By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Supervisor - Wisconsin/Illinois

The 2017 WIAA baseball season is in the books and on Thursday the state crowned four champions across its four Divisions - Kimberly (23-8), West Salem (22-4), Aquinas (21-10) and Athens (21-7). Our staff looks back on the championship runs with our final Power 25 Rankings of the 2017 season.

CLICK HERE for Final Power 25.

In Kimberly’s fourth straight state tournament appearance, the Papermakers took the D1 title in an impressive display of grit and execution. Kimberly had to come from behind in both the Semifinal (Eau Claire North) and Championship (Sun Prairie) game after dismissing Waunakee in the quarterfinals. The persistence shown in the state tournament was a microcosm of the Papermaker season. Starting the season off 1-3 is not in the cards for any championship team, but Coach McGinnis and the Papermakers kept focus on the end goal, and ultimately paid off. The title was Kimberly’s third in school history.

West Salem won their first State Championship in Division 2, capping off an impressive 22-4 season. The Panthers had a tough road to the title, going through two of the top Division 2 teams in the state all season, Beloit Turner and Waupun, cementing West Salem as the top Division 2 team in the state and finishing at No. 8 in the Power 25.

The Division 3 trophy was taken home by the Blugolds of Aquinas, last winning the title in 2007. The Blugolds came into the tournament with just a 19-10 record but play a tough schedule all season in the Mississippi Valley Conference facing several D1 teams along the way. Needless to say Aquinas was arguably the most tested D3 squad in the state and it showed beating opponents by a total of 17-0 in the state tournament.

Athens wrapped up the Division 4 title with a 2-0 shutout of Independence/Gilmanton. Athens finished the 2017 campaign at 21-7 and graduate just one senior. With the future looking bright for the Bluejays, this may be a recurring theme for Athens as they will likely head into next season as the favorites. 

CLICK HERE for Final Power 25.

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