Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.)Winners of two straight 3A state championships in Florida, the Bulldogs could make it three in a row under new head coach Mike Boswell, who replaces Storm Davis. Although stalwart pitcher Mark Lumpa (13-0) and leading hitter Caleb Denmark (.453, 8 HR) graduate, the Bulldogs still have the bulk of last year's pitching staff returning, including
Hayden Hurst (9-1), and
Hunter Wildes (5-0). Bolles also returns one of the state's best shortstops in
Austin Slater while junior outfielder
D.J. Stewart was among the team's hitting leaders (.427, 6 HR).
Why they should be No. 1: Winning a state title in Florida is hard enough, but to win two in a row is special. Returning nearly half of last year's starting lineup is reason enough to have Bolles near the top.
Henry Owen (left) of
Edison
Photo by Kirt Winter
Sumrall isn't the only top team in Mississippi. Petal (30-3) has one of the state's best players in junior outfielder
Anthony Alford (.390 as a sophomore) and has two pitchers who combined for 20 wins last year in a
Cody Conkle (9-0) and
Brandon Smith (11-1). Alford gets help on offense from
Tyler Graves (C, .344) and
Jacoby Langley (CF, .333).
Why they should be No. 1: The Panthers defeated Oak Grove in the 6A playoffs last year and held off highly regarded Madison Central for the championship. Oak Grove was the only team to defeat national No. 1 Sumrall last season.
Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.)The Dons (25-3) finished the season in impressive fashion last year, winning the North Coast Section Division I championship with a 12-1 victory over Foothill (Pleasanton). Amador Valley will be loaded in the outfield and on the mound. To top it off, the Dons have one of the state's best shortstops in Chris Keck (.462). Amador Valley returns 19 wins from the trio of Alex Osterholt (5-1), Michael Mallory (8-0) and Nick Piscotty (6-1). Meanwhile the outfield includes returning seniors Michael Lam (.382), Joey Moroney (.345) and Aaron Hafford (.405).
Why they should be No. 1: A strong pitching staff goes a long way in determining the best teams and the Dons have a very good one. They may be a notch below fellow Northern California neighbor Archbishop Mitty, but the Dons still need to be included in the conversation.
Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.)The Chargers were a bit of a mystery team last year, finishing 18-9 overall with a Sunset League championship and a first-round exit from the playoffs. However coach Steve Lambright has some of the top players in the country dotting his roster, including one of the nation's top pitchers and an outstanding double play combination.
Henry Owens was 3-0 for Team USA 18U this summer with a 2.33 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 19.1 innings pitched. Meanwhile Edison teammate Christian Lopes played shortstop for Team USA and batted .286. Lopes slumped a bit as a junior last season, but was considered one of the top players in the nation in the class of 2011 as a freshman and sophomore. His brother Tim Lopes will likely play second base. He played for Team USA 16U and batted .394 over the summer. The Chargers also have one of the state's best outfielders in senior Eric Snyder.
Why they should be No. 1: The Chargers have some great credentials with the likes of Owens and the Lopes brothers. Finding a second pitcher to complement Owens is all that stands in the way of a Southern Section title for Edison.
