Nine of the top 10 teams in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 High School Baseball National Rankings, presented by Milk, won their playoff games last week, keeping the pressure on No. 1-ranked Rockwall-Heath to continue its winning ways.
The Hawks played a single game against Newman Smith in the Texas 4A Region II quarterfinals and won easily to advance to the next round. Rockwall-Heath is holding off Sumrall, which plays in the Mississippi 3A state finals this week; Pace, which plays in the Florida 5A state final today; and Walsh Jesuit, which won its eighth straight district championship over the weekend.
Among the teams to fall this week was Sts. Neumann-Goretti, which lost a pair of games to Archbishop Wood. The Saints dropped to No. 27 in the rankings from its No. 4 spot, and Archbishop Wood enters this week's rankings at No. 26. Among the teams moving into the Top 25 this week were Flanagan, the 6A state champion in Florida, and Archbishop McCarthy, the 4A state champ; Flanagan is the No. 21 team while Archbishop McCarthy is No. 25. 
Kyle Allen, Rockwall-Heath
File photo by Matt Gomez
This week's rankings also include "The Next 25," featuring the teams that are close to breaking into the Xcellent 25. Rankings based on results for games played prior to Monday.
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL NATIONAL RANKINGS
1. (1) Rockwall-Heath (Rockwall, Texas), 37-0
The Hawks defeated Newman Smith 6-0 in a one-game playoff in the Class 4A Region II quarterfinals, getting a strong pitching effort from James Baune, who struck out seven batters in 5 1/3 innings. Trevor Holland led the offense, going 2 for 3 with a pair of RBI doubles.
2. (2) Sumrall (Miss.), 33-1
The Bobcats play for the Mississippi 3A state championship with a best-of-three series against Water Valley starting Tuesday. Sumrall has won back-to-back 3A state titles.
3. (3) Pace (Fla.), 28-2
Pace defeated King 11-1 in the Florida 5A state semifinals on Monday and will face Armwood, a 3-1 winner of St. Thomas Aquinas, in Tuesday's championship game.
4. (5) Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), 26-1
The Warriors had an easy time in the Ohio Division II state playoffs, whipping Streetsboro 14-0 and Archbishop Hoban 10-3. Against Streetsboro, Walsh Jesuit scored 11 runs in the first inning and got a strong mound performance from Greg Greve, who threw four innings of one-hit ball. Johnny Fasola had three hits on offense while Greve had a triple among his two hits.
5. (6) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 29-3
The Monarchs had little trouble winning their CIF Central Coast Section playoff game against Carlmont, 9-3, but had a tougher time with Salinas, winning 3-2. The Monarchs will face Serra in the third round on Wednesday. Tyler Davis got the win against Carlmont, striking out seven and allowing two hits in 5 2/3 innings pitched. Alex Balog and Preston Caldera both doubled in the win over Salinas with Balog also striking out 10 in going the distance for the win.
6. (7) McAllen (Texas), 34-3
Alexis Garza had a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 2-0 victory over Lopez in the second game of the Bulldogs' series with the Brownsville school. McAllen defeated Lopez 7-1 in the first game of the series. Marcos Hinojosa had a three-hitter in the win, striking out eight. R.J. Garza and Tim Ford each had three hits to pace the offense.
7. (8) Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.), 29-3
The Bulldogs became the first school in Florida history to repeat as football and baseball state champions after edging Gulliver Prep 4-3 in the 3A state finals Thursday. Dave Perkins had an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh to score the winning run after Gulliver Prep had tied the game in the top of the inning. The Bulldogs defeated Tampa Catholic 3-1 in the semifinals with Hunter Wildes driving in a pair of runs.
8. (9) La Cueva (Albuquerque, N.M.), 28-2
New Mexico 4A state champions. Season over.
9. (14) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), 33-3
The Gaels overcame a 22-10 deficit in the semifinals to defeat Galena 24-22. Although Bishop Gorman lost to Rancho in the first championship game 4-2, it came back to win the second championship game 13-0 to claim its fifth straight Nevada 4A state championship.
10. (15) White Knoll (Lexington, S.C.), 32-2
The Timberwolves swept Byrnes for the South Carolina 4A state championship, including an 11-10 win in extra innings in the second game. White Knoll nearly had the game won in the bottom of the seventh when Austin Dunn's blast appeared to clear the fence for a two-run homer that would have broken a 10-10 tie. However, the ball was ruled a double and Byrnes was able to get the ball back into the infield before any runners could score. White Knoll eventually won the game in the 10th. The title is the first team state championship in school history.
11. (10) Madison Central (Miss.), 30-2
The Jaguars will face Petal in the Mississippi 6A state finals in a best-of-three series starting Wednesday.
12. (16) Wando (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), 28-4
Season over.
13. (17) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio), 27-1
The Fighting Crusaders won twice in the Ohio Division I state tournament, defeating Lakota West 13-4 and Fairmont 8-5. Robby Sunderman raised his record to 8-0 with the win over Fairmont. He also went 2 for 5 at the plate with three RBI. Against Lakota West, David Whitehead struck out eight to raise his record to 8-0. Meanwhile Alex Barlow was 4 for 5 and Tyler Hutchinson had a double and a triple with three RBI.
14. (18) Elk Grove (Calif.), 25-3
The Thundering Herd added its sixth straight shutout with a 9-0 playoff win over Sheldon. Junior J.D. Davis allowed two hits in six innings and struck out 10 for the win. He also went 4 for 4 and had a home run on offense.
15. (19) Desert Ridge (Mesa, Ariz.), 30-4
Arizona 5A-I state champions. Season over.
16. (20) Clovis West (Fresno, Calif.), 28-3
The Golden Eagles won their only playoff game last week, topping Bullard 9-3 in the Central Section Division 1 playoffs. Connor Buss had a home run, a double and four RBI for Clovis West. Eric Karch got the win to raise his season record to 11-0.
17. (21) Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas), 33-3
The Trojans swept Medina Valley with a pair of shutout wins. Michael Franco picked up his 14th win of the season (14-0) with a 1-0, three-hit shutout in the first game, while Chris Navarro got the win in the second game, striking out 11 in seven innings. Navarro also had a home run along with Franco and Justin Perales.
18. (23) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 31-3
The Wildcats continue to impress in the postseason, routing Uvalde 12-0 and 16-6 in the Region IV-4A quarterfinals. Rob Zastryzny picked up the win, his 13th of the year (13-0), and also had a three-run home run. Tanner Vandever added two home runs in the win. In the second game, Vandevere, Tyler Neslony, Chad Vanaman and Hunter Whetsel all homered.
19. (24) Orange Lutheran (Calif.), 21-5
The Lancers opened the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs with a 5-4 win over Vista Murrieta. Bobby Wheatley got the win to raise his record to 9-1 on the season.
20. (25) Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.), 38-5
The Admirals have breezed through the first three games of the regional tournament, shutting out Powell 2-0, whipping Halls 10-0 and knocking off David Crockett 11-1. Phillip Pfeifer got the win against both Powell and Crockett to raise his record to 14-0. He struck out eight in the win over Crockett and pitched all eight innings against Powell. He has 144 strikeouts on the year. Nick Delmonico was 2 for 4 with seven RBI in the win, including a grand slam and a triple. Ethan Bennett hit his 26th home run of the season in the win over Halls.
21. (26) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 23-2
The Falcons beat American 12-3 to capture the Florida 6A state championship. Flanagan also topped Timber Creek 8-4 in the semifinals. Flanagan scored 10 runs in the first inning and got a big game from Geoffrey Jimenez, who was 4 for 5 with two runs and two RBI. Flanagan has won three state titles in the past six years.
22. (28) Monroe Campus (Bronx, N.Y.), 40-1
Monroe Campus swept a pair from Walton, winning 7-4 and 3-1. The Eagles complete their league season with a 16-0 record.
23. (29) La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.), 26-4
The Mavericks completed the regular season with a 3-2 win over Torrey Pines to finish 14-1 in Avocado League play. Phillip Evans hit an RBI double in the eighth inning to give La Costa Canyon the win.
24. (31) Bishop Amat (La Puente, Calif.), 26-3
The Lancers opened the Southern Section Division 4 playoffs with a 10-0 win over Patriot. Paul Paez got the win, striking out 11 in six innings. Adrian Franco and Jerry McClanahan each had two hits in the win.
25. (49) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 24-6
The Mavericks downed Jesuit 6-1 to win the Florida 4A state championship.
The Next 25
26. (NR) Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), 18-1
Defeated Sts. Neumann-Goretti twice last week to raise record to 17-1. Only loss on the season is a 2-1 defeat to Conwell-Egan. Against the Saints, Kyle McCrossen had an RBI double in the sixth inning and a two-run single in the seventh to help Archbishop Wood score seven over the final two innings for a 9-8 win. In a 4-3 win, Brian O'Grady was 3 for 4 with a home run.
27. (4) Sts. Neumann & Goretti (Philadelphia), 17-3
The Saints routed Cardinal Dougherty, 14-1 and 15-0, in their only two games last week. Mike Riverso pitched five innings and struck out nine in the first game while also going 3 for 3 at the plate with six RBI, two home runs and three runs scored. Mark Donato added a two-run homer. Marty Venafro paced the offense in the second game, slashing a double and a triple to finish with five RBI.
28. (13) Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.), 25-3
The Patriots fell to Haverford School 5-1 and defeated North Penn 6-2 and Archbishop Ryan 9-7 to finish out the regular season. Sean Coyle had a home run against North Penn and Archbishop Ryan to finish the regular season with 11.
29. (27) Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), 29-4
The Tigers fell to Archbishop McCarthy 6-1 in the Florida 4A state finals. The Tigers reached the finals with a 19-0 win over Ponte Verda. Chris Pagliarulo had five RBI in the win.
30. (36) Lassiter (Marietta, Ga.), 24-8
Lassiter continued its run through the Georgia AAAAA state playoffs, knocking off Luella 14-12 and 14-4.
31. (39) Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins, Colo.), 23-2
The Lobos had a big week, topping Brighton 15-4, Arapahoe 14-4, Ponderosa 10-2, Mullen 7-3 and Jesuit Regis 12-2 to advance to a matchup with Cherry Creek on Friday.
32. (37) Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 25-5
Season over.
33. (38) Petal (Miss.), 28-3
The Panthers will play Madison Central in the Mississippi 6A state finals starting Wednesday.
34. (40) Roseburg (Ore.), 24-2
The Indians dropped Sheldon 5-1 and 16-0 to end the regular season and blasted Centennial 17-2 in the first round of the Oregon 5A state playoffs.
35. (NR) Grand Ledge (Mich.), 29-0
Coach Pat O'Keefe won his 1,000th game early in the season and the Comets have yet to lose, winning 29 straight. Will likely take over the No. 1 ranking in Michigan with Portage Northern's loss.
36. (33) Portage Northern (Mich.), 28-1
The Huskies lost their first game of the season, falling to Gull Lake 15-5 in the Greater Kalamazoo Tournament Gold Division semifinals. The Huskies also defeated Parchment 11-1 earlier in the day. Earlier in the week Portage Northern swept Mattawan 9-0 and 4-3.
37. (41) Auburn (Ala.), 32-10
Alabama 6A state champions. Season over.
38. (42) Saguaro (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 26-6
Arizona 4A-I state champions. Season over.
39. (43) Canyon del Oro (Tucson, Ariz.), 28-3
Season over.
40. (44) St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio), 21-3
St. Edward's won the Struthers District, defeating Warren G. Harding 9-4 in the final. St. Edwards also topped Howland 14-4, Parma Normandy 15-0 and Maple Heights 18-1.
41. (45) Lakewood (Calif.), 27-5
The Lancers opened the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs with a 5-2 win over Thousand Oaks.
42. (46) Glendora (Calif.), 23-2-1
The Tartans began the Southern Section Division 2 playoffs with a 4-1 victory over Palos Verdes Peninsula.
43. (47) Notre Dame (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), 23-1
The Bulldogs continued district play with a 15-5 win over Fredericktown and a 4-1 victory over Kennett.
44. (50) C. Milton Wright (Bel Air, Md.), 21-0
The Mustangs won three times last week, topping North Harford 5-3, Catonsville 4-1 and Towson 14-0.
45. (NR) Memorial (Houston), 33-5-1
Took a pair of wins from Bellaire, 6-3 and 8-6, to advance in the Texas 5A state playoffs.
46. (NR) Klein (Texas), 27-6
Dropped Leander 11-5 and 6-1 to advance in the Texas 5A state playoffs.
47. (NR) Washington (New York), 38-4
The Trojans took two games from defending city champion Norman Thomas last week and move up to the No. 2 ranking in the New York City rankings by the New York Post.
48. (NR) Catholic (Baton Rouge, La.), 33-7
Louisiana 5A state champions. Season over.
49. (NR) Stevenson (Lincolnshire, Ill.), 26-3
Ranked No. 1 in the state of Chicago after a 6-2 win over Lakes and wins of 4-0 and 17-1 over Warren.
50. (NR) Indianapolis Cathedral (Ind.), 25-1
Took over the No. 1 ranking in Indiana after a 7-3 win over Bishop Chatard and a 9-2 win over Brebeuf Jesuit Prep last week.
