If there's a meaty center to the spring season, we're chewing on it now.
So, quickly, what is essential to know about each sport so far?
In baseball, defending champion Stillwater, with its ironclad starting twosome of Drew Gilbert and Will Frisch, is predicably undefeated (9-0) and looking fierce. Tartan is opening eyes at 7-0. And the South Suburban conference teams continue to beat on each other. All 10 teams in the league have at least two losses.
Softball-wise, Park of Cottage Grove and Forest Lake are Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, in the Class 4A rankings, but the team opening eyes in the torturous Suburban East is East Ridge, which has lost just once and is the only team to defeat Park this season. The Northwest Suburban Conference has a logjam at the top, with five teams with just one loss heading into this week's play.
The boys' tennis Edina Invitational will be held Saturday and once again has a top-flight field, but will we learn anything? The No. 1, 2A Hornets have already defeated the next two teams in the state rankings, No. 2 Mounds View and No. 3 Blake, by 4-3 scores.
There are too many scenarios yet to play out to say anything decisive in the golf world, save for this: The two top girls' players in the state are unquestioned, Leah Herzog and Sophie Yoemans of Red Wing.
Eden Prairie is (no surprise) the top team in the girls' lacrosse world, chalking up a 5-0 record while outscoring foes 93-25. The Eagles' biggest challenger this season? Prior Lake, which has an identical record and similar stats.
THE WEEK AHEAD
BASEBALL
Monday: Stillwater at Mounds View, 4:30 p.m.; Chanhassen at St. Louis Park, 6 p.m.
Friday: St. Thomas Academy at Tartan, 4:15 p.m.; Hopkins at Wayzata, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday: Minnetonka Tournament. Totino-Grace, Grand Rapids and Minnetonka will play each other in a round-robin format, beginning at 8 a.m. at Minnetonka's Veterans Field.
SOFTBALL
Monday: Farmington at Eastview, 4:30 p.m.; Maple Lake at Norwood Young America, 5 p.m.
Tuesday: Lakeville North at Rosemount, 4:30 p.m.; Forest Lake at Stillwater, 4:30 p.m.; Maple Grove at Elk River, 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Park of Cottage Grove at Forest Lake, 4:30 p.m.; Benilde-St. Margaret's at St. Anthony, 7 p.m.
BOYS' LACROSSE
Saturday: Prior Lake at Benilde-St. Margaret's, 3 p.m.
GIRLS' LACROSSE
Saturday: Eden Prairie vs. Chicago Loyola, at Marquette Univ. (Wis.), 10 a.m.
BOYS' TENNIS
Saturday: Edina Invitational. Blake, Eastview, Lakeville South, Minnetonka, Mounds View, Orono, Wayzata and the host Hornets. The finals — should the weather cooperate — will be at Edina's new home courts at Creek Valley Elementary (6401 Gleason Road) at about 2:30 p.m.