SBLive's Minnesota baseball Power 25: Champlin Park makes leap into rankings

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1) Cretin-Derham Hall (14-2)

Last Week: 1

At this point, it should come to no one’s surprise who is at the top of the list. The Raiders have been holding down the number one spot for weeks now, and for good reason. 

One of their two losses was lopsided, and the other was a one run barnburner against a stacked Mounds View team. Aside from that, the Raiders have beaten five opponents by 10 runs or more, and the rest by solid margins of victory. At this point, it’s no contest as to who is the best in the state.

2) St. Thomas Academy (13-3)

Last Week: 7

Making a leap into the top two are the Cadets, who put up three wins in a row, two of which were shutouts. 

Their bullpen posted a 0.67 ERA down this stretch, and if they continue to whip the ball like that, this team is pretty much unbeatable.

3) Centennial (11-4)

Last Week: 2

The Cougars just keep on rolling. They won three of their four contests from this last week, continuing to establish themselves as one of the best teams in the state. 

Anders Wessman has been the impact guy for the squad so far, as he has posted a .357 batting average with an on base percentage nearing .500, both impressive numbers for the senior outfielder.

4) Champlin Park (10-4)

Last Week: N/R

Right on Centennial’s heels this week is Champlin Park, who is fresh off a victory against its conference rival. 

The Rebels are riding a four game winning streak and hold the first place slot in the Northwest Suburban Conference. 

They may leapfrog Centennial in due time, but for now, the miniscule margin between their win percentages keeps the Cougars on top.

5) Eastview (10-4)

Last Week: 5

A one win, two loss week was not what the Lightning were going for, but their ranking on this list and standing in the conference were both unscathed, as they are still at the top of the South Suburban. 

They have a pretty manageable week ahead, and they will look to put some distance between them and second place Farmington.

6) Edina (11-3)

Last Week: 8

The top dog in a stacked conference, the Hornets can attribute their success so far to winning winnable games. 

As simple as this sounds, being consistent and getting the job done against opponents of all calibers is something a lot of teams across the state have struggled with this year. 

They never necessarily blow teams out of the water, but Edina’s solid play paired with a talented roster is a big reason why they have won 9 of their last 10.

7) Wayzata (11-5)

Last Week: 10

The Trojans are currently in a dogfight with similarly seeded Edina for the top spot in the Lake Conference. 

There’s a reason why Wayzata is neck in neck for the crown, and it’s because everyone on this Trojan team can contribute. 

In their 10-6 victory over St. Louis Park, the team tallied 16 hits collectively, and six of their guys had multi-hit games.

8) Benilde-St. Margaret's (10-4)

Last Week: 4

After a mid-season slump that saw the Red Knights score two runs in two games, the group came together and strung up a nice three game win streak in which they beat some solid teams from across the state. 

They then lost to Minneapolis Southwest, who has been having a quiet but dominant season down in the Twin Cities. 

The loss will ding them down a few spots, and the Red Knights will really be going into battle heading into their tough final stretch of the regular season.

9) Anoka (10-3)

Last Week: 25

The Tornadoes have lived up to their name, leaving destruction in their wake as they continue to best some solid teams from around the Metro area. 

While their schedule has been middling in terms of ranked opponents, they put up a good fight against both Champlin Park and Elk River, and have a victory over Rogers to show for their ability to hang with ranked teams.

10) Rogers (11-5)

Last Week: 17

The Royals started their past week off strong, winning three straight. However, they had a tough time against ranked squads, and unfortunately dropped their next two to conference opponents Anoka and Farmington. 

However, they still bring an excellent record and plenty of confidence into a game against Champlin Park, one that could drastically shift the landscape in the Northwest Suburban Conference.

11) Minnetonka (9-5)

Last Week: 2

Life comes at you fast, especially with the rapid fire manner a prep baseball season flies by in. 

Tonka’s dip from second place is thanks to a one win, two loss week that saw them drop a pair of tight games to both Hopkins and Wayzata. 

Odds are, they will be alright, and they’ll look to rebound this next week with matchups against a slew of ranked programs.

12) Minneapolis Southwest (12-3)

Last Week: N/R

As aforementioned in this list, Minneapolis Southwest has spent most of its season within the confines of the cities, but when it goes out of town, it does all right for themselves. 

It defeated former No. 4 Benilde-St. Margaret's last week, and it has quietly been dominating otherwise. This is a team to watch heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

13) Mahtomedi (10-5)

Last Week: 9

They would have been higher on this list, but the Zephyr’s late week skid dropped them down a few spots. They lost a one run heartbreaker against Hill-Murray, then were beaten more soundly by Hastings a few days after. 

Their pitching has been inconsistent, yet it seems to be the X-factor for this squad. A 1.33 ERA from their three game win streak was impressive, but during the two game losing skid, it ballooned to a dismal 11.00. Simply put, if they can pitch well, they’ll continue to win.

14) Farmington (10-5)

Last Week: 15

The second place holder in the South Suburban, the Tigers have been unable to shake Eastview thus far, who currently holds the top spot and the head to head tiebreaker if it comes to that (the Lightning beat the Tigers 3-6 earlier in the year). 

Because of this, the Tigers are likely licking their chops at a May 23rd rematch, which could potentially be for the conference title.

15) Elk River (11-4)

Last Week: 23

Their schedule may raise a few question marks in terms of competitiveness, but their conference standing and excellent record leave no doubt about Elk River’s legitimacy. Unfortunately, narrowly escaping with a 5-6 nail biter over Bemidji does. 

This is a good team, and it’s hard to knock them too much for playing out their schedule, but a pair of jarring defeats to Minnetonka and Centennial raise some questions regarding how they would fare against some of the bigger schools on this list.

16) Chanhassen (10-4)

Last Week: 18

After a horrendous 1-3 start that had many worried for what should have been one of the better teams in the state, the Storm have settled back into their season nicely, and currently hold the top spot in the Metro West. 

Although their win streak was eventually snapped by rival Chaska, Chanhassen’s season is back on the right track, and they will still head into the final stretch with plenty of momentum.

17) East Ridge (12-6)

Last Week: 11

The Raptors have had the unfortunate task of playing a couple more games than other teams across the state so far, and this fatigue may have shown in their most recent game, in which they were shut out 0-10 by Woodbury. 

However, East Ridge also put up back-to-back shutouts this past week, and secured a win against a Mounds View team that handed Cretin one of their two losses all year. 

Although their schedule has squeezed them a bit, it’s still clear the Raptors can beat anyone on this list.

18) Stillwater (11-6)

Last Week: 16

They have hopped rival Mounds View in the rankings this week, and aren’t looking back. 

The Ponies have won four straight, allowing only two runs in the process. Although they have always had a reputation for good pitching, this unprecedented string of top performances on the mound is absurd.

19) Rosemount (8-5)

Last Week: 6

After a 7-2 start to the year and many thinking they were back to last season’s dominant form, Rosemount fell on their face, putting up a dismal five runs in three games, all of which they lost. 

Their pitching has looked excellent in the month of May, but if they want to do any damage in the postseason, they’ll need to heat up their bats.

20) Woodbury (10-7)

Last Week: 14

One of the few Suburban East teams to fight off their slump, Woodbury came back nicely from what had been a very tough stretch of games for them. 

They put up 12 runs against Park of Cottage Grove, and after losing a tight game against No. 18 Stillwater, the Royals blew East Ridge out of the water in a surprising 10-0 victory. 

They are playing good baseball right now, that much is certain.

21) White Bear Lake (9-8)

Last Week: 12

The Bears’ fall from grace has been a tough one, but to be fair to them, they have also played 17 games so far, more than pretty much every non Suburban East opponent on this list. 

Good pitching is hard to come by, especially at the prep level, and the 25 runs they have allowed over the course of three straight losses is likely due to arm fatigue.

22) Mounds View (8-7)

Last Week: 13

It’s been a disappointing season thus far for the Mustangs, who many had in their top five to start the year thanks to the slew of talent and collegiate commits they have on their roster. 

Nonetheless, Mounds View has hit a midseason slump that could really hurt them for playoff seeding, as it has lost five of its last eight games. 

If it can figure things out, the sky’s the limit for this team, but for now, it will have to settle for 22.

23) Rochester Mayo (11-3)

Last Week: 22

Hovering around the same ranking as last week is Rochester Mayo, whose dominance in the Big 9 conference is too apparent to not talk about. 

The Spartans have upended the likes of Edina and Farmington, proving themselves as a contender at any level. 

They have a tough few weeks ahead of them, which includes a double header against second place Northfield in what will likely determine who wins the conference outright.

24) New Prague (12-3)

Last Week: 21

After an assortment of shuffling throughout the rankings, the Trojans find itself at 24th despite winning all three of their weekly games. 

Their record is superb, but at a further glance, their competition is not. They have one ranked win under their belt, and some victories over much smaller schools. 

Their three game losing streak against some bigger, more established programs raised a few eyebrows, and this along with their schedule keeps New Prague at the bottom of this list.

25) Sartell-St. Stephens (11-4)

Last Week: 19

Their record is excellent, but their competition is too small in terms of size and class to consider this team a legitimate contender. 

They lost to STMA and Rogers, who are frankly some of the only sizable schools on their schedule.