MaxPreps Baseball Xcellent 25: Mississippi Team Finishes Unbeaten

Sumrall moves up one spot in this week's rankings after winning second straight state title and ending the year at 36-0; Texas teams dominate top 25.

By Kevin Askeland

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May 18, 2009, 12:00am

About the Rankings: MaxPreps already provides the most comprehensive high school sports ratings with the MaxPreps National Rankings presented by the National Guard, a computer model developed by Ned Freeman. Now, it’s time to get the human element involved.

MaxPreps Xcellent 25

1. (1) Bellaire (Bellaire, Texas), 28-1
The Cardinals had little trouble in bi-district play, whipping McArthur 17-3 in the first game and 18-0 in the second. Kyle Chaskin, Sam Ofield, Andrew Burns, Trace Knoblauch and Josh Hill all had two RBI apiece in the first game with Tyler Duffey getting the win. Toller Boardman got the win in the second game and combined with Kyle Chaskin for a no-hitter. Kirby Taylor had a big game with three home runs while Danny Ofield, in his first varsity at-bat, belted a grand slam home run. Jarrett Higgins also homered.

2. (2) Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas), 28-1
Moody opened the 4A state playoffs with a 5-0 win over Pleasanton in bi-district play. Andrew Cantu raised his record to 9-0 with 14 strikeouts and only two hits allowed in six innings. Michael Franco had a pair of doubles and four RBI to lead the offense.

3. (3) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 29-2
The Wildcats have one of the nation’s best pitchers in Jordan John, but Rob Zastryzny showed that he is one to be reckoned with as well. The Calallen junior tossed a perfect game in the Wildcats’ 10-0 win over Edcouch-Elsa in the Class 4A bi-district playoffs Saturday. Zastryzny struck out nine in the win. Calallen also defeated Edcouch-Elsa 16-0 in the first game.

Bryan Peters of Rocky Mountain finished his prep career with a 21-0 pitching record.

Photo by Patrick Miller

4. (5) Sumrall (Miss.), 35-0
The Bobcats captured the Mississippi 3A state championship with two wins over South Pontotoc 10-4 and 11-1. Jackson Posey drove in three runs in the 10-4 victory while Barron Conner and B.J. Smith each had a triple. Posey added a three-run homer in the first inning of the 11-1 victory. He finished 3-for-4 with four RBI and four runs scored. Jared Miller picked up the win and improved his record to 11-0. Sumrall, which has won two straight state titles, returns 16 players next year.

5. (7) Naples (Fla.), 31-1
The Golden Eagles suffered their first loss of the season but still advanced to the Florida Class 4A semifinals with two wins over Lake Wales. Naples sandwiched 7-5 and 9-3 wins around a 4-3 loss. Kyle Zech had a triple and two RBI in the 9-3 win on Saturday while Brad Fieger and Bobby Oliver each knocked in two runs. In the 7-5 win, Tyler Koronas had two hits and Fieger had a double.

6. (8) Menchville (Newport News, Va.), 19-1
Matt Armstead lifted the Monarchs over Woodside 14-2 by picking up the mound win and also going 3-for-4 with a home run. Ethan Carter was 4-for-5 with a double while Hunter Lewis was 3-for-5. In the first round of the district playoffs, Menchville walloped Phoebus 10-0. Carter (8-1) got the win while Lewis had three hits and Teddy Brewer blasted a home run.

7. (10) Columbus (Ga.), 28-2
Matt Taylor and Taylor Wolfe each tossed four-hitters to help Columbus beat Woodward Academy 8-1 and 5-1 in the Georgia Class AAA playoffs. Wolfe struck out 12 batters in his win. Kyle Carter had a home run and three RBI in the 8-1 victory while Travis Benn homered in the 5-1 victory.

8. (11) Northshore (Slidell, La.), 34-2
The Panthers captured the 5A state championship with a 7-2 win over Dutchtown on Sunday. Northshore won three straight games last week, beating Sulphur 12-2, South Terrebonne 12-2 and Barbe 11-10 before finally defeating Dutchtown. Cody Deckwa got the win in the finals and also went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double. Nortshore rallied in the bottom of the seventh to beat Barbe, scoring one run on Chase Compton’s RBI single. Ryan Eades homered in the win and also had six RBI.

9. (4) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), 37-4
The Gaels saw their 35-game win streak come to an end with a 10-2 loss to Cimarron-Memorial in the Sunset Regional Championship game. Bishop Gorman then needed to beat Las Vegas 10-6 to advance to this week’s state tournament. The Gaels had defeated Cimarron Memorial earlier in the season, but managed only five hits and committed two errors in the loss. Jeff Malm took over the national RBI lead, according to MaxPreps, with three in the win over Las Vegas, giving him 69 for the season.

10. (6) Brother Rice (Chicago, Ill.), 27-1
The Crusaders saw their win streak end at 27 after splitting two games with St. Rita last week. Brother Rice won the first game, 10-6, on Thursday, but lost 4-0 on Saturday. St. Rita’s Scott Marinier allowed just four hits and struck out 10 for the win. The Crusaders clinched the Catholic League Blue Division title earlier in the week with the 10-6 win. Kevin Callahan had a grand slam home run in the win and Pat Gannon raised his record to 8-0.

11. (13) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 29-4
The Patriots lost their opener to Gulliver Prep in the quarterfinals of the Florida 3A state playoffs, but won the next two games 4-2 and 9-3 to advance to the semifinals. Deven Marrero led the team with two hits in the 4-2 victory. Mike Clark got the mound win. In the 9-3 win, American Heritage overcame a 3-1 deficit with an 8-run rally in the bottom of the sixth. Brandon Lopez, Marrero and Brandon Sedell each homered in the win.

12. (14) Pendleton (Brandeton, Fla.), 31-1
The Panthers’ season is over. As an independent school, Pendleton is not eligible for the Florida state playoffs. Among the teams still playing in the state tournament, Pendleton has a win over South Fork in the finals of the Westminster National Classic.

13. (16) Memorial (Spring Branch, Texas), 26-3
Memorial won its district for the fifth consecutive year and dropped Cinco Ranch 8-1 in the first round of the Texas 5A state playoffs. Michael Ratterree went 3-for-4 with two home runs while MP Cokinos had a home run and Carter Burgess had a home run and a double. Steven Murray went six innings for the win.

14. (17) Owasso (Okla.), 34-4
The Rams defeated Santa Fe 10-1 to capture the 6A state championship for the third consecutive year. Austin Kirk (9-1) threw a complete game and gave up just four hits while striking out nine batters. Ryan Mayfield, Ryan Wilson, Logan Dallis and Brad Rogers all had two hits apiece. Kirk also got the win in a 5-4 victory over Putnam North. Owasso also lost to Putnam North earlier in the week, 4-3, but came back to beat Enid 15-2 and a doubleheader rematch with Putnam North. The Rams won the first game 17-6 before Kirk’s win in the second game.

15. (18) Alonso (Tampa, Fla.), 29-3
The Ravens dealt Melbourne a pair of losses, winning 6-1 and 8-1 to advance to the Florida 6A semifinals. Tyler Ding hit a home run and Tito Martinez added a triple in the 8-1 victory. Thomas Dorminy threw a no-hitter for Alonso in raising his record to 11-0 on the season. In the second game, Dorminy, Ding and Matt Brandy all hit round-trippers for the Ravens.

16. (19) Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs, Fla.), 29-3
Lake Brantley knocked off Buchholz in two straight, winning a close matchup 6-5 in the first game before gaining a 7-0 shutout. Nick Franklin had a home run in the second game while Jordan Rusk threw six shutout innings for the win.

17. (20) Sharyland (Mission, Texas), 27-2
The Rattlers edged Alexander 3-1 and 9-0 in bi-district play of the Texas 5A state playoffs. Angel Ibanez ripped a triple among his two hits while Casey Klein drove in two runs in the 3-1 victory. In the shutout win, Klein, Tyler Tredaway and Brian Valencia all had two hits apiece. Baylr Bickerton went the distance for the win.

18. (24) J.H. Rose (Greenville, N.C.), 20-2
The Rampants escaped the first round of the North Carolina 4A state playoffs with a 2-1 win over Person last week. Patrick Roy knocked in both runs for Rose while Jason Sugg was 2-for-2. Tanner Merritt picked up the victory.

19. (NR) Wando (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), 28-2
The Warriors have won 13 in a row, including a 9-8 nailbiter against Conway in the South Carolina 4A Lower State Championships. Wando played Gaffney for the 4A title on Tuesday. Bradley Evsich singled home the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to beat the Tigers.

20. (NR) Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins, Colo.), 22-4
The Lobos dominated the Colorado 5A tournament, winning their last three games by nine or more runs, including a 10-1 victory over Mountain Vista in the championship game. Marco Gonzales got the win and finished the season 9-1. Bryan Peters, who concluded his stellar career with a 21-0 pitching record, got the final two outs. Tommy Clothier hit a home run for the Lobos. The state title is the third in a row for Rocky Mountain.

21. (NR) Desert Ridge (Mesa, Ariz.), 29-5
The Huskies edged two-time defending champion Horizon 9-8 to capture the Arizona 5A Div. 2 championship. Travis Flores had the game-winning RBI single for the Huskies in the bottom of the seventh. Horizon took an 8-7 lead in the sixth with an 8-run rally, but Desert Ridge tied the game in the bottom of the sixth.

22. (NR) Yucaipa (Calif.), 25-2
The Thunderbirds moved to the top of the Los Angeles Times Southland Poll after winding up their season with a 12-1 win over Fontana and a 23-0 win over Eisenhower. Matt Davidson homered twice in the Eisenhower victory giving him 10 home runs for the season. He is batting .566 with 17 doubles.

23. (NR) Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.), 35-5
Farragut has had little trouble in the state playoffs, whipping Bearden 10-0 in the regional finals and David Crockett 10-0 at the substate game. Cade Stallings and Nicky Delmonico hit back-to-back home runs in the Crockett win. Sophomore pitcher Philip Pfeifer struck out eight in four innings for the win.

24. (NR) De La Salle Collegiate (Warren, Mich.), 23-2
The Pilots won the Catholic Central Conference by sweeping Divine Child 7-2 and 14-9 in the final doubleheader of the regular season.

25. (25) Norco (Calif.), 23-4
The Cougars completed Big 8 play with an 8-0 win over Martin Luther King. Wes Hatton threw a no-hitter with six strikeouts and Matt Hobgood belted a home run in the win. The Cougars also topped Centennial 9-2 with Joseph Lavalle and Jake Clark each hitting one out of the park. Norco is still No. 1 in the Southern Section Div. 1 coaches’ rankings.

Dropped Out: La Cueva 29-2, Notre Dame Prep 30-2, Chatsworth 26-4, Clovis West 27-5, Mater Dei 21-5, El Toro 21-5.

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