After not losing in 84 straight games,
St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) slumped into a rare losing streak when it dropped three of four
games last week and dropped to No. 24 in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings.
The Eaglets saw their 84-game win streak, the
third-longest streak in high school history and the longest in Michigan
state history, come to an end with a 4-3 loss to
University Liggett (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) on Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader.
St. Mary's Prep then lost the second game for two straight losses,
something the Eaglets' hadn't done since April 10, 2019 when they lost a
doubleheader to
University of Detroit Jesuit (Detroit, Mich.). Since then, St. Mary's
Prep had posted a record of 117-3-2 before Wednesday's two losses.
The
Eaglets completed a suspended tie game with
Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) on Saturday morning before losing their third game in four
outings with a 6-3 loss to the Warriors. St. Mary's Prep completed the
weekend with a 6-3 win over the Warriors and a 20-3 overall mark.
While
three losses in a four-game span would normally get a team ousted from
the MaxPreps Top 25, St. Mary's Prep has earned the benefit of the doubt with
three straight state championships (not counting the 2020 COVID season),
a national championship and a long winning streak. The Eaglets drop to No. 24
this week and will face a
Saline (Mich.) program on Friday that handed the
Eaglets' their only loss during the 2021 season.
Meanwhile, No. 1
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) finished its season and will have to wait
about five weeks to find out if it can claim the national championship. The Ascenders have finished the season
undefeated and ranked No. 1, which would normally mean a national
championship would be in the bag. But the caveat here is that IMG
Academy will not play in a postseason state playoff tournament. Thus
teams that are going through a postseason deserve the right
to challenge IMG Academy for the No. 1 spot.
Right now, the only
team that really has a shot at toppling IMG Academy is No. 2
Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.). The Eagles are the only other team in the MaxPreps Top 25 that is
undefeated. Stoneman Douglas has a 46-game win streak and has won two
straight state championships. The Eagles are five wins away from a third
straight title and open the state tournament this week.
Depending
on how dominant the Eagles are in the postseason, it's possible they
could surpass IMG Academy in the final rankings. The Ascenders, however,
could maintain their spot at No. 1 with strong playoff performances
from teams like
Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.),
Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.),
George Jenkins (Lakeland, Fla.),
Northside Christian (St. Petersburg, Fla.),
Houston County (Warner Robins, Ga.),
Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and
Silo (Okla.),
who are all in contention, and in some cases favored, for state
championships.
Only two teams joined the rankings this week as
Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) and
Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
returned to the MaxPreps Top 25. Hamilton reached the final of Pool A in the
Class 6A state playoffs and are in position to defend their state
championship. Santa Margarita won the Trinity League with a
14-1 record and opened the Southern Section playoffs with a win over
Foothill (Santa Ana, Calif.) last week.
Game of the Week:
University of Liggett def. St. Mary's Prep, 4-3 and 4-3. After losing to the Eaglets twice earlier
in the season, Liggett pulled off two big upsets that included walk-off
wins in both games.
Player of the Week: Grant Jordan of Jesuit hit for the cycle and had seven RBI in the Tigers' win over Freedom.
Game to watch:
Sulphur (La.) vs.
Barbe (Lake Charles, La.) or
West Monroe (La.) vs.
Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.). Take your pick
between the two Non-Select Division 1 semifinals in Louisiana. They
feature four teams in the top 15, including No. 3 Barbe against No. 9
Sulphur and No. 12 Sam Houston against No. 15 West Monroe. Barbe
defeated Sulphur twice already this year. Sam Houston and West Monroe
haven't faced each other this year, but Sulphur has topped Sam Houston
twice and Sam Houston has handed Barbe its only loss.
Streaks:
With St. Mary's Prep's loss to University Liggett,
Van Meter (Iowa) has
the official longest active win streak with 54 in a row. The Bulldogs,
who play a summer season in Iowa, open their season on May 15 against
Newman Catholic. Stoneman Douglas has the longest spring winning streak
at 46 in a row.
Team of the Week: Selected based on stats submitted to MaxPreps.
P — Manu Di Santo,
Blue Ridge (St. George, Va.): Pitched five innings against Eastern Mennonite and all 15 outs were by strikeout.
C — Cole Guy,
Bristol (Pa.): Batted 9-for-10 with seven RBI, a double, a home run and 14 runs scored.
1B — Gage Lockhart,
Wilson Prep (Wilson, N.C.): Was 8-for-9 with 10 runs, five RBI, three doubles and two triples.
2B — Jacob Moore,
Dayton (Nev.): Hit a double, a triple and three home runs, went 9-for-9 with six runs and 13 RBI.
3B — Holden Parks,
Corvian Community (Charlotte, N.C.): Was 5-for-5 with two tripls.
SS — Zachary O'Connell,
Peru (N.Y.): Went 12-for-13 with nine runs, 11 RBI, three doubles and a home run.
OF — Austin Cannon,
Monsignor Bonner/Archbishop Prendergast Catholic (Drexel Hill, Pa.): Was 9-for-10 with six runs, 12 RBI, two doubles, two triples and a home run.
OF — Isaac Garcia,
Clint (Texas): Was 5-for-5 with six RBI, a double, a triple and a home run.
OF — Trevor Hockaday,
South Granville (Creedmoor, N.C.): Was 8-for-9 with six runs, five RBI and two doubles.
Junior Gavin Gargiulo has a 0.65 ERA in eight appearances this season for No. 2 Stoneman Douglas, which is riding a 46-game win streak. (Photo: Laura Martin)
1. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 25-0 |
Last week: 1
Scores: Def. Remington Christian Academy, 15-5
Hitter of the week: Jackson LaLima went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI in the win.
Pitcher of the week: Jaewoo Cho went four innings for the win, striking out five.
Next: Season complete
2. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 24-0 |
Last week: 2
Scores: Def. Monarch (Coconut Creek), 8-2; def. Boca Raton, 12-2
Hitter of the week: Devin Fitz-Gerald had home runs in both wins.
Pitcher of the week: Christian Rodriguez struck out nine and gave up no runs on one hit in five and a third innings against Monarch.
Next: Wednesday vs. Monarch
3. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 38-1 |
Last week: 3
Scores: Def. Neville, 11-1, 13-0
Hitter of the week: Donovan LaSalle went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBI in the 11-1 win.
Pitcher of the week: JC Vanek threw four and a third no-hit innings and struck out six in the 13-0 win. He combined with Landon Victorian for a no-hitter.
Next: Thursday vs. Sulphur
4. Sinton (Texas)
Record: 30-1 |
Last week: 5
Scores: Def. Somerset, 10-1, 11-0
Hitter of the week: Jaquae Stewart went 1-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in the 10-1 win.
Pitcher of the week: Braeden Brown gave up one run on three hits with 12 strikeouts in a 10-1 win.
Next: Saturday vs. Calallen
5. Catholic-B.R. (Baton Rouge, La.)
Record: 36-2 |
Last week: 6
Scores: Def. John Curtis Christian, 10-0, 3-0
Hitter of the week: Noah Lewis went 3-for-3 with a triple and five RBI in the 10-0 win.
Pitcher of the week: Alex Ainsworth threw a five-inning no-hitter in the 10-0 win, striking out three.
Next: Thursday vs. Archbishop Rummel
6. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
Record: 27-2 |
Last week: 7
Scores: Def. Hart (Newhall), 1-0
Hitter of the week: Colin Brown went 2-for-3 with the only RBI in the 1-0 win.
Pitcher of the week: Justin Lee threw six and a third innings and gave up no runs on two hits with nine strikeouts.
Next: Tuesday vs. Bonita (La Verne)
7. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: 8
Scores: Def. Centennial (Las Vegas), 4-3; def. Spring Valley (Las Vegas), 9-0; def. Snow Canyon (St. George, Utah), 13-1
Hitter of the week: Gunnar Myro had a double and four RBI against Snow Canyon and a home run with two RBI against Spring Valley.
Pitcher of the week: Kamdyn Perry struck out eight in the win over Centennial.
Next: Today vs. Coronado (Las Vegas)
8. Cypress Woods (Cypress, Texas)
Record: 30-3 |
Last week: 10
Scores: Def. Tomball Memorial, 7-2, 11-1
Hitter of the week: Ethan Farris went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a double in the 7-2 win.
Pitcher of the week: Mason Green struck out seven in five and two-thirds innings to get the 7-2 win.
Next: Friday vs. Oak Ridge
9. Sulphur (La.)
Record: 33-4 |
Last week: 11
Scores: Def. Central (Baton Rouge), 3-1, 3-2
Hitter of the week: Dillion Bird had three hits and a pair of doubles in the two wins over Central.
Pitcher of the week: Jake Brown struck out eight and gave up just two hits in the 3-1 win.
Next: Thursday vs. Barbe
10. Huntington Beach (Calif.)
Record: 21-8 |
Last week: 12
Scores: Def. Warren (Downey), 3-2
Hitter of the week: Dean Carpentier went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in the win.
Pitcher of the week: Nate Aceves gave up no runs on two hits with eight strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings.
Next: Tuesday vs. Villa Park
11. Westlake (Austin, Texas)
Record: 32-3 |
Last week: 13
Scores: Def. Vandegrift, 5-3, 5-0
Hitter of the week: Cooper Berry was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI in the 5-3 win.
Pitcher of the week: Jack Brady threw four and a third shutout innings and struck out five in the 5-0 win.
Next: Friday vs. Brandeis (San Antonio)
12. Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 32-4 |
Last week: 14
Scores: Def. Live Oak, 5-1, 11-6
Hitter of the week: Sam Ardoin went 2-for-5 with a home run and four RBI in the 11-6 win.
Pitcher of the week: Cole Flanagan gave up one run on four hits with three strikeouts in the 5-1 win.
Next: Thursday vs. West Monroe
13. St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 26-0-1 |
Last week: 16
Scores: Def. Paul VI (Chantilly, Va.), 4-3; def. The Heights, 9-0
Hitter of the week: Andy Francis went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI against The Heights.
Pitcher of the week: Ryan Maxwell struck out six in two innings of relief against Paul VI.
Next: Today vs. Paul VI
14. Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)
Record: 23-4 |
Last week: 18
Scores: Def. Freedom (Tampa), 17-2; def. Parrish Community, 10-1
Hitter of the week: Grant Jordan went 4-for-4, hit for the cycle and drove in seven runs against Freedom.
Pitcher of the week: John Abraham went the distance against Freedom, giving up two runs and striking out four.
Next: Tuesday vs. North Fort Myers
15. West Monroe (La.)
Record: 33-4 |
Last week: 19
Scores: Def. St. Amant, 5-1, 7-2
Hitter of the week: Tyler Roark had a home run in both playoff wins over St. Amant.
Pitcher of the week: Brennan Eager gave up one run on one hit with nine strikeouts in the 5-1 win.
Next: Thursday vs. Sam Houston
16. Concordia Lutheran (Tomball, Texas)
Record: 31-2 |
Last week: 21
Scores: Had a playoff bye.
Next: Today vs. Bishop Lynch
17. Cartersville (Ga.)
Record: 31-3 |
Last week: 15
Scores: Def. Greenbrier, 4-3; lost to Greenbrier, 6-4
Hitter of the week: Harrison Childers went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in the 6-4 loss.
Pitcher of the week: Philip Schiltz threw two innings of no-hit relief with two strikeouts in the 4-3 win.
Next: Today vs. Greenbrier
18. Lake Braddock (Burke, Va.)
Record: 19-1 |
Last week: 17
Scores: Lost to Robinson (Fairfax), 11-1; def. South County, 10-0
Hitter of the week: Jamie Laskofski went 2-for-3 with three runs and a double against South County.
Pitcher of the week: Jake Drumm went six innings and gave up no runs on one hits with eight strikeouts in the 10-0 win.
Next: TBD
19. Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.)
Record: 30-6 |
Last week: 20
Scores: Def. Dacula, 4-2, lost to Dacula, 3-1; def. Dacula, 8-7
Hitter of the week: Landon Stripling had home runs in both of the series wins.
Pitcher of the week: Thorpe Musci struck out nine and gave up two runs on three hits in the 4-2 win.
Next: Wednesday vs. Mill Creek
20. Pace (Fla.)
Record: 24-2 |
Last week: 22
Scores: Def. Navarre, 13-0; def. Tate, 7-6
Hitter of the week: Grant Walters went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI against Tate.
Pitcher of the week: Tucker Ricks struck out five in three innings in the 13-0 win.
Next: Wednesday vs. Winter Springs
21. Johnson (San Antonio, Texas)
Record: 26-3-2 |
Last week: 23
Scores: Def. New Braunfels, 2-0, 5-1
Hitter of the week: M. Krahn went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
Pitcher of the week: B Johnson went seven innings and allowed no runs on three hits with nine strikeouts in the 2-0 win.
Next: Friday vs. Austin Bowie
22. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
Record: 23-6 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Foothill (Santa Ana), 6-2
Hitter of the week: Drew Rutter went 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI against Foothill.
Pitcher of the week: Collin Clarke allowed just two runs and struck out four in six innings against Foothill.
Next: Tuesday vs. Millikan
23. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
Record: 24-5 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. O'Connor, 9-0; def. Mountain Ridge, 8-3
Hitter of the week: Zach Wadas has a home run and a double in the two wins.
Pitcher of the week: Josh Tiedemann went six innings and did not give up a run while striking out seven against O'Connor.
Next: TBD
24. St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
Record: 20-3 |
Last week: 4
Scores:
Lost to University Liggett, 4-3, 4-3. Def. Brother Rice (Bloomfield
Hills), 6-5; lost to Brother Rice 6-3; def. Brother Rice, 6-3
Hitter of the week: Blake Grimmer went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI in a 6-3 over Brother Rice.
Pitcher of the week: Jasen Oliver had nine strikeouts in a resumed game win over Brother Rice.
Next: Today vs. Western International
25. Providence Catholic (New Lenox, Ill.)
Record: 24-4 |
Last week: 24
Scores: Def. Marmion, 7-6, def. Brother Rice (Chicago), 13-7; def. Marion, 5-4; def. Montini Catholic, 7-5; lost to Lincoln Way East
Hitter of the week: Jackson Smith went 4-for-4 with four runs, a home run and an RBI against Brother Rice.
Pitcher of the week: Gavin Gomez pitched three no-hit innings in relief in the Montini Catholic win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Chicago Mt. Carmel
Dropped out: No. 9
Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa, Calif.); No. 25
Blue Springs South (Blue Springs, Mo.)
