MaxPreps Top 25 National High School Baseball Rankings

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The National High School Invitational, the San Diego Lions Tournament and the IMG National Classic all had an effect on this week's national high school baseball rankings, but this week's Boras Classic SoCal tournament could turn the rankings upside down.

Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) won the NHSI for the second year in a row and entered this week's national rankings at No. 10. John Curtis Christian (River Ridge, La.) also entered the rankings as a result of its performance at the NHSI, while Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) both fell in the rankings.

Meanwhile, Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.) entered the rankings at No. 12 after winning the IMG National Classic, while IMG Academy fell to No. 13. From the San Diego Lions tourney, Open Division champion San Marcos (Calif.) entered the rankings at 19 while Elk Grove (Calif.) and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) both fell out of the rankings after losing twice in San Diego.

More changes could be in store once the Boras Classic SoCal tournament completes play. Three ranked teams — Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), Orange Lutheran and Huntington Beach — will compete along with nine teams ranked among the top 200 in the country.



Besides Orange Lutheran, Bolles, John Curtis Christian and San Marcos, St. Laurence (Burbank, Ill.) and Mill Creek (Hoschton, Ga.) entered this week's rankings while Bishop Gorman, Elk Grove, Carroll (Southlake, Texas), Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Basic (Henderson, Nev.), and South Caldwell (Hudson, N.C.) exited the rankings.

1. (Last week 1) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 19-0
The Cavaliers completed a three-game sweep of Westlake (Austin) with a 5-2 win on Monday and then blanked Lehman in a pair, 11-0 and 6-0, to remain undefeated. Dylan Weiss and Jimmy Lewis each had two doubles against Westlake. Lewis and Brett Baty each had two home runs against Lehman in the 11-0 win with Lewis belting a grand slam. Carlos Contreras had a double and a triple in the second Lehman win.

2. (2) Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.), 15-0
The Warriors played once last week, beating Tampa Catholic 15-3. Cavan Ingram and Matheu Nelson each had a home run in the win, while Justin Bench knocked in four runs.

3. (3) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), 11-0
The Knights did not play last week, but begin play in the Boras Classic SoCal tournament this week, opening with Etiwanda.

4. (6) Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), 20-1
The Titans took three games from the team that defeated Blessed Trinity in the state finals last year. Blessed Trinity beat Marist 5-1, 5-2 and 9-4. Mickey Skole had a grand slam in the first game, while Josh Voss had two home runs in the 9-4 victory. Blessed Trinity heads to Tampa for a tournament this week.

5. (8) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 18-0
The Eagles had a pair of close games, beating Trinity Catholic 8-7 and Trinity Christian 6-5. Francisco Mateo and Alejandro Rodriguez each had a home run in the Trinity Catholic win. Montverde had to rally from a 5-0 deficit against Trinity Christian, scoring five runs in the sixth and the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

6. (17) Vianney (Kirkwood, Mo.), 8-0
The Griffins claimed four more wins, beating Niles North 11-1, Sikeston 4-3, Rolla 9-4 and Fort Zumwalt South 5-0. Luke Mann had nine strikeouts in 4.2 innings against Sikeston. He also had a double and a home run against Rolla and a triple against Niles North.



7. (22) Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose, Calif.), 12-2
The Bells rebounded from two league losses to win the Boras Classic NorCal tournament last week. Bellarmine College Prep dropped Franklin (Elk Grove) 3-2 in eight innings in the championship game and topped Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa) 6-0 in the semifinals. The Bells also beat Pleasant Valley (Chico) 6-0 in the opener and Davis 2-1 in the second round. The Bells are also bolstered by their two early wins over Huntington Beach, which has won 13 in a row since those two losses.

8. (23) Huntington Beach (Calif.), 13-2
The Oilers claimed league wins against Los Alamitos and Edison (Huntington Beach) for their 13th straight win. Josh Hahn and Nick Lopez both homered in a 10-7 win over Los Alamitos. Dylan Ramirez had a triple and three RBIs to beat Edison 6-0. Huntington Beach participates in the Boras Classic SoCal tournament this week.

9. (15) Argyle (Texas), 19-0
The Eagles added shutouts Nos. 13 and 14 on the year with a 10-0 win over Bridgeport and a 10-0 win over Joshua. Argyle also dropped Sanger 11-1 during the week to stay unbeaten. Brendan Dixon had a double and a triple and Preston King had two doubles against Bridgeport.

10. (NR) Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 8-2
The Lancers defended their championship at the National High School Invitational in Cary (N.C.) with a 9-3 win over host Green Hope (Cary, N.C.) in the finals. Orange Lutheran also beat previous No. 4 Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 3-2 in the semifinals and George Jenkins (Lakeland, Fla.) 2-1 and Florence (Ala.) 9-0 earlier in the tournament. The Lancers also have a 17-1 win from earlier this season over Hoover (Ala.), one of the top-ranked teams in Alabama. Orange Lutheran faces El Toro (Lake Forest) in a stacked Boras Classic SoCal tournament this week.

11. (4) Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 16-2
The Eagles finished 3-1 at the National High School Invitational with their only loss coming to tournament champion Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) in the semifinals. Calvary Christian Academy defeated John Curtis Christian (River Ridge, La.) 3-0 in the third-place game and also topped O'Connor (Phoenix) 8-2 and Hattiesburg (Miss.) 4-1.

12. (NR) Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.), 14-2
The Bulldogs have won 11 straight since losing to Providence School (Jacksonville, Fla.), including the championship of the IMG National Classic. Bolles beat tournament host IMG Academy (Bradenton) 4-3 in the semifinals and topped Flanagan (Pembroke Pines) 12-7 in the championship game.

13. (12) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 15-1
The Ascenders suffered their first loss of the season in the semifinals of their own tournament, falling to Bolles (Jacksonville) 4-3. IMG Academy also defeated Ottawa Hills (Toledo, Ohio) 10-0, Doral Academy (Doral) 8-2 and Coronado (Henderson, Nev.) 7-0. IMG Academy plays this week in the National Classic in California.

14. (7) Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.), 24-2
The Broncos suffered their second loss in a week, losing to perennial Louisiana powerhouse Barbe 2-1. Sam Houston bounced back to blank a strong Sulphur team 2-0 the following game.



15. (9) Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.), 12-1-1
The Warriors lost their first game of the season, falling to Serra (San Mateo) 3-2 in league play. Valley Christian rebounded to blank Monte Vista Christian (Watsonville,) 3-0 and also handed Santa Cruz its first loss, 13-1. The Warriors play in the National Classic against Servite in Orange County this week.

16. (20) Reagan (San Antonio), 20-4
The Rattlers picked up two wins last week, beating Madison (San Antonio) 4-2 and Roosevelt (San Antonio) 10-0. Seth Morrow had a home run against Roosevelt.

17. (21) Cleburne (Texas), 19-1-2
The state's top-ranked Class 5A by the state coaches association, the Yellowjackets dropped Burleson 6-1 and Granbury 7-0 last week. Willie Rangel struck out 10 against Burleson, while Landon Cody fanned 10 against Granbury.

18. (NR) St. Laurence (Burbank, Ill.), 8-0
The Vikings stayed undefeated to open the season including a 4-0 record at the Chris Moon Tournament in Arizona. St. Laurence beat Arvada West 21-4, Flowing Wells 13-1, Rio Rico 11-0, and Sahuaro 4-0. The Vikings also returned home to Illinois and beat Niles North 18-1.

19. (NR) San Marcos (Calif.), 10-3
San Marcos captured the Open Division of the San Diego Lions Tournament last week, defeating Rancho Bernardo 10-2 in the finals. San Marcos also defeated defending San Diego Section champion Eastlake 4-0 in the semifinals and also had a 13-1 win over Cathedral Catholic (San Diego) during pool play. The Open Division also included previously ranked Elk Grove (Calif.) and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)

20. (NR) Mill Creek (Hoschton, Ga.), 17-3
After starting the season with a 4-3 record that included losses to Lassiter (Marietta), Buford and North Paulding (Dallas), Mill Creek has rattled off 13 straight wins including victories over Parkview (Lilburn), Brookwood (Snellville) and Mann (Greenville, S.C.). Mill Creek is ranked No. 1 in the state Class AAAAAAA by the Georgia Dugout Preview Magazine and faces No. 2 North Gwinnett on April 9.

21. (10) Providence School (Jacksonville, Fla.), 16-3
The Stallions suffered losses to Brentwood (Tenn.) and Ravenwood (Tenn.), but hold a win over Bolles and are ranked No. 2 in the Jacksonville area by the Times Union.



22. (11) Zachary (La.), 23-2
The Broncos lost to Destrehan 5-2 early in the week, but topped Walker 4-2 and Denham Springs 6-1. Joey Blanchard had a double in both wins.

23. (25) Har-Ber (Springdale, Ark.), 13-2
The Wildcats swept two from Springdale (Ark.), 6-2 and 8-0. Blake Adams struck out 10 in six innings for the win in the first game. Har-Ber meets Bentonville for two games this week.

24. (NR) John Curtis Christian (River Ridge, La.), 19-4
The Patriots finished 2-2 at the National High School Invitational, including a 2-1 win over one-time No. 1 team in the country American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.). Also beat Hanover (Mechanicsville, Va.) 2-0 while losing to Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 3-0 and Green Hope (Cary, N.C.) 1-0 in 11 innings.

25. (5) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 12-3
The Patriots suffered two losses at the National High School Invitational, falling to John Curtis Christian 2-1 and Mountain Ridge (Glendale, Ariz.) 3-2. American Heritage also knocked off Santiago (Corona, Calif.) 1-0 and O'Connor (Phoenix) 4-3.

Dropped out: No. 13 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas); No. 14 Elk Grove (Calif.); No. 16 South Caldwell (Hudson, N.C.); No. 18 Carroll (Southlake, Texas); No. 19 Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.); No. 24 Basic (Henderson, Nev.).