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
Photo courtesy Robin Macar
The Jesuit Tigers welcome home Jimmy Falla (4).
1. (1) Jesuit (Tampa, Fla), 19-0
The Tigers head into their own Easter Tournament this week with a 19-0 mark after defeating Clearwater Central Catholic 9-2. Joseph Hudson ripped a three-run homer and Alex Bacon and Lance McCullers each had two hits in the win. Willi Martin started on the mound and nearly went the distance to get the win. He gave up two runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts. Among the teams expected to attend the Easter Tournament include Fordham Prep and St. Francis out of New York, Knoxville (Tenn.) and Catholic and Gonzaga College out of Washington D.C.
2. (2) Bellaire (Bellaire, Texas), 18-1-1
The Cardinals won their only game last week, blasting St. Pius X 11-3. Bellaire resumes district play this week with games against Milby and Madison and a non-district game with Westbury. Looming on the horizon is a rematch with Westside, the only team to defeat Bellaire, on April 24.
3. (3) Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), 4-0
The Ironmen head to the National Classic with a 4-0 mark after edging St. Joseph Regional 4-2 last week in a hotly contested game between two of the top teams in New Jersey. Niko Spezial, who pitched a no-hitter in his first outing, did not give up a hit until the fifth against St. Joseph. Spezial got the win on a two-hitter and left the tying runs stranded on base.
4. (4) Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas), 22-1
The Trojans were barely challenged in winning two games last week. Moody scored nine runs over the final two innings to clobber Port Lacava 12-2. Justin Meza got his eighth win (8-0) and struck out 10 while giving up two hits. Michael Franco and Graham Gutierrez ignited the offense with three RBI apiece with Gutierrez going 4-for-5. Marcus Villanueva added three doubles. In a 15-1 win over Rockport-Fulton, Moody scored seven runs in the seventh to put the game away. A.J. Longoria struck out nine to get the win. Longoria, Rudy Flores and Meza all had three hits apiece.
5. (5) Menchville (Newport News, Va.), 8-0
The Monarchs head back into action this week, playing at Denbigh on Tuesday and at home against Woodside on Firday. The Monarchs hope to have leadoff hitter and pitcher Matt Armstead back in a week. He underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus, according to the Newport News Daily Press after suffering the injury against Gloucester.
6. (7) Lakeland (Fla.), 17-0
The Dreadnaughts nearly saw their unbeaten mark come to an end against Jenkins last week, but a six-run rally in the fifth inning kept the Dreadnaughts unbeaten at 17-0. Lakeland trailed 4-0 in the fifth, but rallied on a double by Matt Jones, a single by Eric Barber and a couple of errors to take the lead. Lakeland faces Sarasota Riverview and Winter Haven in action this week. Lakeland defeated Winter Haven 6-3 in the finals of the Blue Devil Classic two weeks ago.
7. (8) Columbus (Ga.), 15-1
Columbus raised its win streak to 15 in a row with an 8-2 win over LaGrange and a 9-1 victory over Columbus Northside last week. Matt Taylor got the win (4-0) against La Grange. Travis Benn was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Taylor Wolfe, who is headed to Alabama, got the win over Northside with Kyle Carter and Brad Barto each hitting home runs.
8. (10) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 21-2
Calallen bashed four home runs to defeat Laredo Johnson 13-3 last week. Wyatt Mathisen, Matt Garza, Adam Hoelscher and Tyler Denman all homered with Garza going 3-for-4 on the day. The Wildcats meet Flour Bluff and King this week in District play.
9. (9) Northshore (Slidell, La.), 23-1
The Panthers tasted defeat for the first time this season in a 9-4 loss to Mandeville on April 7. Mandeville scored seven runs in the fifth inning to upset Northshore. Panther pitchers gave up seven walks in the loss. The Panthers bounced back to beat Slidell 11-1 with Ryan Eades cracking a double and a home run with six RBI. Chad Gough-Fortenberry also added a home run, his sixth of the season.
10. (11) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), 17-3
The Gaels won their own Bishop Gorman Desert Classic in impressive fashion last week, outscoring opponents 54-8 in four games. Jeff Malm capped the tournament with a no-hitter in the championship game against Foothill of Santa Ana. Malm struck out seven and walked one. Johnny Field and Erik Van Meetren each hit a home run in the win. Field now leads the team with eight home runs and 38 RBI. The Gaels host another tournament this week and will face Desert Oasis, Churchill County, Cornestone Christian (Texas) and Highland (Utah).
11. (12) Sylvan Hills (Sherwood, Ark.), 22-1
The Bears picked up three wins last week, dropping Monticello 11-1 and 6-5 in a doubleheader and then stopping Searcy on Saturday 11-6. Sylvan Hills meets McClellan and defending 7A state champion Fayetteville this week. The Bears defeated Fayetteville early in the season, 4-2.
12. (13) Notre Dame Prep (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 16-0
The Saints headed into this week’s National Classic with a 17-game winning streak, including three wins last week. Notre Dame Prep whipped Prescott 9-1 and shut out Greenway 6-0 before beating Washington 11-1. Matt Ozanne was 3-for-3 with three RBI and a home run against Prescott. Jordan Luvisi and Casey Upperman combined on a no-hitter with Luvisi fanning seven and Upperman striking out five. Drew Ozanne was the hitting star against Greenway with a double and a triple. Against Washington, Eric Knight had three RBI while Joseph Greco and Nick Barber each had two hits.
13. (15) Pensacola Catholic (Pensacola, Fla.), 17-1
The Crusaders bounced back from an 8-6 loss to West Florida last week with three straight wins. Pensacola Catholic edged Pace 6-3 and then swept two games from South Walton 4-3 and 10-0. Wade Wass came up big in the 10-0 win as he went 4-for-4 with a double, a home run and five RBI. Alex Bast and Austin Farrell also homered in the win. In the 4-3 win, David Thompson went the distance and struck out 10 to get the win. Against Pace, PC scored three runs in the eighth inning to pull out the win. Bast was 2-for-5 with two RBI and a home run. The loss was just the second of the year for Pace.
14. (6) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 12-2
Mater Dei heads into this week’s National Classic on a losing streak after falling to JSerra Catholic 6-4 on April 8. The Monarchs had defeated JSerra earlier in the week, 3-1, but lost in the second game of the week. Aaron Northcraft suffered the loss, his second of the season, but also hit a home run. JSerra scored three runs over the final two innings to gain the come-from-behind win.
15. (19) La Cueva (Albuquerque, NM.), 15-1
The Bears played just one game last week, swatting Sandia 13-3 in five innings. Ryan Padilla and Mitchell Garver each hit home runs and Josh McAllister picked up the win.
16. (20) Alvin (Texas), 20-2
The Yellowjackets defeated Dickinson 8-1 last week to remain undefeated in district play at 8-0. Alvin has a tough matchup with Brazoswood today. The ‘Jackets defeated Brazoswood 5-0 earlier in the year to hand it one of its two losses on the season.
17. (23) West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.), 21-1
West Orange blasted Evans 18-6 and topped Monteverde Academy 9-3 to lengthen its win streak to 18 games in a row. The Warriors meet Lake Highland, Olympia and Edgewater this week.
18. (24) Sumrall (Miss.), 25-0
The Bobcats picked up three more wins last week, ripping Greene County in a pair of games, 20-4 and 14-4, and edging Clinton 12-11. Sumrall fought back from a 9-2 early deficit against Clinton. Austin Carter provided the big blow with a three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game. Clinton scored two runs in the top of the eighth, but the Bobcats rallied again with three runs in the bottom of the frame for the win.
19. (NR) George Washington (New York, N.Y.) 20-0
The Trojans are actually 20-0 on the season and 5-0 in PSAL action. Overall George Washington has eight wins by shutout and they are led by one of the top power hitters in the nation in Alibay Barkley.
20. (NR) Pendleton (Brandeton, Fla.) 24-0
A private school that plays a freelance schedule in Florida, Pendleton has won three tournaments this year including the Westminster National Classic where it defeated South Fork, one of the top 5A teams in the state, 6-5 in the final. John Ryan Murphy leads the team with a .608 average, 55 RBI and nine home runs. Dillion Moyer, son of Major League pitcher Jamie Moyer, is batting .410. Casey Mulholland has been the team’s top pitcher with a 5-0 record and 59 strikeouts and just nine walks.
21. (16) Broken Arrow 16-3
The Tigers continue to hold the No. 1 ranking in Oklahoma despite a 6-3 loss to Union on April 7. Broken Arrow responded by winning the Wood Bat Tournament over the weekend including a tripleheader on Saturday that included a 16-0 win over Bartlesville, a 10-0 win over Sapulpa and a 2-0 win over Page in 12 innings in the championship game. Nick Pettus threw five shutout innings against Page to collect his third win of the season.
Photo by Kirt Winter
Matt Davidson of Yucaipa.
22. (17) Owasso (Owasso, Okla.), 17-2
Owasso won five straight last week to take first place at the Nike/Pronine Tournament including an impressive 11-0 win over Jenks in the final game. Austin Kirk picked up his fourth win of the season (4-0) with a five-inning no-hitter against Jenks. He also struck out nine batters and was one walk away from a perfect game. Kirk also had a triple and two RBI on offense. In an 11-1 win over Rolf, Logan Dallis was 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and six RBI. Caleb Compton and Brad Rogers also added home runs. The Rams also rocked Claremore 20-6 with Compton, Ryan Mayfield and Austen Colt all bashing homers.
23. (21) Yucaipa (Calif.), 14-1
The Thunderbirds saw their win streak end at 13 straight games after falling to Rancho Buena Vista at the San Diego Lions Tournament last week. Yucaipa finished with a 3-1 record in the tournament, concluding with a 4-1 victory over El Capitan. Against RBV, the Longhorns scored four runs in the fifth inning to pull out the win.
24. (NR) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla) 20-2
The Falcons won the Hannahan Invitational Tournament in Ohio last week, defeating Wando 10-7 in the semifinals and Starr’s Mills 10-6 in the final. Ricky Santiago had a home run in the win over Starr’s Mills while Collin Martindale was 3-for-4. Justin Frias and Danny Rojo both homered in the win over Wando.
25. (NR) Reagan (San Antonio, Texas) 18-3
Reagan has won 13 in a row since falling to Boerne-Champion on March 5. Among the wins is a 3-2 victory over Calallen. Reagan has barely been challenge in district play, winning its last seven games by six runs or more.
Dropped out: Wando 15-2, Jesuit 11-2, Roswell 12-3, Grissom 28-4.