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South Bend area baseball power rankings with one week left before sectionals

austin hough, south bend tribune
·5 min read

The final push to the postseason has begun for area high school baseball teams.

Conference champions will be definitively crowned, as this is the final full week of the regular season before sectionals begin May 22. Going into Monday, Penn was in the driver’s seat of the Northern Indiana Conference, Warsaw the Northern Lakes, Fairfield the Northeast Corner and LaVille the Hoosier North. With how unpredictable this season has been at times, though, no conference lead is safe.

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With that said, here are the South Bend Tribune area power rankings with seven days remaining in the regular season.

1. Penn Kingsmen (17-7, 8-1 NIC)

Previous ranking: 3. Last week’s results: def. Saint Joseph, 3-2 (8 innings); def. Jimtown, 14-4. This week’s schedule: Monday at New Prairie, Saturday doubleheader vs. Fort Wayne Snider.

The Kingsmen sit atop the throne once again. They’ve won six in a row overall, putting themselves in position to be the outright NIC champion by the end of this week. Feels like déjà vu of the last two seasons for Penn, peaking at the right time.

The Penn baseball team celebrates after beating Marian, 4-3 (8 innings), Monday, April 29, 2024, at Marian High School in Mishawaka.
The Penn baseball team celebrates after beating Marian, 4-3 (8 innings), Monday, April 29, 2024, at Marian High School in Mishawaka.

2. South Bend Adams Eagles (17-6, 6-2)

Previous ranking: 1. Last week’s results: lost to Mishawaka Marian, 10-0; def. Washington, 21-4; lost to Marian Catholic (IL), 6-5; def. Harrison, 10-1; def. Mishawaka Marian (non-conference), 5-4. This week’s schedule: Monday vs. Bremen, Wednesday vs. Glenn.

The loss to Marian to start last week was the first time the Eagles had been beaten soundly all season. They did exact some revenge against the Knights in a tournament over the weekend, but the shutout last Monday might have cost Adams a share of the NIC title.

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3. South Bend Saint Joseph Huskies (17-6, 5-4 NIC)

Previous ranking: 2. Last week’s results: lost to Penn, 3-2 (8 innings); def. Glenn, 12-4; def. Illiana Christian, 7-1; split doubleheader with Bishop Dwenger, losing 4-2 and winning 5-1. This week’s schedule: Monday at Elkhart, Friday vs. NorthWood, Saturday at Fairfield.

Add the Penn game to the list of heartbreaking conference losses for Saint Joseph. The Huskies’ schedule has been one of the best in the area, and they’ll end it with three teams ranked in these power rankings (more to come on them later).

Last week's polls: Saint Joe tennis holding steady at No. 1

4. Mishawaka Marian Knights (15-9, 7-2 NIC)

Previous ranking: 4. Last week’s results: def. Adams, 10-0; lost to Cathedral, 8-1; def. Lindblom (IL), 7-2; lost to Adams (non-conference), 5-4. This week’s schedule: Monday at Glenn, Wednesday at Elkhart (non-conference), Thursday at Warsaw, Saturday vs. Mishawaka.

Speaking of schedules: Marian has played everyone and anyone it seems. Naturally, after shutting out Adams to begin the week, the bracket in the Region Invite fell to where the teams met again five days later, with the Eagles getting some revenge on the Knights.

5. New Prairie Cougars (17-5, 6-3 NIC)

Previous ranking: 5. Last week’s results: def. Glenn, 11-5; def. Riley, 11-0. This week’s schedule: Monday vs. Penn, Thursday vs. Kouts, Friday at Mishawaka.

The Cougars are the only team standing in the way of an outright NIC title for Penn. They are also one of the rare teams with a regular season game next week, as they’ll face Valparaiso next Monday, May 20 ahead of sectionals.

New Prairie junior Beau Kmiecik swings at a pitch during a baseball game against Adams Monday, April 15, 2024, at Four Winds Field in South Bend.
New Prairie junior Beau Kmiecik swings at a pitch during a baseball game against Adams Monday, April 15, 2024, at Four Winds Field in South Bend.

6. Concord Minutemen (15-7, 9-3 NLC)

Previous ranking: 6. Last week’s results: def. Northridge, 1-0; lost to Mishawaka, 10-7; def. Goshen, 5-1. This week’s schedule: Monday at Warsaw, Wednesday at Wawasee, Friday at Jimtown, Saturday at Lakeland.

The Minutemen all but lost a share of the NLC title with its loss to Mishawaka, but still had a good week overall. They’ll stay busy this week before taking a week to get ready for Penn in a sectional semifinal.

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7. Fairfield Falcons (17-6, 8-0 NECC)

Previous ranking: 7. Last week’s results: def. Prairie Heights, 11-0; lost to Warsaw, 4-0; def. Frankfort, 3-1. This week’s schedule: Tuesday at Westview, Thursday at West Noble, Saturday vs. Saint Joseph.

An always-emotional rivalry game against Westview stands in between Fairfield and the NECC championship. Ending the regular season with a good non-conference foe in Saint Joseph should help the Falcons even more for the postseason.

8. Jimtown Jimmies (16-7, 5-4 NIC)

Previous ranking: 8. Last week’s results: lost to Penn, 14-4; def. NorthWood, 8-2; def. Tippecanoe Valley, 10-0. This week’s schedule: Monday vs. Washington, Thursday vs. Elkhart Christian, Friday vs. Concord, Saturday vs. Bishop Dwenger in doubleheader.

The Jimmies had one bad inning against Penn last week, allowing eight in the sixth to let the game get away from them. They showed nice bounce-back ability with wins against NorthWood and Tippecanoe Valley.

Jimtown senior Brandon Smith hits a two-RBI single to right field in the sixth inning of baseball game against Bremen Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at Bremen High School.
Jimtown senior Brandon Smith hits a two-RBI single to right field in the sixth inning of baseball game against Bremen Wednesday, April 24, 2024, at Bremen High School.

9. Elkhart Lions (13-8, 5-4 NIC)

Previous ranking: NR. Last week’s results: def. Riley, 13-0; def. Bremen, 15-7; lost to Valparaiso, 7-4 (8 innings); def. Mishawaka, 5-1. This week’s schedule: Monday vs. Saint Joseph, Wednesday vs. Marian (non-conference), Saturday vs. Culver Academies.

Elkhart breaks into the power rankings after a 3-1 week. The Lions have ridden the rollercoaster all season, as they’ve gone on a five-game winning streak and also a three-game losing skid. Two huge games come this week with Saint Joe and Marian.

10. NorthWood Panthers (13-10, 6-6 NLC)

Previous ranking: 10. Last week’s results: def. Wawasee, 2-0; def. Bethany Christian, 8-2; lost to Warsaw, 4-0; lost to Jimtown, 8-2; def. Mishawaka, 4-3. This week’s schedule: Monday vs. Plymouth, Wednesday at Goshen, Friday at Saint Joseph, Saturday vs. Crown Point and Lake Central.

NorthWood stays in the top 10, in part to its win over Mishawaka. The Panthers really loaded up its schedule to end the season, as its three games in a 24-hour span against Saint Joseph, Crown Point and Lake Central are all doozies.

Honorable mentions: Mishawaka (12-10, 7-5 NLC), LaPorte (14-8, 7-5 DAC)

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend baseball power rankings with 1 week left before sectionals