MaxPreps Top 50 national high school baseball rankings

Not much changed in the Xcellent 50 National Baseball Rankings this week as the southern states concluded the regular season and look ahead to postseason play next week.

Barbe (Lake Charles, La.) enters the Louisiana Class 5A state playoffs as the No. 1 seed and it also holds the No. 1 ranking in the Xcellent 50. Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.) continues to keep the pressure on the Buccaneers as it finished the regular season undefeated at 26-0.

Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas) and O'Connor (Helotes, Texas) all won their games last week as well, leaving the top six spots unchanged from last week.

Only six new teams join the Xcellent 50 this week, topped by Broken Arrow (Okla.), which entered the rankings at No. 27 after defeating both Jenks and Owasso last week.




1. (Last week 1) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 33-2
The Buccaneers won their final two games of the season and enter the Louisiana High School 5A state playoffs as the No. 1 team. They will face Grace King today in the opening round. Barbe concluded the regular season with a 9-5 win over Lafayette and a 10-0 win over Acadiana. The Buccaneers finished District 3-5A play undefeated with a 14-0 record.

2. (2) Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.), 26-0
The Longhorns finished the regular season undefeated with three wins last week. Lambert topped Centennial (Roswell) 5-1, Johns Creek 8-3 and Chattahoochee (Alpharetta) 6-2. Kyle McCann and Seth Beer each had three hits against Centennial while J.D. Dutka had a double and a home run. Beer had a home run and double against Johns Creek while Ian Kimbrell was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs against Chattahoochee. Lambert opens postseason play on Friday against Dacula.

3. (3) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 22-1
Flanagan claimed the District 13-8A championship with a 12-1 win over Everglades (Miramar). Gentry Fortuno earned the win while Ricky Presno was 3-for-3 with a double. Flanagan also defeated McArthur (Hollywood) 11-0 in the semifinals. Flanagan will open bi-district play against Miami Beach on Thursday.

4. (4) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 25-2
The Mavericks began their trip toward an unprecedented fifth straight state championship with a shutout win over Cardinal Gibbons in the District 16-5A championship game. Andres Nunez got the victory in the 3-0 win. In a 4-0 semifinal win over Pompano Beach, freshman Alex Toral went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run. Brian Gonzalez got the win, giving up one hit and one walk while striking out 14 in six innings. The Mavericks open with Suncoast in the first round of the regional playoffs on Wednesday.

5. (5) Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas), 26-2
The Trojans completed District 31-4A play undefeated with an 11-0 win over Nixon. Johnny Gonzalez went five innings and gave up no runs on three hits with eight strikeouts in the win. Moody opens bi-district play Friday against Rio Grande City.

6. (6) O'Connor (Helotes, Texas), 28-1
The Panthers finished District 27-5A play undefeated with a 16-0 record after defeating Stevens (San Antonio) 3-1 and Taft (San Antonio) 19-0 last week. Billy Craft was 2-for-3 with a home run against Taft while David Worrell struck out 10 in the win. Zachary Galm went 4.2 innings against Taft, striking out six and allowing one hit. Craft was 2-for-4 with four RBIs.



7. (9) Clovis (Calif.), 27-4
The Cougars won a pair of games against Central (Fresno) last week, winning 3-2 and 5-3. In the latter game, Jacob Gatewood was 2-for-3 with a home run while McCarthy Tatum picked up the win. The Cougars have four tough games down the stretch, facing Buchanan in two games this week and Clovis West in a pair next week.

8. (10) Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), 24-3
The Dolphins fell to Rutherford 2-1 in the District 1-5A tournament after defeating Rutherford in its two previous meetings. Sean Maddox had a home run and two RBIs in a 9-2 win over Bay (Panama City) in the semifinals.

9. (11) Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), 12-0
Nate Romans and Ryan Feltner each hit home runs in an 11-1 win over Western Reserve Academy early in the week. Walsh Jesuit then got a grand slam from Blake Jenkins, his second of the year, and a home run from Dominic Mittiga to beat Gilmour 14-4. The Warriors opened the Ohio Jesuit Tournament on Saturday with a 12-2 win over St. Xavier.

10. (13) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 31-3
The Wildcats captured a District 30-4A championship with a 7-1 win over Calhoun in their only game of the week. Kyle Hill struck out 13 in the win. Calallen opens bi-district play against Harlandale on Thursday.

11. (14) Stillwater (Okla.), 24-2
Stillwater did not play last week, but it has a pair of key Oklahoma 6A showdowns against Jenks on Monday and Tuesday.

12. (15) Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 24-2
The Titans captured first place in District 3-8A with an 11-0 win over Apopka on a five-inning no-hitter by Michael Byrne. Nick Gordon led the offense, going 3-for-3 with a double and a home run. Gordon also had a double and a home run in a 14-1 semifinal win over Ocoee. The Titans will face Dr. Phillips in bi-district play on Thursday.



13. (17) Puyallup (Wash.), 17-0
Puyallup closed in on an undefeated regular season with a pair of wins last week. In a 3-0 win over Curtis (University Place), Lane Griffin gave up no runs on four hits with eight strikeouts. In a 4-2 win over Beamer (Federal Way), Luke Heimlich struck out 12 to gain the win. The Vikings conclude the regular season with away games at Rogers (Puyallup) and Federal Way.

14. (21) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 17-3
Rancho Bernardo defeated Canyon Crest Academy (San Diego) 9-4 in its only game of the week. Alex Jackson raised his season batting average to .414 with a 2-for-3 effort. He has eight home runs on the season. Casey Henderson had a home run against Canyon Crest Academy.

15. (22) St. Rita (Chicago), 22-0
St. Rita won three times last week, defeating St. Ignatius (Chicago) 14-2, Fenwick (Oak Park) 11-0 and Loyola Academy (Wilmette) 12-1. Nick Goldsmith was 2-for-2 with a double, a home run and four RBIs against St. Ignatius. Mike Costanzo allowed just two hits and struck out eight in the shutout win over Fenwick.

16. (23) Clearwater Central Catholic (Fla.), 23-0
Clearwater Central Catholic won the District 9-3A championship by beating Calvary Christian (Clearwater) 9-1 in the district final. Andrew Mink II hit a home run and drove in four runs while freshman Michael Paul allowed one run on one hit with five strikeouts for the win. The Marauders also defeated St. Petersburg Catholic 4-0 in the semifinals. David Paul struck out seven in the shutout win.

17. (8) The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.), 22-4
The Royals fell in the District 6-3A championship game to Orangewood Christian (Maitland) 4-3. Two of The First Academy's four losses this year are to Orangewood Christian. The Royals defeated Windermere Prep 7-3 in the semifinals.

18. (25) Cypress Ranch (Houston), 20-4-1
Cypress Ranch defeated Cypress Falls (Houston) 10-0 and 4-3 to conclude District 17-5A play with a 14-3 record. The Mustangs' Carey Jones and Corbin Martin each hit a home run in the shutout win while Riley Gossett struck out five and allowed just two hits. In the 4-3 win, Marshall Skinner was 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles.



19. (26) Elk Grove (Calif.), 15-4
The Thundering Herd won three times last week, defeating Monterey Trail (Elk Grove) 21-1 and 14-3 in league play and Rodriguez (Fairfield) 9-4 in a nonleague matchup. Nick Madrigal was 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, three RBIs and four runs scored in the 21-1 win while Derek Hill was 3-for-3 with two triples and four RBIs in the 14-3 victory. Against Rodriguez, Brooks Day was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.

20. (27) Langham Creek (Houston), 24-3
The Lobos swept two from Cypress Creek last week, winning 5-3 and 3-2. Aaron Fletcher struck out 17 in the 3-2 win and Eric Thomas fanned 10 in the 5-3 victory. Langham Creek captured first place in District 17-5A with a 15-2 record.

21. (28) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 19-3
The Lancers picked up three key wins in the Elite 8 Classic, knocking off perennial Sac-Joaquin power St. Mary's (Stockton) 2-1, North Coast Section Division I favorite California (San Ramon) 5-2 and NCS Division II power Clayton Valley Charter 3-0. The loss was the first of the year for Clayton Valley Charter. Casey Douglas struck out five in the win over Clayton Valley Charter while John Gavin struck out 11 in six innings against California.

22. (29) Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 20-5
The Huskies won three times last week, beating Boulder Creek (Anthem) 11-1, Skyline (Mesa) 13-0 and Dobson (Mesa) 6-2. They will conclude the regular season with Brophy College Prep on Tuesday.

23. (30) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 22-3
Hamilton rebounded from its third loss of the season with a pair of wins last week, beating Corona del Sol (Tempe) 7-4 and Desert Ridge (Mesa) 4-3. Zach Pederson raised his season record to 9-0 with the win over Corona del Sol. Austin Filiere and Ryan Nolcheff each homered against Desert Ridge.

24. (7) Pearland (Texas), 28-3
The Oilers missed out on a chance to claim first place in District 22-5A when it lost to Dobie, 6-4, in the final game of the regular season. Pearland finished 12-2 in district lay while Dobie was 13-1. Earlier in the week, Pearland defeated Manvel 5-1.



25. (31) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 28-2-1
Lake Travis defeated Bowie (Austin) 3-1 to complete district play. Devin Dickens was 3-for-4 in the win while Tyler Payne was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Lake Travis will play Stony Point in bi-district play starting on Thursday.

The Next 25

26. (32) Alexander (Laredo, Texas), 23-2
Alexander defeated Laredo LBJ 6-0 and United (Laredo) 5-3 to complete district play with an 11-1 record. Rudy Gaona was 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBIs against LBJ. Alexander faces Edinburg in bi-district.

27. (NR) Broken Arrow (Okla.), 30-4
Picked up a win over Owasso and a win over Jenks last week to move into the rankings.

28. (39) Fayetteville (Ark.), 22-3
The Purple Dogs took two from Van Buren, 1-0 and 2-1, and also edged Deer Creek (Edmond, Okla.) 1-0. A previous loss to Stillwater was actually by the Fayetteville JV team, however Fayetteville will play Stillwater on Friday.

29. (20) Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.), 20-2
Ardrey Kell heads into the final week of the regular season with a 14-game winning streak after beating Hopewell (Huntersville) 5-0 and Independence (Charlotte) 4-2 last week.



30. (33) Sarasota (Fla.), 24-3
The Sailors won the 10-7A district championship with a 14-2 win over Braden River (Brandenton). Brandon Chapman was 2-for-3 with five RBIs and two home runs. In a 5-4 semifinal win over Lakewood Ranch, Evan Mendoza was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and he also pitched six innings, striking out four, to get the win. Sarasota plays East Lake in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs.

31. (35) Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas), 27-3
The Tigers won the District 28-5A championship with an 11-1 win over Cibolo Steele and a 5-0 win over South San Antonio last week. Isaiah Lybarger had a double and three RBIs against Steele while Michael Berglund homered against South San Antonio.

32. (36) Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 24-3
Chaparral picked up four wins last week, beating Pinnacle (Phoenix) 15-5, Westwood (Mesa) 3-1, Mountain View (Mesa) 1-0 and Skyline (Mesa) 14-0.

33. (37) Allatoona (Acworth, Ga.), 24-2
Allatoona closed out the regular season with three big wins. The Buccaneers romped past New Manchester (Douglasville) 15-0, South Paulding (Douglasville) 11-1 and Villa Rica 10-0.

34. (NR) Sumter (S.C.), 19-2-1
Sumter has emerged as the top team in South Carolina.

35. (NR) Liberty North (Mo.), 19-1
Liberty North has a win over Lee's Summit West.



36. (12) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 12-2
Elder has proven to be the Crusaders' nemesis so far this season as it handed Archbishop Moeller its second loss of the season, 5-4, on Wednesday. Elder also defeated Moeller 5-1 on April 10, although the Crusaders were able to pick up a 5-2 win over Elder on April 21. Moeller concluded the week with a 4-1 win over Ryle (Union, Ky.). The Crusaders have two big matchups with St. Xavier this week.

37. (40) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 16-4-1
The Wolverines picked up a pair of wins, defeating Capistrano Valley Christian 5-0 and Bishop Amat (La Puente) 13-1. Cameron Deere had two hits and two RBIs in the latter win.

38. (42) Cosby (Midlothian, Va.), 10-0
Cosby remained undefeated with a 9-2 win over Monacan and a 10-0 victory Midlothian. The two runs against Monacan are the only runs Cosby has allowed in its last seven games.

39. (NR) Woodside (Newport News, Va.), 13-0
In a battle of unbeaten, Woodside knocked off Western Branch 6-4 last week.

40. (43) Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.), 25-4
Christian Brothers won four games last week, topping Houston (Germantown) 8-0, Dyer County 7-1, University School of Jackson 6-2 and Jackson South Side 10-0. Corey Herndon, Breck Ruddick and Zane Phillips each hit home runs in the win over South Side.

41. (18) Western Branch (Chesapeake, Va.), 12-1
Western Branch lost a battle of unbeaten teams when it fell to Woodside (Newport News) 6-4 in its only game of the week.



42. (19) The Woodlands (Texas), 24-5
Despite losing to Oak Ridge 5-4 in the season finale, the Highlanders captured first place in District 15-5A with a 10-2 record. The Woodlands defeated College Park 5-3 earlier in the week. The defending Class 5A state champions will open bi-district play on Thursday against Klein.

43. (16) Jenks (Okla.), 26-4
The Trojans had a tough week, falling to Broken Arrow and Page (Sand Springs) by identical 5-2 scores. Jenks also racked up a 12-0 win over Page. It doesn't get any easier for Jenks as it faces Stillwater in a pair of games this week.

44. (44) Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.), 21-4
The Bears took a pair from Clovis West (Fresno), winning 11-1 and 10-4. They will face Clovis in two games this week.

45. (45) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 25-4
The Dragons won twice last week to claim the District 4-5A championship. Carroll topped Fossil Ridge 4-0 and Haltom 8-3.

46. (46) Providence (Charlotte, N.C.), 20-2
Providence won twice last week, beating Myers Park 4-0 and Butler 5-4. The Panthers will close the regular season against South Mecklenburg and Charlotte Catholic.

47. (47) Park Vista (Lake Worth, Fla.), 23-3
Park Vista won the District 10-8A championships with an 11-1 victory over Spanish River. It also knocked off Santaluces 9-0 in the semifinals.



48. (48) Spanish Fort (Ala.), 34-6
Spanish Fort advanced to the third round by beating Faith Academy (Mobile) 11-1 and 8-4 and then St. Paul's (Mobile) 5-1 and 8-0.

49. (NR) Sterling Heights Stevenson (Mich.), 13-0
The top team in Michigan has a win over Brother Rice.

50. (NR) Lee's Summit West (Mo.), 18-3
Lee's Summit West has one of the nation's top three-sport athletes in Monte Harrison.

Dropped Out: No. 24 Arlington, No. 34 Huntington Beach, No. 38 Rose, No. 41 Loyola, No. 49 Marist, No. 50 Chatfield.