Bullish Move in Power Rankings

The home stretch of the Western Canadian Baseball League regular season is upon us.

While the WCBL playoff picture is starting to take shape, one team has muscled its way into a top-three spot in the Power Rankings.

Here's a rundown of the latest edition of the league's movers and shakers:

1. SYLVAN LAKE GULLS: The Lake Boys hold steady at No. 1 for another week. At 34-11, Sylvan Lake is in first in the West Division and the WCBL with a .756 winning percentage.

2. OKOTOKS DAWGS: Locked in at second spot are the Dawgs, the only other club with a winning percentage over .700 this season. Okotoks has won three games in a row and will look to establish some good playoff habits in the final weeks of the regular season.

3. LETHBRIDGE BULLS: Charging up the standings are the Bulls, who are riding a nine-game unbeaten streak. Lethbridge is still in the hunt for first place in the West Division and the 30-15 Bulls have shown that they can beat both Okotoks and Sylvan Lake in head-to-head matchups.

4. REGINA RED SOX: The Red Sox have been consistent all summer and remain atop the East Division standings at 30-14. Regina faces a tough challenge this week with games against the Medicine Hat Mavericks - who still have time to catch them - as well as the Dawgs and the Moose Jaw Miller Express.

5. MEDICINE HAT MAVERICKS: The Mavs welcome the Red Sox to Athletic Park this week for a pair of matchups. Victories in both games would give Medicine Hat a real shot at the No. 1 seed in the East, while back-to-back losses would likely seal the top position for Regina.

6. SASKATOON BERRIES: Led by WCBL All-Star Game MVP Carter Beck - who was also the runner up in the league's Home Run Derby - the Berries have played well lately, going 7-3 over their last 10 games. The expansion franchise looks to have secured a spot in the postseason, but Saskatoon is in a tight battle with the Miller Express over third place in the East Division.

7. MOOSE JAW MILLER EXPRESS: The slumping Millers have picked up just two wins in their last 10 games. In order to make another postseason appearance, they'll need to keep the Swift Current 57's in the rearview mirror.

8. BROOKS BOMBERS: The Bomb squad have put themselves in a position to make the playoffs in the West Division. Their 6-4 record of late, coupled with a 1-9 record from the fourth-seeded Fort McMurray Giants, has the two Alberta teams neck-and-neck for the final postseason berth.

9. FORT McMURRAY GIANTS: A four-game losing skid has breathed life into the playoff hopes of the Bombers and doubt into the league's northernmost outpost. The two clubs have no head-to-head games left, so they'll need to focus on their own schedules if they hope to secure bonus baseball for their fans.

10. SWIFT CURRENT 57's: The playoff aspirations of the 57's took a major hit when their ace pitcher, Kenny Jinks, signed a professional deal recently to play for the Missoula Paddleheads of the Pioneer Baseball League. However, Swift Current does control its own fate to some degree. The 57's have a number of games left against the teams they're chasing, the Berries and the Miller Express.

11. WEYBURN BEAVERS: A gruesome 17-game losing skid sunk the postseason hopes of the Beavers, but the team has played better lately. Weyburn is 4-6 over their last 10 games and they'll look to play spoiler down the stretch.

12. EDMONTON PROSPECTS: The Prospects have lost six games in a row and have just one victory in their last 10 contests. They'll need a bounce back over the final weeks of the regular season to avoid finishing in last place overall.

The WCBL Power Rankings are a weekly feature from Sentinel Storage and Access Storage that examines how all 12 squads are playing. You can find the East and West Division standings, as well as team and individual statistics on the league’s website. The WCBL This Week: Red Arrow Report also provides weekly updates, highlights and analysis from around the league.