By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
With one month left in the 2008 season, here’s a look at how the members of the MaxPreps pre-season top 25 players list have performed.
Xavier Avery, CF, 6-0, 190, L-L, Senior, Cedar Grove (Ellenwood, Ga.)
Cedar Grove has struggled in the win department this year (7-13-1), but that’s been no fault of Avery, who has batted .636 with 30 runs scored, 12 RBI and 25 stolen bases.
Tim Beckham, SS, 6-2, 197, R-R, Senior Griffin (Ga)
Beckham has led Griffin to an 18-4 record while batting .492 with 28 runs batted in. He has also scored 20 runs and belted a five home runs.
Andy Burns, SS, 6-1, 185, R-R, Senior, Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins, Colo.)
The Rocky Mountain Lobos (15-3) are one of the top teams in Colorado and Burns is a big reason why. He’s batting .471 with three home runs, 18 RBI and 30 runs scored. He’s also playing near error-free ball at shortstop with just five miscues in 66 total chances for a .924 fielding percentage.
Gerrit Cole, RHP, 6-3, 190, R-R, Senior, Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Lutheran (19-3) has spent some time atop the state rankings in California and has been one of the top-ranked teams in the country. Cole has been a leader on the mound and at the plate. He is batting .317 with 21 RBI and six home runs, but he is 6-1 on the hill with 83 strikeouts in 51 innings with just 15 walks. He has a miniscule .686 ERA.
Brett DeVall, LHP-OF, 6-4, 218, R-L, Senior, Niceville (Fla.)
DeVall led Niceville (19-8) to the District 1-5A championship by shutting out Crestview in the semifinals 6-0, on a one-hitter with five strikeouts. Other impressive outings include a 1-0 victory over highly-regarded Pace and a 10-strikeout effort in a 6-5 win over Tate. In a matchup against Top 25 player Robbie Ross of Lexington Christian, DeVall took the 2-1 loss, but still managed to strike out 11.
Rolando Gomez, SS, 5-7, 160, L-R, Senior, Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.)
Gomez helped lead Charles Flanagan to an 18-7 record while hitting .450 with 23 RBI, 29 runs scored and eight home runs.
Matt Graham, RHP, 6-3, 205, R-R, Junior, Oak Ridge (Conroe, Texas)
Oak Ridge has suffered through a 15-13 record this year. While complete stats for Graham are unavailable, he is on record for at least three of Oak Ridge’s losses.
Sonny Gray, RHP-SS, 6-0, 185, R-R, Smyrna (Tenn.)
Gray injured his ankle running out a grounder in a 10-6 loss to Hendersonville on April 16. The injury was severe enough to require X-rays and it was uncertain at the time if Gray would be out for the rest of the playoffs. No update yet on whether Gray has returned to the team, which completes its regular season this week.
B.J. Hermsen, RHP, 6-7, 240, R-R, Senior, West Delaware Manchester, Iowa).
West Delaware plays summer baseball in Iowa and will not begin its season until late May.
Aaron Hicks, CF, 6-2, 178, S-R, Senior, Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.)
Wilson started the season as the top-ranked team in the country, but has slipped to 21-5-1 heading into the final two weeks of the season. Hicks has been spectacular, batting .507 with 39 runs scored, nine doubles, four triples and three home runs. He has also stolen 33 bases in 37 attempts and is 4-1 on the mound with 66 strikeouts in 36.1 innings.
Eric Hosmer, 1B-LHP, 6-5, 215, L-L, Senior, American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)
Playing on one of the top teams in the country, Hosmer has put together some outstanding power-hitting numbers. He is batting at a .479 clip with a .986 slugging percentage that includes 10 home runs and four doubles. He also has 22 RBI. Hosmer’s RBI totals would be higher if not for the fact that his teammates have combined for 56 home runs. American Heritage is 25-2 on the season and has consistentely ranked among the top five teams in the country.
Casey Kelly, SS, 6-3, 190, R-R, Senior Sarasota (Fla.)
Kelly helped lead the defending 6A state champions to a District 8 championship last week as he rapped a pair of doubles in a 9-0 win over Lakeland. He also pitched Sarasota to a 5-4 win over Hillsborough Riverview in the semifinals, striking out 10 batters.
Kyle Lobstein, LHP, 6-3, 190, L-L, Senior, Coconino (Flagstaff, Ariz.)
Lobstein has helped Coconino (18-11) reach the semifinals of the Grand Canyon Region Tournament in Arizona. One of his best games on the season was an 11-strikeout effort in a 17-2 win over Sinagua. Lobstein was scheduled to pitch against second seeded Page in a semifinal matchup.
Kyle Long, 1B-LHP, 6-7, 275, L-L, Senior, St. Anne’s-Belfield (Charlottesville, Va.)
Long has helped St. Anne’s-Belfield post a 10-5 record and a No. 3 ranking in the Viriginia Independent Schools Baseball Association Division 1 standings. Long’s best outing this season was a no-hitter in a 10-0 victory over Avalon in which he struck out 11 batters.
Nick Maronde, LHP, 6-3, 195, S-L, Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.)
Maronde has consistently posted double-digit strikeout totals for Catholic, fanning 12 in a 6-1 win over Lafayette and 13 in a loss to Lexington Christian Academy where he went head-to-head against Top 25 pitcher Robbie Ross. The loss to LCA was just the second for Maronde who has posted a 31-2 career record.
Ethan Martin, 3B-RHP, 6-4, 215, R-R, Senior Stephens County (Toccoa, Ga.)
Martin has had an outstanding season in leading Stephens County to an 18-5 record. He’s batting .538 with 21 RBI, nine doubles and 10 home runs to give him a 1.138 slugging percentage.
Harold Martinez, SS, 6-3, 200, R-R, Braddock (Miami, Fla.)
Braddock has been a bit of a surprise in the District 15-6A playoffs with Martinez leading the way. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run in an 8-1 quarterfinal win over Ferguson. He then helped Braddock upset second-seeded Columbus 5-3 in the semifinals by scoring the tying run.
Tim Melville, RHP-SS, 6-5, 215, R-R, Senior, Holt (Wentzville, Mo.)
Melville has been a terror on the mound and at the plate for Holt. He is 4-1 with 49 strikeouts in 32.2 innings while helping Holt post an 11-5 record. At the plate, Melville is batting .391 with seven home runs.
Alex Meyer, P-3B, 6-7, 200, R-R, Senior, Greensburg (Ind.)
Meyer hasn’t seen much time on the mound yet this year, but still has a 2-0 record for Greensburg. He has been solid at the plate, batting .457 with 10 RBI, five doubles and three home runs in 10 games.
Adrian Nieto, C, 6-0, 205, S-R, Senior, American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)
Nieto has been solid for the Patriots, batting .351 with five home runs and 34 RBI. His best effort so far was a 4-for-4 effort against Gulliver Prep when he belted a double and two home runs and drove in five runs.
Michael Palazzone, RHP, 6-3, 190, R-R, Senior, Lassiter (Marietta, Ga.)
Lassister is 16-6 on the season with Palazzone getting five of those wins against just one loss. He had a no-hitter for six innings against Roswell before settling for a 10-0 one-hit victory. He had eight strikeouts in the victory.
Matt Purke, P, 6-3, 180, L-L, Junior, Klein (Spring, Texas).
Klein is 20-4 this year with Purke producing a reported six wins and no losses. More detailed stats for Purke were unavailable.
Robbie Ross, LHP-CF, 5-11, 180, L-L, Senior, Christian Academy (Lexington, Ky.)
Ross has outdueled two of the top pitchers in the country, beating Brett DeVall of Niceville 2-1 with six strikeouts and topping Nick Maronde of Lexington Catholic 2-1 with 14 strikeouts.
Kyle Skipworth, C, 6-4, 195, L-R, Senior, Patriot (Riverside, Calif.)
Skipworth has had one of the most impressive seasons of any player in the country as he is batting .597 with 42 runs scored, 43 hits, 43 RBI, 11 doubles and 12 home runs. He also had 18 consecutive basehits over the course of seven games, including a 5-for-5 effort in a win over Peninsula of Palos Verdes.
Daniel Webb, P, 6-3, 210, R-R, Senior, Heath (Paducah, Ky.)
Webb is 3-1 on the season and pitched a combined perfect game with teammate Chris Goins, Webb pitched four innings in the 13-0 win and struck out eight batters.
