Weekly Power Rankings: June 10

By Ellie Rand

With one week of competition in the books, here is the CRSCBL staff’s top three teams:

1. Gaithersburg Giants (5-1, 1st in North)

The Giants claim the top spot in the inaugural power rankings after posting the league’s best record through the opening week.

Gaithersburg opened the season with victories over the Olney Cropdusters, the SS-T Thunderbolts, and Bethesda Big Train before suffering its lone loss in Alexandria. The Giants quickly bounced back, defeating Olney 14-5 and Silver Spring-Takoma 10-3 to close the week on a two-game winning streak.

The Giants have been one of the league’s most balanced teams, ranking second in batting average (.293) and on-base percentage (.443) at the plate, and second in earned run average (4.33) and strikeouts (58) on the mound. 

Offensively, the Giants have produced 55 runs in six games, tied for the second-most in the league, while their pitchers have held opponents to a .225 batting average and just two home runs thus far.

Gaithersburg’s signature performance of the week came on June 3, when the Giants erased a 7-2 deficit and exploded for 18 runs to defeat the SS-T Thunderbolts 20-8. The Giants broke the game open with a seven-run seventh inning before adding nine more runs over the final three frames. Six different players drove in multiple runs, led by Ayden Phillips (Jacksonville), Dylan Anderson (Rutgers), and Dominic Trolio (Seton Hall) with three RBIs apiece. Trolio added three hits and two doubles, while the bullpen shut down the Thunderbolts over the final four innings.

Week 1 CRSCBL Hitter of the Week, Cole McKenna (Old Dominion), has sparked the Giants’ offense, batting .444 with a home run, 11 scored runs, four stolen bases, and a .583 on-base percentage. Anderson has provided key run production, ranking among the top in the league with nine RBIs. 

On the mound, the bullpen has been a major strength, led by Sebastian Graham (Central Florida), whose league-leading three saves have secured key wins. The Giants’ pitching staff owns a 10.04 strikeouts-per-nine innings rate, one of the best marks in the league.

2. Metro South County Braves (5-2, 1st in South)

No team enters Week 2 hotter than the Braves. In a tightly contested South Division, the Braves have separated themselves with five wins so far. After opening the season with consecutive losses to Alexandria and Southern Maryland, Metro South County has rattled off five straight victories, including a pair of wins over the Senators and an 8-3 road victory against the Aces. Their five-game winning streak is the longest active in the league.

The Braves have been one of the league’s most consistent teams on both sides of the ball. They rank third in batting average (.289), third in ERA (4.65), and third in WHIP (1.53), while posting a .422 on-base percentage. Metro South County has collected 70 hits through seven games, tied for the second-most in the league.

Several Braves hitters have fueled the turnaround. Christopher Krese Jr. (Stevens Tech) ranks among the league’s top hitters with a .450 batting average, notching nine hits and five runs. The offense has shown its ability to manufacture runs, scoring at least six runs in four of its five consecutive victories.

One of Metro South County’s biggest wins came on June 6 against Southern Maryland. Trailing late, the Braves outlasted the Senators 12-11 in a back-and-forth offensive battle before completing a series sweep with a 6-5 victory days later. Those two wins established the Braves as an early favorite in the South Division race.

Metro South County’s pitchers have also delivered. This week’s CRSCBL Pitcher of the Week, Tommy Blackburn (Christopher Newport), struck out eight batters while posting a 1.13 ERA across two starts, and Tyler Kim (New Jersey Institute of Technology) added eight strikeouts of his own. The Braves have recorded 55 strikeouts in 62 innings while consistently keeping games within reach during their winning streak.

3. Alexandria Aces (4-3, tied for 2nd in South)

Despite sitting just one game above .500, the Aces earn the final spot in this week’s rankings thanks to an explosive offense and wins over both teams ranked ahead of them.

Alexandria made an immediate statement to open the season, defeating Metro South County 9-2 before following it up with a 16-4 rout of the D.C. Grays. Just three days later, the Aces handed Gaithersburg its only loss of the season, a 5-3 victory and one of the league’s most impressive wins through the opening slate.

No team has been more dangerous at the plate. Alexandria leads the CRSCBL in batting average (.311), on-base percentage (.457), runs scored (56), and hits (76). The Aces have reached double-digit runs three times and scored 19 runs in their most recent victory.

The lineup has been loaded from top to bottom. Daniel McGinnis (Eastern Mennonite) ranks second among qualified hitters with a .556 batting average, while Matthew Pazak (Penn) hit .500 through six games. Noah Harvey (Richmond) has emerged as one of the league’s premier run producers, a league leader with 10 RBIs and two home runs.

The Aces have also been aggressive on the basepaths. Elijah Grant (Presbyterian) leads the league with six stolen bases, translating into seven runs, helping Alexandria force additional scoring opportunities.

Alexandria’s pitchers have quietly been one of the league’s best. The Aces lead the CRSCBL with 70 strikeouts and own the league’s lowest WHIP among teams with winning records. Braxtyn Vackar (Southeastern) and Jack Feehery (Duke) rank among the league strikeout leaders with 10 and nine punchouts, respectively, giving Alexandria a pair of reliable arms.

The biggest question entering Week 2 is consistency. After winning four of their first five games, the Aces dropped back-to-back contests to the Grays and Braves before bouncing back with their 19-run outburst on Tuesday. If Alexandria can pair its high-powered offense with more consistent pitching performances, the Aces have the talent to challenge for the top spot in the South Division.