Here is the third edition of the Post-Crescent high school rankings of top softball, baseball and girls soccer teams in the Appleton area. Records are through May 16.
Softball
1, Fox Valley Lutheran: The Foxes (19-3) wrapped up the Bay Conference title and were 4-1 this past week with their lone loss to Wisconsin Lutheran. They close out the regular season with games at Denmark (May 19) and at home against Winnebago Lutheran (May 21).
2, Hortonville: The Polar Bears are 17-2 overall and 12-1 in the Fox Valley Association. Hortonville got a big 1-0 victory over Appleton North to put the team in position to secure the FVA title with wins against Fond du Lac on May 18 and at Appleton West on May 19.
3, Seymour: The Thunder improves to 17-3 and closes out the regular season with games against New London (May 18) and at Bonduel (May 21). Kendra Rettler is batting .523 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs. She also has an 0.82 ERA in the circle.
4, Brillion: The Lions are 17-5 overall and play at home against Roncalli on May 18 and home against Luxemburg-Casco on May 19.
5, Appleton North: The Lightning drops a spot in the rankings after three straight losses. The team finishes the regular season with games at Kimberly (May 18), at home against West Bend East (May 19) and at Appleton East (May 21).
Also: Kimberly, Wrightstown.
Baseball
1, Kimberly: The Papermakers strengthen their hold on the top spot after finishing 3-1 this past week. They are 16-2 overall and in first place with a 13-1 record in the Fox Valley Association. They have four league games left and can’t look past a game at Oshkosh West on May 19 before matchup with second-place Kaukauna on May 21.
2, Brillion: The Lions’ win streak hits 18 games after a pair of wins over New Holstein this past week. They are 19-2 overall and 12-0 in the Eastern Wisconsin Conference with matchups with co-EWC leader Kiel on May 19 and 21.
3, Hortonville: The Polar Bears were 2-1 this past week with wins over Appleton East and Appleton North. They play at Appleton West on May 19 before home matchup with Oshkosh West on May 21.
4, Xavier: The Hawks hold steady at No. 4 and are coming off a split with Winneconne this past week. Xavier is a half-game ahead of Seymour in the Bay Conference and plays Shawano twice this week: May 19 (away) and 21 (home).
5, Kaukauna: The Ghosts (14-5) crack the top five after a doubleheader sweep against Appleton North this past week. Kaukauna is second in the Fox Valley Association with an 11-3 record and plays Neenah on May 19 before a nonconference game at Green Bay Preble on May 20.
Also: Seymour, Neenah, Appleton North, St. Mary Catholic, Little Chute, Winneconne.
Girls soccer
1, Kimberly: The Papermakers stay in the top spot after finishing 2-0 this past week. They are 13-1 overall and 6-0 in the Fox Valley Association with games at Kaukauna (May 19) and at Neenah (May 21) this week. Vada Sousek leads the team in goals (11) and points (26).
2, Appleton North: The Lightning (14-2, 6-1 FVA) has won four in a row since May 5 loss at Kimberly. North plays Appleton East on May 19 before traveling to Fond du Lac on May 22. Brinley Dunsirn leads the team with 16 goals and nine assists.
3, Xavier: The undefeated Hawks (13-0, 5-0 Bay Conference) play four of their last five regular-season games at home starting with Bay Conference games against Shawano (May 19) and Seymour (May 21) this week.
4, Winneconne: The Wolves were 4-0 this past week and are on a five-game win streak. Winneconne (14-1 overall, 6-1 Bay) has outscored its opponents 28-0 during that run. Harper Neace (25 goals) and Suri Hottmann (23 goals) lead the team in scoring. Wolves play against Hartford on May 21.
5, Neenah: The Rockets (8-6-1, 5-2 FVA) are back in the top five after FVA wins over Kaukauna and Appleton East this past week. They close out the regular season with FVA games at Fond du Lac on May 19 and at home against Kimberly on May 21.
Also: Seymour, Freedom.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: FVL, Kimberly teams lead spring high school sports rankings
Reporting by Ricardo Arguello, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
