This Minnesota Top 25, the first of the season, is part of a partnership between Prep Baseball Minnesota and Strib Varsity. Each week this season, these rankings will be published on Strib Varsity’s Baseball Hub. The rankings are compiled by the Prep Baseball Minnesota staff and are based on consultations with coaches and others across the state.

Minnesota Top 25

Teams are in Class 4A unless noted otherwise.

1. Cretin-Derham Hall (0-0)

The reigning Class 4A champs turn the page in 2026, moving on from a veteran core that defined last spring and into something younger, hungrier and somewhat unproven. The Raiders will have holes to fill, no way around it, but the talent pipeline is real. Now it’s about how quickly that next wave grows up, because if it happens fast, this group has a chance to be dangerous sooner than later.

2. Minnetonka (0-0)

Minnetonka opens 2026 at No. 2, and it starts where it usually does with teams built to win in June: strength up the middle. Garrett Wheeler and Carter Storts give the Skippers stability and edge, Jacob Musgjerd adds impact from the corners, and Daschle Duwe fronts a pitching staff that can carry its weight. It’s a roster without many holes and a program that knows how to navigate a season, which is why Minnetonka looks every bit like a team that could be playing its best baseball when it matters most.

3. Farmington (0-0)

Farmington lost eight to the college ranks and didn’t flinch. Eight more committed players step in, the kind of churn that speaks to the health of the program. Two front-line arms return, the pitching depth is real, and a lineup anchored by pieces from a third-place state finish brings both experience and expectation. This is a roster built to absorb losses and keep moving, which is why Farmington opens the year squarely in the title conversation.

4. Andover (0-0)

Andover won 20 games, reached the state tournament and comes back with an identity already in place. It starts on the mound, where six pitchers with varsity experience give the Huskies the kind of depth that can dictate games and take pressure off everything else. The lineup will have to replace some key pieces, but the next wave is there and ready. With that kind of pitching foundation, Andover opens at No. 4 and looks built to stick around.

5. Champlin Park (0-0)

Champlin Park got to the third-place game and brings back a roster that looks like it remembers the way. The pitching staff returns in force, headlined by senior Evan Nordby and backed by multiple all-conference arms that give the Rebels both stability and depth. There’s experience across the diamond, enough to trust, and just enough new energy to keep it moving. It’s a group with a recent postseason edge and the pieces to do it again.

6. Edina (0-0)

Edina has athletes everywhere you look, the kind that tend to show up when the games get tight. Chase Bjorgaard is the headliner, a do-it-all presence who’s been a fixture on the state tournament stage no matter the sport. The Hornets are experienced, versatile and very much a factor again in Section 6, with a real shot to run it back.

7. Mounds View (0-0)

Mounds View went 17-7 and bowed out in sections, and the Mustangs now come back with something a little different, a senior-heavy group that knows exactly what it wants. Miami commit Andrew Gette, the 2025 All-Minnesota Baseball Player of the Year, gives them a stopper on the mound, the kind who keeps you in every game he touches, and the rest of the roster offers enough versatility to adjust on the fly. The depth is better, the direction is clear, and expectations are high.

8. Mahtomedi (3A, 0-0)

Mahtomedi is the defending Class 3A state champion, and the question isn’t whether the talent is there, it’s where the innings come from. A large chunk of last year’s workload is gone, leaving what head coach Rob Garry calls the “number one question” of the spring. Still, there’s no shortage of upside. A wave of underclass talent returns, headlined by Player of the Year candidate Connor Finn, and it gives the Zephyrs a ceiling few can match. The pieces are there, even if the picture isn’t complete yet.

9. Maple Grove (0-0)

Maple Grove starts 2026 with a pitching foundation built to win. Evan O’Dwyer leads the staff, backed by depth that can carry the innings, and Stanford commit Beckett Shimpa gives the Crimson a bona fide impact bat with national pedigree. This is a roster stacked with varsity experience and a group ready to test itself in a new conference. With the pieces and the upside in place, Maple Grove opens at No. 9, and the potential is real.

10. Chaska (0-0)

Chaska closes out the top 10 with a roster that blends experience and elite talent. Parker Killian anchors the mound as one of the top arms in the state, while Creighton commit Owen Strey provides middle-of-the-lineup pop. Add underclass arms Thomas Leeper and Joshua Keenan, and you’ve got a team with depth, upside and the potential to become a serious threat as the season goes on.

11. Prior Lake (0-0)

Prior Lake opens at No. 11 with a roster built around pitching and defense, the kind of foundation that’s been the team’s identity for years. Mason Golberg brings youth to the mound, while hard-throwing senior Colten Gunderson, a North Dakota State football commit, adds a high-ceiling arm. Offensively, the Lakers will lean on a returning core while mixing in underclass talent to replace what was lost in 2025.

12. Wayzata (0-0)

Wayzata checks in at No. 12, a team that’s been on the cusp more than once in recent seasons. The roster is loaded with talent, headlined by seniors Matthew Berkland, Kieran Leatherman and Samuel Mohs, all mainstays in the lineup. The pitching staff is stacked with upside, even if much of it hasn’t logged big varsity innings yet. The Trojans start the year on the outside looking in, but with this kind of talent, it won’t be long before they are impossible to ignore.

13. Eagan (0-0)

Eagan has never shied away from putting freshmen on varsity, and now some of those players are seasoned contributors. Catcher Brandon Lunneborg brings legitimate pop, while Brody Illa, Brendan Mademann and Drew McShane give the Wildcats a trio of intriguing arms. The core group has been together for years, and with eight playoff wins over the last three seasons, the focus is simple: take it one day at a time and compete for the top spot in Section 3.

14. Two Rivers (0-0)

Two Rivers jumped to Class 4A last year, went 19-5 and ran into a wall in section play. Keystone catcher Patrick Karlen anchors the lineup, and William Denenholz gives the Warriors a two-way threat. The roster is veteran and athletic, with seven starters back in the field and two impact arms on the mound. Keep it clean, throw strikes, compete at the plate, and this squad has every reason to be back in the mix.

15. Perham (2A, 0-0)

Perham showed up at Baseball Day Minnesota in 2025 with a scrappy, hard-nosed approach that defined the team all season. Drew Ellingson was electric on the mound, with Ty Rooney steady behind the plate and Gavin Griffin patrolling the outfield. Graduation leaves holes at shortstop, first base, and right field, and the rotation behind Ellingson is wide open. Still, the Yellowjackets are the class of Class 2A baseball.

16. Chanhassen (0-0)

Chanhassen caught some eyes in 2025, making a run all the way to the section final before running into Minnetonka. The offense returns some pop, led by senior Charlie Johnson and junior Jonathan Drevlow, but the pitching staff is wide open after losing its two top arms. A strong returning core should stabilize things. If they build off last year’s momentum, the Storm have a chance to be right back in the mix.

17. Stillwater (0-0)

Stillwater is never flashy, but the Ponies play tough baseball, even in a “down” year. Mike Parker knows how to get the most out of his roster, and there’s talent to lean on. Junior Jack Runk brings effort and stability at short, while righthander Sullivan Conlin has been trending upward on pro scouts’ radars. The conference and section aren’t easy, but the Ponies have the pieces to hang and compete.

18. Buffalo (0-0)

Buffalo went .500 last year, but that young roster gained valuable experience, and now the upside is real. Gophers commit Tyson Moore anchors the position behind the plate, lefty Aiden Marconett has been trending up, and Dolen Brisk can muscle the ball out of anywhere. Three quality starters return on the mound, and the team will sort out who steps into middle relief and closing roles. Defensively, the Bison will be solid, and offensively, the mix of power and contact makes them tough to handle.

19. Mankato East (3A, 0-0)

The Cougars wrapped up a second-place finish in Class 3A last year and graduated most of that roster, but the talent base remains. Outfielder Carson Hart and lefty Keaton Wojcik return as Division I commits, and Braxton Wojcik adds a righthanded arm to complement the rotation.

20. Hopkins (0-0)

Hopkins is usually steady on defense, and this year, Frank Mausser brings some pop to the lineup. Juniors Dylan Lindstrom and Max Lerner form a strong up-the-middle duo. This Royals team could be the one that surprises everyone in 2026.

21. Blaine (0-0)

Blaine came out of nowhere last year and ran to a 22-4 season, and now most of that roster is gone. The Bengals graduated a class that set a high bar for the program, but the core of the infield returns along with a couple of experienced arms on the mound. There’s also a wave of young talent ready to take on bigger roles.

22. Shakopee (0-0)

Shakopee went 18-5 last year and enters 2026 built around pitching and defense, with depth on the mound and a fundamentally sound group in the field.

23. Mankato West (3A, 0-0)

Mankato West went 16-7 last year and now turns the keys over to a younger roster loaded with talent. Sophomore Emmitt Rentas is a backstop playing well beyond his years, and Gavin Torvick was already touching 90-plus early this spring. The Scarlets lost 12 seniors and about a third of last year’s pitching, but the core of returners and impact underclassmen gives them the pieces to stay competitive. Younger? Yes. But this is not a rebuild year for the Scarlets.

24. Totino-Grace (3A, 0-0)

Totino-Grace has been a fixture in the state tournament the past two years, including winning a Class 3A title in 2024. The next wave is starting to show, led by lefty Joey Terhaar and catcher Brady Keane, giving the program some promising pieces to build around.

25. Moorhead (0-0)

Moorhead returns its top five hitters and mixes in underclass talent to replace lost seniors, giving them a solid lineup. On the mound, Adam Kunza and Carson Heinsch lead a staff backed by arms like Riley Dickhaus and Jonas Schaumann. After a state tournament run last year, the Spuds are set to compete again in 2026.

This article is part of a partnership between Prep Baseball Minnesota and the Minnesota Star Tribune’s Strib Varsity. Please read more about this partnership here.

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