By Nick Gerhardt
With May in the rearview mirror, we’ve started to see some trends emerge across the Class C landscape and it’s dotted with some surprises. While the teams our pollsters felt ranked toward the head of the class, we’ve seen some less-heralded teams trickle into the top 10 in this poll. Four new teams entered the poll this time while the top three spots remained relatively the same.
Courtland, behind its 5-1 start, has continued to impress and held down the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive poll. Waterville got off to a 5-0 start and claimed the No. 2 slot once again while Le Sueur rose to the No. 3 ranking after Litchfield dove down the rankings this time.
Clearwater and its robust early season schedule pulled into the No. 4 spot and upstart Glencoe garnered the attention of our rankings experts to grab the No. 5 ranking. The Brewers own a 5-3 win over Class A St. Boni and a 4-3 win over Class B Green Isle.
New York Mills ascended to the No. 6 ranking after starting the year at No. 9. The Millers have outscored opponents 33-7 to start the year.
Sauk Centre started the season ranked No. 2 but has only posted one result on the season, a 4-3 loss to Alexandria. The Titans checked in at No. 7 in this poll. Cologne entered the poll at No. 8 after a 6-3 start that included wins over Brownton and Green Isle. Elsewhere, Windom is off to a 4-0 start following a 6-3 win over Jackson.
Litchfield moved down to No. 10 and the Pierz Brewers joined the Blues there. Litchfield has started 2-2, winning both its North Star League games, but falling to Class A Crystal and Atwater. The Brewers have put up a ton of runs with a 4-1 start but have some strong competition in the Class C Victory League with Upsala and St. Wendel. The Saints have not dropped a league game yet.
Brandon Johnson — Detroit Lakes Ligers
Round 2 of rankings, here we go! Games have been played, there is dirt on guys’ spikes, and the bottles of ibuprofen have been cracked open. Still trying to fairly and accurately compile rankings in this new class alignment relies on a balance between past rankings, and posted results. Thank you to those who post your results, and a special thank you to the Town Ball Schedule Guy for compiling them!
1. Courtland Cubs — The unanimous preseason No. 1 has started out the early season strong with a 5-1 record. Will June establish the Cubs as clear favorites in Class C or show an opening for a new No. 1?
2. Le Sueur Braves — Moving up from the previous polls for a 2-1 record, with wins over Lonsdale (B) and Eagle Lake (B).
3. Waterville Indians — 3-0 in May with wins over Cannon Falls, Lake Crystal and Blue Earth bumps Waterville up this month.
4. Pierz Brewers — With wins over Pearl Lake, Flensburg, and Upsala, the Brewers go into June at 3-1 and move up a few spots in my rankings.
5. Clearwater River Cats — Clearly my biggest miss from the pre-season rankings. With the most wins in the early season at 7-2, the River Cats look to continue this early success come out of June still climbing.
6. New York Mills Millers — Starting hot up north with a 4-0 record, the Millers are ready to storm through Region 11 by the looks of this early season.
7. Sauk Centre Titans — At 0-1, this is a team slipping down on the “what have you done for me lately” principle. Look for the Titans to climb back up as they get more games in.
8. Wanamingo Jacks — A 2-2 record lets the Jacks slip a bit, with wins coming against Morristown and Owatonna (A).
9. Glencoe Brewers — Joining the rankings thanks to a 6-2 start, the Brewers of Glencoe have hit the ground running and look to keep cooking throughout June.
10. Veseli Warriors — This 5-3 squad has the feel of a squad that can either take off and have a special summer, or have the wheels fall off, but my faith is in them. With wins over Union Hill (B), New Prague (B), Prior Lake (B), Wanamingo, and St Boni (A), it’s clear they can take care of business with highly competitive teams.
Honorable Mention: Litchfield Blues, Clinton Cards, Lamberton Long Sox, Midway Snurdbirds, Morris Eagles, Luxemburg Brewers, Elrosa Saints, New Munich, Spring Hill Chargers, Pierz Lakers, St. Wendel Saints, Worthington Cubs, Urbank Bombers and Perham Pirates.
AJ Hadley — Elrosa Saints
1. Courtland Cubs (5-1) — Remains at the top with a Class B loss to Hutchinson as their only blemish (Previous No. 1).
2. Waterville Indians (5-0) — Scoring more runs and McBroom shut down Blue Earth in their closest ball game 2-1 (Previous No. 3).
3. Le Sueur Braves (4-1) — Swept Eagle Lake on the season, only loss to Class A Burnsville Bobcats (Previous No. 4).
4. Glencoe Brewers (8-2) — An early season midweek slugfest loss to Becker and a Class B loss to Hutchinson. 8 wins is 8 wins. (Previous Unranked).
5. Spring Hill Chargers (7-2) — A tough loss to a was-hot Roscoe Rangers team, and 11-6 to Cokato in a friendly. (Previous unranked).
6. Clearwater River Cats (7-4) — 11 games by June 1, with all four losses to Class B Maple Lake, Cold Spring Springers, Sartell Muskies and Sauk Rapids Cyclones (Previous No. 6).
7. Urbank Bombers (5-1) — Outscored opponents 47-20, including a nice win versus Class A Alexandria. Added a couple of nice pieces in the transfer portal. Some say Austen Hadley is washed up though. (Previous unranked).
8. Litchfield Blues (2-2) — Just getting going on the season, lots of teams already ducking them early in the season. The Big O is back in town, should calm down the locals at the Muddy Cow. (Previous No. 2).
9. New York Mills Millers (5-0) — Beat a nice Perham team over the weekend. Scoring runs and pitching seems to be a nice recipe. (Previous No. 7)
10. Pierz Lakers (4-1) — A 2-0 loss to an upstart Opole team. Should remain in the rankings most of the summer (Previous No. 9).
John Anderson — Litchfield Blues
It’s been a fun and fast start to the 2025 amateur baseball season, and as expected, the landscape is already shifting. We’ve seen a few preseason favorites stumble and fall out of my personal top 10, while a handful of others have climbed their way into the spotlight with impressive early wins.
This time of year is always fluid. Rosters are still settling, college guys are returning, and managers are figuring out their best lineups. By the time we get into late June, we’ll start to see who’s truly built for a deep postseason run. Until then, it’s a week-to-week grind, and yes — ranking life is absolutely a “What have you done for me lately?” kind of game.
With that said, here are the teams that have caught my eye early on in June:
1. Courtland Cubs
2. Waterville Indians
3. Le Sueur Braves
4. New York Mills Millers
5. Glencoe Brewers
6. Richmond Royals
7. Cologne Hollanders
8. Windom Pirates
9. Litchfield Blues
10. St. Wendel Saints
Expect a lot of shake ups in the coming weeks — mid-summer ball always delivers.
Chad Knutson — Heron Lake Lakers
1. Courtland Cubs — Start the year 5-0 just lost to a good Hutch team.
2. Waterville Indians — Looks like they are 5-0 from what I can tell.
3. Sauk Centre Titans — Cannot find any of their games, but good group and will stay here for now.
4. Cologne Hollanders —Six wins early, play in tough Crow River Valley League.
5. Clearwater River Cats — Six wins and playing well.
6. Windom Pirates — 4-0, beat Milroy and Jackson. Tauer and Wenzel have been big for them.
7. Le Sueur Braves — 4-1 lost to a very good Burnsville team. Very good lineup.
8. Atwater Chuckers — Just beat Litchfield.
9. Litchfield Blues — Good team, I see them staying in my top 10.
10. St. Wendel Saints — 6-1, leading Class C Victory League
I wasn’t able to research enough information on some teams. Please update your records and teams pages or feel free to send me stuff on your team Chad7_bball@hotmail.com. Thank you!
Honorable Mention
Luxemburg Brewers, Wanamingo Jacks, New York Mills Millers, Vesili Warriors, Brownton Bruins, Elrosa Saints, Cannon Falls Bears , Midway Snurdbirds, Spring Hill Chargers, Minneota Mudhens, Springfield Tigers, Pierz Brewers, Detroit Lakes Ligers, Hadley Buttermakers, Clinton Cards, Glencoe Brewers, Quamba Cubs, Paynesville Pirates, Worthington Cubs and Roscoe Rangers.
Class C rankings (As of June 4)(Pts)(Previous)
1. Courtland Cubs (40)(1)
2. Waterville Indians (35)(2)
3. Le Sueur Braves (29)(4)
4. Clearwater River Cats (17)(8)
5. Glencoe Brewers (15)(NR)
6. New York Mills Millers (14)(9)
7. Sauk Centre Titans (12)(2)
8. Cologne Hollanders (11)(NR)
9. Windom Pirates (8)(NR)
10. Pierz Brewers (7)(NR)
10. Litchfield Blues (7)(5)
Also receiving votes: Wanamingo Jacks, Veseli Warriors, Spring Hill Chargers, Urbank Bombers, Pierz Lakers, Richmond Royals, St. Wendel Saints, Atwater Chuckers, Luxemburg Brewers, Brownton Bruins, Elrosa Saints, Cannon Falls Bears, Midway Snurdbirds, Minneota Mudhens, Springfield Tigers, Detroit Lakes Ligers, Hadley Buttermakers, Clinton Cards, Quamba Cubs, Paynesville Pirates, Worthington Cubs, Roscoe Rangers, Lamberton Long Sox, Midway Snurdbirds, Morris Eagles, New Munich SilverStreaks and Perham Pirates.
