By Nick Gerhardt
The first month of the 2025 season is in the books and we’ve seen a smattering of intriguing results, including a state record pitching performance from New Ulm’s Ethan Stade, who struck out 26 hitters in a 5-0 win over Bird Island in a big District 8 matchup. The Brewers cracked the top 10 in the preseason poll and despite losses to Springfield and Lamberton, remained there in this poll.
As the 2025 MBA classification rolled out before the start of the season, some eyebrows might have raised with District 8 getting three state bids, but with the start Bird Island and Raymond have had, along with New Ulm, those eyebrows have likely fallen back into place. The Bullfrogs have just one loss to New Ulm while the Rockets have gotten off to a 5-0 start. Both teams earned spots in the top 10 in this edition of the rankings.
We welcomed three new teams into the top 10 this time, including Raymond, while Jordan remained at No. 1, despite a loss to Class A Chaska. Bluffton’s back with a vengeance this season and has jumped out to a dominant 5-0 start while allowing just three runs. The Braves jump into the rankings in the No. 2 spot.
Buckman rose to No.3 behind the strength of a victory over Sobieski. The Billygoats also have a win over Avon and Nisswa, but have lost to Foley in what’s shaping up to be a competitive Class B Victory League.
Delano’s made a splash with signings this season, adding a big league arm in Zack Muckenhirn and former Minnesota Gopher pitcher Jeff Fasching, to help make up for the loss of ace Max Otto, who moved to Milwaukee. The Athletics picked up wins over Class A St. Anthony and Minneapolis Cobras, but fell to new league rival Waconia for their only loss. Delano moved into the rankings at No. 4.
The veteran-laden Cold Spring Springers grabbed the No. 5 spot, rising from No. 7 in the preseason poll. The Springers have knocked off Class A Monticello on their way to a 6-0 start. Just behind them is Bird Island at No. 6.
Young America slid to No. 7 in this poll despite a 4-0 start, The Cardinals will face a big test Sunday at Delano.
New Ulm checks in at No. 8 after claiming the No. 9 slot to start the year while Sobieski and Raymond share the No. 9 ranking this week. The Skis dropped from No. 5 at the start of the season.
Aldon Severson — Northfield Knights
The season is young and teams across the state have varying numbers of games played, strengths of schedule, and players back from school. Expect significant movement between this iteration and the next!
1. Bluffton Braves (5-0) — Dominant start with a plus-52 run differential (55-3).
2. New Ulm Brewers (6-2) — Three wins by 10-plus runs — explosive offense
3. Jordan Brewers (5-1) — Only loss was a close one-run game to Chaska.
4. Buckman Billygoats (4-1) — Strong win over Sobieski gives them the edge.
5. Sobieski Skis (4-1) — Solid record, only loss to Buckman.
6. Delano A’s (5-1) — Quality early wins over Minneapolis Cobras and Plato.
7. Raymond Rockets (5-0) — Also undefeated and showing early consistency.
8. Cold Spring Springers (4-0) — Proven program with clean start.
9. Bird Island Bullfrogs (5-1) — Still unbeaten, waiting on more tests.
10. Watertown Red Devils (3-1) — Solid start; only loss slightly drops them below the rest
Honorable Mention: Young America Cardinals (2-1), Kimball Express (2-1), Fairmont Martins (1-0), Red Wing Aces (3-3).
Tom Elliott — West Central Tribune
1. Cold Spring Springers (4-0) — Off to a good start, including wins over Starbuck, Monticello and Clearwater.
2. Raymond Rockets (5-0) — Another team that so far is unbeaten. A big test comes June 8 when it plays at Bird Island.
3. Bluffton Braves (5-0) — It’s easy to forget about this team, which didn’t play in the playoffs 2024, but these guys are good, beating the Nimrod Gnats once and Clarissa Flyers and Frazee-Vergas Loons twice each.
4. Delano A’s (5-1) — This club is loaded with talent.
5. New Ulm Brewers (6-2) — Picked up an impressive exhibition win over Bird Island, with losses to Lamberton and Springfield.
6. Bird Island Bullfrogs (5-1) — Bird Island is off to a 5-0 start in the Corn Belt League and has interesting games against the Class A Willmar Rails on Wednesday, June 4, and with Raymond on June 8.
7. Buckman Billygoats (4-1) — Has knocked off nearly everyone else so far, including Sobieski.
8. Sobieski Skis (4-1) — The loss to Buckman moves the Skis just behind the Billygoats.
9. Maple Lake (6-2) — The North Star League plays really good baseball, and now because of the new rules, in three classes. Maple Lake has a shot to be a top B team in the North Star.
10. Watertown Red Devils (5-1) — Always a threat.
Aaron Worm — Mankato
2. Cold Spring Springers — Unbeaten in league play.
1. Jordan Brewers — Unbeaten early in league play, 7-1 overall. A team that will probably be in the top five all season.
3. Buckman Billygoats — Early win over Sobieski propels them to the No. 3 spot.
4. Young America Cardinals — 4-0 in league play with wins over Watertown and Carver.
5. Delano A’s — Newest member of the Crow River, off to a 5-1 start, with lone loss coming to defending Class C champions Waconia.
6. Bird Island Bullfrogs — Off to a 5-1 start.
7. Sobieski Skis — My preseason No. 1, dropped a couple of games over the weekend.
8. Union Hill — The Bulldogs off to a 6-1 start.
9. Webster Sox — 5-1 in district play.
10. Winona Chiefs — Welcome to my top 10
Reminder, if you believe your team should be in the top 10, message me on the X @aaronworm1. Also please keep your schedule up to date on the MBA webpage!
Kip Kovar — Herald Journal
1. Young America Cardinals — The Cardinals were my No. 1 team coming into the season and they’ve done nothing to change that. A perfect 4-0 in league play so far, Young America has looked the part early this season as one of the top teams in the state.
2. Jordan Brewers — After coming up short in the championship game a season ago, the Brewers are still a team to watch this season. With the core talent back and a few additions, it’d be no surprise to see the Brewers make another deep postseason run. They are 7-1 on the season with the lone loss coming to Chaska.
3. Bluffton Braves — Still maybe flying under the radar after being ineligible last season, the Bluffton Braves are always a solid team and one that can make another run. They’re perfect on the season thus far and it will be interesting to see what they can do the rest of the way.
4. Bird Island Bullfrogs — Another perennial contender, the Bullfrogs are always a team to watch. Undefeated in league play, Bird Island is off to a strong start and will be a team to keep an eye on.
5. Buckman Billygoats — The definition of consistency when it comes to amateur baseball. Always a dangerous team no matter the time of the year, Buckman once again is a team to watch and coming off an impressive win over Sobieski.
6. Delano Athletics — The move to the Crow River Valley League has been a successful one so far. Off to a 3-0 start in league play, we’ll see just how good Delano is this coming weekend with matchups against Watertown and Young America. Adding former big league pitcher Zack Muckenhirn helps take the loss of Max Otto away as well.
7. Cold Spring Rockies — A scary team to face on any given day. Keep an eye out for the Rockies as they can make a deep run.
8. Fairmont Martins — Another deep that has been as consistent as they come. The Martins know how to win and it’s been on display as they’ve gotten off to a strong season.
9. Northfield Knights — Unlike most of the teams in these rankings, the Knights are one of the few teams that have been in Class B recently. They might not have the name recognition as the other teams, but playing in a tough section the past few seasons should have them prepared to make a run this year.
10. New Ulm Brewers — The darling of the Tomahawk East League the past few years, New Ulm has been able to take the next step each season. Off to a so-so start so far (3-2 in the TEL), the Brewers will be a team to keep in the back of your mind as the year goes on.
Class B rankings (As of June 3)(Pts)(Previous)
1. Jordan Brewers (27)(1)
2. Bluffton Braves (26)(NR)
3. Buckman Billygoats (25)(5)
4. Delano Athletics (23)(NR)
5. Cold Spring Springers (22)(7)
6. Bird Island Bullfrogs (19)(2)
7. Young America Cardinals (17)(3)
8. New Ulm Brewers (16)(9)
9. Sobieski Skis (13)(5)
9. Raymond Rockets (13)(NR)
Also receiving votes: Watertown Red Devils, Maple Lake Lakers, Union Hill Bulldogs, Winona Chiefs, Cold Spring Rockies, Fairmont Martins, Northfield Knights, Kimball Express, Red Wing Aces and Webster Sox.
