MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings

The National High School Invitational was supposed to provide all of the answers when it came to determining the top team in the nation for 2012. Instead, it's only brought up more questions.

For instance, what does it mean when the winner of the NHSI, Mater Dei (Santa Ana), returns home to Orange County only to lose to a local team, Cypress? Meanwhile, the win in the NHSI against some of the top competition in the country did little for Mater Dei's ranking in Orange County. The county's newspaper, the Register, moved it up only one spot from No. 4 to No. 3 in the county rankings.

Perhaps the Hard 9 National Classic will provide some answers this week. The tournament features Cypress, the team that defeated Mater Dei last week, along with nationally ranked Spanish Fork and Alemany. Several top teams from Arizona, including Sunrise Mountain and Valley Vista, are also in the mix.

Meanwhile, Calallen, Olympia and St. Francis keep piling up the wins, keeping them atop the Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings for yet another week.

MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings

1. (1 last week) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 24-0
The Wildcats picked up two wins last week, defeating Ray 7-1 and King 14-1. Wyatt Mathisen raised his pitching record to 6-0 by going six innings and giving up four hits with seven strikeouts against Ray. The Wildcats have a tough one this week as they take on rival Moody on Friday.

2. (2) Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 21-0
Olympia kept pace with Calallen by winning three games last week. It swept Wekiva 13-3 and 14-1, then knocked off Dr. Phillips 9-4. Nick Olson went six innings for the win in the latter game, striking out six. Pitcher Walker Weickel showed his overall talent by knocking a home run with three RBIs.

3. (3) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 15-0-1
What was expected to be a tough game for the Lancers turned into a rout as they whipped 12-2 Willow Glen by a 22-0 score. Kevin Scott had a double and three RBIs in the win. St. Francis also had little trouble with Carmel, winning 8-1. The Lancers have a big test today against De La Salle.

4. (6) Gloucester Catholic (N.J.), 3-0
With Don Bosco Prep losing two of its first four games, Gloucester Catholic takes over as the top team in New Jersey. The Rams have been dominant with Mike Shawaryn and Steve Mondile each tossing shutouts. Gloucester Catholic routed Penns Grove 20-0, Woodstown 10-0 and Glassboro 11-1.

5. (7) Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 12-3
The Lancers returned from the National High School Invitational and did not play last week. They resume action this week with Trinity League play against Servite.

6. (4) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 12-4
After winning the National High School Invitational, the Monarchs arrived back in Southern California and promptly lost to Cypress, 5-1. Mater Dei salvaged a split in the doubleheader, winning the second game 4-3. Austin Grebeck had the only run in the loss with a home run. Grebeck and Ryan McMahon both homered in the second game. It doesn't get any easier for the Monarchs as they begin Trinity League play this week against Santa Margarita.

7. (8) Columbus (Ga.), 15-1
The Blue Devils continue to rack up wins against AAA competition in Georgia, topping Carrollton 6-1 and La Grange 7-2. Kyle Carter gave up only a bunt single while striking out nine in the win over La Grange.

8. (9) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 13-2
After struggling for runs at the National High School Invitational, the Gaels had little trouble scoring in a four-game set last week, beating Del Campo 9-4 and 15-5, Faith Lutheran 12-2 and Sierra Vista 9-2. Joey Gallo and Kenny Meimerstorf each homered in the 15-5 win while Meimerstorf and Matt Roth each hit one out against Sierra Vista. The Gaels play in their annual Easter Tournament this week and could meet Gloucester Catholic.

9. (10) Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas), 19-2
The Tigers returned to District 28-5A play and shut out King 3-0 on the pitching of O'Shea Dumes. The senior pitcher struck out 10 and gave up four hits in the win.

10. (11) Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), 17-1
That's two more shutouts for Jesuit, which has 12 on the season. The Tigers blanked Blake (Tampa) 10-0 and Robinson (Tampa) 8-0. Lance McCullers went five innings and gave up one hit with 10 strikeouts in the win over Robinson.

11. (17) Spanish Fork (Utah), 11-1
The Dons didn't fall out of the Xcellent 25 last week after their loss to Bingham due to a previous win over Syracuse, which provided Bingham's only loss. Spanish Fork tuned up for its trip to California and the Hard 9 National Classic with a pair of wins over Juab (Nephi), 13-0 and 10-3. Spanish Fork opened with Ocean View (Huntington Beach) in the first round of the National Classic.

12. (18) Nova (Davie, Fla.), 15-1
Nova won twice last week, beating South Broward (Hollywood) 4-1 and Dunwoody (Ga.) 5-0. Trent Monaghan had a home run and picked up his eighth win of the season (8-0) in the win over South Broward.

13. (19) Pelham (Ala.), 29-1
Pelham closed in on postseason play with three more wins, beating Oak Mountain 8-6 and 2-1 and Fultondale 24-0.

14. (NR) Winter Springs (Fla.), 19-1-1
The Bears could be the top 7A team in Florida. They avenged their only loss of the season by blanking Hagerty (Oviedo) 10-0 last week, then followed up that win with a 23-2 victory over Evans (Orlando).

15. (15) Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.), 12-3-1
The Warriors scored nine runs in the fifth inning to beat Rio Mesa at the Chatsworth Tournament. Nick Suniga homered in the win. The Warriors dropped their first game of the Hard 9 National Classic on Monday to Carlsbad 1-0.

16. (16) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), 12-3-1
Harvard-Westlake did not play last week following its return from the National High School Invitational and will resume play this week against Culver City.

17. (12) Owasso (Okla.), 17-2
In a battle for supremacy in Oklahoma, Owasso split its two games with Broken Arrow, winning the first game 3-1 but falling in the second game 2-1. Cory Taylor got his fifth win of the season (5-0) in the win, giving up three hits and striking out five.

18. (14) Broken Arrow (Okla.), 21-3
Broken Arrow suffered two straight losses last week, dropping an 8-1 contest to Page before falling to Owasso 3-1 in a rematch of last year's 6A state championship game. Trey Cobb took the loss against Owasso despite striking out nine. Zack Mills had the game-winning single in the second game against Owasso to give the Tigers a 2-1 victory. Jacob Evans struck out 13 in the win for Broken Arrow.

19. (21) Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas), 20-2-1
With Klein Collins losing twice last week, Seven Lakes likely moves back up to the No. 2 spot in the Texas Baseball Coaches Association 5A poll. Seven Lakes beat Katy 5-4 and Cinco Ranch 4-3 last week.

20. (24) Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 13-3
Parkview's game with Berkmar lasted just three innings after Parkview scored 15 runs in the first inning. Matt Olson pitched a three-inning perfect game with eight strikeouts and he also hit two of Parkview's five home runs with four RBIs. Parkview also topped South Gwinnett 8-2. Jesse Foster struck out eight in the win.

21. (NR) Montwood (El Paso, Texas), 22-1
It's hard to deny Montwood any longer. The top team in El Paso, a city that produced a 5A state champion in Socorro two years ago, Montwood has lost only once. A big test looms this week with a rematch against Franklin, a team Montwood defeated 1-0 earlier in the season.

22. (NR) Mount Carmel (Chicago), 14-0
St. Laurence was ranked No. 1 in the Chicago Sun Times rankings for Illinois, but a loss to Lockport on Friday likely makes Mount Carmel the top team in the state. It topped Bishop McNamara 9-1 last week.

23. (NR) Oak Grove (Hattiesburg, Miss.), 21-1
Oak Grove avenged its only loss of the season with a 4-2 victory over Petal. A 10-3 win over Madison Central last week moves the Warriors back into this week's rankings.

24. (NR) Providence (Charlotte, N.C.), 15-1
Providence edged Charlotte Christian 5-4 last week and the latest state poll in North Carolina finds Providence back in the No. 1 spot.

25. (25) Conestoga (Berwyn, Pa.), 3-0
Conestoga stayed unbeaten early in its season with a 2-0 win over Garnet Valley.

Dropped Out: No. 4 Don Bosco Prep, No. 13 Klein Collins, No. 20 Bishop Verot, No. 22 Farragut, No. 23 JW North.