Florida became the first state to get the postseason underway last week and each of the teams in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings got off to a strong start.
Seven of the eight Florida programs in the rankings won a district championship over the weekend with the lone exception being No. 1-ranked
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.),
which does not compete in the state playoffs. The Ascenders won twice
last week and have two more games before wrapping up their season next
week.
,
the only other team to hold the No. 1 ranking this year, suffered
another blow when it fell to
Santiago (Corona), 1-0, in league
play. Panther pitchers
Seth Hernandez and
Ethin Bingaman
combined for 17 strikeouts but gave up an unearned run on an error in
the top of the seventh inning. Santiago's pitching staff
limited Corona to just one hit despite striking out only two batters.
The
Panthers rebounded Monday by blasting eight home runs in a 23-3 win
over
Centennial (Corona). Corona dropped from No. 3 to No. 6 due to two
previous wins over Santiago.
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
was the only team to drop out of the MaxPreps Top 25 after going 2-1-1 at the
All Faiths Classic in Las Vegas. The Crusaders defeated
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) and
Brophy College Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.), but tied
Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.) and lost to
Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.).
Valley
Christian joined the rankings after going 3-0-1 in the tournament with
wins over a pair of MaxPreps Top 25 teams. In addition to beating Archbishop Moeller, the Warriors also topped
Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.) on Monday of last week, defeated
Jesuit (Carmichael, Calif.) and tied
North Cobb Christian (Kennesaw, Ga.).
Game of the week: Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.) def.
Forest (Ocala, Fla.), 3-2. In a district playoff game, the Bobcats advanced to the district final after
Zac Brown
drew three straight balls after working a 1-2 count to walk with the
bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth. The run broke a 2-2 tie and
gave Buchholz the win.
Game to watch: Barbe (Lake Charles, La.) vs.
Central (Baton Rouge, La.).
The Buccaneers and Wildcats meet in the second round of the Non-Select
Division 1 playoffs. Barbe is the No. 2 seed while Central is No. 15.
The two teams have combined for eight of the past 10 state championships
in the largest enrollment division in Louisiana with Barbe winning six
and Central two.
Pitcher of the week: Aaron Watson of
Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.) threw a five-inning no-hitter with eight strikeouts in a district playoff win over Episcopal of Jacksonville.
Hitter of the week: Anthony Murphy,
Corona. One of the top juniors in the country, Murphy blasted three
home runs with six RBI in a 23-3 win over Centennial (Corona). Murphy
leads Corona with nine home runs on the season.
Streaks: While
Owyhee (Meridian, Idaho) lost last week to see its 34-game win streak come to an end,
Harlem (Ga.)
had actually passed Owyhee for the longest active streak in the nation.
The Bulldogs finished the 2024 season with 12 straight wins and have
won 29 in a row in 2025 for a 41-game win streak.
No. 3 Puyallup looks to stay unbeaten Tuesday against rival Rogers. (PHOTO: Vince Miller)
1. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 22-1 |
Last week: No. 1
Scores: Def. Central Pointe Christian, 8-1; def. Inspiration Academy, 5-0
Pitcher of the week: Chase Bentley tossed a seven-inning shutout with six strikeouts and no walks in a 5-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Sean Gamble went 2-for-3 in both wins, getting a double against Central Pointe and a triple against Inspiration.
Next: Tuesday vs. Sunshine State Elite Academy
2. Venice (Fla.)
Record: 24-3 |
Last week: No. 2
Scores: Def. North Port, 9-0; def. Sarasota, 12-2
Pitcher of the week: Carter Cox gave up no runs on two hits with nine strikeouts in six innings against North Port.
Hitter of the week: August Backman went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI against North Port.
Next: Wednesday vs. Olympia
3. Puyallup (Wash.)
Record: 16-0 |
Last week: No. 5
Scores: Def. Curtis, 8-4, 6-0, def. Olympia, 4-2
Pitcher of the week: Mason Pike threw a one-hit shutout in a 6-0 win over Curtis, striking out eight.
Hitter of the week: Riley Sanoy went 3-for-4 with a double in the 8-4 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Rogers
4. Harlem (Ga.)
Record: 29-0 |
Last week: No. 6
Scores: Def. Hephzibah, 18-0, 17-1; def. Fox Creek, 8-4
Pitcher of the week: Brody Knight threw a three-inning no-hitter in an 18-0 win, striking out eight.
Hitter of the week: Brantley McGowan went 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI in a 17-1 win.
Next: Playoffs, TBD
5. Gloucester Catholic (Gloucester City, N.J.)
Record: 7-0 |
Last week: No. 7
Scores: Def. Gloucester County Tech, 7-0; def. Delbarton, 8-5
Pitcher of the week: Jude Morgan threw a one-hit shutout with three strikeouts and no walks in a 7-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Guy Lynam went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI against Delbarton.
Next: Thursday vs. Washington Township
6. Corona (Calif.)
Record: 20-2 |
Last week: No. 3
Scores: Def. Santiago, 10-1; lost to Santiago, 1-0; def. Centennial (Corona), 23-3
Pitcher of the week: Gavin Flores got the win over Santiago, going six innings with no runs on two hits with four strikeouts.
Hitter of the week: Anthony Murphy had three home runs and six RBI in the 23-3 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Centennial
7. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 23-2 |
Last week: No. 8
Scores: Def. Western, 1-0
Pitcher of the week: Gio Rojas went six innings and gave up no runs on four hits with eight strikeouts in the win.
Hitter of the week: Michael Ossenfort went 3-for-3 against Western.
Next: Wednesday vs. Cypress Bay
8. St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 21-1 |
Last week: No. 10
Scores: Def. Our Lady of Good Counsel, 6-0; def. Gainesville, 6-5; def. Bishop McNamara, 17-0
Pitcher of the week: Ren Devereaux struck out nine and gave up no runs on one hit in a 6-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Colin Francis had home runs against Gainesville and Bishop McNamara.
Next: Tuesday vs. Gonzaga
9. Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Record: 24-4 |
Last week: No. 11
Scores: Def. Episcopal of Jacksonville, 10-0; def. Bishop Snyder, 5-1; def. Maclay, 3-2
Pitcher of the week: Aaron Watson threw a five-inning no-hitter against Episcopal, striking out eight and walking one.
Hitter of the week: Parker Loew had doubles in both playoff wins over Episcopal and Bishop Snyder.
Next: Tuesday vs. Maclay
10. Huntington Beach (Calif.)
Record: 18-2 |
Last week: No. 12
Scores: Def. Los Alamitos, 3-2, 8-1, 7-2
Pitcher of the week: Otto Espinoza had nine strikeouts in the 3-2 win.
Hitter of the week: Ethan Porter had a double and a home run in the 3-2 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Newport Harbor
11. Etowah (Woodstock, Ga.)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: No. 13
Scores: Def. Blessed Trinity, 6-4, 8-0; def. HIllgrove, 6-3
Pitcher of the week: Matthew Sharman struck out 11 in a the 6-4 win.
Hitter of the week: Caden Borcherding went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in the 6-4 win.
Next: Wednesday vs. Richmond Hill
12. Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.)
Record: 31-2 |
Last week: No. 14
Scores: Def. Hoover, 12-2, 8-2
Pitcher of the week: Blake Bales struck out three in three innings in a 12-2 win.
Hitter of the week: Steele Hall had a double and a home run in the 8-2 win.
Next: Friday vs. Sparkman
13. Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Record: 27-1 |
Last week: No. 15
Scores: Def. DeSoto County, 2-1; def. Avon Park, 3-1; def. Aubrey Park, 5-0
Pitcher of the week: Nick Raber struck out five in the win over Avon Park.
Hitter of the week: Joey Lawson went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run in the 2-1 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Aubrey Park
14. Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.)
Record: 26-1 |
Last week: No. 16
Scores: Def. Forest, 3-2; def. Tocoi Creek, 12-2
Pitcher of the week: Aidan Kastensmidt struck out six in six innings against Forest.
Hitter of the week: Blake Brewer went 2-for-3 with a home run against Tocoi Creek.
Next: Wednesday vs. First Coast
15. Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Record: 25-1 |
Last week: No. 17
Scores: Def. Tuloso-Midway 11-1; def. King, 26-0
Pitcher of the week: Collier Carroll gave up one run on two hits with three strikeouts in the 11-1 win.
Hitter of the week: Chase Lynch went 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and a home run with five RBI in the 11-1 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Zapata
16. Owasso (Okla.)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: No. 9
Scores: Lost to Charles Page, 4-3; def. Charles Page, 5-3; def. Tulsa NOAH HomeSchool, 7-1; def. Southmoore, 7-4
Pitcher of the week: Kooper Ranallo struck out 11 in a 5-3 win.
Hitter of the week: Benji Bauer had a pair of RBI against Tulsa Noah.
Next: Tuesday vs. Southmoore
17. Crespi (Encino, Calif.)
Record: 16-1 |
Last week: No. 18
Scores: Did not play
Next: Wednesday vs. Saugus
18. South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.)
Record: 25-3 |
Last week: No. 19
Scores: Def. West Florida, 10-0; Def. Bay, 10-0
Pitcher of the week: Braxton Varnes threw a five-inning no-hitter with seven strikeouts against West Florida.
Hitter of the week: Coleman Borthwick went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI against West Florida.
Next: Tuesday vs. Bay
19. Conway (Ark.)
Record: 18-0 |
Last week: No. 20
Scores: Def. Little Rock Central, 20-1; def. Bryant, 2-0
Pitcher of the week: Nate Wanamaker struck out six in the win over Bryant.
Hitter of the week: Silas Cicero had a double, a home run and four RBI against Central.
Next: Tuesday vs. Little Rock Christian Academy
20. Lutheran South Academy (Houston)
Record: 31-2-1 |
Last week: No. 21
Scores: Def. Fort Bend Christian Academy, 4-0, 11-0
Pitcher of the week: Grant Burns struck out six and walked none in a three-hit, five-inning shutout in an 11-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Ryan Reed had home runs in both wins against Fort Bend Christian.
Next: Playoffs, TBD
21. Spruce Creek (Port Orange, Fla.)
Record: 25-2 |
Last week: No. 22
Scores: Def. West Port, 10-0; def. DeLand, 9-2
Pitcher of the week: Garrett Grant struck out 10 in the complete-game win over DeLand.
Hitter of the week: Justin Cronin had three triples in the win over West Port.
Next: Wednesday vs. Atlantic Coast
22. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 32-4 |
Last week: No. 23
Scores: Def. St. Louis Catholic, 14-2, 11-5
Pitcher of the week: Lawton Littleton got the 14-2 win over St. Louis Catholic.
Hitter of the week: Jordon Griffin went 3-for-3 with a triple in the 11-5 win.
Next: Thursday vs. Central (Baton Rouge)
23. Memorial (Houston)
Record: 23-3 |
Last week: No. 24
Scores: Def. Jersey Village, 8-0, 5-1
Pitcher of the week: Grant Sperandio struck out six and gave up no runs on two hits in six innings in the 8-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Tanner Drda had a double and an RBI in the 8-0 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Stratford
24. Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.)
Record: 15-4-1 |
Last week: No. 74
Scores:
Def. Aquinas (San Bernardino), 5-2; tied North Cobb Christian, 3-3;
def. Jesuit (Carmichael), 17-7; def. Archbishop Moeller, 10-7
Pitcher of the week: Rohan Kasanagottu struck out nine against Archbishop Moeller.
Hitter of the week: Brock Ketelsen went 4-for-4 with two doubles and a triple with six RBI in the 17-7 win.
Next: Friday vs. Washington (Fremont)
25. Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.)
Record: 18-2 |
Last week: No. 25
Scores: Def. North Cobb Christian, 8-5; def. Bishop O'Dowd, 13-1, def. Brophy College Prep, 12-5
Pitcher of the week: Gavin Egan gave up just one run on two hits with three strikeouts against O'Dowd.
Hitter of the week: Mason Greenhouse went 3-for-3 with four RBI against North Cobb.
Next: Tuesday vs. Arrowhead Christian
Dropped out: No. 4
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
