The competition in Florida is especially intense this year, and two victims of that competiveness are perennial Xcellent 25 residents Bishop Gorman and Owasso, both of whom dropped out of this week’s rankings.
Both Bishop Gorman and Owasso dropped three games while playing tournaments in Florida last week, thus resulting in the drop. Florida teams Archbishop McCarthy and American Heritage also had tough weeks, falling in the Sarasota Classic and exiting the top 25.
Florida teams Pace and Lake Wales move into the rankings this week, along with two teams from Texas and two from California. Klein and Brazoswood replace Cy-Fair and Mesquite, both of whom lost last week. Meanwhile, Bishop Amat and St. Francis, each with only one loss on the year, also make their first appearances in the top 25.
Pelham moves into the rankings after rising to the No. 1 spot in Alabama. Georgia’s top team, Roswell, falls out after losing three times last week. Other newcomers include Hamilton, with a win over Rocky Mountain, and Madison Central.
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL NATIONAL RANKINGS
1. (1) Sumrall (Miss.), 18-0
Business as usual for the Bobcats, who won four games last week to give them 60 straight victories. Sumrall thumped Perry Central 12-2 and 6-1 and Gulfport 10-0. The Bobcats are batting .406 as a team, led by Chad Guice, Jackson Posey and Connor Barron, who have 37, 26 and 25 RBI, respectively. Posey and Luke Lowery are both 6-0 on the mound while Tyler Simmons is 5-0.
2. (2) Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), 3-0
The Warriors opened their season with three straight wins, including a championship at the Alliance Tournament. Walsh Jesuit topped St. Vincent St. Mary 8-2 with returning Ohio state player of the year Tyler Skulina striking out seven and giving up two hits in five innings of work. In an 11-0 win over Green, Greg Greve and Michael Marsinek combined on a one-hit shutout. Ryan Berry was 3-for-3 at the plate with a triple. In a 13-3 win over Alliance, the Warriors pounded 17 hits, including a 400-foot home run by Berry.
3. (3) Menchville (Newport News, Va.), 7-0
The Monarchs blasted Phoebus 34-2 with a 12-run third inning. Menchville had 31 hits in the game, including four doubles by Jeff Gray, two home runs from Josh Moore and homers by Alex Korecky and Robbie Depp. The Bethel contest was much closer, but the Monarchs pulled out a 2-1 victory with a run in the seventh inning to win it. Moore had two hits in the win. Austin Chrismon struck out 10 in six innings while Deshorn Lake came into the game in the seventh and got the win.
4. (5) Wando (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), 14-0
Wando picked up three wins including a 29-2 thrashing of Goose Creek. Wando had 27 hits in the game, including four by Jared Schulte. Wando had seven doubles including two by Connor Bright. Drew Cisco got the win, striking out seven in four innings. He also got the victory in a 9-1 win over Stratford, striking out eight in seven innings. Reid Langdale threw a five-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over James Island.
5. (8) Serra (San Mateo, Calif.), 14-0
The Padres won three times in the Serra Spring Classic, including a 14-8 win over El Camino, a 10-1 victory over Carlmont and a 3-2 decision against Santa Cruz. Tyler Hardeman went five innings and got the win against Santa Cruz. Matt Page had a big game against Carlmont, going 3-for-4 with a double and five RBI.
File photo by John O'Hara
Serra celebrates a run in last year's CIF-CCS Division 1 final.
6. (9) Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.), 11-0
The Patriots stayed undefeated with a 9-6 win over Perkiomen School. Sean Coyle had a three-run home run that reportedly went 500 feet, over a three-story building beyond the fence in left-center field, according to the Philadelphia News. Keenan Kish added a two-run homer and also went two innings on the mound to get the win.
7. (11) Heritage (Colleyville, Texas), 21-1-1
The Panthers edged Keller Central 6-5 and whipped Keller 12-4 last week. Keaton Hicks homered against Keller Central while R.J. Talamantes and Austin Kubitza did the same against Keller.
8. (12) Sarasota (Fla.), 15-0
The Sailors captured first place in the Sarasota Classic with an impressive 9-0 win over defending tournament champion Naples. Dayan Rodriguez gained the shutout win, striking out nine in the process. Sean Hurley was 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in the final and was named the MVP of the tournament.
9. (16) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 17-1
The Monarchs won three more games at the Cupertino Lion’s Tournament, including a 9-1 win over Monta Vista, a 5-4 victory over Gilroy and a 10-3 win against Aptos. Mitty also shut out Palma for its ninth win in a row. James Roberts and Stephen Meade each had two home runs against Aptos. Alex Balog struck out 10 in the win over Palma.
10. (17) Columbus (Miami, Fla.), 15-2
The Explorers rebounded from a loss last week against Coral Springs Charter by whipping defending state 2A champion Westminster Christian 13-3.
11. (19) McAllen (Texas), 21-2
The Bulldogs continued to roll in district play with a 17-3 win over Palmview and an 18-3 victory over Rowe. McAllen is ranked No. 3 in the Texas Baseball Coaches 5A rankings.
12. (22) Rockwall-Heath (Rockwall, Texas), 26-0
The Hawks have barely been challenged in recent games, defeating Turner 13-0 and Highland Park 11-1 last week. Nick Petersen, Jovan Hernandez and Jake Thompson all homered in the win over Highland Park while Kyle Allen threw a no-hitter against Turner.
13. (23) Canyon del Oro (Tucson, Ariz.), 17-1
The Dorados exploded for 59 runs in two games, beating Marana 40-3 and Apache Junction 19-1. Joe Sullivan had four hits and five RBI against Marana while Ryan Gerber was 6-for-6. Hayden Cota-Robles had two home runs against Apache Junction.
14 (7) Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.), 16-2
The Bulldogs lost 12-2 to Arlington Country Day at the St. Johns County Tournament but rebounded to top Bartram Trail 15-5 and Creekside 10-0. D.J. Stewart had a home run and four RBI in the Bartram Trail win while Braddock Rowe had a home run and three RBI. Hayden Hurst homered against Creekside and finished with three RBI.
15. (15) Lakewood (Calif.), 15-2
The Lancers defeated Cabrillo 15-4 and Competon 13-0 before faling to Tesoro 5-4 in the first round of the Anaheim Lion’s Tournament. Lakewood came back to fell to blast Campolindo 7-1. Anthony Razo cranked out two doubles and Hunter Jones hit a home run in the Cabrill win. Zach Alofaituli had three RBI against Compton.
16. (25) Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.), 16-2
The Admirals went 6-0 at a tournament in Orlando, outscoring their opponents 58-4, including a 2-0 win over Flanagan in the championship game.
17. (NR) Pelham (Ala.), 26-2
The Panthers head into the Alabama 6A state playoffs as the No. 1 ranked team in the state after sweeping a doubleheader from Hoover, 15-5 and 10-0, and easily defeating Parker, 12-2, and Shades Valley, 13-3.
18. (NR) Klein (Texas), 18-3
The Bearcats moved up to the No. 2 ranking in the Texas Baseball Coaches Association 5A rankings and won twice last week, beating Klein Collins 11-4 and Westfield 11-1.
19. (NR) Pace (Fla.), 17-2
The Patriots have wins over Pope, Niceville, Bentonville and most recently Fairhope, 6-2, and Pensacola Catholic, 7-4.
20. (NR), Lake Wales (Fla.), 17-2
The Highlanders concluded a big week with a championship at the Blue Devil Classic that included wins over Owasso, Winter Haven and Lakeland.
21. (NR) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 17-2
The Huskies won the Horizon Dugout National Invitational, knocking off Taylorsville, Chaparral, Harvard-Westlake and defending Colorado champion Rocky Mountain, 7-6.
22. (NR) Madison Central (Miss.), 16-1
The Jaguars have won 15 straight games since losing their second game of the season. Madison Central defeated Northwest Rankin 7-6 and 8-5 and takes on Murrah this week.
23. (NR) Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.), 11-1
The Lancers are ranked No. 1 in Division IV in the Southern Section and have wins over Mater Dei, Capistrano Valley, Chatsworth, Palos Verdes Peninsula and Royal.
24. (NR) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 12-1
The West Catholic Athletic League routinely has some of the top teams in the country and this year is no different as the Lancers join Serra and Archbishop Mitty in the Xcellent 25. St. Francis has only one loss on the season, a 5-4 loss to Archbishop Mitty.
25. (NR) Brazoswood (Clute, Texas), 19-3
The Buccaneers moved up to No. 4 in the TCBA 5A state ranking and knocked off Clear Lake 15-5 on Friday.
Dropped Out: (4) Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins, Colo.), (6) Roswell (Ga.), (10) Owasso (Okla.), (13) Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas), (14) Mesquite (Texas), (18) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), (20) Bellaire (Texas), (21) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), (24) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.).