Archbishop McCarthy is back where everybody wants to be: Ranked atop the Xcellent 25.
Photo by Stuart Browning
The Archbishop McCarthy Mavericks are back on top of the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings as they continue to play well and get some help along the way.
Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.) helped the Mavericks by defeating last week's No. 1 team Harvard-Westlake in the first round of the Horizon National Classic Invitational in Arizona. Harvard-Westlake lost its second game of the season later in the tournament and dropped to No. 12 in the rankings. Horizon also defeated Hamilton, which dropped the Huskies from the rankings after getting as high as No. 5 last week. Horizon joined the rankings this week at No. 11.
Meanwhile, The First Academy kept any other ranked teams from moving ahead of Archbishop McCarthy when it won the National High School Invitational. The Royals were not ranked heading into the NHSI (although they had been ranked earlier in the season) and they enter this week's rankings at No. 6.
Pearland was one of the biggest risers, moving from No. 11 to No. 2. The Oilers are the top-ranked team in Texas. Eight teams dropped out of the rankings this week.
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings
1. (Last week 2) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 17-1
The Mavericks have reached the top spot again after winning 13 in a row since their lone defeat. Last week they topped Cardinal Gibbons 1-0, Chaminade Madonna 3-1 and St. Thomas Aquinas 14-1.
Brian Gonzalez allowed just one hit in five innings while striking out 11 in the win over Aquinas.
Ryan Sinzenich was 3-for-3 with two doubles on offense.
2. (11) Pearland (Texas), 21-1
The Oilers moved into the top spot in the Texas High School Coaches Association Class 5A rankings. They also picked up a pair of District 22-5A wins last week by beating Pasadena Memorial 8-1 and Manvel 11-0.
3. (12) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 8-1
Braedon Barrett, Barbe
Photo by Roddy Johnson
The Lancers move back toward the top of the rankings after West Catholic Athletic League wins over Bellarmine (San Jose) and Valley Christian (San Jose). Against Valley Christian,
John Gavin struck out 11 in a 3-1 victory.
Ryan McSwain was 3-for-4 with a home run in a 6-3 win over Bellarmine. A big game against Archbishop Mitty looms this week.
4. (14) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 20-2
The Buccaneers also make a big move, jumping three spots after defeating Sulphur 6-3, Comeaux 16-5 and New Iberia 16-6.
5. (6) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 0-0
The opener against St. Edward was cancelled due to rain. The Crusaders will try to get in a game today against St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.).
6. (NR) The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.), 15-2
The First Academy returns to the rankings after a
first-place finish at the National High School Invitational. The Royals won four close games, beating Milton (Ga.) 2-0, Dyer County (Tenn.) 2-0, Regis Jesuit (Colo.) 6-2 and finally Clovis (Calif.) in the championship game 5-3.
7. (15) Clovis (Calif.), 17-3
The Cougars went 3-1 at the National High School Invitational, falling 5-3 to The First Academy in the championship game. Clovis knocked off ThunderRidge (Colo.) 7-2, Gainesville (Ga.) 1-0 and Coral Springs Christian (Fla.) 6-4 to reach the championship game.
8. (17) Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.), 13-2
The Bears only played one game last week, defeating defending Central Section Division I champion Clovis North, 5-1. The Bears play a pair of games against Central (Fresno) and will participate in the Boras Classic in two weeks.
9. (18) Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), 16-1
The Dolphins defeated University (Orange City) 1-0 to capture the Spring Break Tournament in Orlando. Mosley also topped Seabreeze 4-3, Timber Creek 8-4 and Cypress Creek 6-1.
10. (21) Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.), 14-0
Trevor Horn, Horizon
Photo by Mark Jones
Lambert remained undefeated in Class 6A play in Georgia with a 15-1 win over Chattahoochee, a 17-2 win over Centennial and an 11-1 win over West Forsyth.
11. (NR) Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 14-3
Horizon jumps into the rankings after knocking off previous No. 1 Harvard-Westlake (Calif.) 1-0 in the first round of the Horizon National Classic last week. Horizon went on to also defeat previously ranked Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) 5-2 in the semifinals and then beat Brophy College Prep 8-3 in the championship game.
12. (1) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 10-2
The Wolverines suffered their first two losses of the season, falling to tournament host Horizon 1-0 in the first round of pool play before knocking off Flint Hills (Va.) 19-2 and Mountain View (Idaho) 5-0. Harvard-Westlake then fell to Brophy College Prep in the first round of championship play.
13. (3) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 13-1
The Falcons went 3-1 at the Sarasota Classic, falling to Port St. Lucie 7-6, but defeating Manatee 6-0, Florida Christian 4-0 and Riverview (Sarasota) 2-1.
14. (9) Sarasota (Fla.), 15-1
The Sailors suffered their first loss of the season in their own tournament, falling to Florida Christian 5-2. Sarasota also defeated Taravella 5-0, Viera 5-1 and Port St. Lucie 3-0 during the event.
15. (NR) Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.), 15-1
The Vikings had a strong showing at the National High School Invitational, topping Orange Lutheran (Calif.) 4-2, Roberson (Asheville, N.C.) 8-3 and Huntsville (Ala.) 11-0 to finish 3-1 in the event. Bishop Verot lost its first game of the season in the tournament opener to Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) 4-0.
16. (NR) Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas), 19-2
Moody holds the top spot in the Class 4A state rankings and it defeated Nixon (Laredo) 10-0 Friday behind a no-hitter by
Johnny Gonzalez.
17. (4) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 19-2
The Dragons dropped from the No. 1 ranking in Texas last week after falling to Keller 3-1 in district play. Carroll rebounded to beat Fossil Ridge 6-2 later in the week.
18. (7) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 24-2
The Wildcats lost for just the second time this year, dropping a 1-0 decision to Reagan. Calallen also defeated Victoria East 5-1 and Calhoun 13-1 earlier in the week.
19. (24) O'Connor (Helotes, Texas), 22-1
O'Connor ranks No. 2 in the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 5A state rankings and defeated Clark 11-0 and Brandeis 4-3 last week.
20. (NR) Jenks (Okla.), 15-0
The Trojans have started the season 15-0 after defeating Broken Arrow 10-6 to win the Trojan/Tiger Classic. Seven of Jenks' wins have been by shutout.
21. (22) Hanover (Mechanicsville, Va.), 2-0
Matt Hemmer, Creekside
Photo by Gary McCullough
Hanover picked up its second win of the season, defeating Monacan 9-0. Four Hanover pitchers combined for a no-hitter with 14 strikeouts.
22. (NR) Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 15-1
The Firebirds are a perennial state championship contender in Arizona and they are off to another strong start with a one-run loss to Yukon (Okla.) the only blemish on an otherwise perfect record.
23. (NR) Creekside (Jacksonville, Fla.), 19-1
The Knights have the best overall record among Class 6A teams in Florida with the only loss being a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Sandalwood.
24. (NR) Langham Creek (Houston), 19-1
Ranked No. 4 in the Class 5A state coaches rankings, Langham Creek has torn through the District 17-5A standings with a 10-0 record.
25. (25) Owasso (Okla.), 9-3
The Rams won the Blue Devil Classic in Forida, defeating Lakeland Christian 7-3, Jenkins 10-3 and Bartow 4-3.
Dropped Out: No. 5 Hamilton, No. 8 Roberson, No. 10 Venice, No. 13 North Buncombe, No. 16 ThunderRidge, No. 19 Poway, No. 20 Rancho Bernardo, No. 23 Winter Haven.
