Top high school baseball tournaments of 2019

The National High School Invitational has been the best high school baseball tournament in the nation for the better part of the decade and 2019 should be no different.

With 12 teams from the MaxPreps Preseason Top 100 National Rankings, the NHSI has the most firepower and the highest number of premier players than any tournament in the nation.



1. National High School Invitational
The Details: April 2-5, Cary, North Carolina
The Teams
Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.) (Preseason No. 4)
Christian Brothers (St. Louis) (81)
Corona del Sol (Tempe, Ariz.) (83)
Delbarton (Morristown, N.J.) (19)
Desert Oasis (Las Vegas) (55)
Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) (17)
Huntington Beach (Calif.) (30)
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) (2)
La Mirada (Calif.) (22)
Marist (Chicago) (86)
Monsignor Pace (Miami) (18)
Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) (3)
Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.)
Hendersonville (Tenn.)
Northwest Guilford (Greensboro, N.C.)
The Players: C.J. Abrams, Blessed Trinity; Riley Greene, Hagerty; Rece Hinds, IMG Academy; Jack Leiter, Delbarton; Kendall Williams, IMG Academy; Brennan Malone, IMG Academy; Hayden Mullins, Hendersonville; Jason Hodges, Marist; Anthony Volpe, Delbarton; Landon Sims, South Forsyth; Darius Perry, La Mirada; Kurtis Byrne, Christian Brothers.
The Favorite: West Coast teams, specifically from Orange County, have dominated this tournament with defending champion Orange Lutheran returning. Four teams from California will play, but the favorite might be IMG Academy, which can throw three potential first-round draft picks on the mound during the tournament.

2. Perfect Game Showdown
The Details: March 7-9, Hoover, Ala.
The Teams
Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.) (4)
Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.) (27)
DeSoto Central (Southaven, Miss.) (14)
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)  (2)
Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) (26-0 in 2018)
Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) (28)
Cartersville (Cartersville, Ga.) (Class 4A runner-up)
Buford (Ga.) (Class 5A runner-up)
Cullman (Ala.)
Hoover (Ala.)
Loganville (Ga.) (Class 5A champion)
The Players: C.J. Abrams, Blessed Trinity; Brennan Malone, IMG Academy; Rece Hinds, IMG Academy; Kendall Williams, IMG Academy; Jonathan French, Parkview; Jake Holland, Montverde Academy.
The Favorite: Could IMG Academy make it 2-for-2? The Ascenders will get a challenge from Blessed Trinity and Parkview, two of the home-state powerhouses.
3. Boras Classic — South
The Details: March 26-29 at Mater Dei, JSerra Catholic high schools
The Players: Darius Perry, La Mirada; Garrett Frechette, Orange Lutheran; Dawson Netz, Maranatha; Jasiah Dixon, Orange Lutheran; Hunter Cope, Mater Dei; Michael Curialle, JSerra Catholic; Josh Hahn, Huntington Beach; Cameron Repetti, Cypress.
The Favorite: With the Boras Classic occurring before the NHSI (it has usually been after), look for Orange Lutheran to be the favorite along with Huntington Beach.

4. Highland Park Tournament
The Details: March 7-9, Highland Park (Dallas)
The Players: Jaden Woodson, Dallas Jesuit; Dillon Carter, Argyle; Elijah McCormack, Coppell; Beau Wimpee, Rockwall; Will Johnston, Keller; Austin Wallace, Flower Mound; Brenden Dixon, Argyle;
The Favorite: The top teams from the Dallas-Fort Worth area will compete here. Argyle is the favorite here after finishing No. 1 in the nation last year.

5. San Diego Lions
The Details: April 15-18, multiple San Diego sites. As many as 150 teams in the tournament.
The Players: Spencer Jones, La Costa Canyon, Keoni Cavaco, Eastlake; Cole Kitchen, El Camino Real (Woodland Hills, Calif.); Thomas Carter, Cathedral Catholic; Mac Bingham, Torrey Pines.
The Favorite: Desert Oasis could be the favorite here, but look for San Diego-area teams like Torrey Pines and La Costa Canyon to make some noise.
6. Boras Classic — Arizona
The Details: March 13-16, Arcadia and Corona del Sol High Schools.
The Players: Joe McLaughlin, Hamilton; Chandler Murphy, Liberty (Peoria, Ariz.); Davis Heller, Mesquite; Brian Kalmer, Corona del Sol; Nick Wallerstedt, Mountain Pointe (Phoenix); Zach Martinez, Mountain Ridge; Hank Bard, Legend (Parker, Colo.).
The Favorite: The Arizona version of the Boras Classic has the best teams from Arizona and Nevada. Look for Hamilton to be the team to beat.

7. Coach Bob Invitational
The Details: March 18-23, at 13 different high schools in Arizona.
The Players: Peyton Holt, Greenwood; Nate Swarts, Piedra Vista;
The Favorite: Greenwood was a Top 25 team last year and had one of the longest winning streaks entering the 2019 season.

8. National Classic
The Details: April 1-4, Orange County
The Players: Tyrese Turner, Gahr; JJ Cruz, Gahr; Sean McLain, Beckman; Artie Ramirez, South Hills; Christian Dicochea, Redondo Union.
The Favorite: Some of the top teams from Southern California will participate, but Jordan from Utah could be the team to beat.

9. All Catholic Classic
The Details: April 15-18, Las Vegas
The Players: Matt McCormick, St. Laurence; Pierce Jones, Marian Catholic;
The Favorite: This is not a huge tournament, but it is a unique one in that Catholic schools from three different parts of the country will gather in Las Vegas. St. Laurence is the best bet to win.