High school baseball: Pennsylvania schools finish 1-2 in Small Town Top 25

Dan Oliastro has been coaching in Pennsylvania for 55 years. This year he accomplished something that he had never done before. In fact, he accomplished something no other WPIAL coach had ever done before – winning a state championship with an undefeated season.

Oliastro's Riverside (Ellwood City) team went 25-0 on the season and captured the Class 3A state championship. The title is the fifth in Oliastro's career (which includes 694 wins), giving the Panthers more state championships than any school in state history according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The Panthers also finished at the top of the MaxPreps Small Town Top 25 national high school baseball rankings.

The Small Town Top 25 is composed of teams from schools with an enrollment of less than 1,000 students in towns with a population of less than 10,000 people. The rankings are based strictly on the MaxPreps computer rankings, unlike the more subjective MaxPreps Top 25.

Riverside edged out Bald Eagle Area (Wingate), winner of the Pennsylvania Class 2A state championship, for the top spot. The Eagles won their first state championship since 2007. Lonoke finished No. 3 after winning the Arkansas Class 4A state championship while Eaton (Colo.) finished an unbeaten season at 29-0 to finish at No. 4. Texas Class 4A state champion China Spring, which finished No. 3 in the final Small Town Top 25 football rankings, came in at No. 5.



Teams are listed with their overall record, computer rating and postseason finish. Small Town Top 25 baseball rankings

1. Riverside (Ellwood City, Pa.)
Record/Rating: 25-0, 27.4
Finish: Class 3A state champion

2. Bald Eagle Area (Wingate, Pa.)
Record/Rating: 22-4, 25.6
Finish: Class 2A state champion

3. Lonoke (Ark.)
Record/Rating: 27-2, 25.3
Finish: Class 4A state champion

4. Eaton (Colo.)
Record/Rating: 29-0, 24.9
Finish: Class 3A state champion

5. China Spring (Texas)
Record/Rating: 37-5-1, 24.9
Finish: Class 4A state champion

6. Boyd (Texas)
Record/Rating: 40-5, 24.9
Finish: Class 3A champion



7. Purvis (Miss.)
Record/Rating: 31-6, 24.8
Finish: Class 4A champion

8. Tuttle (Okla.)
Record/Rating: 38-4, 24.2
Finish: Class 4A state champion

9. Clinton (S.C.)
Record/Rating: 26-3, 24.0
Finish: Class 3A state champion

10. Bellefonte (Pa.)
Record/Rating: 20-5, 23.6
Finish: Class 4A state champion

11. Sinton (Texas)
Record/Rating: 37-4, 23.5
Finish: Class 4A semifinalist

12. Burns (Lawndale, N.C.)
Record/Rating: 28-4, 23.5
Finish: Class 2A state champion



13. Hiland (Berlin, Ohio)
Record/Rating: 31-1, 23.5
Finish: Division 4 state champion

14. Gunter (Texas)
Record/Rating: 38-4, 23.1
Finish: Class 3A regional finalist

15. Silo (Okla.)
Record/Rating: 28-5, 23.1
Finish: Class 2A state champion

16. Punxsutawney (Pa.)
Record/Rating: 20-3, 23.1
Finish: Class 3A semifinalist

17. Denmark (Wis.)
Record/Rating: 30-2, 22.9
Finish: Division 2 state champion

18. East Union (Blue Springs, Miss.)
Record/Rating: 31-5, 22.8
Finish: Class 2A state champion



19. Esko (Minn.)
Record/Rating: 28-1, 22.7
Finish: Class 2A state champion

20. Brock (Texas)
Record/Rating: 29-5-1, 22.5
Finish: Regional finalist

21. Washington (Okla.)
Record/Rating: 30-5, 22.5
Finish: Class 3A state champion

22. Sumrall (Miss.)
Record/Rating: 28-7, 21.9
Finish: Class 4A semifinalist

23. Wall (Texas)
Record/Rating: 28-5-1, 21.7
Finish: Class 3A state runner-up

24. Amory (Miss.)
Record/Rating: 32-5-1, 21.5
Finish: Class 3A state champion



25. St. Croix Falls (Wis.)
Record/Rating: 28-3, 21.4

26. Chatham (N.Y.)
Record/Rating: 24-2, 21.4
Finish: Class C state champion

27. Carthage (Texas)
Record/Rating: 31-9, 21.4
Finish: Regional semifinalist

28. Randleman (N.C.)
Record/Rating: 23-5, 21.4
Finish: Class 2A quarterfinalist

29. West (Texas)
Record/Rating: 29-6, 21.3
Finish: Class 3A regional finalist

30. Rattan (Okla.)
Record/Rating: 28-6, 21.0
Finish: Class 1A state champion



31. Bullard (Texas)
Record/Rating: 26-10, 20.9
Finish: Class 4A regional quarterfinalist

32. Fort Cobb-Broxton (Fort Cobb, Okla.)
Record/Rating: 30-4, 20.7
Finish: Class B state champion

33. Harleton (Texas)
Record/Rating: 36-1, 20.3
Finish: Class 2A state champion

34. Lone Grove (Okla.)
Record/Rating: 33-6, 20.3
Finish: Class 4A semifinalist

35. North Vermillion (Cayuga, Ind.)
Record/Rating: 27-9, 20.3
Finish: Non-Select Division II quarterfinalist

36. Kennedy (Mt. Angel, Ore.)
Record/Rating: 31-0, 20.3
Finish: Class 2A/1A state champion



37. Cushing (Okla.)
Record/Rating: 25-1, 20.2
Finish: Class 4A quarterfinalist

38. Ash Grove (Mo.)
Record/Rating: 25-0, 20.2
Finish: Class 2 state champion

39. Clear Spring (Md.)
Record/Rating: 18-2-2, 20.2
Finish: Class 1A state champion

40. Lebanon (Va.)
Record/Rating: 26-2, 19.9
Finish: Class 1 state champion

41. Woodlawn (Rison, Ark.)
Record/Rating: 32-3, 19.9
Finish: Class 2A state champion

42. East Rutherford (Forest City, N.C.)
Record/Rating: 21-4, 19.9
Finish: Class 2A third round



43. Oktaha (Okla.)
Record/Rating: 25-6, 19.5
Finish: Class 2A quarterfinalist

44. Mid-Carolina (Prosperity, S.C.)
Record/Rating: 25-4, 19.5
Finish: Class 2A semifinalist

45. Old Town (Maine)
Record/Rating: 18-4, 19.4
Finish: Class B state champion

46. Roff (Okla.)
Record/Rating: 26-7, 19.4
Finish: Class B state runner-up

47. Andrew Jackson (Kershaw, S.C.)
Record/Rating: 27-4, 19.4
Finish: Class 2A semifinalist

48. Portageville (Mo.)
Record/Rating: 30-3, 19.3
Finish: Class 3 semifinalist



49. Bridge City (Texas)
Record/Rating: 25-8, 19.3
Finish: Class 4A area finalist

50. Orangefield (Texas)
Record/Rating: 23-4, 19.2
Finish: Class 3A regional quarterfinalist