There were more shakeups than we’ve really seen this season in week four for Class 1A top ten. Overall, the top ten teams in the class went a combined 43-8, one of the best marks out of any class through the first two weeks. Those teams managed to outscore their opponents by a whopping 539-116. In total, Class 1A rests as the only class to have three or more representatives in top-5 for RBI, batting average, stolen bases, and team ERA. Now it’s time to visit how week three impacted the top-10 rankings for week four.
1.) Remsen St. Mary’s (5-0)
Remsen St. Mary’s baseball became just the second Class 1A team to touch up 14 or more victories on the season with a 5-0 record through week three. The Hawks were their normal dominant selves, outscoring opponents by a 44-4 margin. That included taking out top-10 ranked 2A squad in Kuemper Catholic. This is a squad with the fourth best team batting average in the state (.382) and second in the state with 141 total strikeouts. Ultimately, with the numbers their posting both offensively and defensively, it was impossible for the Hawks not to take up the throne.
2.) Newman Catholic (4-3)
This move almost surprised us too. It’s definitely not a normal site to not have the Knights at the top spot. It was their roughest week yet but because of the strength of schedule they faced, Newman Catholic doesn’t get bumped down a whole lot. Their three losses on the week came against 2A’s top-three team in ELC, top-five 3A opponent in Xavier, and top-five 4A foe in Dowling Catholic at the Catholic Classic. They still outscored their opponents, this time by a 69-32 margin.
3.) North Linn (8-0)
North Linn continued to do North Linn things across week three. That included an 8-0 record by outscoring opponents 90-17, the largest scoring disparity across any class level. Six of their eight games were won by 10 runs or more. They rank second in the state with 144 RBI which they then turn into speed on the base paths where they currently lead ALL teams in Iowa with 106 total bases.
4.) New London (3-0)
New London baseball has been quite the good brand of baseball lately, and that included the unblemished week three slate. The Tigers cruised through the week which is impressive given the fact that they took down the top scoring offense in Class 1A in Kee (175 runs). They now reside as one of just seven Class 1A teams to remain without a blemish to their overall record.
5.) Kee (5-1)
There’s only been two blemished on the record of Kee baseball so far in 2022. One of those came during week three in unusual fashion. The Kee Hawks were blanked 10-0 by New London, the first such ending for a Kee squad since June 24 of last year. Even with the loss, the Kee Hawks still came out on top, winning five of their six games while outscoring their opponents 63-15. Kee has produced the second-most RBI in the state (144) while leading the state with a .978 fielding percentage.
6.) Lisbon (6-1)
It was a solid week for the Lisbon Lions who captured six wins out of seven tries. Their split against Alburnett and win over Mount Vernon highlighted their efforts as they outscored opponents 75-20. It’s been solid hitting and good pitching that has allowed the fourth fewest hits to opposing bats across the 1A class (32).
7.) South Winneshiek (3-0)
Yet another strong week for South Winneshiek who went an unblemished 3-0 while adding to what is a perfect record overall. Through week three, South Winneshiek outscored their opponents scoring 22 runs while holding their opponents to a mere five runs. So far they rest as the top team in the class in terms of limiting opposing offenses as Warrior pitching has forced their opponents to a .102 batting average so far. That ties in well with just 20 hits allowed through three weeks.
8.) Ankeny Christian (4-0)
When a team is rolling on a historical start to a season, where they rank third in Class 1A in stolen bases (78), third in ERA (0.67), and third in triples (5), it’s hard not to put them into the top ten. The Eagles have been soaring high this entire season and with a 4-0 mark through week three, their record rises with them at an unblemished 10-0. They outscored their opponents 40-3 across week three which included three wins by ten runs. There’s a lot to like about this Ankeny Christian squad with even more on the horizon. They’ve had a .600 winning percentage or better since their start in 2018 and have officially cemented themselves as a major player in the Class 1A field here in 2022.
9.) Don Bosco (4-1)
Just one of seven teams to hit the double-digit win mark in Class 1A, the Dons of Don Bosco have been off to a strong start here in 2022. Across week three action, the Dons have posted a 4-1 record while outscoring their opponents by a whopping 61-4 mark, tying for the fewest runs allowed in week three by any top-ten team in the class. They’ve been able to show their power and speed with a class leading nine triples, not to mention fourth overall in runs (139) to go along with 120 RBI (third in 1A). Overall their the top hitting team in the class with a team average of .402 and a slugging mark of .582. A team that will more than likely follow the song as they’ll be “moving on up” the rankings soon.
10.) Kingsley-Pierson (4-1)
Hard to keep a team that has been strong like Kingsley-Pierson out of the top ten. Through week three their only blemish was a battle up-class with 2A’s third-ranked ELC. Aside from that game, the Panthers were perfect, outscoring their opponents 52-7. They are a team that makes their way on the base paths as often as possible, including being hit by pitch 25 times which ranks top five in Class 1A. Ultimately, they still hold a +6.1 run differential and have just one loss within the Class 1A ranks as their defeats to ELC and Kuemper Catholic resided in Class 2A. Still a fun team to watch and follow with a lot of upside as we continue to head into more of the 2022 campaign.
Honorable Mention: Sigourney, Highland, St. Ansgar, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Maquoketa Valley