Stoneman Douglas carries a 51-game win streak into the spring after finishing No. 2 in the MaxPreps Top 25 in 2023. Hamilton is seeking a three-peat in Arizona while Flower Mound and Lewisburg return major firepower from championship teams.
Read on to find out who we are projecting as the best team in your state.
Alabama Thompson (Alabaster), 37-8 (last season's record)
The Warriors reached the
semifinals of the Class 7A state playoffs before losing to Vestavia
Hills. Thompson might have the state's top outfield with the likes of
Dmarion Terrell and
Drake McBride. All-state shortstop
Peryn Bland is
back along with all-state DH
Tucker Arrington.
Alaska
Service (Anchorage), 16-6
The
Cougars lost by one run to South Anchorage in the state final but return the state's top battery in catcher
Coen Niclai and
pitcher
Jake Rafferty. The duo are the top two players in the state
according to Perfect Game.
Arizona
Hamilton (Chandler), 26-5
Hard
to pick against a team with back-to-back state championships.
Transfer
Drew Rogers, the MaxPreps Minnesota State Player of the Year in
2023, will take over behind the plate after hitting .400 with nine home
runs.
Arkansas
Valley View (Jonesboro), 27-5
The Blazers have the top player in the state according to Perfect Game in outfielder
Slade Caldwell as well as the Nos. 2 and 5 players in pitchers
Lance Davis and
Eli Crecelius. Valley View
was the Class 5A runner-up last year.
California
Corona, 22-11
The
Panthers pulled off a major upset in the Southern Section playoffs
last year with a win over No. 1 seed Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks). Corona
returns one of the state's top pitchers in
Ethan Schiefelbein
(7-1, 94 Ks) along with one of the top sophomores in
outfielder
Anthony Murphy (.342, 6 HR).
Colorado
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village), 18-7
The
Bruins reached the Class 5A Region 4 final with a
starting lineup that included three sophomores and two juniors. Cherry
Creek has three of the top 12 players in the state in the Class of 2025,
including first baseman
Connor Larkin, pitcher
Wyatt Rudden and
infielder
Ansley Mauldin.
Connecticut
Warde (Fairfield), 20-5
The Mustangs enter looking for the three-peat with the
state's No. 2 junior pitcher in
Austin Howard to pair with returning senior
pitcher
Carson Swaim. Catcher
Jimmy Dobbs is one of the top prospects
in the state in the Class of 2026.
Delaware
Cape Henlopen (Lewes), 16-6-1
The reigning state champs feature three of the top juniors
in the state according to Perfect Game, including No. 1-ranked
Jase Mitchell at catcher. The outfield also looks strong with
Brian Fleming
and
Gage Joseph.
Florida
Stoneman Douglas (Parkland), 29-0
Riding a 51-game win streak, the Eagles have won two straight state titles and finished No. 2 in the final MaxPreps Top 25 rankings behind IMG Academy. They return three MaxPreps All-Americans in
Devin Fitz-Gerald (.410, 6
HR),
Rylan Lujo (.416, 6 HR) and
Jayden Dubanewicz (11-0, 1.17 ERA) making Stoneman Douglas the easy choice as the top team
in Florida.
Georgia
Parkview (Lilburn), 32-8
Always in the mix at the state and national level, 2024 should be no
different. Parkview has two of the state's top pitchers in
Thorpe Musci
(10-1) and
Ford Thompson, along with one of top returning home run
hitters in the nation in third baseman
Cade Brown (14 HR).
Hawaii
Kamehameha Kapalama (Honolulu), 16-6
Three all-state players return for the Division 1 champions, including junior pitchers in
Greyson Osbun and
Alakai Kiakona. Outfielder
Jace Souza also was all-state and could be the top
player on the island.
Idaho
Skyview (Nampa), 24-5
Class
4A state runners-up return eight of the top 10 offensive players from
last year, including
Grady Daniels (.494, 41 RBI), and
Noah Palomares
(.447) and junior
Henry Downey (.436, 33 RBI).
Gradyn Lucas (65 Ks), the
team's top pitcher, also returns.
Illinois
Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort), 31-9
Two of the top players in the state, pitcher
Jack Bauer and shortstop
Tyler Bell, return for the Griffins. Bauer is ranked by Perfect Game as the
state's top junior while Bell is ranked No. 2 in the Class of 2024.
Indiana
Mooresville, 23-5
The pitching staff returns all 23 wins from
last year as well as eight of the top nine hitters from last year's team. Catcher
Hogan Denny is ranked among the top players in
the state by Perfect Game.
Iowa
Johnston, 36-8
The Class 4A
champions return three all-state players,
including first-team outfielder
Tyne Weeden, second-team second baseman
Adam Kayko and utility
Will Noss.
Kansas
Saint Thomas Aquinas (Overland Park), 21-4
The
Saints finished third in Class 5A but return MaxPreps
All-American and Kansas Player of the Year
Blake O'Brien at pitcher along
with all-state junior first baseman
Cru Huenfield and second-team
all-state sophomore infielder
Brady Stewart.
Kentucky
Trinity (Louisville), 33-7
The
Shamrocks fell to St. Xavier in the regional semifinals but return a pair of all-state players in
Dane Morrow and
Kyle Campbell, who
batted .369 and .370, respectively.
Louisiana
West Monroe, 34-5
State
champions in 2022 and runner-up to Barbe in 2023, West Monroe is again the favorite thanks to five returning all-state players. MaxPreps All-American
John Pearson
leads the way after batting .427 with seven home runs. Also back is
Hayden Federico (.409, 3 HR) and
Drew Ferguson (10-1).
Maine
Falmouth, 16-2
All-state picks
Brennan Rumpf and
Ethan Hendry are back for the Navigators. Rumpf was the SMAA Pitcher of the Year after going 7-0 with 66 strikeouts. Hendry is the state's top catcher, batting .395 with 20 RBI.
Maryland
Archbishop Spalding (Severn), 22-6-1
The pitching staff is stacked, led by arguably the state's best player in
Jake Yeager and a trio of juniors,
Nathan Wines,
Brayden Robinson and
Peyton Mamula, who rank among the state's top 25.
Massachusetts
Franklin, 23-5
The Panthers lost to Taunton the Division 1 state final but return All-Scholastics pitcher
Austin Campbell (9-0, 91 Ks) and honorable mention All-Scholastics shortstop
Henry Digiorgio.
Michigan
Northville, 31-5
Upset early in the Division 1 state tournament by eventual champion
Novi, Northville has two of the state's top rated players in outfielder
Dante Nori and pitcher
Joseph Broughton. Four of the team's top pitchers
return from 2023.
Minnesota
East Ridge (Woodbury), 20-8
The defending Class AAAA state champions return the state's top pitching duo in lefty
Max Arlich and right-hander
Jake Reigert. The pair rank Nos. 4 and 5 in the state by Perfect Game. Junior
Luke Ryerse, ranked No. 9 in the state, gives East Ridge's rotation a third strong arm.
Mississippi
Lewisburg (Olive Branch, Miss.), 29-8
Return a multitude of players
from a Class 6A championship squad, including all-state pitchers
Talon Haley (9-0, 1.99
ERA) and
Cayden Baker (7-1, 1.56). The Patriots also have one of the
nation's top third basemen in
Samuel Richardson (.301, 6 HR).
Missouri
Liberty North (Liberty), 34-7
MaxPreps State Player of the Year Tate McGuire graduated, but the Class 6 state champions return the state's top infielder in
Trey Snyder along with all-state catcher
Bo Jonas and honorable mention utility player
Cole Young.
Nebraska
Millard West (Omaha), 32-7
The Wildcats eye a return to the Class A state championship game after finishing second last year. Millard West has one of the nation's top infielders in
Tyson Lewis along with all-state third baseman
Nick Venteicher.
Nevada
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 36-2
Chris Sheff returned as the head coach in 2023 and guided the Gaels to their first
state title in eight years. Bishop Gorman fields a strong infield that
includes
Maddox Riske (.305), catcher
Burke Mabeus (.453) and shortstop
Colton Boardman (.354).
New Hampshire
Bedford, 13-8
The Bulldogs fell in the Division 1 quarterfinals but return the MaxPreps State Player of the Year
Aiden O'Connell.
New Jersey
Red Bank Catholic (Red Bank), 24-8
The Caseys won the South Jersey Non-Public A championship but lost in the state playoffs to Don Bosco Prep. They return four players who earned All-Shore honors, including pitcher
Declan Leary, infielder
Sean Griggs, junior outfielder
Dylan Passo and pitcher
Steve Svenson.
New Mexico
La Cueva (Albuquerque), 23-5
Sandia upset the Bears in the quarterfinals but they return a strong junior class that features two of the state's top players in
Reid Jacobson and
Braiden Reynolds. The infield is also solid with returning starters
Ramon Martinez and
Gehrig Pineda.
New York
Ketcham (Wappingers Falls), 28-2
The defending state champions feature two of the state's best players in infielder
Owen Paino and pitcher
Riley Weatherwax. They were the player and pitcher of the year by the Poughkeepsie Journal last year. Outfielder
Connor Durkin and pitcher
Ryan Mealy joined them on the all-area team.
North Carolina
Combine Academy (Lincolnton), 31-11
The Goats do not compete in the state association and play an independent schedule but they do play high school teams from around the country. They have one of the nation's top catchers in
Ryan Schwartz and a standout outfielder in
Jaden Knight.
North Dakota
Legacy (Bismarck), 16-12
Class A tournament consolation runners-up, the Sabers return the most all-state players with
Marcus Butts,
Jameson Johnson,
Aaron Urlacher and
Lucas Vasey.
Ohio
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 31-3
The Division 1 state champions lost
almost every starter. However, Perfect Game lists pitcher
Kellan Klostermn as the third-best senior player in the state, junior
Zion Theophilus ranks No. 1 in Ohio for the Class of 2025 and shortstop
Matt Ponatoski ranks No. 1 for the Class of 2026.
Oklahoma
Stillwater, 28-10
It was a first-round exit at the state tournament for the Pioneers but they feature the nation's top player in the Class of 2025 in
Ethan Holliday, son of former MLB player Matt Holliday.
Oregon
West Linn, 29-6
Winners of back-to-back state championships, West Linn has the state's three top players according to Perfect Game in catcher
Ryan Vandenbrink and pitchers
Gabe Howard and
Blake Crawford.
Pennsylvania
Cathedral Prep (Erie), 22-2
The Ramblers lost in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state playoffs but have the state's top junior in third baseman
Jackson Fultz. Brothers
Luke and
Andrew Costello also rank among the top players in the state by Perfect Game.
Rhode Island
Bishop Hendricken (Warwick), 23-4
Perfect
Game ranks four Hawks among the top five players in the state, led by
outfielder
Griffin Crain. They also have three of the top four juniors
and have won nine state championships since 2008.
South Carolina
Summerville, 23-9
The
Green Wave boast the No. 1 player in the nation according to Perfect
Game in outfielder
P.J. Morlando, who is regarded as a first-round pick
for the 2024 MLB Draft. Summerville also has the state's top pitcher in
Carson Messina. Both were named to the coaches association All-State team last year.
South Dakota
Harrisburg, 15-8
The
Class A finalists return three all-state players from last year's group,
including first-team outfielder
Teigen Munce and second-teamers
Braxton Kussler in the outfield and
Eli Kokenge in the infield.
Tennessee
Farragut (Knoxville), 36-8
The
Admirals have won state three times since 2019 with back-to-back crowns
in 2022 and 2023. Farragut has an All-American candidate in shortstop
Lukas Buckner and one of the state's top pitchers in
Cade O'Leary.
Texas
Flower Mound, 37-10-2
Ranked
No. 12 in the state entering the postseason, the Jaguars won the Class
6A state championship with Danny Wallace earning MaxPreps National Coach
of the Year honors. Flower Mound returns six all-district players from
last year's team, including Utility Player of the Year
Josh Glaser (.336,
5-1).
Utah
Riverton, 22-10
The Silverwolves
finished one game short of a Class 6A state championship, losing to
American Fork in the second game of the double elimination championship
game. The returning lineup features three all-state players, including
shortstop
Zach Edwards (.402, 4-1 record), outfielder
Carson Moody
(.458) and pitcher
Cooper Hansen (8-1, 64 Ks).
Vermont
Champlain Valley Union (Hinesburg), 17-3
Winners of three titles in four years, the Redhawks return conference Pitcher of the Year
Stephen Rickert, who threw a
one-hit shutout in the finals against Mount Anthony.
Virginia
Lake Braddock (Burke), 24-3
The
Bruins were 24-1 at one point before losing their final two games last
year. Lake Braddock returns a pair of all-state players in pitcher
Jake Drumm and shortstop
Jamie Laskofski.
Washington
Puyallup, 25-6
After
losing in the Class 4A semifinals last year, the Vikings return the
core of their lineup including catcher
Kai Halstead (.395) and pitcher
Michael LeJeune. Junior pitcher
Mason Pike will also be bringing some
heat with a 95 mph fastball. Puyallup is looking to win its 16th
straight South Puget Sound League championship.
West Virginia
Cabell Midland (Ona), 31-10
The
Class 3A state champs return all-state pitcher
Kenyon Collins along
with honorable mention all-state pick
Ray Ray Williams in the infield.
Wisconsin
Oak Creek, 23-6
The Knights return several all-state players, including the Coaches Association Division 1 Player of the Year
Payten Jibben. He went 8-0 and batted .481. He is
joined by fellow all-state picks
C.J. Trask (.453) in the infield and
junior
Nate Schopf (.439) in the outfield.