Cougars end season with 30-game win streak, matching another team on the rise in Brother Rice of Michigan.
While a matchup between nationally-ranked teams never materialized in
Texas, a pair of programs with 30 consecutive wins climbed in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings, resulting in a change among
the top five teams.
Tomball and
Flower Mound were favored to
reach the Texas Class 6A state finals after rising to No. 3 and 5
respectively in last week's MaxPreps Top 25. Tomball held up its end of the
bargain by defeating
Johnson (San Antonio) on a shutout by
C.J. Sampson,
but defending champion Flower Mound dropped a 2-1 decision to
Pearland in the other semifinal to end its season at 40-6.
Tomball
then topped Pearland 4-1 for its first Class 6A state championship and its
first state crown at any level since 2013 when it won a 4A championship.
The win over Pearland was the 30th in a row for the Cougars.
Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills) also won its 30th game in a row with a win over
Allen Park and
advanced to the Michigan Division 1 semifinals with three wins last
week. With Tomball and Brother Rice putting together win streaks
that equaled the total number of wins for the season by
Corona, both programs both moved ahead of the Panthers, previously
ranked No. 2, dropping the California Southern Section Division 1
champion to No. 4.
Mason (Ohio), meanwhile, won its first
Division 1 baseball championship with an 8-1 victory over Twinsburg. The
championship lifted the Comets to No. 12 in this week's rankings and
kept
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio), which lost to Mason in the quarterfinals, in at No. 19.
The Crusaders stay one spot ahead of new
entry Pearland, which entered the rankings for the first time this year
after reaching the Texas Class 6A final. The Oilers' jump necessitated dropping previous No. 25
Barbe (Lake Charles), which
was the Division I Non-Select runner-up to
West Monroe in Louisiana.
Flower Mound fell from No. 5 to No. 21 with the loss to Pearland.
The
2024 high school baseball season will crown its final round of state
champions this weekend with Brother Rice the only MaxPreps Top 25 team still
competing. MaxPreps will announce its national champion the week of June
17.
Dropped out: No. 25 Barbe
Newcomer: No. 20 Pearland
Game of the Week:
Grapevine (Texas) def.
Rouse (Leander, Texas), 2-1. After six scoreless innings in the
Class 5A semifinal, Rouse scored a run on no hits and two errors
in the top of the seventh to take a 1-0 lead. Grapevine rallied
for two runs in the bottom of the inning when Rouse had a
throwing error on a potential game-ending double play with the bases
loaded. Both runs scored on the throwing error advancing Grapevine to
the final against
Lovejoy (Lucas).
Game to Watch: Brother Rice vs.
Grosse Pointe North (Grosse Pointe, Mich.). The Warriors will attempt to extend their 30-game
win steak with a Division 1 semifinal matchup against Grosse Pointe
North.
Player of the Week: Tristan Crane, Brother Rice. Homered twice with five RBI in a playoff win over
St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.).
Tomball celebrates Saturday after beating Pearland for the Class 6A state championship in Texas. Following a loss March 8, the Cougars rattled off 30 consecutive wins en route to the title. (Photo: Robbie Rakestraw)
Record: 38-2 | Last week: 1
Season complete. Select Division 1 state champion.
2. Tomball (Texas)
Record: 41-3 |
Last week: 3
Scores: Def. Johnson (San Antonio), 2-0; def. Pearland, 4-1
Hitter of the week: Cade Arrambide had a double against Johnson and a basehit against Pearland.
Pitcher of the week: Karson Reeder earned tournament MVP honors after pitching a complete game with one run on four hits and five strikeouts.
Next: Season complete. Class 6A state champion.
3. Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
Record: 42-1 |
Last week: 4
Scores: Def. St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake), 10-3; def. Seaholm, 4-2; def. Allen Park, 4-1
Hitter of the week: Tristan Crane had a pair of home runs and five RBI in win over St. Mary's Prep.
Pitcher of the week: Cole Duhaime went 6.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts against Seaholm.
Next: Friday vs. Grosse Pointe North
4. Corona (Calif.)
Record: 30-3 |
Last week: 2
Season complete. Southern Section Division 1 champion.
5. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Record: 28-7 |
Last week: 6
Season complete. Southern California Division 1 regional champion.
6. Granada (Livermore, Calif.)
Record: 32-1 |
Last week: 7
Season complete. Northern California Division 1 regional champion.
7. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 26-5 |
Last week: 8
Season complete. Class 7A state champion.
8. Jackson Prep (Jackson, Miss.)
Record: 39-4 |
Last week: 9
Season complete. MAIS Class 6A state champion.
9. North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek, Fla.)
Record: 28-3 |
Last week: 10
Season complete. Class 3A state champion.
10. Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Record: 40-5 |
Last week: 11
Season complete. Class 4A state champion.
11. Grapevine (Texas)
Record: 40-5 |
Last week: 13
Scores: Def. Leander Rouse, 2-1; def. Lovejoy (Lucas), 6-5
Hitter of the week: Sammy Kelley went 3-for-4 with two runs scored against Lovejoy.
Pitcher of the week: Dasan Hill pitched six innings of a no decision against Leander Rouse, giving up no runs on two hits with 10 strikeouts.
Next: Season complete. Class 5A state champion.
12. Mason (Ohio)
Record: 28-6 |
Last week: 16
Scores: Def. Perrysburg, 1-0; def. Twinsburg, 8-1
Hitter of the week: Mark Rutherford went 2-for-3 with three RBI in the finals against Twinsburg.
Pitcher of the week: Jake Hanley threw a one-hit shutout against Perrysburg, striking out 11.
Next: Season complete. Division 1 state champion.
13. Harlem (Ga.)
Record: 40-1 |
Last week: 12
Season complete. Class AAA state champion.
14. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
Record: 27-5-1 | Last week: 14
Season complete.
15. Valley View (Jonesboro, Ark.)
Record: 31-2 |
Last week: 15
Season complete. Class 5A state champion.
16. West Monroe (La.)
Record: 31-8 |
Last week: 17
Season complete. Non-Select Division 1 state champion.
17. Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.)
Record: 35-6 |
Last week: 18
Season complete. Class AAAAAAA state champion.
18. Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.)
Record: 44-9 |
Last week: 19
Season complete. Class 7A state champion.
19. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Season complete.
20. Pearland (Texas)
Record: 37-9-2 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Flower Mound, 2-1; lost to Tomball, 4-1
Hitter of the week: Walker Hurst went 2-for-3 with a double against Flower Mound.
Pitcher of the week: Nicholas Partida gave up one run on four hits over seven innings with three strikeouts against Flower Mound.
Next: Season complete.
21. Flower Mound (Texas)
Record: 40-6 |
Last week: 5
Scores: Lost to Pearland, 2-1
Next: Season complete.
22. Central (Phenix City, Ala.)
Record: 40-5 |
Last week: 21
Season complete.
23. Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)
Record: 26-6 |
Last week: 22
Season complete. Class 5A state champion.
24. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 19-6 |
Last week: 23
Season complete.
25. North Cobb Christian (Kennesaw, Ga.)
Record: 36-5 |
Last week: 24
Season complete. Class AA state champion.
