MaxPreps Top 25 National High School Baseball Rankings

Video: Little Leaguer leaps over catcher for win
New Jersey 12-year-old scores the game-winner in an unusual manner.

The next two weeks will go a long way toward shaping the national rankings for the rest of the regular season as many of the nation's top tournaments will take place.

The National High School Invitational, starting Wednesday in Cary N.C., features only two teams in the current national rankings — American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) and Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) — but would propel other teams into the rankings, especially the Southern California teams that always seem to do well in the NHSI.

Then there are the Boras Class tournaments in California. The Northern California event takes place this week while the Southern California portion begins next week. The SoCal event in particular could be the toughest tournament in the nation this year.

The San Diego Lions Tournament is one of the largest tournaments in the nation, but the Open Division this year is particularly intriguing with the likes of Cathedal Catholic (San Diego), Eastlake (Calif.), Elk Grove (Calif.), Rancho Bernardo (Calif.) and Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas).

In Florida, No. 12 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) hosts the IMG National Classic which features teams from several different states. The Ascenders then head west to participate in the National Classic, hosted by El Dorado (Placentia, Calif.) and attracting some of the top teams from California, Arizona and Utah.

Only four new teams joined the Xcellent 25 baseball rankings this week with Vianney (Kirkwood, Mo.), Cleburne (Texas), Carroll (Southlake, Texas) and Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) replacing Owasso (Okla.), Gulfport (Miss.), Katy (Texas) and El Toro (Lake Forest, Calif.).

1. (Last week 1) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 16-0
The Cavaliers were expected to have their toughest outings of the season last week with a matchup against crosstown rival Westlake. Instead, Lake Travis won twice by shutout to stay undefeated. In a 3-0 win, Blake Helton allowed just one hit and struck out eight in going the distance. Jimmy Lewis and Harrison Babbitt combined for a one-hitter in a 10-0 victory. Lake Travis plays its final game of a three-game set with Westlake on Tuesday.

2. (2) Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.), 14-0
The streak has reached 44 games after a pair of shutout wins last week. The Warriors had their most impressive win of the season in an 11-0 victory over a 10-win Dunedin team. Braden Halladay, son for the late former MLB star Roy Halladay, went three innings and struck out three while Nolan Hudi went four innings and struck out four for the win. Josh Emerson struck out seven for the win in a 3-0 victory over Brooks DeBartolo.

3. (3) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), 11-0
The Knights took three Mission League games from Loyola (Los Angeles). Michael Whiteside and R.J. Gordon each hit home runs in a 6-1 win. Noah Taylor added a home run in a 10-1 win and the Knights also beat the Cubs 3-2. Notre Dame is off until April 3 when it takes on Etiwanda in the first round of the Boras Classic.

4. (5) Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 13-1
The Eagles set up a trip to the National High School Invitational with a 12-0 win over University and a 6-1 win over West Orange. David Judge hit a home run against University. They face Hattiesburg (Miss.) in the first round of the NHSI on Wednesday.

5. (6) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 10-1
The Patriots took out their frustrations from their first loss of the season with a pair of impressive wins. In a 21-4 win over Gulliver Prep, Cory Acton showed his power strike with three home runs and nine RBIs while going 4-for-5. In a 12-0 win over St. Brendan, Triston Casas belted two home runs and went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. American Heritage opens the NHSI against Santiago (Corona, Calif.) on Wednesday.

6. (7) Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), 17-1
Two Titan pitchers combined for a no-hitter in a 1-0 win and concluded a three-game sweep over White County last week. D.J. Radtke had eight strikeouts in six innings in the no-hitter while Jake Smith struck out three in his one inning of work. Blessed Trinity also beat White County 12-2 and 13-2. The Titans have a three-game set with defending state champion Marist this week.

7. (4) Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.), 21-1
The Broncos saw a 21-game win streak come to an end with a late rally by Acadiana in a 9-8 loss. The two teams were tied at 7-7 in the fifth when Acadiana scored two runs in the sixth. Sam Houston rallied for a run in the seventh, but it was unable to tie the game. Earlier in the week, Sam Houston topped LaGrange 14-2 and Lafayette 9-2. Sam Houston has a rematch Saturday with Sulphur.

8. (9) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 16-0
The Eagles won four times last week, including a 4-2 win over Hagerty, one of the top teams in the Orlando area. Montverde Academy also defeated Ocoee 10-0, Orangewood Christian 5-1 and Seminole 7-0. Jake Holland had a double, a home run and five RBIs against Ocoee. Diego Millan added a home run against Hagerty.

9. (10) Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.), 10-0-1
The Warriors won a pair of league contests by shutout, topping Saint Francis (Mountain View) 6-0 and Sacred Heart Cathedral (San Francisco) 6-0. Patrick Wicklander, one of the nation's top senior pitchers, gave up two hits in picking up the win over Saint Francis.

10. (11) Providence School (Jacksonville, Fla.), 13-1
The Stallions picked up two wins last week, beating IMG Academy Blue 15-5 and King's Academy 8-4. Providence School also defeated Clinton (Tenn.) 18-1 and is ranked No. 1 in the Jacksonville area by the Times Union.

11. (12) Zachary (La.), 21-1
The Broncos won three times last week, blanking Dutchtown 1-0 and edging Catholic (Baton Rouge) 5-2 and Dunham 9-6. Collier Cranford had a big game against Dunham, blasting a double and a home run.

12. (13) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 12-0
The Ascenders had a big week at the Coach Bob Invitational, topping Edmond Santa Fe (Okla.) 8-4, Rogers (Ark.) 6-4, Burke (Omaha, Neb.) 10-8 and Highlands Ranch (Colo.) 16-6. Bryce Reagan and Sam Lachance both homered against Highlands Ranch, while Ray Torres and Blaze Alexander went yard against Burke. Alexander leads the team with five home runs and 16 RBIs on the season.

13. (15) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 7-0
The Gaels have outscored opponents 84-4 through the first seven games of the season, including a three-game sweep of Bonanza (Las Vegas) 10-1, 10-0 and 7-0 last week. All-American candidate Austin Wells is batting .706 (12-for-17) with 15 RBIs and seven doubles. Bishop Gorman travels to the San Diego Lions Tournament and will take on Rancho Bernardo (San Diego) in the first round.

14. (8) Elk Grove (Calif.), 2-0-2
The Thundering Herd have only played four games so far this year and they've tied two of them, including a 4-4, 9-inning encounter with St. Mary's (Stockton). Blake Dickman had two doubles against the Rams. Elk Grove plays in the San Diego Lions Tournament this week, taking on Helix in the first round.

15. (17) Argyle (Texas), 16-0
The Eagles racked up two more shutouts (12 overall) with a 10-0 win over Southwest and a 7-0 win over Crandall.

16. (18) South Caldwell (Hudson, N.C.), 10-0
The Spartans won twice last week, beating McDowell (Marion) 5-0 and Freedom (Morganton) 13-1.

17. (NR) Vianney (Kirkwood, Mo.), 4-0
The Golden Griffins are supposed to be the team to beat in Missouri this year and they are off to a 4-0 start with three straight shutouts over Webster Groves 5-0, Mehlville (St. Louis) 6-0, and Valley Park 4-0.

18. (NR) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 16-3
The Dragons have opened district play with five straight wins, including a sweep of Flower Mound (6-2, 9-1), and Trinity (10-4, 7-0) before knocking off Wakeland (12-3).

19. (NR) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 8-1
The Falcons have lost just once this year, falling to No. 4 Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale) early in the season. Flanagan recently dropped West Broward 6-1 and it will play in the IMG National Classic this week.

20. (16) Reagan (San Antonio), 18-4
The Rattlers saw their 15-game winning streak come to an end with a 2-0 loss to Johnson (San Antonio). Earlier in the week, Reagan blanked Central Catholic 6-0.

21. (NR) Cleburne (Texas), 17-1-2
The Yellowjackets are the top team in Class 5A in Texas after winning 14 straight. Cleburne has posted seven shutouts during the winning streak.

22. (19) Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose, Calif.), 8-2
Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) handed Bellarmine College Prep its second straight loss with a 4-3 defeat las week, but the Bells bounced back with a 3-0 win over Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco). The Bells play in the Boras Class NorCal tournament this week.

23. (20) Huntington Beach (Calif.), 11-2
The Oilers made it 11 in a row with a 7-6 win over Marina (Huntington Beach) and a 12-2 win over Fountain Valley. Josh Hahn hit a home run and a double against Marina. Jag Burden added a home run against Fountain Valley.

24. (21) Basic (Henderson, Nev.), 7-1
The Wolves lost to Liberty (Henderson) 3-2 early in the week, but they rebounded to beat Las Vegas 8-3, Canyon Springs (North Las Vegas) 16-1 and Valley (Las Vegas) 10-0. They head to the Durango Tournament this week where they will face Chatsworth (Calif.) and Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) among others.

25. (24) Har-Ber (Springdale, Ark.), 11-2
The Wildcats lost to perennial Tennessee state champion Christian Brothers (Memphis), but won four other games at the Best of the West Tournament in Memphis, including wins over Houston (Germantown) and Briarcrest Christian (Eads, Tenn.).

Dropped out: No. 14 Owasso (Okla.), No. 22 Gulfport (Miss.), No. 23 Katy (Texas), No. 25 El Toro (Lake Forest, Calif.)