High school baseball rankings: St. Mary Prep heads way-too-early 2022 MaxPreps Top 25

1. St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.), 43-1
Only a 2-1 loss to Saline kept St. Mary's Prep from running the table in 2021. State player of the year Alex Mooney has graduated, but there is plenty of talent returning, including four MaxPreps Junior All-Americans. Top players include outfield Jake Dresselhouse (.417, 65 RBI, 14 HR), catcher Ike Irish (.427, 50 RBI, 11 HR) and outfielder Nolan Schubart (.393, 54 RBI, 9 HR). Brock Porter, the Gatorade state player of the year, also returns after going 12-0 with 126 strikeouts. Other returning starters include junior Ryan McKay (.360, 49 RBI) and Jack Crighton (.438, 38 RBI). Pitching may be an issue as only 23 of 43 pitching wins return.

2. Buford (Ga.), 32-2
A pair of late-inning losses to Pope in the Class AAAAAA playoffs prevented Buford from a possible undefeated season and No. 1 spot in the MaxPreps Top 25. The Wolves return Dylan Lesko, the MaxPreps Junior All-American Player of the Year, after he went 11-0 with 112 strikeouts. He's joined by fellow all-state players Jackson Gaspard (2B), Riley Stanford (OF) and Brant Baughcum (3B).

3. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.), 28-2
The Eagles captured the 7A state championship and had a pair of players make the MaxPreps Underclass All-America team. Outfielder Roman Anthony (.362, 5 HR) made the junior squad while pitcher Christian Rodriguez (8-0) landed on the sophomore team. Stoneman Douglas lost three pitching wins to graduation as Chris Arroyo (9-0) also returns. Position players Santiago Ordonez (.398), Cameron Harris (.289), Grant McDonald (.292) and Jake Clement (.360) give coach Todd Fitz-Gerald potentially seven returning starters.

4. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 29-4
The Wolverines lose MaxPreps All-American Christian Becerra to graduation, but plenty of talent returns, including MaxPreps Underclass All-American Freshman of the Year Bryce Rainer, Mission League MVP Toussaint Bythewood and Los Angeles Daily News All-Area pick Jordan Kang.

5. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 23-2
As a boarding school academy, IMG tends to have a different lineup from year to year. That makes it difficult to pinpoint where IMG belongs in any early preseason rankings. However, the Ascenders have two of the nation's top two recruits, according to Perfect Game, in outfielder Elijah Green and pitcher Jackson Ferris. The lineup should also include rising juniors Stone Russell (.365) at shortstop and Brady Neal (.371) at catcher.

6. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 30-6
The Lancers fell short of securing a Trinity League an Southern Section Division 1 championship in 2021, but will once again have a lineup that features some of the top talent in Orange County. Derek Curiel, a MaxPreps Freshman All-American, returns in the outfield, while Mikey Romero (.362), Casey Borba (.333) and Gabe Miranda (.246) all return in the infield. Karson Bowen, one of the nation's top catchers by Perfect Game, also returns.

7. Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 29-18
The Dragons won state championships in 2018 and 2019 and made a strong run in 2021 before falling in the regional finals to Keller. A total of eight Southlake Carroll players earned all-district honors, led by pitcher MVP Griffin Herring and first team picks Clark Springs (C ), Tyler White (DH), Owen Proksch (P) and Ethan Mendoza (2B).

8. Rockwall-Heath (Rockwall, Texas), 38-11-1
The Hawks battled through the postseason, losing four times but also winning six must-win games to capture the 6A championship. Rockwall-Heath returns MaxPreps Freshman All-American Caleb Hoover at first base along with pitchers Josh Hoover and Johnny Lowe and infielder Jett Williams.

9. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 39-2
The defending MaxPreps National Champions will miss National Player of the Year Jack Walker, but several key players return. Pitcher Gavin Guidry, who teamed with Walker to win every postseason game, is back on the mound along with MaxPreps Freshman All-American Landon Victorian. The Buccaneers also return all-state infielder Jon Cassidy Vanek, and honorable mention picks Crawford Courville (OF), Donovan LaSalle (2B) and Grant Comeaux (3B).

10. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 19-1
The Gaels went through a shortened season due to COVID, but still won the Southern Nevada championship and knocked off McQueen in the state playoffs. The pitching staff returns all but three wins from last year, topped by Kamdyn Perry (4-0) and Tyler Avery (4-0). The offense returns seven of the team's top hitters, led by Gunner Myro (.477, 5 HR), Demitri Diamant (.386), Tai Nguyen (.508) and Justin Crawford (.492).

11. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 20-3
The Huskies lost in the 6A semifinals, however coach Mike Wood returns five of his top six hitters. Gavin Turley (.355, 4 HR), Josh Tiedemann (.417, 3 HR), Roch Cholowsky (.347, 4 HR), and Ryan Kucherak (.290, 2 HR) are all back. The pitching staff returns 15 wins, including Logan Saloman (3-1), Kole Klecker (5-0) and Tiedemann (5-0).

12. Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 30-10
Hard to leave out a team that has won the last three Class AAAAAAA championships in Georgia (not including 2020) and six in the past decade. All-state selections Colin Houck (.400, 6 HR), Jayden Talik (.379, 4 HR) and Landon Stripling (9-1, 65 Ks) all return.

13. Owasso (Okla.), 27-4
The Rams are always one of the top contenders in the Sooner State and 2022 should be no different. Owasso has one of the state's top pitchers in MaxPreps Junior All-American Brennan Phillips (144 strikeouts). He's back along with outfielder Solomon Skalnik and pitcher Nolan Ackenhausen.

14. Hanover (Mechanicsville, Va.), 13-3
The Hawks have five players from the Class of 2022 ranked among the top 500 players in the nation, according to Perfect Game, including all-state players Canthnon Peebles at catcher and Levi Huesman at pitcher. Other rising seniors include shortstop Seth Keller and pitcher Anthony Gabello

15. Deer Creek (Edmond, Okla.), 35-4
The Antlers fell in the 6A semifinals, but return eight players from that team. A number of them are ranked among the state's top players by Perfect Game, including pitchers Brett McComas, Cameron Ebert, Brady Hamilton and Keaton Story.

16. Notre Dame (SO) (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), 21-9
Nine of the top 10 hitters in the Knights' lineup return, including rising junior Dean West, an outfielder ranked as the No. 1 player in California for 2023 by Perfect Game. Notre Dame also returns 17 of 24 pitching wins from last season.

17. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), 19-5
Not only do the Ironmen have some of the top players in New Jersey, they have some of the top players in New York as well. All-Big North picks Caden Dana (RHP) and Kevin Jaxel (RHP) are rated as the top two players in the Class of 2022 in New York by Perfect Game. JP Kuczik, meanwhile, is one of the top catchers in New Jersey and earned All-North Jersey honors.

18. Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), 23-5
The Warriors reached the Division 1 semifinals before losing to eventual state champion New Albany. Coach Chris Kaczmar returns a number of starters from that team, including son Henry Kaczmar, who earned all-state honors after batting .568 with four home runs. Also back is MaxPreps Sophomore All-American pitcher Ryan Piech (10-2, 78 Ks), all-state catcher Mason Eckelman (.388), and all-state pitcher Andrew Gormley (6-1, 44 Ks.).

19. Walton (Marietta, Ga.), 22-11
The Raiders return three all-state players from 2021, including outfielders Nicholas Cubides and Barrett Eldridge and catcher/designated hitter Jared Jones. As a freshman, Jones was the MaxPreps Underclass All-American Freshman of the Year. As a junior, he hit nine home runs. He's also one of the top offensive linemen in the state of Georgia.

20. The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.), 31-1
The Royals return every pitching win from a 2021 squad that won the 3A championship, including MaxPreps Junior All-American Isaac Sewell. He had a national best 14 wins while Ben Barrett went 10-1. The team's top four offensive performers also return, led by Riley Parker, who had 33 RBI, 10 doubles and four home runs.

21. Rusk (Texas), 28-8
The Eagles lost 2-1 to Pleasant Grove (Texarkana) in the 4A championship game, but return a stellar pitching staff for 2022. JD Thompson (13-1) is back after a nation-best 194 strikeouts. Mason Cirkel is also back after posting a 9-4 record with 72 strikeouts. Four other starters return, including all-district selections Tarrant Sunday (1B), Brett Rawlinson (2B), Wade Williams (3B) and Will Dixon (OF).

22. Hallsville (Texas), 33-9
The state runner-up to Barbers Hill in 5A, the Bobcats return district MVP Matt Houston, defensive MVP in rising sophomore Sawyer Dunagan, and sophomore MVP Landon Bowden.

23. American Fork (Utah), 30-1
Eight of the top 10 hitters from the defending 6A champions return for the Cavemen, who finished in the top 10 in MaxPreps final national computer ratings. Top returning offensive players include Kaden Carpenter (.448, 6 HR), Easton Jones (.348, 4 HR) and Gatorade State Player of the Year Fisher Ingersoll (.575, 4 HR).

24. Combine Academy (Lincolnton, N.C.), 31-8
The high school version of this up-and-coming academy posted wins over Baylor and Farragut last year and returns some of the top rising seniors in North Carolina. The Goats figure to have a stellar pitching staff led by Hunter Sloop, Isaiah Lowe and Austin Williamson. Combine also returns one of the top rising juniors in third baseman Isaiah Mack and rising sophomore outfielder Jaden Knight.

25. Central (Martinsburg, Pa.), 22-3
The Dragons reached the 6A quarterfinals in 2021 and return two of the players most responsible for that success. Jonah Snowberger went 10-1 on the mound. He leads a group of returning pitchers that combined for 20 wins. Also back is MaxPreps Junior All-American Paxton Kling, who batted .482 with six home runs. He's joined by Devon Boyles (.416, 7 HR), rising sophomore Hunter Smith (.378), and Parker Gregg (.436).