MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball national rankings

IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) passed its first big test with straight A's, or perhaps it should be straight 0's.


IMG Academy plays in the National High School Invitational this week and opens with its toughest test so far against La Mirada (Calif.). The Ascenders could face LaMirada ace Jared Jones, one of the top-ranked pitchers in the Class of 2020. He's 3-0 on the season with 54 strikeouts and a 0.97 ERA in 36 innings pitched.

The Ascenders will likely go with Brennan Malone, the No. 2 pitcher in the class of 2019 by Perfect Game, setting up the greatest pitching duels of the season.

Meanwhile, the Boras Classic South left more questions than answers after JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano), a team with nine losses, won four in a row to capture the tournament. Orange Lutheran, the two-time defending NHSI champion, lost its opener to Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), before winning three straight. Huntington Beach, also a previous NHSI champion, went 2-2 at the Boras Classic South. Both Orange Lutheran and Huntington Beach will play in the NHSI this week.

The losses dropped Orange Lutheran and Huntington Beach in the rankings to Nos. 17 and 19 respectively.

New Teams: No. 16 Memorial (Houston), No. 21 DeSoto Central (Southaven, Miss.), No. 22 Mountain View (Mesa, Ariz.), No. 23 Blanchard (Okla.), No. 24 Benedictine (Richmond, Va.).

Dropped out: No. 12 Jesuit (Tampa), lost twice; No. 19 Spruce Creek (Port Orange, Fla.), lost twice; No. 20 La Cueva (Albuquerque), lost once; No. 21 Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.), lost once; No. 22 George County (Lucedale, Miss.), lost twice.

On the Bubble: Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.), 23-4; Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 14-4; La MIrada (Calif.), 15-4; Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.), 24-5; Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 19-2-1; Bryant (Ark.), 17-2; Davie (Mocksville, N.C.), 12-1; JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), 13-9.

Player of the Week: Kamren James helped get DeSoto Central back in the rankings going 8-for-9 (.889) in three games with six RBI and three home runs. For the season, James is batting .517 (31-for-60) with 19 RBI and six home runs.

Prospect of the Week: Considered a possible Top 5 pick in the June MLB Draft, C.J. Abrams had a huge week for Blessed Trinity. He batted 8-for-14 (.571) with six RBI. He also hit for the cycle in a win over White County.

Game of the Week: New Hanover 1, Topsail 0. Last year, Topsail defeated New Hanover twice, but had to forfeit the wins. This time, New Hanover got a no-hitter from Blake Walston, who struck out 15 and walked only two. Josh McFann for Topsail was also solid, going seven innings and giving up just four hits. Walston is 4-0 with 55 strikeouts in 24.2 innings pitched and a 0.57 ERA.

Game to Watch: Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) is making a swing through the Tampa area, taking on Venice, Sarasota and Jesuit during a three-day trip.

Streaks: Knappa (Astoria, Ore.) saw its win streak come to an end with a 7-6 loss to Centaurus (Lafayette, Colo.) on March 26. Knappa had not lost since 2017 and had won 42 games in a row. The longest active streak in the nation now belongs to Page County (Shenandoah, Va.), which started the season 7-0. The Panthers had a 26-game win streak last year, giving it a 33-game win streak over two seasons.

Tournaments of the Week: National High School Invitational: First round matchups include — Christian Brothers (St. Louis) vs. Hagerty (Fla.), Hendersonville (Tenn.) vs. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), Monsignor Pace (Miami, Fla.) vs. Corona del Sol (Ariz.), Delbarton (N.J.) vs. Desert Oasis (Las Vegas), South Forsyth (Ga.) vs. Orange Lutheran (Calif.), Marist (Ill.) vs. Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), La Mirada vs. IMG Academy, Northwest Guilford (N.C.) vs. Huntington Beach (Calif.). National Classic in Orange County — Teams include Beckman, Bishop Amat, South Hills, Horizon, Redondo, Mountain Ridge, San Dimas.

MaxPreps Top 25 national high school baseball rankings

1. (Last week 1) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 14-0
Results: Won the IMG National Classic with four shutouts — defeated Xaverian (Brooklyn) 15-0, Pelham (Ala.) 7-0, Coral Reef (Fla.) 8-0 and Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) 14-0.
Stats: Rece Hinds had two triples, Will Bartlett had two doubles and Josh Rivera had a home run against Xaverian. Pat Romeri had a double and a home run and Brennan Malone had a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts against Pelham. Kendall Williams tossed a three-hitter with seven strikeouts against Coral Reef. Bartlett had a double and a home run and Romeri and Billy Underwood each hit a home run against Flanagan.
This week: National High School Invitational

2. (2) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 21-0
Results: Defeated Hays (Buda) 7-1, Anderson 11-0, Bowie (Austin) 5-4 and Dripping Springs 6-3.
Stats: Brett Baty was 3-for-4 with a double and Jimmy Lewis was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI against Hays. Austin Plante had a double and a grand slam home run in going 2-for-2 with five RBI. Lewis was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI against Anderson. Baty was 3-for-4 with a home run against Bowie while Plante had two doubles against Dripping Springs.
This week: Akins (Austin) on Tuesday, Austin on Friday.

3. (3) Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas), 20-1
Results: Defeated Azle 8-0 and 16-6.
Stats: Bobby Witt Jr. went 2-for-3 with a home run in the first game. He then went 4-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in the second game. Nick Balsano also hit a home run and went 3-for-5.
This week: Chisholm Trail (Fort Worth) on Tuesday and Friday, Flower Mound on Saturday.

4. (4) Argyle (Texas), 18-1-1
Results: Defeated Decatur 2-1.
Stats: Preston King had a home run and Hayden Clearman had two doubles in the win.
This week: Bridgeport on Tuesday, Springtown on Friday, Midlothian Heritage on Saturday.

5. (5) New Hanover (Wilmington, N.C.), 9-0
Results: Defeated Topsail (Hampsead) 1-0 and Ashley (Wilmington) 7-3.
Stats: Blake Walston got the win over Topsail, throwing a no-hitter with 15 strikeouts and two walks. Jac Croom and McCallum Hutchins each had two doubles against Ashley.
This week: Hoggard (Wilmington) on Tuesday, North Brunswick (Leland) on Friday.

6. (7) Cypress Ranch (Houston), 20-2
Results: The Mustangs won twice last week on a pair of no-hitters. They posted their sixth shutout in a row with an 11-0 win over Cypress Springs. Defeated Cypress Spring 6-1 for their 14th win in a row.
Stats: J.J. Goss had two doubles and a triple and Jake Hymel had a home run while Matt Thompson did not allow a hit in six and a third innings with 15 strikeouts in an 11-0 win. Goss threw a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts in the 6-1 win.
This week: Cypress Falls (Houston) on Wednesday and Cypress Park (Cypress) on Saturday.

7. (9) Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.), 10-0
Results: Defeated Salesian (New Rochelle, New York) 13-0 and Archbishop Carroll (Miami) 5-0.
Stats: Dominic Pitelli, Matthew Corpas and Xavier Moronta all had doubles against Archbishop Carroll.
This week: Plays at Bishop Gorman Tournament in Las Vegas.

8. (11) Georgetown (Texas), 20-2-1
Results: Defeated Bastrop 10-0 and 13-1 and defeated Cedar Park 8-5.
Stats: Wyatt Childress, Noah Thompson and Jack Hellmann all had doubles while Cole Posey had a triple in the first game. Jeffrey Davis and Ty Tilson had double in the second game. Grant Wood was 2-for-3 with a triple against Cedar Park.
This week: Manor on Tuesday and Friday.

9. (13) Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.), 9-1
Results: Defeated Tarpon Springs 16-1, St. Ignatius (Cleveland) 7-6, defeated Clearwater Catholic 7-2.
Stats: Tommy White had a double and a home run, Christian Cairo had a home run and Samuel Gordon had a triple against Tarpon Springs. Vince Smith went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI against St. Ignatius. Nolan Hudi struck out 13 in five innings for the win against Clearwater Catholic.
This week: Tampa Prep on Tuesday, Tampa Catholic on Thursday, Barron Collier on Saturday.

10. (14) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 22-2
Results: Defeated South Beauregard (Longville) 12-2, New Iberia 9-0, LaGrange (Lake Charles) 9-2 and Sam Houston (Lake Charles) 3-0.
Stats: Jack Walker threw a one-hitter with eight strikeouts in a shutout win over Sam Houston. Carter Quinn had a home run against South Beauregard.
This week: Comeaux on Thursday.

11. (15) Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), 17-3
Results: Defeated Flowery Branch 14-4 and 6-2, and beat White County 8-1.
Stats: Jake Smith was 2-for-3 with a double, a grand slam and four RBI in the first game against Flowery Branch. C.J. Abrams was 2-for-4 with a double in the second game against Flowery Branch. Abrams also hit for the cycle against White County, going 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBI.
This week: National High School Invitational.

12. (17) Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 19-2
Results: Had a huge week outscoring opponents 83-5 in five wins. The Panthers also had three-straight, three-inning no-hitters and a total of 11 no-hit innings. They defeated Berkmark 26-0, Meadowcreek 23-0 and 18-0, Buford 4-3 and Marist 12-2.
Stats: Max Pate had a grand slam and Miles Garrett hit a home run while Jonathan French had a double and triple against Berkmark. Makenzie Pate and Koby Ayala combined for a three-inning no-hitter. Three pitchers combined for a three-inning no-hitter against Meadowcreek with French hitting a home run and Allan Del Castillo hit three doubles. Cameron Orr tossed a three-inning no-hitter in an 18-0 win over Meadowcreek. Makenzie Pate had a home run in the win. Stephen Hrustich also had a home run.
This week: Venice (Fla.) on Tuesday, Sarasota (Fla.) on Wednesday and Jesuit on Thursday.
13. (18) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 11-1
Results: Won the Spring Break Tournament in Jacksonville. Defeated Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville) 7-2, Providence School (Jacksonville) 6-2, and George Jenkins (Lakeland) 9-4.
Stats: Jordan Carrion was 2-for-4 with four RBI against Trinity. Ryan Cabarcas struck out nine against Providence. Gio Ferraro went 3-for-4 with two RBI against George Jenkins.
This week: Westminster Christian (Miami) on Wednesday, Gulliver Prep (Miami) on Thursday, Hialeah Educational Academy on Friday.

14. (23) Christian Brothers (St. Louis), 7-0
Results: Defeated Waterloo 7-1 and O'Fallon 4-1.
Stats: Kurtis Byrne went 2-for-2 with a double and three pitchers combined for a one-hitter and 11 strikeouts against Waterloo. Byrne also had two hits, including a home run, against O'Fallon.
This week: National High School Invitational.

15. (24) St. Laurence (Burbank, Ill.), 8-0
Results: Defeated Lincoln Way Central 11-6, Cicero Morton 13-3, Zionsville 11-8 and Highland 4-1.
Stats: Matt McCormick had a double against Lincoln Way Central. He also went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI against Morton. McCormick and Vytas Valincius each had a home run against Zionsville with Valincius also hitting a double.
This week: DePaul College Prep on Monday, Montini Catholic on Tuesday, Fenwick on Thursday, De La Salle on Saturday.

16. (NR) Memorial (Houston), 19-2-1
Results: Defeated Jersey Village 10-2 and 3-2.
Stats: Mason Flinn was 3-for-3 with three RBI in the first game and he had a double in the second game.
This week: Stratford on Tuesday and Friday.

17. (10) Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 13-3
Results: Won the consolation trophy at the Boras Classic South, falling to Notre Dame Sherman Oaks 2-1 before beating Maranatha (Pasadena) 2-0, Great Oak (Temecula) 5-0 and Cypress 1-0.
Stats: Max Rajcic threw a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts and no walks against Maranatha. Evan Adolphus went five innings and struck out seven against Great Oak.
This week: National High School Invitational.

18. (8) Cypress (Calif.), 15-3
Results: The Centurions went 2-2 at the Boras Classic South. They lost to Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) 6-2, beat Huntington Beach 9-3, beat Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 2-1, and lost to Orange Lutheran 1-0.
Stats: Cameron Repetti had a home run against Mira Costa. Mike Marsh had a pair of home runs and Noah Carter had a home run against Huntington Beach.
This week: Tustin on Tuesday and Wednesday, El Toro doubleheader on Saturday.

19. (16) Huntington Beach (Calif.), 14-4
Results: At the Boras Classic South, the Oilers lost to La Mirada 2-1 and Cypress 9-3, before beating Simi Valley 11-5 and Etiwanda 3-1.
Stats: Blake Penso had a home run in the loss to Cypress. Josh Hahn and Jake Vogel each had two doubles against Simi Valley. Vogel also went 3-for-4 against Etiwanda.
This week: National High School Invitational.

20. (6) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 13-2-1
Results: Took two of three from Chaminade (West Hills), winning 10-2 and 10-8 and losing 4-3 in eight innings.
Stats: Drew Bowser was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI in the 10-8 win Sam Hliboki struck out seven and Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a home run in the 10-2 win.
This week: National High School Invitational.

21. (NR) DeSoto Central (Southaven, Miss.), 18-2
Results: Defeated Hernando 5-3 and 14-0 and Tupelo 5-4.
Stats: Kamren James was 3-for-3 in the first game with Hernando and he had a double, triple and a home run in the second game. Blaze Jordan also had a home run. James also had two home runs against Tupelo.
This week: Southaven on Tuesday and Friday.

22. (NR) Mountain View (Mesa, Ariz.), 15-3
Results: Has wins over Hamilton (Chandler) and Corona del Sol. Also defeated Mountain Ridge 4-3, Mesa 11-8 and 4-3.
Stats: Sean Rimmer went 2-for-3 with a triple against Mountain Ridge. Cam Jowaiszas had a double and two home runs in the first win over Mesa. McKay Barney had a triple and a home run and Rimmer added a home run in the second win over Mesa.
This week: Red Mountain on Tuesday and Thursday, Westwood on Friday.

23. (NR) Blanchard (Okla.), 19-0
Results: After winning the Salpointe Lancer Classic in Arizona, including wins over Canyon del Oro and Staley (Mo.), defeated Ardmore 20-0 and 15-0, Poteau 11-6 and McCloud 10-0.
Stats: Jace Beck threw a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts against McCloud. Payton Miller and Colby Reed each had home runs in the win. Callen Golloway had two doubles in the first win over Ardmore and Miller had two home runs in the second win. Miller, Galloway, Jack Kiker and Ty Vanmeter each had a home run against Poteau with Kiker also adding two doubles.
This week: Plainview on Monday and Tuesday, Norman North on Friday.

24. (NR) Benedictine (Richmond, Va.), 11-0
Results: Defeated Trinity Episcopal (Richmond, Va.) 14-0, Woodberry Forest 9-2, Potomac School (McLean, Va.), 12-1.
Stats: Jack Hall had two doubles and Jay Woolfolk had a triple against Potomac School. Brett Cook had a double and a home run and Brett Allen had a double and a triple against Woodberry Forest. Cook had a triple and a home run and Hall, Woolfolk and Nick Neighbors each had a home run against Trinity Episcopal.
This week: At Deep Run Spring Break Tournament.

25. (25) Owasso (Okla.), 15-3
Results: Lost to Lakeland 8-2 and defeated Lake Wales 20-8 and Lake Gibson 10-0 in Florida.
Stats: Cam Thompson and Nate Wohlgemuth each had a home run with Wohlgemuth also hitting a double against Lake Wales. Connor Beichler had a double against Lake Gibson.
This week: Shawnee on Monday and Tuesday, Jenks on Thursday, Willard (Mo.) on Saturday.