MaxPreps Top 50 national high school baseball rankings

By Kevin Askeland May 13, 2014, 11:00pm

Lambert loses first game, Archbishop McCarthy moves up to No. 2. Barbe still leads the way as it gets closer to state title.

Collin Gabel and Chaparral have moved into the Xcellent 50 as they gun for an Arizona state title.
Collin Gabel and Chaparral have moved into the Xcellent 50 as they gun for an Arizona state title.
Photo by Mark Jones
Barbe moved within two games of a Louisiana 5A state championship and a possible mythical national championship when it knocked off defending Louisiana state champion Catholic in a sweep last week.

The Buccaneers are 38-2 on the season and advanced to the state semifinals with the sweep. If Barbe can win the next two games, it all but guarantees a final No. 1 ranking in the MaxPreps Xcellent 50 National Baseball Rankings.

Others in contention include Archbishop McCarthy, which moved up to No. 2 following Brian Gonzalez's second-straight no-hitter in the playoffs in a win over Cardinal Gibbons. The Mavericks are attempting to win their fifth-straight state championship.

O'Connor advanced to the third round of the postseason in the Class 5A state playoffs in Texas and has lost just once this season. Meanwhile, previous No. 1 Lambert lost its first game of the season last week, but it is still in line for a possible 6A state championship in Georgia.



MaxPreps Xcellent 50 National Baseball Rankings

1. (Last week 1) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 38-2
Barbe advanced in the state tournament with an 11-6, 3-2 win over defending state champion Catholic (Baton Rouge). Barbe will take on St. Amant in the semifinals on May 16.

2. (4) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 28-2
David Worrell, O'Connor
David Worrell, O'Connor
Photo by Lester Rosebrock
The Mavericks got past Cardinal Gibbons in the regional semifinals 7-0. as Brian Gonzalez threw his second-straight no-hitter. He struck out 16 batters and came within a walk of a perfect game.

3. (6) O'Connor (Helotes, Texas), 32-1
The Panthers advanced to the third round with a sweep of MacArthur (San Antonio). Kolby Lunsford was 3-for-4 with four RBIs in a 6-4 win while Drew Fields was also 3-for-4 with four RBIs in a 13-5 victory. O'Connor will meet Carroll (Corpus Christi) in the third round.

4. (2) Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.), 30-1
The Longhorns lost their first game of the season when they fell in the second game of their series with Mill Creek, 6-5. Lambert won the opener 12-0 behind Seth Beer's two home runs. Jd Dutka had three RBIs in a 7-4 win in the third game to advance Lambert to the next round against Luella.

5. (7) Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), 26-3
Connor Green went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run and four RBIs to lead the Dolphins past Rutherford 5-1. Mosley faces Clay (Green Cove Springs) for the regional championship on Tuesday.

6. (8) Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), 22-0
The Warriors raised their record to 22-0 with four wins last week. In a 10-1 win over Mentor Lake Catholic, Blake Jenkins hit two home runs. In a 5-0 win over Mentor Lake Catholic, Ty Shoaff allowed just two hits and struck out 10. Joel Ruane then pitched a no-hitter for five-plus innings in a 7-0 win over Benedictine. Walsh Jesuit also topped St. Vincent-St. Mary's 4-1.



7. (9) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 32-3
The Wildcats reached the regional quarterfinals with a 7-6 win over Flour Bluff. They will face Medina Valley.

8. (11) Puyallup (Wash.), 21-0
Brendan Illies went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs to help lead Puyallup past Kentridge 12-0 in postseason play. Puyallup advances to the West Central District Tournament to face Gig Harbor.

9. (12) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 22-3
Rancho Bernardo blanked Westview (San Diego) in a pair of games, winning 5-0 and 14-0. Jacob Gorman and Drew Finley each homered in the second game with Gorman driving in four runs on the day.

10. (16) Clovis (Calif.), 30-5
The Cougars completed league play with a sweep of Clovis West, winning 4-3 on Tuesday and 7-4 on Friday. Mccarthy Tatum got the win on Friday, his 10th of the season. The Central Section playoffs are next.

11. (17) Cypress Ranch (Houston), 23-4-1
Nick Madrigal, Elk Grove
Nick Madrigal, Elk Grove
Photo by Ralph Thompson
The Mustangs advanced to the regional quarterfinals with a 7-6 win over Westside. They will take on Cy Fair in the regional semifinals.

12. (18) Elk Grove (Calif.), 22-4
The Thundering Herd completed the regular season with a two-game sweep of Davis, 6-4 and 8-5. Nick Madrigal was 2-for-5 with a double and four RBIs in the first game while Derek Hill had a triple and an RBI in the second game.



13. (19) Langham Creek (Houston), 26-3
The Lobos advanced to the regional quarterfinals against Katy Taylor with a 9-3 win over Cinco Ranch. Zach Sweet was 3-for-4 with three RBIs while Gonzalo Garcia-Sosa hit a home run.

14. (13) St. Rita (Chicago), 27-1
St. Rita lost for the first time this year with an 8-5 setback to St. Laurence in the second meeting between the two teams last week. St. Rita won the first matchup 2-1 in 10 innings, and also beat Brother Rice (Chicago) 7-2 during the week. Jake Shepski and Nick Goldsmith both homered against Brother Rice. Tyler Halas homered in the loss to St. Laurence.

15. (22) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 28-3
Hamilton won three times in postseason play, defeating Chandler 3-2, Mesquite 2-1 and Liberty 4-0. Hamilton will face Chaparral on Thursday in a third-round game.

16. (23) Pearland (Texas), 32-4
The Oilers lost to Fort Bend Elkins in the second round, but came back to claim the series with a pair of wins, 10-0 and 13-7.

17. (3) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 23-2
The Falcons defeated Miami 6-4 in the regional semifinals, but were eliminated from postseason play with a 5-3 loss to South Dade.

18. (24) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 31-2-1
Lake Travis scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Bryan 1-0 and advance to the third round. Connor Mayes gave up two hits and struck out 10 in the win.



19. (25) Alexander (Laredo, Texas), 24-2
Alexander trailed 7-2 before rallying to defeat Weslaco 10-9 and advance to the third round.

20. (26) Broken Arrow (Okla.), 34-4
The Tigers won the regional tournament with three victories. They defeated Page (Sand Springs) 5-3 in the opener and then took two from Muskogee, 10-3 and 5-3.

21. (27) Fayetteville (Ark.), 28-3
The Purple Dogs claimed a pair from Bentonville, winning 2-1 and 4-3. Andy Pagnozzi threw a three-hitter with seven strikeouts in the initial win.

22. (20) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 22-4
The Lancers lost their rematch with Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 2-1, with the Monarchs scoring the winning run in the seventh inning. St. Francis defeated Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) 4-2 and will play Riordan to open the West Catholic Athletic League tournament on Tuesday.

23. (28) Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.), 25-2
Ardrey Kell had three wins last week, including a 2-1 victory over Providence (Charlotte). Ardrey Kell also defeated Harding University (Charlotte) 23-0 and Charlotte Catholic 6-1.

24. (5) Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas), 27-3
The Trojans saw their season come to an end with a 2-0 loss to Victoria East in the second round of the Texas Class 4A playoffs.



25. (29) Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas), 33-3
Nick Berger, Horizon
Nick Berger, Horizon
Photo by Mark Jones
Carroll advanced to a third-round game against O'Connor with a pair of wins over New Braunfels. Carroll won 5-0 and 8-1 with Rene Pineda and Zach Alaniz each going 2-for-3 in the latter game.

The Next 25

26. (21) Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 26-6
The Huskies defeated Sunnyslope 6-5 on Tuesday, but lost their first-round game to Gilbert 8-3. Horizon rebounded to top Pinnacle 9-5 in the losers' bracket and will face Liberty on Tuesday.

27. (10) Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 25-3
The Titans were unable to defeat Apopka for a fourth time, losing 8-2 in the regional semifinals.

28. (30) Sumter (S.C.), 23-2-1
Sumter took its district tournament with a 2-1 win over Summerville. It then opened the Lower State playoffs with a 7-0 win over Lexington.

29. (31) Freeman (Richmond, Va.), 17-0
Freeman won four times last week to remain undefeated. It beat Thomas Jefferson (Richmond) 10-0, Deep Run (Glen Allen) 6-1, Hermitage (Richmond) 10-0 and Tucker (Henrico) 14-6.



30. (32) Cosby (Midlothian, Va.), 13-0
Cosby remained undefeated with a 13-0 win over Huguenot (Richmond), a 10-2 win over Clover Hill (Midlothian) and a 4-3 win over James River (Midlothian).

31. (37) Stillwater (Okla.), 29-4
Stillwater won its regional with back-to-back wins over Booker T. Washington, 24-5 and 15-2. Stillwater also beat Bartlesville 11-6 in the opener and Metro Christian 13-3 in a non-playoff game earlier in the week.

32. (40) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 28-4
The Dragons took two from El Dorado (El Paso), winning 12-2 and 10-2 to advance to the third round. They will play San Angelo Central.

33. (41) Park Vista (Lake Worth, Fla.), 27-3
Park Vista advanced to the Class 8A semifinals with a 12-8 win over Palm Beach Gardens and a 4-3 win over Douglas.

34. (42) Spanish Fort (Ala.), 38-6
Spanish Fort advanced to the Class 5A finals with a 2-1, 8-1 sweep of Rehobeth (Dothan). Spanish Fort has won three of the last four 5A state championships, but lost in last year's final.

35. (NR) Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), 25-2-1
The Warriors are ranked ahead of Sterling Heights Stevenson by MLive.com.



36. (43) Sterling Heights Stevenson (Mich.), 22-1-1
Reagan Todd, Regis Jesuit
Reagan Todd, Regis Jesuit
Photo by Alyson Boyer Rode
The Titans won four times last week, beating L'Anse Creuse North (Macomb) 2-0, 6-2 and 10-0 and Walled Lake Central 6-0.

37. (44) Lee's Summit West (Mo.), 23-3
Lee's Summit West won three times last week, beating St. Joseph Central 1-0, Ruskin 10-0 and Blue Valley North 7-0.

38. (46) Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.), 18-3
The Raiders won two games in district play, beating Westminster 3-0 and Castle View (Castle Rock) 5-4.

39. (47) Norco (Calif.), 22-2
Norco made it 20 in a row with a sweep of King (Riverside) 10-2 and 12-8.

40. (48) Sacred Heart-Griffin (Springfield, Ill.), 25-2
Sacred Heart-Griffin won four times last week, beating Southeast 4-0 and 12-0, and Collinsville 3-2 and 9-4.

41. (50) Bishop Eustace Prep (Pennsauken, N.J.), 20-1
Bishop Eustace won four times last week, beating Washington Township 7-3, Seneca 11-0, Winslow 10-8 and Egg Harbor 12-1.



42. (NR) Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 25-4
Chaparral advanced to the third round of the playoffs with a 3-2 win over Pinnacle and a 10-5 win over Gilbert.

43. (NR) Orangewood Christian (Maitland, Fla.), 23-7
Orangewood Christian defeated The First Academy for the third time this year, winning 5-3.

44. (34) Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.), 30-6
Christian Brothers lost to Memphis University 4-1 and Briarcrest Christian 9-8 before winning a pair of playoff games over St. Benedict, 7-0 and 10-0.

45. (33) Woodside (Newport News, Va.), 16-1
Woodside knocked off Western Branch (Chesapeake) for a second time, 16-3, but lost to Bethel (Hampton) for its first loss of the season.

46. (NR) Cleburne (Texas), 27-3-1
Cleburne advanced to the third round of the Texas Class 4A state playoffs with a 2-0 win over Guyer (Denton, Texas).

47. (NR) Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.), 19-6
Great Oak defeated Temecula Valley twice last week, winning 10-2 and 1-0.



48. (NR) Liberty North (Mo.), 23-2
Liberty North rebounded from its second loss of the season by defeating Winnetonka 18-0 and Raytown South 28-6 and 12-0.

49. (NR) Chiles (Tallahassee, Fla.), 22-6
Chiles reached the state semifinals with a 7-3 win over Oviedo. Chiles also defeated Lincoln 5-3 earlier in the week. It will play American in the semifinals.

50. (NR) Coral Springs Christian (Fla.), 23-7
The Crusaders will meet North Florida Christian in the Class 3A semifinals after beating Westminster Academy 10-0 and Westminster Christian 8-4 last week.

Dropped Out: No. 14 Clearwater Central Catholic, No. 15 The First Academy, No. 35 Western Branch, No. 36 The Woodlands, No. 38 Jenks, No. 39 Buchanan, No. 45 Bishop Gorman, No. 49 Bridgewater-Raynham.