The Woodlands, Cathedral Catholic favored at 2013 NHSI

The defending champion and last year's runner-up are both back to try it again at the National High School Invitational, but neither begins the tournament as the favorite.

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) won last year's NHSI, which is sponsored by Team USA and Baseball America and is played in Cary, N.C. The Monarchs defeated Harvard-Westlake in the championship game, scoring a late run for a 4-3 victory in an all-Southern California matchup.

Both Mater Dei and Harvard-Westlake make their return to North Carolina and both are ranked in the Xcellent 25, but at least four teams are rated higher in the Xcellent 25 than either one.

The Woodlands (Texas) is one of the hottest teams in the country with an 18-0 record and a No. 3 national ranking. Meanwhile, Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) comes in at No. 6. Right behind is Venice (Fla.) at No. 7 while Lexington (S.C.) comes in two spots ahead of Mater Dei at No. 12.

The Woodlands and Cathedral Catholic figure to be the favorites thanks to deep pitching staffs. Cathedral Catholic returns every win from last year's team while The Woodlands staff has already thrown a pair of no-hitters.

Here's a look at each of the matchups for the first round of play, which begins Wednesday morning at 10 a.m.

Schedule

Lexington (S.C.) vs. Florida Christian (Miami)
10 a.m., Wednesday
Outlook: Lexington is ranked No. 12 in the Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings after getting off to a 10-1 start. The Wildcats' only loss is a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Conway at the International Paper Classic. Since then, Lexington has won eight in a row. Lexington has one of the nation's top catching prospects in Nick Ciuffo, who ranks No. 14 on MaxPreps' list of the top 100 seniors. Florida Christian enters the tournament with an 9-3 mark with one of the losses coming against American Heritage (Plantation). The Patriots have a pair of pitching aces in Chris Pelaez and Andrew George.

Venice (Fla.) vs. Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.)
11 a.m., Wednesday
Outlook: After dropping its second game of the season to Seminole, Venice has come on strong with 10 straight wins. The streak has moved the Indians to No. 7 in the Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings. Venice has one of the state's top players in first baseman Nick Longhi, who ranks No. 46 on the top 100 seniors list. Junior infielder Dalton Guthrie, meanwhile, ranks No. 20 among the nation's top 50 juniors. The Indians have big wins over Sarasota and Manatee (twice each) and have posted seven shutouts on the season. Christian Brothers is 9-3 with a 6-1 record at the Best of the West Tournament in Covington, Tenn., last week. The Purple Wave rely on pitchers John Wesley Ray and Corey Herndon. Christian Brothers has won 10 state titles in Tennessee.

Tullahoma (Tenn.) vs. Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.)
12:30 p.m., Wednesday
Outlook:  Tullahoma (12-1) is ranked No. 22 in the Xcellent 25 and sports a pair of brothers who are among the top players in the nation. Jordan Sheffield, a right-handed pitcher headed to Vanderbilt, ranks No. 8 on the top 100 seniors list while Justus Sheffield ranks No. 19 on the top 50 juniors list. Mater Dei is the defending champion of the NHSI, defeating Harvard-Westlake last year for the championship. The Monarchs (5-1) are No. 14 in the Xcellent 25 and feature two players in the top 100, No. 31 Jeremy Martinez (catcher) and No. 48 Ryan McMahon (3B). Both are headed to Southern California next year.

Eustis (Fla.) vs. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
1 p.m., Wednesday
Outlook:  Eustis has played very well so far this spring, posting a 13-2 record behind the play of All-American catcher candidate Chris Okey, who is batting .488 with 17 RBIs. Okey ranks as the No. 26 senior and is headed to Clemson. Harvard-Westlake is 9-2 overall and is returning to the NHSI after finishing second to Mater Dei in last year's tournament. The Wolverines have one of the top pitchers in the tournament in Jack Flaherty, who is No. 5 on the top juniors list.

Roberson (Asheville, N.C.) vs. Bingham (South Jordan, Utah)
1:15 p.m., Wednesday
Outlook: Roberson spent some time in the Xcellent 25 early in the season, but has struggled as of late with a 4-7 overall record. The Rams have a pair of talented prospects in catcher Dominick Cammarata and Braxton Davidson, both juniors. Cammarata has committed to Georgia while Davidson is headed to North Carolina. Bingham lost two straight games last week, but has responded with two wins over Spanish Fork and Brighton heading into the tournament.

Milton (Ga.) vs. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
3 p.m., Wednesday
Outlook:  Milton started the season in the Xcellent 25, but dropped out after losing its opener to McEachern. Although Milton also lost to Johns Creek and Alpharetta, it has posted an 8-3 record with four straight wins heading into the tournament. Hamilton also dropped out of the Xcellent 25 after a first-game loss to Mountain View. However Hamilton is 9-1 since then and ranked No. 2 in the state of Arizona.

Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) vs. Grayson (Loganville, Ga.)
3:45 p.m., March 27
Outlook: Ranked No. 1 in the nation at one point, Cathedral Catholic is 7-1 and ranked No. 6. The Dons have an outstanding pitching staff, led by Stephen Gonsalves, ranked No. 21 among the top 100 seniors, and Brady Aiken, ranked No. 11 among the top 50 juniors. Grayson began the year at No. 6 in the Xcellent 25, but dropped out after suffering two losses at the LaGrange Tournament. Grayson is 8-5 on the season and is led by the nation's No. 2 prospect in outfielder Austin Meadows.

Jenks (Okla.) vs. The Woodlands (Texas)
9:45 p.m., March 28
Outlook: Jenks fell out of the Xcellent 25 last week after falling to 8-2 with losses to Olathe (Kan.) and Owasso (Okla.). Jenks features one of the top pitchers in the tournament in Thomas Hatch, who is No. 80 in the nation. The Woodlands enters the tournament as the favorite thanks to a No. 3 Xcellent 25 ranking and an 18-0 record. The Highlanders have one of the most successful pitchers in the tournament in Carter Hope, who has yet to allow a run in five outings. He has struck out 39 batters in 32 innings pitched. Meanwhile sophomore Chris Andritsos leads the nation with 11 home runs.

Weather
Poor weather plagued the NHSI last year, cancelling seven of the eight games to be played on the last day of the tournament. That won't be the case this year as sunny skies are expected every day of the tournament except Saturday when there will be some cloud cover. Temperatures will be in the high 50s and low 60s.