MaxPreps top 50 national high school baseball rankings

By Kevin Askeland Apr 15, 2014, 12:00am

Flanagan knocks Archbishop McCarthy out of stop spot in Broward County showdown.

Barbe has taken over as the top team in the most recent Xcellent 50.
Barbe has taken over as the top team in the most recent Xcellent 50.
Photo by Roddy Johnson
A battle between the top two teams in Broward County Saturday resulted in a loss for the No. 1 team in the country.

Oscar Rodriguez knocked in Miguel Presno with a ground ball in the bottom of the seventh to give Flanagan a 2-1 win over No. 1-ranked Archbishop McCarthy.

"It's a dramatic way to win, but we would have rather gotten a hit there to win it," Flanagan coach Ray Evans told Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald. "We did it though. That was probably the best game you will see this season in Broward County."

The loss for Archbishop McCarthy drops the Mavericks out of the top spot and down to No. 5. Flanagan moves up from No. 10 to No. 4.



Barbe, which has won 14 games in a row, takes over the No. 1 spot with a 27-2 record.

A total of 11 new teams entered the Xcellent 50 this week with Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.) the highest-ranking debut team at No. 32.

MaxPreps Xcellent 50 National Baseball Rankings

1. (last week 2) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 27-2
The Buccaneers have been on a roll since beginning district play and move up to No. 1 following Archbishop McCarthy's loss. They were dominant in defeating Acadiana (Lafayette) 9-0, Sulphur 9-2 and Comeaux (Lafayette) 12-2. Against Sulphur, Braedon Barrett hit for the cycle and drove in four runs. Kennon Fontenot also went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. The Buccaneers have won 16 in a row and recently posted their 24th consecutive 20-win season.

2. (4) The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.), 20-2
Jeremy Johnson, Lambert
Jeremy Johnson, Lambert
Photo by Steve Hampton
The First Academy posted a pair of non-district wins last week, beating Viera 9-3 and Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) 3-0. Foster Griffin went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs in the 9-3 win. Adam Haseley belted a solo home run and Griffin was 2-for-3 in the win over Trinity Christian. Haseley also went six innings, struck out nine and did not allow a hit in picking up the win.

3. (8) Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.), 21-0
The Longhorns won three times last week to stay unbeaten. Jeremy Johnson was 3-for-5 with a double in an 8-4 win over West Forsyth. Sophomore Seth Beer struck out seven and gave up just three hits in a 2-0 shutout of North Forsyth. He also went 2-for-3 with a double. Beer then went 3-for-4 with three RBIs in a 12-1 win over South Forsyth.

4. (10) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 19-1
The Falcons escaped with a 13-12 win over Dr. Phillips on Friday before knocking off No. 1-ranked Archbishop McCarthy on Saturday. Gentry Fortuno got the win against the Mavericks, upping his record over the past three seasons at Flanagan to 24-0. He struck out eight in seven innings and raised his season record to 7-0. Flanagan also defeated West Broward 6-0 earlier in the week.



5. (1) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 21-2
The Mavericks had won a pair of close games earlier in the week, defeating Pembroke Pines Charter 6-5 and Dr. Phillips 2-0. Andres Nunez got the win against Dr. Phillips, giving up one hit in 6 2/3 innings with 11 strikeouts. Michael Gigliotti was 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in the win over Pembroke Pines Charter. The Mavericks conclude the regular season this week with home games against Belen Jesuit and Everglades City.

6. (6) Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.), 16-2
The Bears won their only game of the week, defeating Clovis East 15-0. Trenton Kemp had a double, three RBIs and three runs scored while Carter Gambrell was 2-for-3 with an RBI. Buchanan will open with Grant (Sacramento) in the Boras Classic North Division this week.

7. (11) Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas), 24-2
Moody held on to its No. 1 ranking in the Class 4A coaches poll with a 14-0 win over Miller (Corpus Christi) and a 9-5 win over Martin (Laredo). Johnny Gonzalez was 2-for-3 with a double in the win over Miller while Chris Estrada was 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI against Martin.

8. (13) O'Connor (Helotes, Texas), 25-1
The Panthers secured their place atop the Class 5A state coaches poll by knocking off Marshall (San Antonio) 7-2 and Holmes (San Antonio) 15-0 last week. Zachary Galm had a big game, going 2-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs against Holmes. David Worrell threw a five-inning one-hitter, striking out nine. Tommy Wilson struck out 14 in the win over Marshall with Gavin Johnson hitting a home run.

9. (15) Pearland (Texas), 25-2
The Oilers won their two district games of the week, beating Sam Rayburn (Pasadena) 11-4 and Alvin 4-1. Connor Wong was 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs against Rayburn. Jacob Barfield gave up one run on one hit with three strikeouts in the win over Alvin.

10. (16) Hanover (Mechanicsville, Va.), 6-0
Hanover ran its record to 6-0 with an 11-1 win over Caroline (Milford) and a 2-0 win over Lee-Davis (Mechanicsville). Elliott Siedd was 3-for-3 with two RBIs while Cayman Richardson was 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs against Carolina. Derek Casey gave up just three hits and struck out 13 in the shutout of Lee-Davis.



11. (5) Clovis (Calif.), 20-4
The Cougars split two games with Clovis North, losing 7-6 on Tuesday and winning 2-1 on Friday. Clovis took a 6-5 lead in the top of the 10th inning on Matt Sparks' home run, but Clovis North scored twice in the bottom half of the inning for the win. Clovis won the second game in the ninth inning when Jacob Gatewood tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly. Clovis plays in the Fresno Easter Classic this week.

12. (19) Langham Creek (Houston), 22-1
The Lobos won twice in district play last week, defeating Cy Falls 2-1 and 8-5. Eric Thomas gave up one run on three hits with five strikeouts in the 2-1 victory while Aaron Fletcher struck out 14 in the latter win.

13. (24) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego), 12-1
Quinn Brodey, Loyola
Quinn Brodey, Loyola
Photo by Ted Aguirre
The Dons defeated Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista) 7-4 with Will Law blasting a two-run home run and Brady Aiken and Sean Bouchard each knocking triples. Law also hit a home run and a double in a 7-2 win over Patrick Henry. Aiken gave up his first two earned runs of the season, but upped his record to 5-0 with 48 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched.

14. (26) Loyola (Los Angeles), 14-1
The Cubs took two from Crespi last week, winning 5-1 and 7-6. Quinn Brodey went five innings and struck out eight in the 5-1 victory while Angelo Armenta was 3-for-4 with a two-run walkoff home run in the latter game. Loyola has a crucial two-game set with Harvard-Westlake this week.

15. (28) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 13-2
The Lancers won three times in WCAL play, beating St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 4-1, Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 18-1 and Serra (San Mateo) 3-0. Devon Canty and Blake Billinger both hit home runs against SHC while Tyler Deason hit one out against Serra. John Gavin ran his record to 4-0 with a 0.33 ERA and 53 strikeouts in the win over Serra. St. Francis will play in the Boras Classic this week.

16. (7) Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), 21-2
The Dolphins suffered their second loss of the season, a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Owensboro Catholic (Ky.) at the Florida Beach Bash. Mosley also managed a pair of shutout wins, beating Gulf Breeze 5-0 and Arnold (Panama City Beach) 9-0. Freshman Micheal Cullen went the distance against Gulf Breeze, giving up eight hits and striking out two. Another freshman, Weston Bizzle, went six innings, gave up two hits and struck out seven against Arnold.



17. (3) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 6-1
The Crusaders are already into Greater Catholic League play, defeating St. Xavier (Cincinnati) 11-1 and La Salle (Cincinnati) 6-2 before falling to Elder (Cincinnati) 5-1. Archbishop Moeller swept a pair of games from Michigan teams on Saturday, beating Clio 13-2 and Lake Orion 9-2. The Crusaders are headed to a tournament in North Carolina for spring break.

18. (9) Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 19-4
The Huskies had an up-and-down week, falling to Arcadia (Phoenix) 5-4 early in the week, but bouncing back to defeat one of the state's top teams, Chaparral (Scottsdale), 10-0 on Wednesday. Horizon also blanked Desert Mountain (Scottsdale) 1-0 on Friday. Ian Sanger, a sophomore, got the win over Chaparral, striking out five and allowing six hits.

19. (29) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 18-2
The Huskies won a key Arizona showdown with a 3-2 win over Mountain Pointe. Kent Hasler struck out 10 in getting the win. Hamilton also defeated Chandler 11-8 earlier in the week.

20. (12) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 26-3
The Wildcats split their two district games last week, defeating Gregory-Portland 6-3 and falling to Victoria West 6-5. Victoria West scored all of its runs in the third inning. Justice Flores was 2-for-4 in the loss.

21. (14) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 22-3
The Dragons split their two district games, beating Timber Creek (Fort Worth) 3-1 and falling to Richland (Richland Hills) 5-3. Ben Leeper was the winning pitcher against Timber Creek. Eric Cole had a triple against Richland.

22. (17) Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 18-2
Alex Linares, Creekside
Alex Linares, Creekside
Photo by Gary McCullough
The Firebirds lost a showdown with Horizon, 10-0, but bounced back to defeat Camelback (Phoenix) 14-5.



23. (18) Creekside (Jacksonville, Fla.), 22-2
The Knights played an out-of-state matchup with St. Pius X Catholic (Atlanta) and fell 11-6. St. Pius X Catholic scored five runs in the top of the 13th inning to collect the win. Creekside returned home to defeat Fleming Island (Orange Park) 3-1.

24. (31) Allatoona (Acworth, Ga.), 20-1
The Buccaneers showed pitching depth last week by winning five times. Allatoona edged Hiram 2-1 before blanking North Paulding (Dallas, Ga.) 9-0 and Lithian Springs 11-0. The Bucs also beat Lithia Springs 14-2 in the second game of a doubleheader and ended the week with a 4-1 win over Rome.

25. (32) Sarasota (Fla.), 20-2
The Sailors won twice last week, beating Riverview (Sarasota) 8-0 and Charlotte (Punta Gorda) 5-1. The Sailors have two key matchups with Venice and Jesuit (Tampa) this week.

The Next 25

26. (40) Clovis North (Fresno, Calif.), 15-4
The Broncos split their two games with Clovis, winning 7-6 early in the week and falling in extra innings 2-1 on Thursday. Clovis North will play in the San Diego Lions Tournament this week.

27. (34) Jenks (Okla.), 21-2
After losing to Bixby 7-6 early in the week, Jenks went 4-0 at the Pro 9 Tournament, beating Booker T. Washington 7-6, Hilldale 6-4, Berryhill 3-2 and Tuttle 6-3.



28. (36) Puyallup (Wash.), 11-0
Puyallup stayed undefeated with a 10-0 win over Rogers (Puyallup), a 12-1 win over Emerald Ridge (South Hill) and a 9-4 win over Federal Way. Darian Clemens hit a home run against Federal Way.

29. (37) Rose (Greenville, N.C.), 15-0
Rose won twice, beating South Central (Winterville) 10-7 and C.B. Aycock (Pikeville) 11-1. JD Clark, Mason Keen and Bailey Sugg all hit home runs against South Central.

30. (42) Western Branch (Chesapeake, Va.), 10-0
Colin Selby raised his record to 4-0 with a seven-strikeout shutout of King's Fork on Saturday. Western Branch also shut out Nansemond River 6-0 earlier in the week.

31. (38) Fayetteville (Ark.), 16-3
Fayetteville won a pair of league contests, beating Rogers Heritage twice, 12-0 and 11-1. Andy Pagnozzi struck out eight in six innings in the 11-1 victory while Kyle Pate threw a five-inning one-hitter with 12 strikeouts in the shutout win.

32. (NR) Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.), 18-2
Its only losses are to Parkview Baptist (La.) and Lambert.

33. (20) Temecula Valley (Temecula, Calif.), 13-2
Zack Noll, Great Oak
Zack Noll, Great Oak
Photo by Matt Francis
The Golden Bears lost their first Southwestern League game of the season, falling to Great Oak 7-6 on Tuesday. Temecula Valley edged Murrieta Valley 1-0 on Friday to remain in a tie for first place in league play. Brandon Koch went five innings for the win. David Maldonado was 1-for-4 with a three-run homer in the loss to Great Oak.



34. (NR) Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.), 14-3
Great Oak has wins over Temecula Valley, Cypress, Bishop Amat, Norco and Serra (Gardena).

35. (25) The Woodlands (Texas), 22-4
The Highlanders saw their 14-game win streak come to an end with a 2-1 loss to Lufkin in district play. Earlier in the week, The Woodlands defeated A&M Consolidated 11-0. Chris Andritsos was 2-for-3 with two solo home runs in the win. Mark Doerries had a home run, a double and five RBIs while Casey Schneider also hit one out. Andritsos also went five innings and gave up three hits with six strikeouts for the win. Luke Sherley took the loss against Lufkin despite nine strikeouts.

36. (NR) Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.), 16-1
Ardrey Kell lost to Providence (Charlotte) early in the season but avenged the loss last week.

37. (23) Providence (Charlotte, N.C.), 16-1
Providence dropped a 3-2 showdown with Ardrey Kell (Charlotte), but bounced back to beat Harding University (Charlotte) 17-0 and Independence (Charlotte) 7-3.

38. (21) Park Vista (Lake Worth, Fla.), 19-2
Park Vista fell to King's Academy 5-3, but defeated Santaluces 5-0 and Wellington 5-3 last week. Park Vista has a big matchup on Wednesday with Flanagan.

39. (45) Westfield (Ind.), 3-0
The Shamrocks did not play last week, but will be back in action this week with four games on the schedule.



40. (46) St. Laurence (Burbank, Ill.), 11-1
St. Laurence knocked off Oak Lawn 10-0 and Peoria 12-2 last week. Roger Wilson was 2-for-2 with a double, a home run and four RBIs against Oak Lawn. Mike Komacker and Mike Miller each hit home runs against Peoria.

41. (47) ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 8-2
The Grizzlies won three times, defeating Castle View (Castle Rock) 8-3, Ponderosa (Parker) 6-4 and Douglas County (Castle Rock) 7-3 last week. Brody Westmoreland homered in the win over Castle View.

42. (50) Sahuaro (Tucson, Ariz.), 16-1
Sahuaro topped Cienega (Vail) 5-2 and Empire (Tucson) 8-2. Alex Verdugo struck out 10 in the win over Cienega. Justin Hammergren fanned 10 in the win over Empire.

43. (NR) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 12-2
Andrew Mink, Clearwater Central Catholic
Andrew Mink, Clearwater Central Catholic
Photo by Mike Janes
Alex Jackson hit two home runs in one game as Rancho Bernardo swept three games from Torrey Pines last week.

44. (NR) St. Rita (Chicago), 15-0
St. Rita is off to a strong start with seven wins by shutout.

45. (NR) Clearwater Central Catholic (Fla.), 21-0
CCC is one of the few remaining undefeated teams left in Florida.



46. (NR) Spanish Fort (Ala.), 26-5
Spanish Fort is ranked No. 1 in the Class 5A state rankings in Alabama.

47. (NR) Arlington (Tenn.), 21-2
Arlington has wins over NHSI participants Dyer County and Huntsville.

48. (NR) Etowah (Woodstock, Ga.), 18-3
Etowah is coming off a pair of wins over highly regarded Walton.

49. (NR) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 25-2
Lake Travis is ranked No. 7 in Class 5A by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association.

50. (NR) Alexander (Laredo, Texas), 19-2
Alexander is ranked No. 8 in Class 5A by the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Dropped Out: No. 22 Whitewater, No. 27 Archbishop Mitty, No. 30. Harvard-Westlake, No. 33 Winter Haven, No. 35 Owasso, No. 39 Bishop Gorman, No. 41 West Orange, No. 43 DeMatha, No. 44 Blue Valley West, No. 48 Christian Brothers (Mo.), No. 49 Howell.