badger might have been the No. 26 team on the Power 25 after splitting with Elkhorn and losing to the now-ranked Ike. Pulaski as well dropped two games to two tough opponents and we still think they can ultimately challenge for the conference if they can string together complete performances from here. And Brookfield Central has one of the best pitching staffs in the state, but the results in the early going have been mixed – though the bats are alive which makes them feel like a postseason threat.

ON THE BUBBLE

+ Appleton North (5-1)
+ Beaver Dam (7-1)
+ Brookfield East (5-3)
+ Campbellsport (6-0)
+ Cedar Grove-Belgium (5-1)
+ Dodgeville (6-1)
+ La Crosse Aquinas (5-2)
+ Manitowoc Lincoln (6-0)
+ Marquette University (6-1)
+ Milton (6-3)
+ Mukwonago (5-2)
+ Notre Dame Academy (7-1)
+ Random Lake (9-0)
+ River Falls (5-0)
+ Tremper (6-1)
+ Verona Area (7-1)
+ Watertown (5-2)
+ Waupun (8-1)
+ Wilmot (5-1)

VIEW THE TOP-25 HERE

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