Top 10 most improved high school baseball teams in New Mexico this season

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Moriarty is the most improved baseball team in New Mexico this year, according to the MaxPreps New Mexico Baseball Computer Rankings presented by the Army National Guard. The Fighting Pintos improved 37 positions from last year's final rankings, soaring from No. 67 to No. 30 this spring. They were 8-17-1 a year ago and came close to breaking even this year with a 13-15 record.

We took a look at the final computer rankings from last season and compared them with the 2016 edition. And Moriarty came out on top.

Albuquerque High moved from No. 75 to 38, also an improvement of 37 positions in the final rankings. The Bulldogs came a long way from 3-20 to 10-14.

The third-best improvement was made by Aztec, which moved from 53 to 21, a jump of 32 positions. The Tigers also improved their record greatly from 12-14 to a solid 20-8.

At No. 4 is Hope Christian (Albuquerque), which jumped 28 positions from 47 to 19. The Huskies improved from 11-17-1 to a 19-9 record this year.

Texico, at No. 5, not only jumped 27 positions, from No. 45 to 18, but also produced a 25-4 record and a Class 3A state title. The Wolverines were 16-10 a year ago.

Laguna Acoma gained 26 positions from 79 to 53 with a fine 18-3 record this spring. Last year the Hawks had a 14-10 record.

Two teams gained 25 positions in 2016. Centennial (Las Cruces) went 25-6 (it was 15-14 a year ago) and picked up a Class 5A state championship. Taos also moved up 25 places, from 58 to 33, with an 18-11 record. The Tigers were 13-15 a year ago.

The biggest drops were Espanola Valley, which fell 52 positions from 22 to 74, and Onate (Las Cruces), which tumbled 50 positions from No. 1 to 51.

Consistency was the word for Goddard (Roswell), which finished fourth both years, and Dora/Elida (Dora), which placed No. 83 on both occasions.

The top 10 most-improved teams are listed below with position improvements:

1. Moriarty, +37
2. Albuquerque, +37
3. Aztec, +32
4. Hope Christian (Albuquerque), +28
5. Texico, +27
6. Laguna Acoma (New Laguna), +26
7. Centennial (Las Cruces), +25
8. Taos, +25
9. McCurdy (Espanola), +24
10. Miyamura (Gallup), +23