No. 1
Tomball (Texas) heads into the postseason this weekend with three teams hot on its tail for the No. 1 spot in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings.
The Cougars have not lost since last year when they fell to
Kingwood in the semifinals of the Conference 6A state tournament. Tomball won a state title in 2024 and owns a record of 107-10-2 over the past three seasons.
The three teams waiting in the wings are
Venice (Fla.),
Barbe (Lake Charles, La.) and
Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas).
No. 1 Tomball opens the Conference 6A Division 2 playoffs in Texas on Saturday against Langham Creek. (PHOTO: Rafael Lopez)
Venice has just one loss to
Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) at the National High School Invitational and got its postseason off to a strong start with a no-hitter from Pitcher of the Week
Carter Cox (see below) in a 7A first-round win over
Sumner (Riverview).
Barbe is also on a roll with a national-best 34 consecutive wins. The only loss is to
The Bennett School (Houston, Texas) in the second game of the season. Head coach Glenn Cecchini's team has finished the season ranked in the top five of the MaxPreps Top 25 three times in the past five seasons, including a national championship in 2021.
Calallen, meanwhile, is making a run for its second straight state title under longtime coach Steve Chapman. With 1,244 career wins, Chapman is the all-time leader in Texas and ranks 10th all-time among spring-only coaches.
Orange Lutheran, No. 2 last week, dropped to No. 5 this week after a loss in a three-game series to Trinity League foe
Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita). The Lancers won the first two games of the series before falling 10-9 in this week's Game of the Week (see below).
Three familiar teams enter the rankings this week with
Magnolia Heights (Senatobia, Miss.),
Queen Creek (Ariz.) and
Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.) all returning to the MaxPreps Top 25.
Game of the Week
Santa Margarita 10, Orange Lutheran 9: Falling behind 10-3, Orange Lutheran rallied for two runs in the sixth and four more in the seventh before falling to the Eagles. The Lancers got a three-run double from
Milan Rai to drive in three runs in the seventh. Orange Lutheran had the go-ahead runs on base when Santa Margarita got a fly ball out to end the game.
Game to WatchNo. 17 Norco (Calif.) vs. Corona (Calif.), Wednesday-Thursday. After dropping out of the rankings two weeks ago, Corona could move back in with a win over Norco. The Panthers upended Norco 6-4 on Monday but will play two more against the Cougars this week. Norco had moved into the MaxPreps Top 25 after a second-place finish at the Boras South Classic.
Pitcher of the Week
Carter Cox of Venice threw a no-hitter against Sumner in Florida's Class 7A playoffs, giving up no runs over seven innings with three walks and 17 strikeouts
Hitter of the Week
Coleman Borthwick of
South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) went 2-for-2 with two runs and four RBI in a 13-0 win over Wolfson. He had a double and a home run for his two hits. He also picked up the pitching win, striking out 11 and giving up no runs on no hits in four innings.
Streaks Barbe won its two playoff openers against Mandeville to extend its streak to 34 games in a row. Tomball is close behind with 30 wins in a row. Tomball is undefeated in 33 straight games.
MaxPreps Top 25 baseball rankings
1. Tomball (Texas)Record: 32-0-1 |
Last week: 1
Scores: Def. Klein Forest 15-1, 11-1
Next: Saturday vs. Langham Creek
2. Venice (Fla.)Record: 27-1 |
Last week: 3
Scores: Def. Sumner 6-0
Next: Friday vs. George Jenkins
3. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 35-1 |
Last week: 4
Scores: Def. Mandeville 10-0, 5-2
Next: Friday vs. Dutchtown
4. Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas)Record: 28-2 |
Last week: 5
Scores: Def. Zapata 12-3
Next: Playoffs (TBD)
5. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)Record: 18-4 |
Last week: 2
Scores: Def. Santa Margarita, 6-3, 5-1, lost to Santa Margarita 10-9
Next: Tuesday vs. Servite
6. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
Record: 19-4 |
Last week: 7
Scores: Def. St. Francis 2-0, 12-1
Next: Tuesday vs. Chaminade
Record: 23-3 |
Last week: 8
Scores: Def. Indian Rocks Christian 9-1
Next: Friday vs. Northside Christian
8. Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)Record: 22-3 |
Last week: 9
Scores: Def. Atherton 15-0, def. St. Xavier 6-3, def. St. Henry 9-4, def. Henry Clay 9-1
Next: Tuesday vs. Highlands Latin
9. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)Record: 21-3 |
Last week: 10
Scores: Did not play
Next: Wednesday vs. Southeastern Prep
Record: 23-4 |
Last week: 13
Scores: Def. Wolfson 13-0
Next: Friday vs. West Florida
Record: 19-5 |
Last week: 14
Scores: Def. Servite 6-0, 6-3, 10-0
Next: Tuesday vs. Mater Dei
14. Bishop Moore (Orlando, Fla.)
Record: 25-2 |
Last week: 16
Scores: Def. Hudson 11-1
Next: Friday vs. Mount Dora
15. Keller (Texas)
Record: 29-2-2 |
Last week: 17
Scores: Def. V.R. Eaton 10-1, 8-4
Next: Saturday vs. Lake Ridge
16. Grapevine (Texas)
Record: 28-3 |
Last week: 18
Scores: Def. Arlington Heights 6-1, 13-0
Next: Playoffs (TBD)
17. Norco (Calif.)
Record: 21-3 |
Last week: 6
Scores: Def. Santiago 3-2, 4-3, lost to Corona 6-4
Next: Wednesday vs. Corona
18. The Bennett School (Houston, Texas)
Record: 28-6 |
Last week: 19
Scores: Def. AZ Compass Prep 3-1
Next: Tuesday vs. LPA Varsity Outlaws
19. Valley View (Jonesboro, Ark.)
Record: 18-1 |
Last week: 20
Scores: Def. Green County Tech 8-5, 4-3
Next: Tuesday vs. Paragould
20. Conway (Ark.)
Record: 20-2 |
Last week: 21
Scores: Def. Catholic (Little Rock) 7-1, 3-1, def. Morrilton 15-1
Next: Tuesday vs. Little Rock Southwest
21. Pleasant Grove (Texarkana, Texas)Record: 28-3 |
Last week: 22
Scores: Def. Sulphur Springs 14-4, 1-0
Next: Playoffs (TBD)
22. Catholic (Baton Rouge, La.)Record: 31-5 |
Last week: 23
Scores: Def. St. Augustine 10-0, 17-2
Next: Thursday vs. Holy Cross
23. Magnolia Heights (Senatobia, Miss.)
Record: 30-4-1 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Jackson Academy 3-2, 6-5, 8-6
Next: Tuesday vs. Lamar School
24. Queen Creek (Ariz.)
Record: 24-3 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Desert Ridge 8-5, 9-3, def. Casteel 8-4
Next: Playoffs (TBD)
25. Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)
Record: 22-5 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Lemon Bay 14-0
Next: Friday vs. Seminole
Dropped out: No.15
De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), No. 24
Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.), No. 25
Creekside (St. Johns, Fla.)
