Minnesota High School Baseball 2026 Preseason Top 25 State Rankings

The 2026 Minnesota high school baseball season is approaching, and High School On SI will have statewide rankings throughout the year.

Here is our preseason top 25.

Minnesota High School Baseball 2026 Preseason Top 25 State Rankings

No. 1 Cretin-Derham Hall

First game: April 8 vs. Forest Lake

Ranking rationale: Cretin-Derham Hall is coming off its 12th state title and has all the tools to add a 13th. The roster is chock full of Division-I talent. There’s senior leadership in RF/1B/LHP Davis Fleming (Minnesota), junior RHP/C Ike Crouser (Notre Dame), senior OF Harrison Falk (San Francisco), junior RHP Jack Van Gemert (Navy) and senior SS Joe Fenlon (St. Thomas).

The Raiders also feature one of the top sophomores in the state, CF/HP Charlie Fenlon. Senior OF/RHP Jack Drieman is also college bound to Sioux Falls. Key departures are four all-section players in P/RF John Henry Kohorst (Iowa), P/3B Blake Bullis (St. Scholastica), C/RHP Davon Castro (Concordia-St. Paul) and UTIL Watson Fleming.

C-DH is coming off a 23-4 record overall and 14-4 in a loaded Suburban East Conference where it finished in second place a game behind Mounds View.

No. 2 Farmington

Farmington is brimming with talent as it continues its impressive run throughout this decade. Last year’s Tigers finished 20-6, took second place in the South Suburban Conference, won their third Section 1-4A championship since 2021 and made the state semifinals.

Head coach Jon Graff’s team boasts as much future college talent as any team in Minnesota. Headliners headed to the D-I level are senior RHP/SS Ethan Hagman (New Mexico State) and junior C Matthew Hennen (Illinois State).

Also captaining alongside Hagman are senior LHP Brodie Gibart (Augustana), junior CF Ty Beck and senior 3B/RHP Brody Rasmussen. More future college commits include senior OF Benny Fenske (Wisconsin-La Crosse), senior 3B/1B Grady Renwick (Southwest Minnesota State), senior OF/RHP Ben Freier (St. Mary’s, MN), senior UTIL Grady Lickfelt (St. Mary’s, MN), senior P/1B/C Cooper Fernelius (Dakota County Technical College) and senior 3B/1B Cole Hegarty (Rochester Community Technical College).

The team moves on from four all-South Suburban Conference performers, including team MVP C/RHP Marshall Gordon, who was team MVP and an all-state performer. He’s now at Minnesota State-Mankato.

No. 3 Minnetonka

First game: April 8 vs. No. 6 Edina

Ranking rationale: Minnetonka is a team with a chance to get back to Target Field after falling just shy of earning the program’s first state title in 2025. The Skippers finished as runners up for the third time with a 3-2 loss to Cretin-Derham Hall in the Class 4A title game.

It was an impressive run to get there with a 4-0 record in the Section 2 playoffs as the No. 4 seed after losing six straight to close the regular season. First-year head coach Paul Twenge recorded his 1,000th career win spread across multiple programs. The legendary skipper guided the Skippers to a 17-10 overall record and 6-6 mark in the Lake Conference to finish fourth.

Minnetonka returns a couple college bound all-section performers in senior SS Garrett Wheeler (New Mexico State) and senior 3B/RHP Jake Musgjerd (Concordia-St. Paul). Key losses are four other all-section performers RHP Jack Butterworth (Arizona State), 1B Gus BErger (Concordia-St. Paul), RHP Mateo Aldecocea (Colorado School of Mines) and 2B Matthew Marceau (Marshalltown Community College).

No. 4 Stillwater

First game: April 8 at No. 8 Mounds View

Ranking rationale: Stillwater hasn’t made it to the state tournament since winning it all in 2022, but the Ponies playing in one of Class 4A’s toughest sections has something to do with that. Head coach Mike Parker’s squad is coming off a 16-9 season in which they finished at 12-6 and in fourth place in a deep Suburban East Conference.

Stillwater’s pitching staff held opponents to 3.2 runs per game, which was tops in Section 4-4A and second in the SEC. The Ponies fell by one to White Bear Lake (17-8) in the section elimination bracket final. They suffered no bad losses all season and beat eventual state champ Cretin-Derham Hall by 12.

A key cog back in the lineup is junior University of Minnesota commit SS Jack Runk, the only underclassman on last year’s 4A all-state team. The Ponies also return senior RHP Sullivan Conlin (Creighton) and senior C/RB/SS Brennan Peterson, an all-section selection. Notable departures are OF/SS A.J. Levy (Wisconsin-La Crosse), LHP/OF Dylan Bloom (St. John’s, MN), OF Henry Mestad (Winona State) and OF/RHP Joe Fredkove.

No. 5 Shakopee

First game: April 6 at No. 2 Farmington

Ranking rationale: Shakopee had a memorable 2025, going 18-5 and winning the South Suburban Conference title. The section playoffs were something to forget. The Sabers were derailed in an eight-inning affair against No. 4 seed Minnetonka before going off the rails with a 13-3 elimination game loss to No. 7 seed Eden Prairie that won just six games all year.

Head coach Erich Schmitz brings back a lot of talent to try to rectify a sour end to an otherwise sterling season. Leading the way are a pair of Division-II prospects senior Kyser Boran (Southwest Minnesota State) and senior C/RHP/1B Kaden Olson (Minnesota-Duluth). Key cogs also include senior INF Logan Krosch, senior C/P/2B Keegan Hutson and sophomore SS Ethan Krosch, who were all-SSC selections.

A key departure is LHP Nick Johnson, who’s now at Minnesota State-Mankato after posting Shakopee’s all-time season-low ERA of .99 in 2025. RHP/OF Carson Schroeder, OF Ryder Peace and LHP Tanner Heller were also all-SSC picks who will be missed.

No. 6 Edina

First game: April 8 at No. 3 Minnetonka

Ranking rationale: Edina took a leap from a .500 club in 2024 to a 17-9 team that qualified for the state tournament for the second time in three years after a 40-year absence. As the No. 2 seed, the Hornets defeated top seed and defending champ Wayzata in the section championship.

Edina returns four of its five all-Section 6-4A performers from a year ago: Senior 1B Jackson McGrath (Iowa Western), senior RF Owen Meyer, junior 2B/SS Bode McConnell and sophomore SS Lincoln Page. Senior OF/RHP Chase Bjorgaard is a talented hockey and football athlete co-captaining alongside McGrath and Meyer. A key departure for section head coach of the year Tom Nevers is all-section RHP Spencer Yeaman, who’s now at St. John’s (Minnesota).

No. 7 Champlin Park

First game: April 6 at No. 13 Maple Grove

Ranking rationale: Champlin Park is brimming with future college prospects. The pipeline is strong as the Rebels have high hopes despite losing all-state SS Nick Carlson (Concordia-St. Paul) from a team that made the Class 4A semifinals and finished with a 17-9 record.

Half of Champlin Park’s six all-Section 5-4A selections are back: senior RHP Evan Nordby (Minnesota State-Mankato), senior CF Rhys George and junior 3B/SS Luke Carlson.

Also back in the fold for a big senior class are RHP Tanner Wylie (Concordia-St. Paul), RHP/OF Donovan Vendel (Sioux Falls), RHP/SS Josh Henchen (St. Scholastica), OF/RHP Caleb Greer (Bemidji State), RHP/2B Christian Dull (Bemidji State) and C/OF Cal Ockuly. Champlin Park plated 5.5 runs per game, tops in the section.

No. 8 Mounds View

First game: April 8 vs. No. 4 Stillwater

Ranking rationale: It was a banner year in many ways for Mounds View. The Mustangs won a conference title for the first time in 10 years and did it in the toughest one in the state, the Suburban East.

Mounds View also boasts imposing 6-foot-5 pitcher Andrew Gette, an all-state selection who’s committed to the University of Miami, Florida, and is back this year for his senior year. He was the ace of a pitching staff that held opponents to an SEC-low 3 runs per game. The Mustangs earned the top seed in Section 5-4A and looked poised to make a deep postseason run after earning Class 4A runner-up honors in 2024. Then it came crashing down. Mounds View was upset not once, but twice, by Osseo (6-18) in the section tournament.

Head coach Nik Anderson’s bunch will be motivated to bounce back. Unfortunately, the Mustangs lost a couple key players to graduation in all-section performers P/1B Ryan Maylone (Gustavus Adolphus) and C Robbie Price.

No. 9 Mahtomedi

First game: April 6 vs. North St. Paul

Ranking rationale: Third in the Metro West Conference. Third seed in Section 4-3A. First place at state. It’s not about how Mahtomedi started, it’s how it finished. After the Zephyrs posted a modest 12-7 overall record and 10-5 mark in the Metro East Conference, head coach Rob Garry’s crew rattled off a 7-0 mark in the postseason, with every win coming by multiple runs, to claim the program’s third state title.

All of them have been since 2018. The last one was sweet, and unlikely, redemption after title game losses the previous two years. Mahtomedi got it done without an all-state selection.

Big losses come in the form of current Golden Gopher LHP/OF Ethan Felling and RHP Matheu Mizinski. Both were named to the all-section team. Key returners are all-section performers senior SS/OF Cody Loida (Sioux Falls) and senior C Peyton Whitbeck (Concordia-Moorhead).

No. 10 Mankato East

First game: April 7 vs. Austin

Ranking rationale: Through 2023, Mankato East had made the state tournament just once in program history. Now, the Cougars have gone two straight years and were in the title game in 2025. New head coach Travis Miller inherits a program on the rise after previous skipper of seven seasons, Micah Degner, left to take the head coaching position at Minnesota Valley Lutheran.

Key pieces from last year’s team that finished 23-4 overall and No. 1 in the Class 3A QRF. East went on a tear after a 2-2 start to the season. It returns a pair of Division I power college prospects in junior LHP Keaton Wojcik (Iowa) and senior OF/LHP Carson Hart (Creighton). Both were all-state performers.

There are lots of holes to fill, though, with three college-bound all-state players graduating. LHP Nathan Bridger (Wisconsin-Whitewater), OF Jayden Knutson (Bethany) and INF/LHP Owen Studtmann (St. Mary’s, Minnesota) will be tough to replace.

No. 11 Andover

First game: April 3 at Park of Cottage Grove

Ranking rationale: Andover’s baseball program has come alive this decade. All three of the Huskies’ state tournament appearances have come since 2021. Last year, a 20-8 season was punctuated by a section title and sixth-place finish at the Class 4A state tournament.

Andover beat top seed Blaine (22-4) two out of three times to get the last laugh after the Bengals won in the regular season to help seal the Northwest Suburban Conference crown ahead of the second-place Huskies.

Head coach Pete Andersen will lean on his arms to try to keep the momentum going. He gets several of his top arms back, including senior OF/RHP Danny Scheller (Southern Illinois-Edwardsville), senior OF/RHP/UTIL Logan Nistler (Minnesota State-Mankato), sophomore RHP/1B/OF Jack Simpson and sophomore LHP Carter Daluge.

Key losses include all four all-section players from 2025, including all-state OF/C Drew Law who’s now at Winona State. The three others are RHP/DH Brett Buettner (Southwest Minnesota State), 3B Jaxon Knutson (Case Western Reserve University) and 2B/C/RHP Wyatt Myers.

No. 12 Wayzata

First game: April 8 at Buffalo

Ranking rationale: Wayzata finished as the top team in the state in the computers’ eyes, but the Trojans’ season ended in the Section 6-4A tournament. After posting a 15-5 overall record and 9-3 mark in the Lake Conference with a pitching staff that led the conference in runs allowed (2.9) and a lineup that led in runs scored (6.4), the top seed lost to No. 8 seed St. Louis Park (7-17) in the first round. Head coach Bobby DeWitt’s team rallied for four straight wins before falling to Edina (17-9) in the championship round.

Key pieces back in 2026 are all-conference all-section senior SS Sam Mohs and all-conference/all-Star Tribune Metro team C/3B Matthew Berkland (Minnesota State) . There are big shoes to fill with the graduation of all-state/all-section RHP Noah Filer (Purdue), and all-section performers 2B James Hansen (Dakota County Technical) and OF Kyle Boutwell (St. John’s, Minnesota). Wayzata is seeking its fourth straight Lake Conference title.

No. 13 Maple Grove

First game: April 8 vs. No. 7 Champlin Park

Ranking rationale: Maple Grove is a candidate to make a big leap in 2026. The Crimson return most of their core from a team that improved throughout last season en route to a 14-12 record and wins in nine of their last 11. Maple Grove was a win away from making it back to state for the first time since 2022, falling in the Section 5-4A final as a No. 5 seed.

The headliner for head coach Jeff Peterson’s 2026 squad is junior Beckett Shimpa, a LHP Stanford commit. More key returners include seniors 3B/MIF Preston Berg (Bethel), INF/OH Oliver Taynton (Marshalltown Community College), RHP/1B Evan O’Dwyer, C/3B Connor Wihlm and SS/RHP Kaden Harney (South Dakota State football).

Notable losses are the team’s two all-Northwest Suburban Conference performers OF/LHP Ian Schock (Dakota County Technical) and INF/OF Connor Johnson. This will be the Crimson’s first season in the Lake Conference.

No. 14 Chaska

First game: April 13 vs. No. 3 Minnetonka

Ranking rationale: Chaska was the No. 16 team in the Class 4A QRF last season but was only a No. 5 seed in a deep Section 2-4A. The Hawks took some lumps but mostly thrived in a 15-8 season. They could be poised for a bigger year in 2026.

Head coach Craig Baumann returns two all-state performers in Minnesota commit RHP/OF Parker Killian and senior SS Owen Strey. They’re part of the core that will be the favorite to win the Metro West Conference after going 8-4 and finishing second. A notable loss to graduation is OF Jacob Welter, another all-state performer now at Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

No. 15 Totino-Grace

First game: April 7 at Osseo

Ranking rationale: Totino-Grace, the 2024 Class 3A state champion and 2025 3A consolation champion, earns the benefit of the doubt heading into 2026. However, head coach Mike Smith’s squad will look a lot different after graduating an impactful senior class that led the Eagles to a 22-8 record and a No. 2 ranking in the final 3A QRF.

The big losses include RHP/1B Tommy Heifort (Southwest Minnesota State), C/OF Tyler Hand (Marshalltown CC), SS/RHP Colin Blake (St. Mary’s, Minnesota), RHP/2B Jake Rantz (Bethel) and OF/MIF/RHP Kellen Westphal (Gustavus Adolphus). All were all-Section 5-3A performers with Heifort and Hand making the all-state team.

Key returners include a pair of future St. John’s Johnnies, senior RHP Jack Goldsberry and OF/3B/UTIL Dimarco Cognetta.

No. 16 East Ridge

First game: April 1 at Eastview

Ranking rationale: East Ridge is seeking a resurgence after following up its 21-6 record and Class 4A state title in 2024 with a 12-11 mark and early section tournament exit in 2025. Fortunately for head coach Brian Sprout’s squad, they’ve got a big talent back in the middle infield.

Senior University of Minnesota SS/2B Bennett Skinner is coming off an all-Suburban East/all-Section 4-4A campaign. The Raptors feature two more college commits in senior RHP/OF Chase Sanders (Sioux Falls) and senior OF/SS Adrian Thompson (Bethel).

Junior SS/2B Joey Gonzaga is another player to watch after earning all-conference honorable mention honors in 2025. A notable departure is LHP/1B Casden Nelson, an all-conference HM selection who’s now at Iowa Central Community College.

No. 17 Delano

First game: April 7 vs. Minneapolis Edison

Ranking rationale: Delano is riding high after taking third place in Class 3A in the Tigers’ first state tournament appearance since 2014. The Tigers did not get much love in last year’s Power 25 due to a relatively weak schedule that featured no non-conference games against Class 4A competition, they do this preseason with tons of talent back from a team that went 21-5-1.

Head coach Toby Hanson, a 2014 Delano grad, did a great job in his first season leading his alma mater. Key returners are three college-bound seniors who were all-Section 6-3A performers: RHP/INF Brody Geislinger (Iowa Central), OF Carter van Beusekom (St. John’s, Minnesota) and 1B Andrew Bruett (Minnesota-Duluth). Geislinger and van Beusekom were all-state selections. A notable loss is all-state/all-section INF/P Jack Scanlon (St. Thomas).

No. 18 Perham

First game: April 2 doubleheader at Staples-Motley

Ranking rationale: Perham has been on a remarkable run this decade. The Yellowjackets own a 93-15 record with three section titles.The only thing missing is a state title. Head coach James Mulcahy has led his team to the title game in 2023, consolation championship in 2024 and semifinals in 2025.

Back for the preseason favorite in Class 2A are a trio of all-Section 8-2A selections in senior P/1B Drew Ellingson (Minnesota-Crookston), C Ty Rooney and junior CF Gavin Griffin. Big losses are all-state LHP/1B Ashton Detloff (Minnesota-Crookston) and RHP/SS Alex Blume. Perham is coming off a 21-2 record in which it went undefeated in Heart of Lakes Conference play.

The Yellowjackets’ only losses were close ones to Class 4A Anoka (11-13) and to eventual state champion Pine Island in nine innings in the state semifinals.

No. 19 Grand Rapids

First game: April 7 vs. Superior, Wisconsin

Ranking rationale: Grand Rapids has been northern Minnesota’s top team all decade. Led by state hall of fame head coach Bill Kinnunen, the Thunderhawks made their fifth straight state tournament in 2025.

They finished with an 18-9 record and a No. 9 ranking in the final 3A QRF. Grand Rapids did not play a particularly tough schedule in the regular season, but it outscored Section 7-3A tournament foes 32-5, 10-runned Stewartville (11-13) in the consolation semifinal and was within a run of 2024 3A champ Totino-Grace (22-8) in the consolation final.

Key returners are all-section performers in junior 2B Ethan Morgan and senior C Oliver Spahn. Big losses come in the form of three more all-section guys: RHP/CF/RF Sam Dick (Luther College), RHP/2B/SS Caleb Gunderson (Minnesota North College - Itasca) and RHP/CF Klous Jones.

No. 20 Rosemount

First game: April 6 at Apple Valley

Ranking rationale: Rosemount never gave up after a 1-6 start to 2025. It looked like the Irish might be in for another tough season following an 8-15 mark in 2024, but longtime head coach Chris Swansson got his team back on the rails. The Irish finished at 14-12 thanks to a 4-0 run through the Section 3-4A playoffs as the No. 3 seed and a 2-1 mark at the state tournament en route to a consolation championship.

Rosemount has big-time talent returning, starting with junior 3B/1B/RHP Jake Michel. He was an all-section selection in 2025 who’s already committed to Oregon. Another all-section junior to watch is C/OF Charlie Wielinski. Senior RHP/OF/SS Jack Japel was on the all-state tournament team and hit over .400.

There’s lots more talent coming down the pipeline to replace three guys now playing college ball. They are C/2B Stephen Nezerka (Concordia-Moorhead), RHP/3B Gavin Hartley (St. John’s, Minnesota) and RHP/1B Joe Timmerman (Kirkwood Community College).

No. 21 Blaine

First game: April 7 vs. Rogers

Ranking rationale: From worst to first went Blaine in the Northwest Suburban Conference. The Bengals improved from 3-9 to 11-1 in the NWSC and jumped from 10-15 overall in 2024 to 22-4 and a win away from the state tournament.

Head coach Ted Erickson’s squad was the top seed in Section 7-4A but was bounced in game two of the championship against Andover. The Bengals lost two of three to the No. 2 seed Huskies in the playoffs after winning their regular season matchup.

Blaine graduated a big senior class that featured four all-section choices in LHP/1B Carson Timm (Gustavus Adolphus), OF Derek Schlomann (South Dakota State), C Myles Clark (Bethany Lutheran) and RHP Nick Ulrich. Blaine’s new top lefty pitcher, who also plays OF, senior Matt Smith, will be joining Timm next year at Gustavus.

Team captains senior SS/RB Wilson Guse and junior SS Sam Puder will also help the momentum rolling, along with promising sophomore SS/RHP Henry Semans.

No. 22 Mankato West

First game: April 7 at Faribault

Ranking rationale: Mankato West graduated a 12-man senior class that led the Scarlets to a 19-5 record in 2024 and 16-7 mark in 2025. They’re coming off a second-place finish in Section 2-3A behind rival and preseason No. 10 Mankato East, who they lost to four times last season.

Leading the returners back for head coach Marshall Miller is senior LHP/1B Mason Schreiber, who’s committed to Northern State. An all-section performer back is senior INF/OF Ben O’Neil. Headlining departures are a pair of players now at Bethany Lutheran, OF Jayden Knutson (all-state, all-section) and RHP Ben Hoehn. INF Colten Bahl is also another key loss who was all-section like Knutson and Hoehn.

No. 23 Glencoe-Silver Lake

First game: April 7 vs. New London-Spicer

Ranking rationale: Glencoe-Silver Lake is one of the favorites in Class 2A after making the state title game in 2025. The Panthers return three of their four all-Section 5-2A performers in senior SS Brody Ruschmeier, senior 3B Jackson Wischnack and sophomore LHP Trevor Engelmann. Engelmann threw an eight-inning gem to upset top seed at state, Duluth Marshall, 2-1 in the 2A semifinals.

Section Coach of the Year Dean Schwirtz led GS-L to a 22-5 mark last season. His teams outscored opponents 7.5 to 3.0 and won 15 games in a row before falling 2-1 to Pine Island in the state final. They outscored section tournament foes 58-13, including Holy Family 12-3 in the final. A big loss for the Panthers is RHP/2B Luke Roepke, who was an all-state/all-section performer.

No. 24 Woodbury

First game: April 2 vs. North St. Paul in River Falls

Ranking rationale: Woodbury is a program that appears to be trending up. The Royals could be ready to make a leap following a 13-11 record in 2025 and a 2-2 mark in the Section 4-4A playoffs. A trio of college-bound seniors look to lead the way for head coach Kevin McDermott.

Lots of pitching depth is back with SS/RHP Kai Larsen (Wisconsin La Crosse), RHP Mason Aspen (Western Technical College) and RHP Stephen Loshek (Southeastern Community College). Notable departures are all-section OF Tommy Dittrich, as well as LHP Jack Gessner (Iowa Western) and LHP Evan Crandall.

No. 25 St. Thomas Academy

First game: April 8 vs. Hastings

Ranking rationale: St. Thomas Academy returns five starters from a team that finished 13-12 and was Section 3-3A runner up. A pair of future Gustavus Adolphus Gusties, senior C/2B Ethan Ruiz and senior LHP/OF Sam Nilsson lead the way.

The Cadets also feature senior OF/INF Cole Braunshausen, a Mr. Hockey finalist who made the all-section baseball team in 2025. Notable losses for head coach Bobby Thimpson’s team are a pair of all-section performers RHP Jac Wright and INF/OF Charlie Probst.