Video: Nate Wohlgemuth's highlights vs. Edmond NorthWatch the Owasso freshman perform in a recent game against one of the top teams in Oklahoma.
The National High School Invitational gets underway Wednesday in Cary (N.C.) and features six teams featured in this week's Xcellent 25 National High School baseball rankings.
Five of those teams have been in the rankings for most of the season, but Winder-Barrow joins the rankings at No. 20 this week after a strong first month of the season. Other teams headed to the NHSI include No. 1 Archbishop McCarthy, No. 3 Huntington Beach, No. 4 Orange Lutheran, No. 10 South Hills and No. 18 Canterbury.
Other newcomers to the rankings this week include Palmetto at No. 17, Prosper at No. 21, and Blanchard at No. 25.
MaxPreps 2017 Xcellent 25 National High School Baseball Rankings
1. (Last week 1) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 11-0
The Mavericks got in one game last week, beating Pine Crest 9-3 on the pitching of
Joe Perez, who also went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run and four RBIs. Archbishop McCarthy heads to North Carolina this week to play in the National High School Invitational. The Mavericks open with Arlington (Tenn.).
2. (2) Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.), 13-0
The Bears won a pair of close games in Tri-Rivers Athletic League, edging Clovis East (Clovis) 2-0 and Clovis West (Fresno) 2-1.
Hunter Reinke went six innings for the win against Clovis East, giving up no runs on one hit with five strikeouts in six innings pitched. Buchanan has a pair of tough games this week against Clovis and Clovis North.
3. (3) Huntington Beach (Calif.), 9-0
The Oilers won a pair of one-run games, beating Edison (Huntington Beach) 1-0 and Fountain Valley 4-3 in Sunset League play.
Nick Pratto went the distance for the shutout against Edison, striking out seven and walking none while giving up five hits. Pratto also had a home run against Fountain Valley, but
Trevor Windisch had the key hit with a walkoff single in the seventh. The Oilers head to the National High School Invitational this week where they are the defending champions. They will face Winder-Barrow in the first round Wednesday.
4. (4) Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 8-1
The Lancers swept Santa Margarita in Trinity League play this week, winning 2-1 in nine innings, 4-2 and 21-5.
Isaac Martinez had a home run in the first game, while
Caleb Ricketts went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs. The Lancers pounded out six doubles in the 21-5 win, including three by
Garrett Mitchell. He finished 4-for-4 with five runs scored and five RBIs. Orange Lutheran faces Merritt Island (Fla.) in the first round of the NHSI on Wednesday.
5. (5) Shawnee (Okla.), 13-0
Shawnee continues to put up big numbers, belting out 14 extra base hits in a 25-2 win over Del City, including three doubles by
Kade Self, a triple and a home run each by
Tanner Sparks and
Eli Davis. Shawnee also beat Del City 16-3 and had an 11-3 win over Chandler and an 8-2 win over Edmond North. Sparks had two home runs and six RBIs against Chandler while Davis had a double and a home run and four RBIs. Davis added a home run and three RBIs in the win over Edmond North.
6. (7) George Ranch (Richmond, Texas), 18-1
George Ranch won its lone district game last week, beating Brazoswood 9-3. The Longhorns take on Pearland and Alief Elsik this week.
7. (8) Owasso (Okla.), 16-0
The Rams continued their hot start, winning three more in Florida and coming home to blank Muskogee 13-0 in Saturday. Owasso knocked off Tenoroc 11-4, McKeel Academy 9-2 and Santa Fe Catholic 13-2.
Jake Enzbrenner hit a home run against McKeel Academy while
Caleb Denny had a home run and
Carson Kropp had a grand slam against Muskogee.
8. (11) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.), 18-0
The Bulldogs surpassed their win total from all of last year with three wins last week. They beat Mountain View (Lawrenceville) 4-2 and 2-1 and also knocked off Collins Hill (Suwanee) 5-2.
9. (12) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 12-1-1
The Cavaliers won a pair off district games against rival Austin Westlake, winning 10-8 and 14-4.
Jimmy Lewis went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple and four RBIs in the 10-8 victory.
Jacob Amaya of South Hills (West Covina, Calif.)
File photo by Donn Parris
10. (13) South Hills (West Covina, Calif.), 9-1
The Huskies knocked off Glendora 2-1 and Diamond Bar 6-4 and take on Brother Rice (Chicago) in the first round of the NHSI this week.
Brandon Dieter struck out seven in the win over Glendora.
11. (16) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 8-1
The Broncos rebounded from their only loss to beat Torrey Pines (San Diego) 10-5, El Camino (Oceanside) 13-3 and San Marcos 12-10 at the North County Conference Tournament.
Calvin Mitchell and
Connor O'Brien each homered against Torrey Pines and O'Brien hit one out against El Camino.
Tora Otsuka and
Mason Pelio continued the home run barrage by each hitting one out against San Marcos.
12. (17) Allatoona (Acworth, Ga.), 15-2
The Buccaneers won a pair of region games with a 10-1 win over Creekview (Canton) and a 3-0 win over River Ridge (Woodstock).
Kyle Jacobsen went the distance for the shutout against River Ridge, striking out four and giving up six hits.
13. (19) Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 16-1-1
Horizon rebounded from its lone loss last week with three wins, including a 5-0 win over Brophy College Prep (Phoenix). Horizon also beat Gilbert 7-4 and Boulder Creek (Anthem) 7-4.
Evan Williams had a home run against Gilbert.
14. (20) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 9-1-1
The Wolverines handed Chaminade (West Hills) a 5-2 and 3-2 loss last week. The two teams also tied 1-1. Harvard-Westlake faces No. 1 prospect Hunter Greene and Notre Dame SO (Sherman Oaks) this week.
15. (24) Oak Grove (Hattiesburg, Miss.), 14-1
Oak Grove bounced back from its only loss to knock off Petal 8-5 and 7-4 last week. Taylor Gatwood had 11 strikeouts in the 7-4 victory.
16. (25) Columbus (Miami), 13-1
The Explorers won a pair of games last week, beating Southwest (Miami) 5-3 and Sunset (Miami) 5-1.
17. (NR) Palmetto (Miami), 11-0
The Panthers are one of the top-ranked teams in Florida, according to the Prep Zone, with wins over Gulliver Prep (Miami) and South Dade (Homestead).
18. (6) Canterbury (Fort Myers, Fla.), 11-1
Canterbury had a strong showing at the IMG Classic, beating Christ Presbyterian Academy (Nashville, Tenn.) 13-3 and Deerfield Academy (Mass.) 12-2 before falling to Trinity Christian Academy (Lake Worth, Fla.). The Cougars take on Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) in the first round of the NHSI.
19. (9) Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs, Fla.), 12-1
The Patriots lost their first game of the season to Spruce Creek, falling 9-0. Lake Brantley has a pair of key games over the next two weeks with matchups against Olympia (Orlando) and West Orange (Winter Gardens).
20. (NR) Winder-Barrow (Winder, Ga.), 14-1
A loss to Denham Springs at the Perfect Game Invitational is the only blemish on Winder-Barrow's record. The Bulldogs also have wins over Cartersville and a three-game sweep of Gainesville heading into the NHSI where they face No. 3 Huntington Beach.
21. (NR) Prosper (Texas), 19-2-1
Ranked No. 1 in Class 5A by Texas High School Baseball, Prosper has two recent wins over Coppell and Carroll (Southlake).
22. (10) Oxford (Miss.), 15-2
The Chargers lost to a team they had beaten earlier in the season, falling 4-3 in eight innings to Lafayette (Oxford). Oxford won three other games, beating New Hope (Columbus) twice by scores of 4-2 and 8-4, and Grove City 12-2.
Ben Bianco homered against Grove City and New Hope while
Carson Stinnett did likewise against New Hope.
23. (14) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 19-3
The Buccaneers dropped their third game of the season, falling to Acadiana (Lafayette) 1-0, but they also picked up two wins, beating Eunice 10-3 and Lafayette 10-2.
24. (18) Pinnacle (Phoenix), 14-2
The Pioneers split their two games last week, beating Desert Ridge (Mesa) 7-2 and falling to Brophy College Prep (Phoenix) 2-1.
25. (NR) Blanchard (Okla.), 15-0
A Class 4A team in Oklahoma, Blanchard has a win over Hazel Green, a Class 7A school from Alabama.
Dropped out: No. 15 Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), No. 21 Spanish Fort (Ala.), No. 22 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 23. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.).