2017 WIAA Summer Baseball Week 3 Power Rankings

Each Sunday during the season, we will release power rankings of the top 10 teams in Wisconsin. Our power rankings are selected by Wisconsin Baseball Central staff based on a number of factors, including record, strength of schedule, and overall team performance. Our week three power rankings are below.

Honorable Mentions

Pewaukee (10-6)

Plymouth (11-3)

Brookfield Central (9-6)

Waukesha North (9-6)

Nicolet (8-5)

Kettle Moraine (10-6)

10. Pius XI

Last week: Honorable mention

The Popes are 12-4 this summer. They’ve played consistent baseball for the better part of the season so far. In their first game against a ranked team this summer, they fell to No. 4 Germantown 10-7. They didn’t win, but at least proved they’re a threat against good competition. Junior Gino D’Alessio, a three year starter for the Popes, is hitting .419 with 17 RBIs this year. Pius has some tough games scheduled this week. They’ll play two against No. 7 Greendale, one against No. 8 Marquette and one against Whitnall.

9. New Holstein

Last week: 9

The Huskies went 2-2 last week, beating Sheboygan Falls and Ozaukee but falling to Random Lake (who is 9-5 this season) and Homestead. Owen Olson was hitting .410 with nine extra-base hits heading into the game against Homestead. The Huskies are now 9-3 this summer, with a much easier week ahead of them than some of the other teams in the top 10. They’ll face Oostburg, Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah (twice) and Sheboygan Falls.

8. Marquette University

Last week: 10

The Hilltoppers are 11-5 this summer after going 3-1 last week. They came close to a 4-0 week, but surrendered an 8-6 lead in the seventh inning to No. 2 Oak Creek, falling 10-9. They’ll have a couple more chances against ranked teams this week, with a contest against No. 6 Menomonee Falls on Monday, No. 3 Franklin on Wednesday and No. 10 Pius XI on Saturday. They also have games scheduled against West Allis Central, Brookfield Central (honorable mention) and Cudahy.

7. Greendale

Last week: 6

The Panthers went 2-2 last week, dropping their record to 9-4. They got swept by New Berlin West early in the week, including losing on a walk-off grand slam. They responded with wins over Greenfield and Homestead to finish the week. In the win over Greenfield, Greendale had six hitters finish with at least three hits. The Panthers have the opportunity to pick up some big conference wins this week with two games against No. 10 Pius XI. They’re also scheduled to face Mukwonago (7-7), West Allis Hale and Shorewood (9-9).

6. Menomonee Falls

Last week: 4

The Indians slipped to 10-4 this season with a 3-2 week. They picked up wins over Wauwatosa West, West Allis Hale and New Berlin West. However, they lost to Brookfield East and Sussex Hamilton. They’ll have some big opportunities to bounce back this week, but it won’t be easy. They face No. 8 Marquette on Monday, followed by No. 3 Franklin on Tuesday. Then they’ve got a game against Homestead on Wednesday before going back into conference play to face No. 2 Oak Creek on Thursday and Franklin again on Friday. Over the weekend they’ll be in tournament action at South Milwaukee, where they should be the best team in the field. It’s a tough stretch of games, but it could prove to be very rewarding if things go Falls’ way.

5. West Bend East

Last week: 7

The Suns have won seven games in a row and are now 13-3 this season. They went 4-0 last week, capped off by a win over Pewaukee (honorable mention). They’ve scored five runs or more in six of their last seven games. They have a big conference clash on Monday with No. 4 Germantown where they’ll look to avenge a 6-0 loss to the Warhawks from earlier in the season. They also have games against Nicolet (honorable mention), Grafton and Whitnall scheduled this week.

4. Germantown

Last week: 5

The Warhawks showed again that they can hang with top teams last week. They beat No. 10 Pius XI on Friday. On Saturday, they fell to No. 3 Franklin in a close game. They rallied with a 13-9 win over Kettle Moraine (honorable mention) to end the week. Germantown is now 16-3 this summer, and is hanging around toward the top of the North Shore Conference standings. They have a couple of gut check games coming up this week. They face No. 5 West Bend East on Monday, and No. 1 West Bend West on Tuesday. If they can emerge with even just one win from those two games, it should be a big confidence boost for the team. It’s certainly doable, as they beat East 6-0 on May 30.

3. Franklin

Last week: 3

The Sabers continued to play good baseball this week with five wins, including a big 3-1 victory over No. 4 Germantown over the weekend in tournament play. Franklin won that tournament (which also included a win Kettle Moraine, who is an honorable mention this week), and is now 12-1 this summer. They’ll be put to the test again immediately this week when they square off with No. 2 Oak Creek on Monday. The Knights won the first game of the season series, 3-1. They’ll follow that with a game against No. 6 Menomonee Falls on Tuesday. They wrap up the week with a game against West Allis Central (5-9) on Thursday.

2. Oak Creek

Last week: 2

The Knights are one of two undefeated teams left in the state with a 16-0 record. They beat South Milwaukee, West Allis Hale, Brookfield Central (honorable mention), No. 8 Marquette and Wauwatosa East last week. Their pitching staff tossed two shutouts over the course of the week. Solid pitching has been a trend for the Knights this season: They’ve allowed two runs or fewer in 10 of their 16 games this year. They’ll need their pitching to be at its best when they face No. 3 Franklin on Monday and No. 6 Menomonee Falls on Thursday. They’ve also got games against Brookfield East, Kettle Moraine and Nicolet (honorable mention) this week.

1. West Bend West

Last week: 1

The Spartans are still undefeated at 16-0 a month into the season. They went 4-0 last week to keep their win streak going, picking up wins over the likes of Whitefish Bay and Homestead. Many of their wins continue to be blowouts. There have been few teams that have been able to compete with them this summer. They’ll look to stay unbeaten with games against Port Washington, No. 4 Germantown and Nicolet (honorable mention) this week.

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