Here is the fourth edition of the Post-Crescent high school rankings of top softball, baseball and girls soccer teams in the Appleton area. Records are through May 22.
Softball
1, Fox Valley Lutheran: The Foxes finished as co-Bay Conference champs with Seymour with a 13-1 league record. They are 20-3 overall and the top seed in the Plymouth Sectional and will play Oconto Falls in a Division 2 regional semifinal May 26.
2, Hortonville: The Polar Bears won the Fox Valley Association with a 15-1 record and are 20-3 overall. They earned a No. 3 seed in the Plover Sectional. Grace Danoski had a strong game in the team’s 5-2 win over Oshkosh West, striking out four and scattering seven hits.
3, Seymour: The Thunder (19-3 overall) finishes with FVL as co-Bay Conference champs (13-1). Adde Smith continues an outstanding season with a .549 average, 10 home runs and 32 RBIs. Seymour hosts Freedom in a WIAA D2 regional semifinal May 26.
4, Kimberly: The Papermakers (19-7 overall) are back in the top five and are on a seven-game win streak, including a 3-0 victory over Appleton North last week. Kimberly is a No. 2 seed in the Kaukauna Sectional.
5, Brillion: The Lions are 19-5 overall and finished second in the Eastern Wisconsin Conference with an 11-3 record. Brillion has won 11 of its last 12 games and is a No. 4 seed in the D3 Wrightstown Sectional. The Lions host Kewaunee in a regional semifinal May 26.
Also: Appleton North, Wrightstown.
Baseball
1, Kimberly: The Papermakers (18-2 overall, 15-1 Fox Valley Association) claim the FVA title and have won seven of their last eight games. Kimberly plays against Neenah on May 26 and at Hortonville on May 28.
2, Brillion: The Lions dropped a pair of games last week to Eastern Wisconsin Conference leader Kiel. That broke the team’s 19-game winning streak. The Lions (20-4, 12-2) play at Marinette on May 26.
3, Hortonville: The Polar Bears are 18-6 overall and tied for third in the FVA at 11-5. They play at Kaukauna on May 26 and against Kimberly on May 28.
4, Xavier: The Hawks are 13-5 overall and clinched the Bay Conference title at 12-2. They play two home games to finish the regular season against Crivitz (May 26) and Wrightstown (May 28).
5, Kaukauna: The Ghosts (16-6, 12-4) are in second in the FVA and have won five of their last six. They play against Hortonville on May 26 and at Oshkosh North on May 28.
Also: Seymour, St. Mary Catholic, Neenah, Winneconne.
Girls soccer
1, Kimberly: The Papermakers had another solid week, getting three more wins to up their record to 16-1 overall and 8-0 in the Fox Valley Association. A win at home against Hortonville on May 26 will net the Papermakers the outright FVA crown.
2, Appleton North: The Lightning (16-2, 8-1 FVA) has a six-game winning streak and finishes its regular-season slate at home against Xavier on May 29.
3, Xavier: The undefeated Hawks (16-0, 7-0 Bay Conference) can claim the outright Bay title with a win at home against New London on May 26 before an interesting nonconference matchup at Appleton North (May 29) to close the regular season.
4, Winneconne: The Wolves have an outside shot at the Bay Conference title with a win against Green Bay East and a Xavier loss to New London. The Wolves end the regular season with a game against Appleton West on May 28.
5, Freedom: The Irish won the North Eastern Conference with a 7-0 record and are 11-3 overall. They finish the regular season with games at Seymour (May 26) and at New London (May 28).
Also: Seymour, Neenah.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Kimberly holds top spot in baseball, soccer in latest area rankings
Reporting by Ricardo Arguello, Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
