MaxPreps Top 25 national high school baseball rankings

Video: 2015 Preseason Top 100 Baseball Rankings
A look at the best teams in the country heading into the 2015 season.

Lambert's run at the top of the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings lasted two weeks as Kennesaw Mountain upended the nation's No. 1-ranked team 3-0 last week.

Lambert's loss, coupled with a pair of losses by No. 2 St. Thomas More (Lafayette, La.), allows Olympia (Orlando, Fla.) to move up to the No. 1 spot. The Titans, who were No. 4 last week, leapfrog previous No. 3 JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), which has not started its season yet. Olympia is 8-0 on the year.

Kennesaw Mountain debuts at No. 3 while Lambert drops to No. 4. Kennesaw Mountain is one of seven new teams in this week's rankings. They include Cullman (Ala.), Sulphur (La.), Lassiter (Marrieta, Ga.), Dana Hills (Calif.), Pearland (Texas) and Rockledge (Fla.).

Barbe, last year's mythical national champion, was one of seven teams to drop out of the rankings. Barbe won its first five games of the season to establish the nation's longest active win streak at 33 games in a row. However Barbe fell to Catholic (Baton Rouge, La.) over the weekend.

Douglas (Texas), which won two games on Saturday, has the nation's current longest win streak at 35 games in a row.


1. (last week 4) Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 8-0
Olympia remained undefeated with three wins last week. In a 7-3 win over Bishop Moore, Cameron Montgomery went 3-for-4 with a home run. Juan Hillman starred in an 8-1 win over Ocoee as he struck out six for the win and also hit a double. In a 4-3 win over Ocoee, Michael Byrne didn't get the decision, but he went eight innings and struck out seven. Olympia won in 10 innings.

2. (3) JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), 0-0
The Lions will open their season on March 14 with a doubleheader against Loyola (Los Angeles) before taking on Huntington Beach in a twin bill on March 17.

3. (NR) Kennesaw Mountain (Kennesaw, Ga.), 5-0
Kennesaw Mountain zooms to the top of the rankings after a stunning 3-0 win over the previous No. 1 team in the nation, Lambert. Ryley Gilliam allowed one hit and struck out 11 in the 3-0 victory over the Longhorns. Kennesaw Mountain has also defeated Cypress Creek 4-1, Chattahoochee 2-1, Etowah 5-3 and Paulding County 10-3.

4. (1) Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.), 3-1
The nation's No. 1 team was stunned by a solid Kennesaw Mountain team that rose to the challenge. Lambert won its first 30 games last season before losing in the playoffs. Earlier in the week, Lambert defeated Peachtree Ridge 10-4.

5. (8) Park Vista (Lake Worth, Fla.), 9-1
Since losing its opener, Park Vista has played well, beating Spanish River 7-1 and Santaluces 6-1. Austin Smith beat Spanish River by throwing five innings and striking out eight. Joey Genord had a home run against Santaluces.

6. (19) DeSoto Central (Southaven, Miss.), 4-0
DeSoto Central performed well at the LaGrange Invitational by going 4-0. Austin Riley hit a home run in a 6-0 win over Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.) and a 3-1 win over Vestavia Hills (Ala.). He took the mound and struck out six in five innings of a 4-2 win over Buford (Ga.). DeSoto Central also defeated Sparkman (Ala.) 9-2.

7. (21) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 10-0
The Mavericks continue to roll as they clobbered Coconut Creek (Fla.) 10-0 and Cardinal Gibbons (Fla.) 11-2.

8. (22) Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), 10-0
The Dolphins knocked off previously undefeated Pensacola Catholic 5-4, and also beat Choctawhatchee 7-3 and Gulf Breeze 4-0. Micheal Cullen, a sophomore, went 2-for-3 and also struck out four in getting the pitching win over Pensacola Catholic.

9. (10) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 6-1
Heading into the Perfect Game Showdown this week, IMG Academy won its only game last week with a 10-1 victory over Clearwater Central Catholic. Jason Groome went four innings and struck out six in the win while Ryan Karstetter was 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs.

10. (5) College Station (Texas), 8-1-1
Although College Station lost to Rockwall-Heath 3-2, it won three games at the Mound Showdown. Aside from beating Wakeland (Texas), 9-8, College Station also beat defending Class 5A state champion Flower Mound 3-2 and topped Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas), 3-1.

11. (7) Winter Haven (Fla.), 9-1
Winter Haven lost its first game of the season to Lake Region (Eagle Lake, Fla.) 5-4, but it bounced back to defeat Poinciana (Kissimmee, Fla.) 15-0 and Seminole (Fla.) 17-10. Josh Olechnowicz hit a home run, went 3-for-4 and had six RBIs against Poinciana. Michael Diaz and Olechnowicz both hit home runs against Seminole.

12. (16) Fayetteville (Ark.), 4-0
The Purple Dogs opened their season with four wins in at tournament at Prosper (Texas). Fayetteville defeated Frisco Centennial 3-2, Prosper 5-2, Denison 7-3 and Paris 9-1. Andy Pagnozzi struck out six against Prosper while Cody Davenport struck out 12 against Paris.

13. (12) San Clemente (Calif.), 1-0
San Clemente opened its season with a 7-1 win over previously unbeaten Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.). Kolby Allard struck out five batters in three innings of work while Lucas Herbert hit a home run.

14. (14) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 1-0
The Spartans opened the year with a 5-4 win over Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.). Cameron Schneider went four innings and struck out six for the win while Justin Hooper struck out three batters in two innings of work. Blake Ogburn added a home run.

15. (15) College Park (Pleasant Hill, Calif.), 1-0
Joe DeMers led the offense and the defense in a 9-2 win over Liberty (Brentwood, Calif.). He went seven innings on the mound and gave up two runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts. At the plate, DeMers was 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs.

16. (NR) Cullman (Ala.), 11-1
Cullman avenged its only loss of the season by defeating Pelham twice last week, 8-6 and 3-1. Sophomore Owen Lovell is off to a strong start, batting .400 with 12 RBIs, three home runs, two triples and a double.

17. (NR) Sulphur (La.), 9-0
There's been plenty of upsets in Louisiana with previous No. 2 St. Thomas More losing to Brother Martin and Jesuit (New Orleans) and Barbe falling to Catholic (Baton Rouge). Sulphur, meanwhile, has defeated Catholic and is undefeated at 9-0.

18. (11) Puyallup (Wash.), 0-0
The defending Class 4A state champions open their season March 14 against South Kitsap.

19. (13) Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.), 0-0
The Admirals begin play on March 9 against Heritage.

20. (17) St. Rita (Chicago), 0-0
The Mustangs begin their season with Brother Rice (Chicago) on March 16.

21. (18) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 0-0
The Gaels open play against Canyon View (Utah) on March 13.

22. (NR) Pearland (Texas), 11-1-1
Pearland has a loss and a tie to Fort Bend Clements, but it also has a 5-4 win over Atascocita.

23. (NR) Rockledge (Fla.), 10-0
Rockledge joins Archbishop McCarthy and Mosley with 10-0 records in Class 5A in Florida. One of the wins is against Preseason No. 8 Jesuit (Tampa).

24. (NR) Dana Hills (Dana Point, Calif.), 6-0
The Dolphins are 6-0 to start the season, including four shutouts. Marrick Crouse has been stellar so far this season, batting .562 with eight RBIs and a home run.

25. (NR) Lassiter (Marietta, Ga.), 5-0
Lassiter knocked off Parkview 4-3 last week and also has a 7-1 win over Mill Creek and a 1-0 win over Cartersville.

Dropped out: 2. St. Thomas More (Lafayette, La.), 6. Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.), 9. Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas), 20. Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 23. Pelham (Ala.), 24. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 25. Huntington Beach (Calif.).