Who are the top HS baseball teams? Providence Journal Week 5 baseball power rankings
Another week of limited movement in the high school baseball ranks.
It might be time to wrap up this series with playoffs just a couple weeks away. Teams have really settled into their spots, but there’s still playoff seedings to be decided. We’ll keep a close eye on the middle of the pack in Division I and D-II. The state’s third division has four teams at 8-4 as of Monday with three heavyweights at the top.
Hendricken, Westerly and West Warwick are your leaders again this week. But what about the rest of the state?
See how the Top 5 teams in each division sit after Week 5 of The Providence Journal high school baseball power rankings.
Enjoy!
Providence Journal High School Baseball Power Rankings
Division I
1. Hendricken (13-0)
Hendricken wasn’t tested last week and secured another two wins (6-0 vs. Portsmouth and 14-1 against Moses Brown).
2. South Kingstown (13-2)
South Kingstown started the week with a loss against Pilgrim, but finished strong. The Rebels returned the favor against Pilgrim with a 6-0 shutout and then finished off La Salle, 6-5, at home. Jordan Chaloux walked it off with a sacrifice fly against the Rams.
3. Cranston East (8-6)
I’m giving Cranston East the nod at No. 3. Last week I said I liked what the Thunderbolts were doing and they kept it rolling behind John Devine. The ace tossed a three-hit shutout and struck out seven in a 5-0 win over North Kingstown.
Related: Cranston East keeps rolling, with its ace delivering key D-I victory over North Kingstown
4. North Kingstown (9-5)
So, that leaves the Skippers in the clean-up spot for the lone switch in the D-I rankings. NK can rebound with a win against the Thunderbolts on Wednesday.
5. Cumberland (9-4)
Cumberland halted its losing streak this week with a pair of shutout wins against Lincoln and Mt. Hope. A big contest vs. Hendricken is on tap for Monday.
Related: 'He keeps us in with every pitch': Why Moses Brown turned to a freshman on the mound
Division II
1. Westerly (12-1-1)
Spoiler alert: the D-II rankings didn’t change at all this week. The same five still deserve the top slots after a week of wins. That can change this week though as Westerly and East Providence start a two-game series against each other. Game 1 is at Cimalore Field on Tuesday.
2. Barrington (11-3)
Barrington escaped Chariho with a 5-4 win and then topped Prout in back-to-back games. The Eagles have both Narragansett and Mount Saint Charles twice to conclude the season.
3. East Providence (11-3)
A split or sweeps for either team could be on the table with EP vs. Westerly. I’d bet on a split, but either way it’ll be a good potential playoff preview.
Related: Who should be The Providence Journal Baseball Player of the Week? Vote here
4. St. Raphael (9-5)
After a loss to Middletown to start the week, the Pawtucket program returned the favor against the Islanders and followed with a 10-5 win against Ponaganset. The Saints have a home-and-home series against East Greenwich next.
5. Johnston (9-5)
Johnston is next with just three games left in its season. The Panthers will be done with the regular season, weather notwithstanding, on Thursday at Burrillville.
Division III
1. West Warwick (14-0)
West Warwick plays Classical for the first time this season on Monday. The Purple will try to play upset as only four league games separate the Wizards from a perfect regular season.
2. Tolman/Shea (13-3)
Pawtucket, despite losing 10-0 to Exeter-West Greenwich a few weeks ago, jump to the No. 2 slot with a pair of wins last week. They’ll host EWG on Tuesday looking to produce more at the plate.
3. Exeter-West Greenwich (11-5)
It wasn’t so much about what Pawtucket did last week as it is what EWG didn’t do. They went 0-3 with three one-run losses. Kole Kilduff could be the starter on Tuesday, but the Scarlet Knights will need to score more than they did last week if they want to sweep Pawtucket on the year.
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4. Scituate (8-4)
This is where the rankings get wonky so I’m going to leave it the same as last week. Scituate/Rocky Hill went 1-1 (loss to West Warwick) but have won eight of the last nine.
5. Rogers (8-4)
Rogers had just one league game last week, a 6-0 shutout of North Smithfield. They close out the rankings in D-III with the same record as Classical and Juanita Sanchez.
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Journal Week 5 high school baseball power rankings
