SBLive's Minnesota baseball Power 25: Cretin-Derham Hall solidifies the top spot

SBLive's Minnesota softball Power 25: North St. Paul leaps into the top-10

1) Cretin-Derham Hall (8-0)

Last Week: 1

The Raiders still haven’t lost a game yet this year, and this dominance at the highest level leaves no question as to who is the top team in the state as of now. 

Their bats have been the story so far to start the year, but the bullpen has had a gem or two of their own. Paul Jones and Trey Gnetz combined to pitch a one hitter this last week against East Ridge, and when the Raiders are firing on all cylinders, they sure seem to live up to their stellar record.

2) Minnetonka (6-1)

Last Week: 4

Quiet but consistent, Minnetonka has continued to string together quality wins in an all-around fashion with its last game against Buffalo being a prime example of this. 

On the bump, Enzo Cich pitched four scoreless innings and secured the victory. Behind the plate, catcher Maxwell Pederson accumulated three hits in the 6-3 winning effort. Consistency is key, and the Skippers certainly have this going for them.

3) Mounds View (6-3)

Last Week: 3

If there were any doubts as to who are the top dogs in the Suburban East, Mounds View quickly put them to rest. The Mustangs dominated White Bear Lake 11-1 in a game where they reasserted themselves as one of the top two teams in the conference. 

Andrew Simon had a stellar performance on the mound, pitching six innings and only allowing one run in the winning effort.

4) Centennial (6-2)

Last Week: 5

The Cougars strung together a triad of low scoring games, but their pitching woes finally came back to bite them this week. They were defeated 4-6 against a middle of the road Osseo squad, a game they could have won. 

While they made some progress on the hill this last week, it seems like their last game was a small step backward.

5) Woodbury (6-3)

Last Week: 2

The Royals were the second best team in the state until Forest Lake came to town. The Rangers shocked their opponent, picking up only their second win of the year by defeating one of the best teams in the state. 

This loss will knock Woodbury a few slots down in the rankings, but it will remain in the top five until further notice.

6) Benilde-St. Margaret's (7-1)

Last Week: 18

Slowly but surely, the Metro West is seeing some of its programs trend upwards within the state rankings. Among these teams are the Red Knights, who have been flying high thanks to their absurd average of 10.1 runs scored per game. 

Their next game will be a big inter conference matchup against New Prague, with the winner claiming the top spot in the Metro West.

7) East Ridge (6-4)

Last Week: 6

The Raptors had a tough, 10 run defeat at the hands of Cretin-Derham Hall, but by the looks of it, the Raiders can do this to just about anyone. Aside from this lopsided loss, East Ridge secured two victories over both Stillwater and Park of Cottage Grove. 

Certainly East Ridge wants a grudge match against Cretin-Derham Hall, but it will unfortunately have to wait until the postseason for this potential rematch to occur.

8) New Prague (8-0)

Last Week: 12

One of two remaining unbeaten teams in the state, New Prague has dominated its way through its schedule thus far, which has admittedly been somewhat lackluster in terms of opposition. 

However, they will face their biggest test of the year so far in a fast approaching matchup against Benilde-St. Margaret's.

9) Eastview (5-2)

Last Week: 8

The Lightning cooled down after a hot start, but they are still playing great baseball, and they hold an impressive record to match. Nick Brandt has been one of their players to watch thus far, and a big reason for their success. 

The 6-foot-5, 205 pound catcher brings a presence behind the dish and at the plate, with his bat always having the potential to hit a homer. 

Brandt and the Lightning will face Lakeville South at home this coming week with an opportunity to continue their excellent start to the year.

10) Wayzata (5-2)

Last Week: 10

In what was a busy week for the Trojans, they played three games, winning two of them. After a hard fought 8-7 victory against Chanhassen, they dropped a game against Tonka, then rebounded to secure a decisive 8-2 victory over Hopkins. 

John Skoro was the player of the game for this bout, as he struck out eight batters through six innings of play.

11) Rosemount (5-1)

Last Week: 15

Three weekly games led to three straight wins for the Irish, but these victories were anything but lucky. They play smart, even keeled baseball, and have stellar athletes on all parts of the field, with one of the most notable performances as of late going to Carson Blume. 

The senior infielder went 3 for 4 at the plate against Eagan with two triples, a double, and three RBI’s.

12) Mahtomedi (6-1)

Last Week: 17

Just like the team above them on this list, the Zephyrs secured three straight wins in their last week of play. 

During this stretch of dominance, they scored 29 runs, while only allowing two. Mahtomedi appeared in the Class 3A state tournament last year, and as of now, it’s clear they have what it takes to get back to the tournament.

13) Edina (6-2)

Last Week: 19

The Hornets continued their climb up the rankings this last week, securing victories over a slew of ranked and formerly ranked teams. 

Edina’s four game winning streak has put them soundly in the top 15 of the state, and they will look to extend their streak to five in their next game against Eden Prairie.

14) Chaska (4-2)

Last Week: 13

The Hawks strong start to the season was upended after they lost 12-16 against Saint Louis Park. 

Prior to this, Chaska’s pitching staff was riding a four game stretch where they posted a 2.50 ERA, but this defeat will obviously skew those numbers going forward.

15) White Bear Lake (5-4)

Last Week: 9

Similar to Stillwater, White Bear has been knocked down a few pegs after its incredible start to the year. In its four game gauntlet this last week, the Bears did win two games, but their losses were tough, especially a 11-1 thrashing they faced at the hands of Mounds View, their second loss to the Mustangs already this year. While this team is certainly good, their ability to compete against higher ranked teams may start being called into question.

16 Farmington (5-3)

Last Week: 11

After a whirlwind of a week in which Farmington played five games, the Tigers were a hair above average, winning three and losing two. Although they were blanked by a very good Rosemount squad, the Tigers also topped a highly ranked Prior Lake program, showing they can certainly hang with ranked teams. 

Speaking of ranked teams, Farmington’s next matchup will be against an Eastview team that has been on fire as of late.

17) Stillwater (5-5)

Last Week: 7

The Ponies have evened out, for better or worse. The team has been hovering at or around .500 since the season began, and this past week only served to reinforce this notion. 

They lost their first two games to White Bear Lake and East Ridge, but rebounded nicely, ending the week on a two game win streak. For Stillwater’s sake, they will hope to string together a few more victories, but to do this they will have to go through upcoming opponent Forest Lake.

18) Sartell-St. Stephen (5-1)

Last Week: 20

As their sample size of games increased, Sartell-St. Stephen has continued to step up to the challenge. Its winning percentage is among the best of the state, despite a recent loss against Rogers that spoiled their perfect season. 

The Sabers will have a bounce back opportunity in their next game against Wilmar.

19) Rochester Mayo (7-2)

Last Week: N/R

The Spartans have enjoyed a great start to their 2023 campaign, mostly thanks to a few studs bolstered by a strong supporting cast. Mason Leimbek, a UW-Lacrosse commit, has been on a tear to open up the year, posting a staggering .483 batting average thus far.

20) Elk River (6-2)

Last Week: N/R

At the top of the Northwest Suburban Conference is Elk River, a team that has faced off against multiple ranked programs, yet still came out with a great record. 

The Elks seemingly have the ability to play with anyone in the state, and this will be put to the test in the Elks’ next game, where they will face fourth ranked Centennial.

21) Rogers (5-2)

Last Week: N/R

The Royals have braved through a tough early season schedule to post five wins and plenty of highlights from their athletes. In their most recent victory against Sartell, Noah Gordon had a game for the ages. 

The North Dakota State commit posted a grand slam and secured the save for his squad, who handed Sartell their first loss of the year.

22) Mankato West (5-3)

Last Week: N/R

After a brief hiatus from the power rankings, Mankato West is back with a vengeance. After an underwhelming start for the defending state champions, the Scarlets roared back, posting a pair of dominant victories in which they scored 33 runs while only allowing four. 

By the looks of it, Mankato West is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

23) Lakeville South (4-3)

Last Week: N/R

The Cougars put themselves on the map with four straight victories, but they finally met their match in Farmington, who handed the Cougars their first loss in over a week thanks to a stellar pitching performance. 

Lakeville South will look to get back on track, but their next opponent is a very dangerous Eastview team.

24) Chanhassen (2-3)

Last Week: 25

The Storm split their weekly games from the week, falling 7-8 against Wayzata, but earning a nice 5-1 victory over Andover. 

Despite the losses, it’s worth noting that Chanhassen took the No. 10-ranked team in the state to the wire, and it’s beginning to look like it is finding its groove once more.

25) Eden Prairie (3-4)

Last Week: 23

Rounding out this list is the Eagles, who have succeeded, struggled, then succeeded some more. So far, five of their seven games have been against ranked opponents, and this explains why such a good team has had an up and down season to start the year. 

Unfortunately for Eden Prairie, there is no rest for the weary, and their next game will be yet another ranked matchup against Edina.