Several baseball teams from the Beehive State made a leap forward in every classification this spring.
Video: Greatest HR-robbing catch of all-time
See a Utah softball player make a jaw-dropping catch
Grantsville engineered a major turnaround in baseball this season, as the Cowboys doubled their win total from a year ago and reached the Class 3A Baseball Tournament a year after suffering their first sub-.500 season since 2010.
It helped make Grantsville the most improved Utah baseball team in 2016, according to the
MaxPreps Utah Baseball Computer Rankings presented by the Army National Guard. The Cowboys (15-10) jumped 23 spots from last year. They rose to 49th overall in 2016 after finishing 72nd in 2015.
Corner Canyon made the biggest jump among Class 4A teams. The Chargers (19-10) made huge strides this season. They finished third in Region 7 after coming in last in 2015 and finished third in the Class 4A Baseball Tournament. Corner Canyon rose from 46th last season to 25th this spring and boosted its win total by nine games.
Layton made the biggest jump among Class 5A teams. The Lancers (16-11) rose 20 spots from 54th to 34th overall. They finished third in their region after placing sixth a year ago. Region 2 rival Davis nearly matched Layton's jump. The Darts (21-7) won the Region 2 title and jumped 19 spots from last spring, finishing 20th after finishing 39th in 2015.
South Sevier made the biggest stride in improvement among Class 2A teams. The Rams (19-4) moved 20 spots from 47th to 27th this season and finished the year as the 2A Central champions.
Northern Utah produced the highest number of teams showing the most improvement in 2016. Northridge, Mountain Crest, Davis and Layton all moved 15 or more spots in this year's final rankings compared to last season.
10 Most Improved Utah High School Baseball Teams in 2016
Austin Birrell and Davis had a much better season than in 2015.
Photo by Tim Haslam
1.
Grantsville +23
2.
Corner Canyon (Draper) +21
3 (tie).
Layton +20
3 (tie).
South Sevier (Monroe) +20
5.
Davis (Kaysville) +19
6 (tie).
Murray +18
6 (tie).
Mountain Crest (Hyrum) +18
6 (tie).
North Sevier (Salina) +18
9.
Northridge (Layton) +15
10.
Orem +13
John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports
