High school baseball rankings: Villa Park jumps into MaxPreps Top 25 after taking loaded Southern California Boras Classic title

Of all the the Southern California teams entered in last week's Boras Classic Tournament, Villa Park wasn't considered one of the favorites to win the event. Not with Sierra Canyon, Orange Lutheran and Yucaipa all entered in the tournament.

But Villa Park proved to be up to the task, going 4-0 and defeating JSerra Catholic 11-3 for the championship. The Spartans thus enter this week's MaxPreps Top 25  high school baseball rankings at No. 20, moving ahead of Orange Lutheran, which dropped to No. 22, and Sierra Canyon and Yucaipa, both of whom dropped out of the rankings.

It shouldn't be too surprising that Villa Park has entered the rankings. Led by former longtime Mater Dei coach Burt Call, the Spartans posted their first 20-win season in decades last year with a 22-6 record and has bettered that mark in Call's fourth season with 24 wins this year.

The Boras Classic was trouble for Sierra Canyon, which dropped all the way out of the Top 25 after rising to No. 2 with 22 straight wins. The Trailblazers lost three games in the event to drop to 23-3.

Orange Lutheran lost to JSerra Catholic in the semifinals, but stays in the rankings this week due to prior wins over the Lions.

Other newcomers to the rankings include Legacy (Broomfield, Colo.) at No. 21 and Nixa (Mo.) at No. 25.

Dropped out: No. 2 Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.), No. 19 Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.), No. 22 Yucaipa (Calif.)

Best game: Buchanan 6, Clovis 5. In a battle amongst two Tri-River League rivals, the Bears pulled out the win in the bottom of the seventh on Hunter Jansen's walk-off base hit.

Player of the Week: Ethan Sanchez, Legacy. Just a freshman, Sanchez had home runs in three straight games to keep Legacy undefeated.

Games to watch: Trinity vs. St. Xavier. A pair of Louisville teams take center stage this week in a game that will likely determine the top team in the city. With a win, St. Xavier has a chance to replace Trinity in the rankings, considering that it defeated Brother Rice (Chicago) twice while Trinity lost to the Illinois team.

Streaks: Silo (Okla.) raised its win streak to 51 in a row with two wins last week. White River Valley (White River Junction, Vt.) opened its season last week with four straight wins to give it 39 in a row dating back to 2019. St. Mary's Prep, meanwhile, has 38 straight wins.
MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings

1. St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
Record: 16-0 | Last week: 1
Results: Def. University Liggett, 7-2, 8-5; def. St. Ignatius (Cleveland), 4-1; def. Olentangy Orange, 11-1; def. Upper Arlington, 9-2; def. Grove City, 7-1; def. Detroit Country Day, 7-2.
Stats: Blake Grimmer had a double and a home run in the 7-2 win over University Liggett. Grimmer, Jake Dresselhouse and Jasen Oliver all homered in the 8-5 win. Nolan Schubart went yard against St. Ignatius and Dresselhouse and Schubart both homered against DCD.
Next: Wed. vs. De La Salle Collegiate (DH)

2. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 21-2 | Last week: 3
Results: Def. West Boca Raton, 15-0; def. Coral Glades, 12-2; def. Western (Davie), 14-8.
Stats: Christian Rodriguez and Roman Anthony each hit two home runs against West Boca Raton with Anthony driving in seven. Chris Arroyo struck out 10 in the win. Arroyo also homered against Coral Glades and had another, along with Anthony and Jake Clemente, against Western.
Next: Wed. vs. American Heritage (Delray Beach)

3. Sumrall (Miss.)
Record: 27-0 | Last week: 4
Results: Def. Oak Grove, 4-2; def. Moss Point, 12-1, 13-0.
Stats: Levi Odom drove in three runs in the 12-1 win while Brycen Smith and Ethan Aultman drove in three each in the 13-0 win.
Next: Fri. vs. Mendenhall

4. Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.)
Record: 22-1 | Last week: 8
Results: Def. Venice, 3-1; def. Berkeley Prep, 4-1, 5-2.
Stats: Hunter Dietz struck out 12 in the 4-1 win over Berkeley Prep. Landen Maroudis had two triples in the 5-2 win.
Next: Thur. vs. River Ridge

5. Providence (Charlotte, N.C.)
Record: 21-0 | Last week: 9
Results: Def. Garinger (Charlotte), 15-0, 11-0; def. Ardrey Kell, 2-1.
Stats: Tommy Walker hit game-winning two-run homer against Ardrey Kell.
Next: Tue. vs. East Mecklenburg

6. Tompkins (Katy, Texas)
Record: 25-1 | Last week: 12
Results: Def. Seven Lakes (Katy), 12-3; def. Mayde Creek, 24-1.
Stats: Jack Little had a double and a home run with six RBI against Mayde Creek. Jace LaViolette had two doubles against Seven Lakes.
Next: Tue. vs. Cinco Ranch (Katy)

7. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 32-2 | Last week: 13
Results: Def. New Iberia, 15-0.
Stats: J.C. Vanek had a home run and Donovan LaSalle had a grand slam in the win.
Next: Postseason TBD

8. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Record: 27-2 | Last week: 7
Results: Def. Rancho (Las Vegas), 15-0; def. Spring Valley (Las Vegas), 15-0; def. Liberty (Henderson), 2-1; lost to Faith Lutheran, 3-2.
Stats: Maddox Riske had a double, triple and three RBI against Rancho. Easton Shelton had two home runs and Tai Nguyen had a double and a home run against Spring Valley. Lucas Boesen struck out 11 against Liberty.
Next: Wed. vs. Arbor View (Las Vegas)

9. Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.)
Record: 21-2 | Last week: 5
Results: Def. Out-of-Door Academy, 11-1; lost to Calvary Christian (Clearwater), 4-1, 5-2.
Stats: Cade Kurland knocked a double and a home run against Out-of-Door Academy.
Next: Tue. vs. Carrollwood Day

10. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 20-2 | Last week: 10
Results: Def. Montverde Academy, 12-7; def. Inspiration Academy, 2-1; def. Jesuit (Tampa), 4-3.
Stats: Nathan Fink and Brady Neal both homered against Montverde Academy. Jackson Ferris struck out eight against Jesuit.
Next: Tue. vs. Canterbury, Thur. vs. Montverde Academy

11. North Oconee (Bogart, Ga.)
Record: 29-1 | Last week: 17
Results: Def. Madison County (Danielsville), 16-3, 10-2, 11-0.
Stats: Bryce Toci had a double and a home run and five RBI in the 16-3 win. Braden Smith had two home runs in the 10-2 win. Grayson Godbee had two doubles in the 11-0 win.
Next: Postseason TBD

12. St. Laurence (Burbank, Ill.)
Record: 20-0 | Last week: 18
Results: Def. Berwyn/Cicero Morton, 10-2; def. Andrew, 13-6; def. Providence Catholic, 2-1
Stats: Luke Stulga had a pair of doubles against Berwyn. Angelo Luna had a double and home run against Andrew.
Next: Tue. vs. Providence Catholic

13. St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park, Fla.)
Record: 18-2 | Last week: 14
Results: Def. Ridgeview (Orange Park), 12-2; def. Christ Church Academy (Jacksonville), 13-0; def. Bartram Trail, 5-4.
Stats: Jordan Taylor and Vic Patel homered against Ridgeview. Taylor and Bradley Hodges each hit one out against Christ Church. Hodges and Finn Howell went yard against Bartram Trail.
Next: Tue. vs. Creekside (St. Johns)

14. Reno (Nev.)
Record: 22-2 | Last week: 16
Results: Def. Damonte Ranch, 13-3; def. Spanish Springs, 9-4.
Stats: Mike Cruz had a double and a home run and Garrison Geis had a triple among his four hits against Damonte Ranch. Eric Nachtshiem and Grayson Grinsell both homered against Spanish Springs.
15. Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.)
Record: 18-2 | Last week: 20
Results: Def. Clovis, 10-0, 6-5, 3-2.
Stats: Max Bernal had a home run and Hunter Jansen had a walk-off single in the 6-5 win. Evan Wallace had a home run in the 10-0 win.

16. American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)
Record: 19-2 | Last week: 21
Results: Tue. vs. Westminster Christian, 8-4; Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens), 5-4.
Stats: Brandon Barriera had 11 strikeouts and Raymond Bermudez had a double and home run against Westminster Christian. Andrew Ortiz had a double and home run against Dwyer.
Next: Tue. vs. Gulf Coast.

17. Blythewood (S.C.)
Record: 23-1 | Last week: 22
Results: Def. Ridge View (Columbia), 15-0, 16-2, 16-0; def. Spring Valley, 8-0.
Stats: Alex Nevils and Stephen Spittler both homered in the 15-0 win. Spittler and Kevin Steelman both homered in the 16-2 win. Zac Cowan hit one out in the 16-0 win. Landon Penfield struck out 11 against Spring Valley.
Next: Wed. vs. AC Flora

18. Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.)
Record: 20-2 | Last week: 24
Results: Def. San Benito, 7-5; def. Washington (Fremont), 7-0; def. Palo Alto, 4-0.
Stats: Ryan Lee went 3-for-4 with three RBI against San Benito. Wyatt King had a home run against Washington. Elias Duncan had a double and a triple against Palo Alto.
Next: Tue. vs. Bellarmine College Prep

19. Northwest Rankin (Brandon, Miss.)
Record: 26-2 | Last week: 25
Results: Def. Terry, 12-0; def. New Hope, 5-0.
Stats: Brice Ainsworth had a pair of hits against Terry and New Hope.
Next: Fri. vs. St. Martin (Ocean Springs)

20. Villa Park (Calif.)
Record: 24-2 | Last week: NR
Results: Def. Servite, 5-4; Huntington Beach, 7-2; Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), 2-1; JSerra Catholic, 11-3.
Stats: Zach Brown homered against Servite. Gavin Grahovac had a grand slam and a double against Huntington Beach while Geoff McArthur had a double and a home run. Britton Beeson had a double and home run against JSerra.
Next: Tue. vs. Foothill (Santa Ana)

21. Legacy (Broomfield, Colo.)
Record: 13-0 | Last week: NR
Results: Def. Rocky Mountain, 16-2; def. Fairview, 16-1; def. Fossil Ridge, 8-7.
Stats: Brandon Sanchez had two home runs against Rocky Mountain while Ethan Sanchez and Marcus Romero each had a double and a home run. Ethan Sanchez, a freshman, also homered against Fairview and Fossil Ridge.
Next: Tue. vs. Boulder

22. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Record: 22-4 | Last week: 11
Results: Def. King (Riverside), 16-1; def. La Mirada, 4-2; lost to JSerra Catholic, 4-1; def. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), 21-2; def. Santa Margarita, 13-6
Stats: Casey Borba and Chase Cummings homered against King. Louis Rodriguez struck out eight against La MIrada. Borba had a grand slam against Notre Dame while Karson Bowen and Brock Wirthgen both homered. Mikey Romero had a triple and home run against Santa Margarita.
Next: Wed. vs. Santa Margarita

23. Brother Rice (Chicago)
Record: 18-3 | Last week: 6
Results: Lost to St. Xavier, 6-5, 1-0; def. Trinity (Louisville), 12-3; lost to Chicago Mt. Carmel, 6-4.
Stats: Jack Lausch and Zion Rose both hit home runs against Trinity.
Next: Tue. vs. Chicago Mt. Carmel; Thur./Sat. vs. Providence Catholic

24. Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)
Record: 17-2 | Last week: 15
Results: Def. Floyd Central (Ind.), 8-3; lost to Brother Rice (Chicago), 12-3; def. Hazard, 21-6; def. Rowan County, 7-0; def. Providence (Clarksville, Ind.), 10-3.
Stats: Paul Osting and Korbyn Dickerson each had a home run against Floyd Central. Dickerson added a home run against Hazard.
Next: Wed. vs. St. Xavier (Louisville).

25. Nixa (Mo.)
Record: 22-1 | Last week: NR
Results: Def. Fatima, 4-1; def. Kirksville, 4-3; def. Valle Catholic, 11-6; def. Camdenton, 10-0.
Stats: Rylan Michel and Jackson Edwards both homered against Valle Catholic. Edwards had a game-winning double against Kirksville.
Next: Fri. vs. Hoover.