With the top seven teams all winning last week, there was little movement at the top of the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings this week. That wasn't the case at the bottom of the rankings, however.
Four new teams entered the rankings this week while four others, including former No. 1 Bishop Gorman, exited the top 25. Four unbeaten teams - Wayne County (Jesup, Ga.), South County (Lorton, Va.), Providence Catholic (New Lenox, Ill.) and Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.) all entered this week's rankings. All four teams are ranked No. 1 in their state or metropolitan area.
Meanwhile the expected meeting between two of the top pitchers in the country, Owasso's Dylan Bundy and Broken Arrow's Archie Bradley, failed to materialize when the game between the Rams and Tigers was postponed due to poor field conditions.
The top two teams in this week's rankings, Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.) and St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), can solidify their spots at the top with strong performances in tournament play this week. Edison is playing in the San Diego Lions Tournament while St. Francis is participating in the Hard 9 National Classic.
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 NATIONAL BASEBALL RANKINGS
1. (last week 1) Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.), 15-1
The Chargers remained undefeated in Sunset League play, topping Huntington Beach in a pair of games by scores of 5-4 and 14-1.
Henry Owens saw his shutout streak end at four in a row, but he still managed to pick up the win in the 14-1 victory, putting him at 9-0 on the season. The Chargers will play in the San Diego Lions Tournament this week.
2. (2) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 19-1
The Lancers avenged their lone loss of the season with a 9-5 victory over Valley Christian last week. St. Francis also downed Sacred Heart Cathedral with
Ryan Degregorio picking up his sixth win of the season (6-0). The Lancers are playing in the Hardball 9 National Classic in Fullerton this week.
3. (3) Fort Bend Clements (Sugar Land, Texas), 25-2
The Rangers won three times last week including a 10-1 win over Fort Bend Elkins, Fort Bend Hightower 13-1 and Fort Bend Fort Bend Kempner 6-5.
Gr Hinsley had a triple to drive in the winning run against Kempner and he also had a home run against Elkins.
Blake Johnson and
Cline Andrews also homered in the Elkins win.
4. (4) Sharyland (Mission, Texas), 25-1
The Rattlers defeated Palmview 11-0 with
Eric Gutierrez going 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a double. Gutierrez and
Fernando Martinez each had four RBIs in a 17-2 win over McAllen Memorial while
Brian Valencia knocked in five runs and had a double and a triple.
5. (5) Owasso (Okla.), 23-1
The Rams won three times last week including a 15-2 win over last year's 6A state champion Union (Tulsa). The expected showdown against Broken Arrow on Friday never materialized due to poor field conditions. The Rams defeated Edmond North 10-0 on Saturday and blanked Stillwater 9-0 early in the week.
6. (6) Broken Arrow (Okla.), 23-1
The Tigers defeated Ponca City 9-0 early in the week but they did not play against Owasso on Friday due to poor field conditions.
Archie Bradley pitched two innings against Ponca City and was credited with the win. He had six strikeouts and gave up just one hit.
7. (7) Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), 8-0
The Warriors opened the Cuyahoga Falls City Classic with a 14-0 win over Woodbridge.
Tim Faix pitched four innings for the win, giving up just one hit while striking out six. The Warriors also had six doubles in the win. The Warriors also defeated Western Reserve Military 11-0 behind a home run and double by
Jake Nogalo. In a 10-0 win over Amherst Steele,
Mike Marsinek had 10 strikeouts for the win.
8. (10) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 16-2
The Falcons did not play last week and will take on Coral Springs Charter and Pembroke Pines Charter to conclude the season this week.
9. (13) Sierra Vista (Las Vegas), 20-0
The Mountain Lions continued to win big, stopping Durango (Las Vegas) 10-0, Bonanza (Las Vegas) 12-2 and Western (Las Vegas) 14-1.
Scott Tomassetti went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and four RBIs in the win over Western.
10. (14) Spanish Fork (Utah), 13-2
The Dons defeated Timpanogos (Orem) 11-4 with
Jarret Jarvis and
Kayden Porter each hitting home runs in the win. Jarvis also had a double and finished with five RBIs.
11. (15) Madison Central (Miss.), 23-1
The Jaguars avenged their only loss of the season with a 13-6 win over Northwest Rankin (Brandon). Madison Central also downed Warren Central (Vicksburg) 6-0 and Yazoo City 12-2.
Zach Irwin homered and had four RBIs in the win over Northwest Rankin.
Spencer Turnbull struck out 10 and hit a home run in the Warren Central victory. Irwin and Turnbull both homered against Yazoo City.
12. (16) Tupelo (Miss.), 23-1
The Golden Wave topped South Panola 7-2, Starkville 10-1, East Union 5-1 and New Albany 5-2 last week to make it 21 straight wins.
Connor Carothers had a home run in the win over East Union.
13. (24) Tottenville (Staten Island, N.Y.), 8-0
The Pirates won their only game last week, defeating New Dorp 5-2. Two other games were postponed.
14. (NR) Providence Catholic (New Lenox, Ill.), 12-0
The Celtics are ranked No. 1 in the Chicago Sun Times rankings and are coming off a 9-1 victory over Marian Catholic in the first round of the Do It Stevie's Way Challenge in Crestwood. Brandon Magallones allowed one run on two hits with 12 strikeouts in the win.
15. (8) Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.), 17-2
The Bears split a pair with Clovis West, losing 4-1 on Tuesday before rebounding with a 5-1 win on Friday. The Bears and Golden Eagles went 10 innings on Tuesday before Clovis West won on a home run by
Nick McAllaster.
16. (11) The Woodlands (Texas), 22-3-2
The Highlanders went 2-1 during the week, defeating Episcopal 10-3 and Memorial 12-1, but losing to Lufkin 9-1.
Kevin McCanna went five innings and struck out eight to beat Episcopal. McCanna also pitched five innings against Memorial, tossing a one-hitter with seven strikeouts. The Highlanders managed just three hits in the loss to Lufkin.
17. (NR) Wayne County (Jesup, Ga.), 19-0
One of the few unbeaten teams left in Georgia, Wayne County is ranked No. 1 in the AAAA coaches poll. The Yellow Jackets completed the regular season on Monday and will begin postseason play next week.
18. (12) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 19-3
The Mavericks suffered a 9-8 loss to Park Vista despite home runs by
Nick Basto and
Jose Brizuela. A game against Florida Christian, set for Saturday, was rained out and rescheduled for Monday.
19. (17) Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.), 20-4
Although the Admirals fell to Maryville 2-1 early in the week, they bounced back to win the Kessler Classic with wins over Morristown West 6-0, Pigeon Forge 10-5, Dobyns-Bennett 6-5 and Powell 6-1.
20. (9) Douglas (Parkland, Fla.), 16-2
Douglas lost for the second straight game, falling to Jupiter 1-0. The Eagles conclude the season this week against Cardinal Gibbons and St. Thomas Aquinas.
21. (19) Pensacola Catholic (Pensacola, Fla.), 20-2
The Crusaders avenged a loss to Pace with a 4-3 victory over the Patriots on Thursday, but Pensacola Catholic fell to West Florida 9-8 on Friday for its second loss of the season. The Crusaders also topped Chipley 7-2 early in the week.
Cody Alling picked up the pitching win over Pace, striking out 12.
22. (18) Pace (Fla.), 20-3
The Patriots dropped a 4-3 decision to Pensacola Catholic, which they defeated last week to move into the Xcellent 25 rankings. Pace also knocked off Pine Forest 11-6 and topped Navarre 5-2.
23. (20) Franklin (El Paso, Texas), 26-3-1
The Cougars won a pair of games by shutout during the week, blanking Bel Air 11-0 and Montwood 10-0 before falling to Eastwood 4-3 on Saturday.
24. (NR) South County (Lorton, Va.), 7-0
Ranked No. 1 by the Washington Post, South County has wins over Lake Braddock and W.T. Woodson, which are No. 3 and 4 in the poll. Also ranked ahead of undefeated Sherwood in the rankings.
25. (NR) Papillion-LaVista South (Papillion, Neb.), 17-0
The Titans are ranked No. 1 in Nebraska Class A rankings and are led by
Justin Paul, with a .525 batting average and four home runs, and
Tyler Lane, with a .596 batting average.
Dropped: No. 21 Westlake, No. 22 Valencia, No. 23. Bishop Gorman, No. 25. Lone Peak.
