The Argyle Eagles, owners of the longest active winning streak in the nation, saw the run of games end at 40, but it didn't end their reign at the top of the MaxPreps Top 25 national high school baseball rankings.
Argyle won its first three games at the Border Olympics in Laredo, Texas, to add to the streak, but a 4-4 tie against Ray (Corpus Christi) ended the winning streak. Argyle later won another game to put its record at 4-0-1.
Since the Eagles did not lose, they remain in the No. 1 spot, while idle IMG Academy stays at No. 2. The rest of the Top 25 included big moves by five teams, while three others dropped out.
Big Movers: Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas) moves from No. 8 to No. 3; Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.) moves from 13 to No. 4, Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) moves from No. 17 to No. 4, Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) moves from No. 20 to No. 5 and Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) moves from No. 28 to No. 10.
Dropped out: No. 6 Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.) lost twice; No. 22 La Mirada (Calif.) lost three times; No. 24 Barbe (Lake Charles, La.) lost once.
On the Bubble: Pope (Marietta, Ga.), 5-0; McGill-Toolen (Mobile, Ala.), 2-0.
Performance of the Week: Jared Alvarez-Lopez, Cypress Ranch — 7 for 17 (.412), 9 RBIs, 1 double, 5 home runs.
All-American Watch: Bobby Witt Jr., Colleyville Heritage — 7 for 13 (.538), 6 runs, 3 RBIs, 1 double.
Game of the Week: Parkview 8, North Gwinnett 6. The Panthers won in 10 innings in a battle between two of the top 7A teams in Georgia. Tied at 5-5 in the top of the 10th, Parkview got a two-run homer from Jon Ponder. North Gwinnett countered with a home run by Corey Collins to open the bottom of the inning, but Graham Yntema got the next two batters to ground out and struck out the final batter to end the game. Parkview held a 5-2 lead with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Michael Borah hit a three-run double to tie the game.
Game to Watch This Week: No. 10 Parkview vs. No. 8 Blessed Trinity, March 1.
Top Tournaments This Week: Georgia Peach Invitational (Parkview, Blessed Trinity, Lambert, Loganville);
LaGrange Toyota Invitational (Buford, Mobile Christian, Niceville, Providence (Jacksonville), South Forsyth, Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville), Brookwood);
Falcon Challenge (Stoneman Douglas, Calvary Christian Academy, Flanagan, Westminster Academy);
Katy ISD Tournament (Texas).
MaxPreps Top 25 national high school baseball rankings
1. (Preseason 1) Argyle (Texas), 4-0-1
Results: The Eagles opened the season at the Border Olympics in Laredo and went 4-0-1. They defeated La Joya 7-1, Westside (Houston) 11-6 and Vela (Edinburg) 10-7 before tying Ray (Corpus Christi) 4-4. The tie ended Argyle's win streak at 40 games. Argyle then beat Laredo LBJ 10-2 to up their unbeaten streak to 42 games in a row.
Stats: Tate Van Poppel, son of MLB pitcher Todd Van Poppell, got the win against La Joya, striking out five.
Sean Bolin picked up the win over Westside and
Alex Gonzales hit a home run.
Chad Ricker got the win over Vela, striking out four while
Dillon Carter went 3-for-3 with a double. Gonzalez had a double and two RBI against LBJ.
This week: Argyle meets Liberty (Frisco) and San Angelo Central in the first round of the Collins County Tournament on Thursday.
2. (2) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 0-0
First Game: The Ascenders open their season Tuesday against Ida Baker (Cape Coral). They play Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale) on Friday.
3. (8) Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas), 4-0
Results: The Panthers had no-hitters in their first two wins, a 12-0 victory over Copperas Cove and a 1-0 win over Randall (Canyon). Also defeated Midlothian 20-1 and had an 11-0 win over Trinity (Euliss).
Stats: Aidan Caputti had a five-inning no-hitter with six strikeouts and no walks against Copperas Cove, while
Chandler Freeman led the offense with a double, a home run and four RBIs. Freeman had nine strikeouts and combined with
Mason Greer and
Austin Thorp for a no-hitter against Randall. Greer also had a home run. Freeman had a grand slam and a total of five RBIs against Midlothian, while Greer had a home run and five RBIs, and
Logan Britt had a home run and five RBIs.
Nick Balsano had a double and a home run while
Bobby Witt was 4-for-4 with four runs scored. Witt also had a triple against Trinity.
This week: Arlington Martin Tournament, Thursday-Saturday.
4. (13) Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.), 5-0
Results: The Broncos opened the season with three wins by 10-run rule and two more by shutout. They beat Westlake 12-0, Teurlings Catholic (Lafayette) 11-1, Opelousas Catholic (Opelousas) 13-3, Port Neches-Groves (Port Neches, Texas) 5-0 and Parkview Baptist (Baton Rouge) 2-0.
Stats: Cameron Meeks went 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBIs against Westlake.
Braden Duhon went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs against Teurlings Catholic. Duhon also went 4-for-4 with a double, two triples and three RBIs against Opelousas Catholic.
Justin Duplichan had a double and a triple against Port Neches-Groves.
This week: St Louis Catholic on Thursday.
5. (17) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 5-0
Results: The Wolverines won the Easton Tournament. They beat Burbank 5-0, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) 3-1, Thousand Oaks 4-3, Birmingham (Lake Balboa) 10-0 and Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 7-1 in the championship game.
Stats: Sam Hliboki struck out eight in win over Birmingham, and
Drew Bowser and
Michael Snyder each hit a home run.
Tyler Cox was 2-for-3 with two doubles in the championship game against Notre Dame.
This week: Harvard-Westlake plays Birmingham in doubleheader on Tuesday.
6. (20) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 6-0
Results: The Cavaliers won the PFISD tournament and posted three shutouts. Lake Travis beat Bowie (Austin) 5-0, Saint Mary's Hall (San Antonio) 9-5, Hendrickson (Pflugerville) 15-0, O'Connor (Helotes) 3-2, Coronado (Lubbock) 5-2 and Cooper (Abilene) 17-1.
Stats: Jimmy Lewis struck out 11 and had a double against Bowie.
Brett Baty had a home run against Saint Mary's Hall.
Austin Plante had a double, triple and five RBIs against Hendrickson. Lewis was 3-for-3 with a double against O'Connor. Baty was 3-for-4 with three home runs and five RBIs against Cooper.
This week: Lake Travis plays Akins (Austin) on Feb. 26 and tournament at Round Rock.
7. (3) Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 4-1
Results: The Lancers opened the season with an 8-7 loss to Huntington Beach but ran off four straight wins. Orange Lutheran beat the Oilers 8-2 in the second game of the season-opening doubleheader and took two from Texas Class 6A defending state champion Carroll (Southlake) 5-0 and 6-1. On Saturday, the Lancers beat Valley Christian (San Jose), ranked No. 1 in the MaxPreps Computer Rankings in 2018, by a score of 5-3.
Stats: Caden Conner had a double and three RBIs in the loss to Huntington Beach. He went 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs in the win over the Oilers, while
Max Rajcic got the win and struck out 10.
Christian Rodriguez went 4.2 innings of shutout ball in a 5-0 win over Carroll. Rajcic had a double for the only extra base hit in the second game against the Dragons. Rajcic got his second win of the season against Valley Christian while
Carl Lawson belted two doubles.
This week: Orange Lutheran meets Cypress on Friday.
8. (4) Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), 4-1
Results: The Titans opened the season with a 10-5 win over Walton (Marietta), a 3-0 win over Cambridge (Milton), a 5-1 win over Lamber (Suwanee) and an 8-6 win over Etowah (Woodstock) before falling to Cartersville 8-2.
Stats: Jake Smith had two home runs and seven RBIs against Walton while
CJ Abrams added two doubles in his three hits.
DJ Radtke went 3-for-3 against Cambridge while
Steele Chambers went 2-for-2 with a triple and two RBIs against Lambert. Radtke went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBIs against Etowah, while
Ryan Davis had a home run in the loss to Cartersville.
This week: River Ridge, Tuesday; St. Pius X Catholic, Wednesday; Georgia Peach Invitational on Friday.
9. (5) Cypress Ranch (Houston), 4-1
Results: At the Spring Branch tournament, the Mustangs defeated Carroll (Corpus Christi) 10-2, Klein Collins (Spring) 2-1, Memorial (Houston) 6-4, lost to George Ranch (Richmond) 4-3 and beat Cy-Fair (Cypress) 3-1.
Stats: Matt Thompson got the win, striking out five, against Carroll while
Jared Alvarez-Lopez was 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBIs;
J.J. Goss went 6.1 innings against Klein Collins and gave up one hit with 15 strikeouts. Alvarez-Lopez added two more home runs against Memorial and had two against George Ranch as well.
Jake Combs got the win over Cy-Fair, striking out five.
This week: Langham Creek, Tuesday; Katy ISD Tournament, Thursday-Saturday.
10. (28) Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 3-0
Results: Panthers defeated North Gwinnett (Suwanee) 8-6 in 10 innings, Lassiter (Marietta) 5-1 and Mountain View (Lawrenceville) 2-1.
Stats: Jonathan French had a double and home run against North Gwinnett, and
Jon Ponder and
Stephen Hrustich each added a home run.
James Whitmer had a double and two RBIs against Lassiter.
Makenzie Pate had two RBIs against Mountain View.
This week: Panthers play JSerra Catholic on Wednesday, Blessed Trinity on Friday and Lambert on Friday.
11. (7) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 0-0
First Game: Patriots play Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) on Tuesday at the St. Thomas Aquinas Tournament.
12. (9) Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.), 0-0
First Game: Warriors play Lakeland Christian (Lakeland) on Tuesday; Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate (Tampa, Fla.) on Thursday.
13. (10) New Hanover (Wilmington, N.C.), 0-0
First Game: Wildcats play Western Harnett (Lillington, N.C.) on Thursday.
14. (11) Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 0-0
First Game: Eagles play at Falcon Challenge, today through Saturday.
15. (12) Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 0-0
First Game: Golden Eagles play Chatfield (Littleton, Colo.) on March 7.
16. (14) DeSoto Central (Southaven, Miss.), 1-0
Results: Jaguars defeated Center Hill (Olive Branch) 10-2.
Stats: Hunter French was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
This week: DeSoto Central plays in DeSoto County Tournament and Mid-Mississippi Classic this week.
17. (15) Har-Ber (Springdale, Ark.), 0-0
First Game: Wildcats play South Side (Bee Branch) in Arkansas Select tournament.
18. (16) Palo Verde (Las Vegas), 0-0
First Game: Plays Desert Oasis (Las Vegas), March 12
19. (18) Monsignor Pace (Miami), 0-0
First Game: Spartans play at HSBN Tournament, Friday vs. Jesuit (Tampa).
20. (19) Delbarton (Morristown, N.J.), 0-0
First Game: The Green Wave opens against Morris Hills (Rockaway) on March 16.
21. (21) Westmoore (Oklahoma City, Okla.), 0-0
First Game: Jaguars open against Edmond Memorial on Friday.
22. (23) Owasso (Okla.), 0-0
First Game: Rams open against Claremore on Friday.
23. (25) La Cueva (Albuquerque), 0-0
First Game: Bears open against Cibola on Saturday.
24. (27) Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.), 2-0
Results: The Patriots defeated LaGrange (Ga.) 4-2 and Springville (Ala.) 8-6.
Stats: John Michael Riley had a double and
Slate Alford drove in three runs against LaGrange. Riley also went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs against Springville.
This week: Hazel Green, Tuesday, Thursday.
25. (29) George County (Lucedale, Miss.), 2-0
Results: The Rebels blanked Pascagoula 3-0 and 4-0.
Stats: Trevor McDonald struck out eight in the first game and
Logan Tanner struck out seven in the second game.
This week: George County meets Greene County on Tuesday and Friday.
Sam Hliboki, Harvard-Westlake
File photo by Alyson Boyer Rode
