After dominating Boras Classic, Corona solidifies No. 1 spot in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings

With the National High School Invitational just one week away, Corona (Calif.) set itself up as the definitive favorite to defend its title after an impressive performance in winning the Boras South Classic last week. The Panthers also solidified their spot at No. 1 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings.


While the Matadores managed two runs off Corona starter Jason Gerfers late in the final, the game was never in doubt after the Panthers scored three runs in the first and three more in the fourth in building an 8-0 lead.

Corona pitching dominated the Boras Classic but the Panthers showcased their offense when they returned to Big XII play Monday with a 9-0 win over King (Riverside). The Panthers hit six home runs in the game, including two by Hernandez.

The Panthers enter the National High School Invitational in Cary, N.C., on April 9 as the prohibitive favorite. Corona opens with Casteel (Queen Creek, Ariz.), which is off to a 9-4 start. Four other MaxPreps Top 25 teams will compete, including No. 5 La Mirada, No. 6 Huntington Beach, No. 19 Collierville (Tenn.) and No. 21 Venice (Fla.). La Mirada and Venice will face off in a first-round game.

Five new teams enter the rankings this week, including undefeated Ashley (Wilmington, N.C.), Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), Crespi (Encino, Calif.), Lutheran South Academy (Houston) and Pleasant Grove (Texarkana, Texas).

Game of the week: Pleasure Ridge Park (Louisville, Ky.) def. Lexington Catholic (Lexington, Ky.), 12-11. Trailing 12-5 after Lexington Catholic scored six runs in the top of the fourth, Pleasure Ridge Park rallied for two runs in the bottom of the frame, three runs in the fifth and single runs in the sixth and seven innings to win 12-11. Gevar Harris singled in the winning run with two outs on an 0-2 count in the seventh.

Game to watch: Etowah (Woodstock, Ga.) vs. Stony Brook (N.Y.). Prior to competing in the National High School Invitational next week, Stony Brook tangles with Etowah, which moved up to No. 2 in the Top 25 this week. Stony Brook is off to a 9-1-1 start and is ranked No. 1 in New York by the MaxPreps computer rankings.

Hitter of the week: Aiden and Carson Zagryn, Blessed Trinity. Identical twins, the Zagryn each had two-home run games on back-to-back days against Centennial. Aiden and Carson have each hit eight home runs this year and twice have hit home runs in the same game.

Pitcher of the week: Gary Morse, Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.). Picking up his third straight win out of four decisions, Morse more than doubled his season strikeout total with 16 in a win over Granada Hills Charter. Morse's previous season high was five strikeouts in two different outings. It was also double his previous career high of eight strikeouts last year against Cypress.

Streaks: In Colorado, Golden scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday to defeat Eaton, 2-1, and end the nation's longest win streak at 74 games. The streak ends as the fifth-longest in high school baseball history. The longest active win streak now belongs to Owyhee (Meridian, Idaho), which has won 28 straight games, including 11 this year.

Dropped out: No. 6 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), No. 12 Providence Catholic (New Lenox, Ill.), No. 21 Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.), No. 23 Arcadia (Calif.), No. 15 Benton (La.) MaxPreps Top 25 baseball rankings

1. Corona (Calif.)
Record: 12-0 | Last week: No. 1
Scores: Def. Gahr (Cerritos), 6-0; def. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), 5-0; def. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano), 9-0; def. La Mirada 8-3; def. King (Riverside), 9-0
Pitcher of the week: Seth Hernandez allowed no runs on five hits with 13 strikeouts in a 5-0 win over Santa Margarita.
Hitter of the week: Billy Carlson went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBI in the Boras Classic South final against La Mirada
Next: Tuesday vs. King (Riverside)

2. Etowah (Woodstock, Ga.)
Record: 20-1 | Last week: No. 4
Scores: Def. Walton, 2-1, 12-2, 11-8
Pitcher of the week: Jackson Rose struck out seven in a five-inning, 12-2 win over Walton.
Hitter of the week: Colin Anderson went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI in the 11-8 win.
Next: Thursday vs. Stony Brook

3. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 17-1 | Last week: No. 7
Scores: Def. Hewitt-Trussville, 5-2; def. Western, 12-2; def. St. John's, 14-1; def. Doral Academy, 15-3
Pitcher of the week: Parker Jennings went five innings for the win over undefeated Hewitt-Trussville, striking out two.
Hitter of the week: Sean Gamble went 7-for-12 during the week with two home runs, two doubles and 11 RBI.
Next: Thursday vs. Jesuit (Tampa)

4. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Record: 1-0 | Last week: No. 2
Scores: Def. Lakota East, 9-7
Hitter of the week: Conner Cuozzo had a double and two RBI in the win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Ryle

5. La Mirada (Calif.)
Record: 10-2 | Last week: No. 18
Scores: Def. Birmingham, 7-0; def. Huntington Beach, 4-1; def. Mater Dei, 10-2; lost to Corona, 8-3
Pitcher of the week: Kaden Corns went seven innings to beat Mater Dei, giving up two runs on six hits with nine strikeouts.
Hitter of the week: Kevin Jeon hit a pair of home runs to beat Huntington Beach.
Next: Tuesday vs. Downey

6. Huntington Beach (Calif.)
Record: 9-1 | Last week: No. 3
Scores: Def. Aquinas (San Bernardino), 4-1; lost to La MIrada, 4-1; def. Carlsbad, 12-4; def. Vista Murrieta, 9-1
Pitcher of the week: Otto Espinoza gave up no runs on two hits with seven strikeouts against Aquinas.
Hitter of the week: Jayton Greer had a pair of hits, including a grand slam and six total RBI against Vista Murrieta.
Next: Tuesday vs. Corona del Mar

7. Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.)
Record: 23-1 | Last week: No. 8
Scores: Lost to IMG Academy, 5-2; def. St. Laurence, 11-1; def. West Broward, 3-2
Pitcher of the week: Hudson Mitchell got the win over St. Laurence, giving up one run on three hits with two strikeouts in five innings.
Hitter of the week: Steele Hall went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI against St. Laurence.
Next: Wednesday vs. Vestavia Hills

8. Puyallup (Wash.)
Record: 7-0 | Last week: No. 9
Scores: Def. South Kitsap, 7-3; 10-0; def. Bethel, 16-1
Pitcher of the week: Another big outing by Mason Pike as he threw a five-inning, one-hit shutout against South Kitsap with eight strikeouts.
Hitter of the week: Brayden Landry went 3-for-4 in the 7-3 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Emerald Ridge.

9. Pleasure Ridge Park (Louisville, Ky.)
Record: 9-0 | Last week: No. 10
Scores: Def. Niles West, 13-3; def. Atherton, 8-5; def. Somerset, 9-2; def. Lexington Catholic, 12-11
Pitcher of the week: Grayson Roll went seven innings to beat Somerset, giving up two runs on four hits with seven strikeouts.
Hitter of the week: Kobie Howard went 11-for-16 for the week with a triple, a double and a home run to go with five RBI.
Next: Tuesday vs. Bay

10. Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.)
Record: 19-0 | Last week: No. 13
Scores: Def. North Marion, 8-3; def. Bartram Trail, 10-2; def. Osceola, 6-1
Pitcher of the week: Dion Wilburn struck out seven to get the win over Osceola.
Hitter of the week: Kai So went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI against North Marion.
Next: Tuesday vs. Valdosta (Ga.)

11. Harlem (Ga.)
Record: 21-0 | Last week: No. 14
Scores: Def. Aquinas, 11-1; 10-0; def. North Augusta, 12-7
Pitcher of the week: Will Holder struck out nine and gave up one run on three hits in the 11-1 win.
Hitter of the week: Brody Knight went 3-for-3 with three doubles in the win over North Augusta.
Next: Tuesday vs. West Laurens

12. Gloucester Catholic (Gloucester City, N.J.)
Record: 1-0 | Last week: No. 11
Scores: Def. Washingtown Township, 6-0
Pitcher of the week: Sal Marziani went three and two-thirds innings for the save, giving up no runs on one hit with four strikeouts.
Hitter of the week: Noah Danza went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.
Next: Wednesday vs. Kingsway

13. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 17-2 | Last week: No. 5
Scores: Def. Jesuit (Tampa), 7-4; lost to Sickles, 5-4
Pitcher of the week: Gio Rojas got the win over Jesuit, giving up one run on five hits with nine strikeouts.
Hitter of the week: Nick Diaz had a pair of doubles against Jesuit.
Next: Tuesday vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale)

14. Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Record: 19-0 | Last week: No. 17
Scores: Def. Tuloso-Midway, 5-0.
Pitcher of the week: Drayton Mitchell went seven innings for the shutout against Tuloso-Midway, striking out five with no walks.
Hitter of the week: Wyatt Duke went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBI.
Next: Tuesday vs. King

15. Ashley (Wilmington, N.C.)
Record: 13-0 | Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Hoggard, 6-3; def. Wilmington Christian Academy, 4-0; def. South Brunswick, 6-3
Pitcher of the week: Cole Barnes went the distance against Hoggard, striking out six and giving up three runs on four hits.
Hitter of the week: Tanner Berry went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI against South Brunswick.
Next: Tuesday vs. North Brunswick

16. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Record: 11-1 | Last week: No. 22
Scores: Def. Arcadia, 4-1; def. Granada Hills Charter, 1-0; def. Arcadia, 5-1
Pitcher of the week: Gary Morse struck out 16 batters in seven innings while giving up no runs on two hits in a 1-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Hamilton Friedberg had a triple in the win over Granada Hills.
Next: Tuesday vs. St. John Bosco

17. Owasso (Okla.)
Record: 19-1 | Last week: No. 24
Scores: Def. Sapulpa, 6-0; def. Deer Creek, 13-0; def. Edmond Santa Fe, 8-0; def. Carl Albert, 8-0; Def. U.S. Grant, 14-0, 15-0
Pitcher of the week: Kooper Ranallo threw a seven-inning two-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts and no walks against Sapulpa.
Hitter of the week: Benji Bauer went 3-for-3 with a double and a home run and four RBI in the win over Deer Creek.
Next: Friday vs. Bixby

18. Collierville (Tenn.)
Record: 19-1 | Last week: No. 16
Scores: Def. Lincoln, 7-6; def. Lane Tech, 6-0; lost to Science Hill, 13-11; def. Baylor, 10-0; def. Bartlett, 7-0
Pitcher of the week: Ayden Jacobs threw a one-hit shutout with eight strikeout against Baylor.
Hitter of the week: JD Whitworth went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run against Lincoln and he went 3-for-4 with a double against Baylor.
Next: Tuesday vs. Bartlett

19. Kingwood (Texas)
Record: 21-2 | Last week: No. 19
Scores: Def. Channelview, 2-1, 10-1
Pitcher of the week: Ben Mayorga got the 10-1 win over Channelview, striking out five and giving up one run on two hits.
Hitter of the week: Blake Risko had a double and a triple in the two wins over Channelview.
Next: Tuesday vs. Atascocita

20. Venice (Fla.)
Record: 13-2 | Last week: No. 18
Record: 16-2 | Last week: No. 20
Scores: Def. Neumann, 4-0; def. Grove City, 4-1; def. Imagine School of North Port, 2-0
Pitcher of the week: Kasen Poplin threw a seven-inning one-hit shutout with seven strikeouts to beat Imagine School.
Hitter of the week: August Backman went 3-for-4 with  a double and a home run against Neumann.
Next: Tuesday vs. Sarasota

21. Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.)
Record: 19-2 | Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Centennial, 14-1, 10-0; 11-6; def. North Paulding, 4-3
Pitcher of the week: Joseph Contreras went five and two-thirds innings and gave up no runs on two hits with nine strikeouts in 10-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Carson Zagryn went 3-for-4 with a double and two home runs and four RBI in a 14-1 win. Identical twin Aiden Zagryn hit two home runs a day later in a 10-0 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Westminster

22. Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Record: 18-1 | Last week: No. 25
Scores: Def. American Heritage, 3-1; def. John Carroll Catholic, 5-2; def. Jensen Beach, 9-0
Pitcher of the week: Joey Lawson struck out 12 and gave up one run on six hits over seven innings in win over American Heritage.
Hitter of the week: Nico Ayars had a pair of doubles in the 3-1 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. North Port

23. Crespi (Encino, Calif.)
Record: 12-0 | Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Loyola 9-0, 5-3
Pitcher of the week: Tyler Walton struck out 10 over seven innings in the 5-3 win.
Hitter of the week: Josh Stonehouse had a double and three RBI in the 9-0 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth)

24. Lutheran South Academy (Houston, Texas)
Record: 25-1-1 | Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Emery/Weiner, 10-1, 17-0
Pitcher of the week: Grant Burns threw a one-hitter with seven strikeouts in a 17-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Victor Coronado had a double and a home run among his three hits and drove in seven in a 17-0 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Logos Prep Academy

25. Pleasant Grove (Texarkana, Texas)
Record: 21-1 | Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Pittsburg, 10-0
Pitcher of the week: Hunter Rose tossed a one-hitter against Pittsburg, striking out 11.
Hitter of the week: Jarrett Halter had three doubles and five RBI in the 10-0 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Paris