It is getting closer and closer to the greatest time of the year. The WPIAL Baseball Playoffs. Really the only other time that can compete with the anticipation and excitement is the start of the season, but it flys by so quick we have already found ourselves approaching the latter.
This past week of action did a great job clearing up the power rankings and really showcasing who the contenders are. This is the exact time of year when you have to be playing your best ball to make it big. So many teams peak too early and are left in shambles when it matters most. The win streaks that are currently held absolutely matter and provide insights towards which programs are trending in the right direction.
We had two teams step up and take over the top spot in their respective conferences, but other than that there were not a whole lot of shake-ups as we expected this deep into the year. Without further adieu, let’s dive into the WPIAL Baseball Power Rankings as of May 5th.
6A
Pine Richland, Pine Richland, Pine Richland. That’s been the story of 6A as the Rams have never faltered from the top spot in the conference. They have been dominating and it does not look like they have any intentions of stopping soon. Penn Trafford has been just as consistent maintaining the #2 spot en route to a superb 14-2 record. Next up is North Allegheny who has really turned it on as of late with a 5 game win streak. Peters and Bethel have both also been fantastic and are holding down the fort in section 3 where everyone believed Canon Mac would be shining the brightest. The Big Macs have been a disappointment recently losing 5 of their last 8 contests. However, it was Seneca Valley who took the biggest drop in the rankings after two straight losses and has now opened the door wide open for all sorts of playoff situations to unravel in Section 1. Five of the six squads from Section 1 are in our Top 10 and it will come right down to the wire in terms of who’s season stays alive and who ultimately goes home.
5A
Top 3 stay entact in 5A with no breaking news there at all as West A, Franklin, and the Talbots have all continued their success. Gateway has been a stellar surprise at #4, while Mars has been less than stellar by our standards with how high our hopes were for this season, but their roster is so dangerous they have to remain as a top 5 power in 5A. We welcomed Montour into the mix as the Spartans have won their last 5 games and are sitting pretty in the #2 spot in Section 3. Their section foe Laurel Highlands took the biggest drop of the week, but a 9-4 record is nothing to scoff at and the Mustangs are still a dangerous team heading into the postseason.
4A
Welcome back Belle Vernon. That’s really the big story in this week’s 4A rankings as the Leopards have won 4 straight including a major win over rival Ringgold. The Group of Death (Section 3) has remained strong with 5 of the squads still maintaining spots in the top 10. South Park took a jump up again after proving how dangerous they can be pulling out wins against 3 of these 5 ranked teams. We look forward to seeing these teams continue to battle against one another for one final week.
3A
Welcome to the top Keystone Oaks. A 10 game win streak has propelled KO to new heights and take over the top spot in 3A. Hopewell and Deer Lakes both fell a spot in result, but still are lethal teams that need to be watched closely in this conference. A lot of consistent play from resulted in minimal overall movement here. The team we have our eye on once again is New Brighton. They went perfect for another week including a win over Hopewell and rightfully earned a promotion but steady play all around in 3A resulted in another standstill. Nonetheless, we expect NB to continue succeeding and will be one of our primed sleepers when it matters most.
2A
Speaking of consistent conferences, 2A did not have much going on here either. Avonworth and OLSH flip-flopped spots after Avonworth pulled off a major win against the Chargers earlier this week. Carmichaels and Seton LaSalle were both promoted and rightfully so after they have been dominating to hold 13 win seasons. 2A is proving its depth yet again and will be our favorite conference to closely watch come playoff time.
1A
Finally in 1A, Vincentian has taken over the crown starting off the year 9-0. Union is still a major team to watch and really only fell because of Vincentian’s perfection. We are excited about a potential matchup between these two in Washington, but on another note you can not count out California from ‘ship contention. With a combined record of 32-4 at the top, these three squads have proven they are the leaders of the pack. Jefferson Morgan found their way into the Power Rankings, and other than that, every other squad stayed at the exact same spot they were at a week ago.
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