Top high school baseball tournaments for the 2014 season

Ranked among the nation's top 50 teams by MaxPreps, the Venice (Fla.) Indians and the Fayetteville (Ark.) Purple Dawgs will certainly be tested against some of the top competition in the nation this year.

For the second year in a row, Venice will compete in the National High School Invitational and the Perfect Game High School Showdown. Venice went 3-1 last year at the NHSI, which is held in Cary, N.C., and took first place at the Perfect Game Showdown, which is held in Fort Myers, Fla.

Meanwhile Fayetteville, which is coming off a Class 7A state championship in Arkansas, will play in one of the nation's largest tournaments at the Coach Bob Invitational in Arizona, as well as one of the top tournaments in the South in the USA Classic in Memphis.

Those four gatherings rank among the top tournaments in the country, with the NHSI arguably topping the list. Here's a look at a sampling of some of the nation's toughest tournaments.



National High School Invitational
In its third year of existence, the NHSI will have a new champion this year, as two-time champion Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) will not be returning. The event features three of the nation's top 10 teams, according to MaxPreps, in No. 4 Venice, No. 5 Milton (Ga.) and No. 8 Roberson (Asheville, N.C.). The tournament gets underway March 26 with the championship game on March 29. Click here for a list of the 16 teams competing in the event.

Perfect Game High School Showdown
Featuring some of the top teams in Florida and Georgia, this year's event is scheduled for April 3-5 in Fort Myers, Fla. Top teams include Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.), DeSoto Central (Southaven, Miss.), Eagle's Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.), IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), Venice and Sarasota (Fla.).

Coach Bob Invitational
A total of 105 teams from 11 different states will compete in eight different divisions in this tournament that spans 11 days from March 19 to 29. Some of the favorites include Fayetteville, defending tournament champion O'Connor (Phoenix), Broken Arrow (Okla.) and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas).

Hard 9 National Classic
Held at Cal-State Fullerton, as well as Esperanza and El Dorado high schools, the Hard 9 National Classic features some of the top teams in the West. This year's roster will include Greenway (Phoenix), one of Arizona's top teams, along with Utah state champion Bingham (South Jordan, Utah), San Francisco Bay Area powerhouse Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.) and Orange County squads Huntington Beach (Calif.) and Fountain Valley (Calif.). The tournament spans April 14-17.

USA Classic
Defending Tennessee Division II-AA champion Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.) is the favorite, but will get plenty of competition this year from Fayetteville. The tournament runs from April 2-5 in Memphis.

International Paper Classic
Some of South Carolina's top teams face off in this one, including defending state champion Flora (Columbia, S.C.) and 4A state contender Conway (S.C.). The tournament runs from March 6-9.



San Diego Lions Tournament
Featuring eight divisions with 16 teams in each division, the San Diego Lions Tournament is one of the largest tournaments in the country. Among the teams competing in the Classic Division include San Diego powers Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), Grossmont (El Cajon, Calif.) and Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) along with defending Central Section champion Clovis North (Fresno, Calif.). The event takes place April 14-17.

La Grange Toyota Invitational
Set for Feb. 27 to March 1, the event features some of the South's best teams including North Florida Christian (Tallahassee, Fla.), Cartersville (Ga.) and Spanish Fort (Ala.). It is hosted by La Grange High School.

Boras Classic
Many of the top teams in California will participate in the second-annual Boras Classic, which is actually two tournaments in one. The south portion of the tournament runs from March 29 to April 4 and features the likes of Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), Grossmont, Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.), Serra (Gardena, Calif.), Cypress (Calif.), Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.), San Fernando (Calif.) and Chino Hills (Calif.). The northern portion of the tournament runs from April 14-17 and includes Elk Grove (Calif.), Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.), Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.), De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), Davis (Calif.) and Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.). The winners of the southern and northern tournaments will meet at a later date to determine the overall tournament champion. JSerra Catholic and Mater Dei host the south tournament and Elk Grove will host the north. The championship game will be played at University of Pacific in Stockton.

IMG Academy National Classic
In its second season, the IMG Academy National Classic is working on building one of the top tournaments on the East Coast. This year's tournament features teams mostly from Florida, including Niceville (Fla.), Trinity Catholic (Ocala, Fla.) and Coral Glades (Coral Springs, Fla.). The event runs March 24 to 28.

Adidas Deep South Tournament
Hosted by two-time Xcellent 25 national champion Sumrall, this even features some of the top teams in Mississippi. Running March 10-13, the tournament includes Oak Grove, Purvis and Columbia from Mississippi as well as Bartlett and Houston from Tennessee.