The two biggest threats to
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) at No. 1 in MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings suffered defeats last week, solidifying the Florida program's claim on a potential national championship.
Previous No. 2
Puyallup suffered a five-run, first-inning outburst against ace pitcher Mason Pike in an 8-1 loss to
Lake Washington (Kirkland) in the Washington Class 4A state tournament semifinals to ends its run at 28-1. The Vikings owned the longest active streak in the nation at 28 games before having their season end.
Despite the loss, Puyallup stays in the rankings at No. 24.
Meanwhile, preseason No. 1
Corona lost a 2-0 section semifinal game to
St. John Bosco (Bellflower) in California. The Panthers still had the option to participate in the Southern California playoffs this week but opted out as they did last season after winning the Southern Section Division 1 tournament.
St. John Bosco went on to defeat
Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) for the section crown and opted to play in the Southern California regional. The Braves are seeded No. 1 in the Division 1 tournament and move up to No. 3 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 behind IMG Academy and No. 2
Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.).
Texas had three teams move into this week's rankings after advancing to championship games scheduled to begin Thursday at Dell Diamond in Round Rock.
Calallen (Corpus Christi) climbed to No. 4 after sweeping
China Spring. The Wildcats have the best record of any team competing in the state championship games this weekend and are led by the state's winningest coach Steve Chapman, who has over 1,200 career wins.
The Wildcats take on
Pleasant Grove (Texarkana), which spent the early part of the season in the MaxPreps Top 25 before dropping out. The Hawks rejoin the rankings at No. 23. Calallen and Pleasant Grove are competing for the Conference 4A Division 2 championship.
Liberty-Eylau (Texarkana) joins crosstown rival Pleasant Grove in the rankings this week after advancing to the 3A Division Division 1 championship. The Leopards join the rankings at No. 22, one spot ahead of Pleasant Grove, thanks to winning the season series against the Hawks, two games to one. Liberty-Eylau plays
London (Corpus Christi).
Defending 6A state champion
Tomball also returns to the rankings since the first week of the season. The Cougars come in at No. 21 and will face No. 10
Kingwood in the 6A Division 2 championship game.
The only other Texas team in the rankings is
Grapevine, which moved up to No. 6 with a sweep of
Lovejoy (Lucas) in the semifinals. The Mustangs meet Kingwood Park for the 5A Division 2 championship.
Game of the week: St. John Bosco def. Corona, 2-0. The Braves pulled off the upset of the Southern Section tournament with the shutout win over the Panthers, who were ranked No. 3 in the nation at the time. Corona managed just one hit in the loss. The win was the 15th straight for the Braves.
Game to watch: Calallen vs. Pleasant Grove. Both teams will be looking for their fourth state championship when they meet Friday. Calallen last won a title in 2008 while Pleasant Grove last won in 2021.
Pitcher of the week: Trevor Heishman, St. John Bosco. In beating previous No. 3 Corona, Heishman struck out nine batters and allowed just one hit in 6.1 innings pitched for the semifinal win.
Hitter of the week: Graham Charboneau, Kingwood. In the rubber game of Kingwood's semifinal matchup with Dripping Springs, Charboneau had a home run and three RBI in a 6-5 win.
Streaks: Puyallup's loss to Lake Washington ended the nation's longest active streak at 28 games in a row. The new leader is
Pinkerton (Derry, N.H.), which was actually tied last week with Puyallup and now has 30 wins in a row after two victories last week. Pinkerton won its final 11 games last year and is 19-0 this year.
St. John Bosco coach Andy Rojo talks to his team after a win over JSerra Catholic in April. The Braves climbed to No. 3 in this week's rankings after emerging as the victor in California's powerhouse Southern Section Division 1 bracket. (PHOTO: Nick Koza)
1. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 24-1 |
Last week: No. 1
Season complete.
2. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 31-2 |
Last week: No. 4
Season complete. Class 7A state champion.
3. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Record: 27-4 |
Last week: No. 9
Scores: Def. Corona, 2-0; def. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), 3-2
Pitcher of the week: Trevor Heishman gave up no runs on one hit against Corona with nine strikeouts
over six and a third innings for the semifinal win.
Hitter of the week: James Clark had a double against Corona and a triple against Santa Margarita.
Next: Today vs. St. Augustine in Southern California playoffs
4. Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Record: 34-2 |
Last week: No. 6
Scores: Def. China Spring, 9-7, 11-1
Pitcher of the week: Drayton Mitchell gave up one run on four hits with four strikeouts in 11-1 victory.
Hitter of the week: Chase Lynch had a double and a triple with five RBI in 11-1 win.
Next: Friday vs. Pleasant Grove in 4A Division 2 championship game
5. St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 30-1 |
Last week: No. 5
Season complete. WCAC champion.
6. Grapevine (Texas)
Record: 35-3 |
Last week: No. 12
Scores: Def. Lovejoy, 2-0, 6-5
Pitcher of the week: Luke Esquivel struck out eight and allowed no runs on five hits in six innings for the 2-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Zack Goldstein went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI in 6-5 win.
Next: Friday vs. Kingwood Park in 5A Division 2 championship game
7. Lutheran South Academy (Houston, Texas)
Record: 36-3-1 |
Last week: No. 7
Season complete. TAPPS Division II state champion.
8. The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.)
Record: 30-4 |
Last week: No. 8
Season complete. Class 3A state champion
9. Catholic (Baton Rouge, La.)
Record: 37-5 |
Last week: No. 11
Season complete. Division I Select state champion.
10. Kingwood (Texas)
Record: 38-4 |
Last week: No. 13
Scores: Def. Dripping Springs, 8-5, 0-3, 6-5
Pitcher of the week: Christian Mata went 4 and two-thirds innings and gave up no runs on no hits with four strikeouts in 6-5 win.
Hitter of the week: Graham Charboneau went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in 6-5 win.
Next: Saturday vs. Tomball in 6A Division 2 championship game.
11. Walton (Marietta, Ga.)
Record: 33-8 |
Last week: No. 14
Season complete. Class AAAAAAA state champion
12. American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)
Record: 29-6 |
Last week: No. 15
Season complete. Class 5A state champion
13. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Record: 29-6-1 |
Last week: No. 16
Season complete. Class 6A state champion.
14. Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 37-8 |
Last week: No. 17
Season complete. Division I Non-Select state champion.
15. Teurlings Catholic (Lafayette, La.)
Record: 34-5 |
Last week: No. 18
Season complete. Division II Select state champion.
16. Corona (Calif.)
Record: 28-3 |
Last week: No. 3
Scores: Lost to St. John Bosco, 2-0
17. Miami Springs (Fla.)
Record: 28-3 |
Last week: 19
Season complete. Class 3A state champion.
18. Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.)
Record: 33-9 |
Last week: 20
Season complete. Class AAAA state champion.
19. Basic (Henderson, Nev.)
Record: 24-7 |
Last week: No. 21
Season complete. Class 5A state champion.
20. Magnolia Heights (Senatobia, Miss.)
Record: 39-5 |
Last week: No. 22
Season complete. MSAIS Class 5A champion.
21. Tomball (Texas)
Record: 34-6-1 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Marcus, 10-1, 4-0
Pitcher of the week: C.J. Sampson tossed a seven-inning shutout against Marcus, giving up four hits while striking out eight with no walks.
Hitter of the week: Karson Reeder went 4-for-5 in the 10-1 win with a double, a triple and three RBI.
Next: Saturday vs. Kingwood in 6A Division 1 championship game
22. Liberty-Eylau (Texarkana, Texas)
Record: 36-4 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Iowa Park, 7-2, 4-0
Pitcher of the week: Maddax Moore pitched five and two-thirds scoreless innings in 4-0 win, giving up five hits and striking out three.
Hitter of the week: Collin Evans went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in 7-2 win.
Next: Thursday vs. London (Corpus Christi) in 3A Division 1 championship game.
23. Pleasant Grove (Texarkana, Texas)
Record: 35-4 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Seminole, 9-0, 13-1
Hitter and pitcher of the week: Hunter Rose went 2-for-5 with a double and a home run in 13-1 win. He also got
the 9-0 win by going six and two-thirds innings and giving up no runs
on one hit with five strikeouts.
Next: Friday vs. Calallen in 4A Division 1 championship game.
24. Puyallup (Wash.)
Record: 28-1 |
Last week: No. 2
Scores: Lost to Lake Washington, 8-1
25. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
Record: 20-13 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Crespi, 12-0; lost to St. John Bosco, 3-2
Pitcher of the week: Brennan Bauer got the win over Crespi, throwing five innings and giving up no runs on two hits with two strikeouts.
Hitter of the week: Ben Finnegan went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple and four RBI in win over Crespi.
Next: Tuesday vs. Patrick Henry (San Diego) in Southern California playoffs.
Dropped
out: No. 10
Crespi (Encino, Calif.), No. 23
South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.), No. 24
Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.), No. 25
Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.)
