Who are the top HS baseball teams? Providence Journal Week 4 baseball power rankings
There wasn’t much movement in the rankings this week.
Hendricken, Westerly and West Warwick all lead their divisions again and the Top 3 clubs in each league are the same.
Upsets can always happen, so we’ll keep an eye out this week for wins – or defeats – that shakeup our standings and playoff seedings.
But until then, dive into our fresh batch of high school baseball rankings.
Enjoy!
Providence Journal High School Baseball Power Rankings
Division I
1. Hendricken (11-0)
Hendricken walked off against North Kingstown, 7-6, on Mason Crain’s single up the right side that scored Cole Camara. After trailing 6-1 after two innings, the Hawks plated four in the third and a pair in the seventh to remain perfect.
Related: Who is this week's Providence Journal Baseball Player of the Week? You make the call
2. South Kingstown (11-1)
The Rebels seized a pair of one-run wins last week and the GOAT, Bill Koch saw the first one against Cumberland at Old Mountain Field. Nick Vellone played hero with a walk-off base hit up the middle against the Clippers.
Related: Here's how South Kingstown baseball edged Cumberland to keep pace atop Division I
3. North Kingstown (6-4)
The loss to Hendricken was the Skippers’ second walk-off defeat this season. Had those games gone a different way, we would be talking about NK a lot differently and that’s why they are at No. 3.
4. Cranston East (7-5)
I like what the Thunderbolts have been doing (wins in four of the last five), but the 4-2 defeat against Portsmouth on Friday hurts. The Patriots have a claim to this spot, but I’m going with Cranston East. The Thunderbolts rebounded with John Devine’s complete-game gem with just three hits allowed and 12 strikeouts for a 1-0 win against Lincoln.
5. Cumberland (7-4)
Cumberland has lost three straight and is in danger of losing a Top 5 spot, but I’ll give the defending champs some leeway. Back-to-back wins against Lincoln this week would help.
Division II
1. Westerly (10-1-1)
Westerly’s bats have been hot with at least six runs scored over the last four games. The Bulldogs have a two-game series with Ponaganset before traveling to rival, Stonington on Friday.
2. Barrington (8-2)
Barrington has a tour of South County ahead with games against Chariho, Prout and Narragansett. The Prout and Narragansett tilts are both two-game series, so if the Eagles can win four of the five contests, they’ll be primed for a solid playoff standing.
3. East Providence (8-3)
Three losses in four games for the Townies drops them to the third slot. It’s the first time this season EP hasn’t been in the Top 2 with some of the best pitching in the division. There’s still a ton to figure out for playoff seedings as EP has back-to-back games with Westerly next week. I’m sure that won’t change anything. …
4. St. Raphael (7-4)
The Saints have come on in the second half of the season and before losing to EP, 6-5, St. Raphael had won three straight. The defeat was a walk-off win for the Townies in eight innings after the Saints plated a pair in the top of the seventh to knot the contest.
5. Johnston (8-4)
Johnston was on the bubble previously, but the Panthers make their first appearance in the Top 5. And there’s no better time to be hitting your stride. Johnston topped Prout and Barrington in back-to-back games last week.
Division III
1. West Warwick (12-0)
West Warwick is a wagon and there’s no other way to put it, but Pawtucket did take the Wizards to an extra inning. West Warwick also beat D-II’s Johnston and Division I’s Toll Gate recently for an overall record of 14-0. There are just seven games left for West Warwick to complete a perfect regular season.
2. Exeter-West Greenwich (9-2)
I made my way down to the Wawaloam School to watch Kole Kilduff pitch and he didn’t disappoint. But this EWG team isn’t just one person. They’re a complete club ready for a playoff run.
Related: Kilduff puts charge into Exeter-West Greenwich baseball with curveball that stuns hitters
3. Tolman/Shea (11-3)
Pawtucket rebounded after losses to West Warwick and EWG by downing Hope, 9-1. The co-op will face EWG, Scituate and Rogers before the end of the season.
4. Scituate (6-3)
Scituate is up one slot and the Spartans are enjoying a seven-game win streak. They’ve outscored opponents 28-4 over the last two games. Tolman/Shea is on tap on Monday.
5. Rogers (7-4)
Rogers gets bumped due to Scituate’s run. The Vikings fell to the Spartans last week after surrendering six runs across the final two innings.
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Journal Week 4 high school baseball power rankings
