High school baseball rankings: Texas state tournaments feature five MaxPreps Top 25 teams, including No. 5 Westlake

Texas will take center stage this week in the MaxPreps Top 25 national high school baseball rankings as five ranked teams will take aim at a state championship.

At least two of those teams will come away disappointed with three Class 6A teams in the MaxPreps Top 25 this week. Westlake (Austin) is back at No. 5 after sweeping a ranked Johnson (San Antonio) team, 4-3, 3-1. Cypress Woods (Cypress), meanwhile, moved up to No. 6 after sweeping The Woodlands, 5-4, 8-0. Pearland, which began the season ranked No. 1 in the state by Texas High School Baseball, joins the rankings at No. 21 after sweeping Katy, 7-0, 2-1.

Westlake meets Pearland on Friday in one semifinal while Cypress Woods meets Flower Mound in the other semifinal.

Other ranked Texas teams in the playoffs include Sinton and Magnolia West (Magnolia). The defending Class 4A state champion, Sinton returns to the state tournament after taking two of three games from Boerne. The loss to Boerne in the second game of the series dropped Sinton one spot to No. 7 this week. Sinton takes on China Spring in the 4A semifinals.

Magnolia West, meanwhile, joins the rankings for the first time this year after advancing to the Class 5A semifinals. The Mustangs, at 33-5, have the best record of any of the remaining four Class 5A teams. They take on Boerne-Champion (Boerne) in the semifinals.

California put five teams in the rankings this week after the conclusion of the Northern and Southern California regional tournaments. California does not have a state tournament, but does hold regional tournaments in each half of the state. Section teams are invited to play, but are not obligated to do so. As a result, JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano), the Southern Section Division 1 champion, did not participate and is ranked No. 10 this week.

Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita), which lost 1-0 to JSerra Catholic in the Southern Section final, won the Southern California Division 1 with a 3-2 victory over La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad).

The Eagles come in one place behind JSerra Catholic due to a 2-3 overall record against the Lions including losses at the National High School Invitational and the Southern Section finals.

La Costa Canyon moves into the rankings this week due to a win over Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) and a win in the San Diego Section Division 1 championship. San Diego had a strong showing in the Southern California Division 1 regional, placing three teams in the semifinals.

Valley Christian (San Jose), No. 17 last week, dropped to No. 24 after falling to De La Salle (Concord) in the Northern California Division 1 regional finals. The Spartans, who won the Division 1 championship last year, knocked off Central Section powerhouse Buchanan (Clovis) in the first round, Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 champion Franklin (Elk Grove) and Central Coast Section champ Valley Christian to repeat as Division 1 champion.

Game of the Week: Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) def. Elder (Cincinnati, Ohio), 7-6. In a battle between two of the top baseball programs in Cincinnati, the Crusaders held off a late rally by Elder to collect the playoff win. Elder closed the gap to 7-6 with three runs in the top of the fifth and had the tying run on second base in the seventh when Carson Marsh got a strikeout for the final out.

Player of the Week: Hank Tripaldi of De La Salle had a huge game in the final against Valley Christian, knocking out two homers and driving in six runs in the Northern California Division 1 championship win.

Game to watch: Westlake vs. Pearland. Currently the top-ranked team in Texas by MaxPreps, the Cavaliers face a Pearland team that started the year ranked No. 1 by Texas High School baseball. The winner takes on the winner of the Cypress Woods-Flower Mound game for the Class 6A state championship.

Streaks: With a 13-3 win over University, Eaton (Colo.) finishes the season with a 29-0 record and 41 straight wins dating back to the 2022 season. Eaton appears to have the second-longest active streak in the nation behind Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.) , which begins the 2024 season with a 51-game win streak. MaxPreps Top 25 baseball rankings

1. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 25-0 | Last week: 1
Season complete.

2. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 29-0 | Last week: 2
Class 7A state champions.

3. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 39-1 | Last week: 3
Non-Select Division 1 state champions.

4. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Record: 35-2 | Last week: 4
Division 1 state champions.

5. Westlake (Austin, Texas)
Record: 40-4 | Last week: 5
Scores: Def. Johnson (San Antonio), 4-3, 3-1
Hitter of the week: Blake Peterson went 3-for-3 with an RBI in the 4-3 win.
Pitcher of the week: Nathan DuVall got the win in the 4-3 victory, going 1.2 innings with no runs on one hit and two strikeouts.
Next: Friday vs. Pearland

6. Cypress Woods (Cypress, Texas)
Record: 38-4 | Last week: 10
Scores: Lost to The Woodlands, 5-4, 8-0
Hitter of the week: Tristan Russell was 4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored in the 5-4 win.
Pitcher of the week: Cameron Nuemann went 5.1 innings and gave up no runs on three hits with four strikeouts in the 8-0 win.
Next: Friday vs. Flower Mound

7. Sinton (Texas)
Record: 37-3 | Last week: 6
Scores: Def. Boerne, 3-2, lost to Boerne, 8-5; def. Boerne, 9-0
Hitter of the week: Braeden Brown had a double in each of Sinton's two games on Friday.
Pitcher of the week: Aidan Moody gave up no runs on three hits in 6.2 innings with nine strikeouts in a 9-0 win.
Next: Friday vs. China Spring

8. West Monroe (La.)
Record: 34-4 | Last week: 7
Non-Select Division 1 runner-up.

9. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
Record: 26-5 | Last week: 8
Class 6A state champions.

10. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Record: 24-9 | Last week: 11
Southern Section Division 1 champions.

11. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
Record: 29-7 | Last week: 22
Scores: Def. Carlsbad, 4-3; def. Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 2-0; def. La Costa Canyon, 3-2
Hitter of the week: Zach Fjelstad went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI against Rancho Bernardo.
Pitcher of the week: Collin Clarke went six innings and gave up no runs on four hits with six strikeouts in 2-0 win.
Next: Season complete. Southern California Division 1 champion.

12. Houston County (Warner Robins, Ga.)
Record: 36-6 | Last week: 12
Class AAAAAA state champions.

13. Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.)
Record: 28-4 | Last week: 13
Class 3A state champions.

14. Magnolia Heights (Senatobia, Miss.)
Record: 40-3 | Last week: 14
MAIS Class AAAAA state champions.

15. St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 30-1-1 | Last week: 15
Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champions.

16. Sickles (Tampa, Fla.)
Record: 30-2 | Last week: 18
Class 6A state champions.

17. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
Record: 27-5 | Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Buchanan (Clovis), 6-0; def. Franklin (Elk Grove), 6-5; def. Valley Christian (San Jose), 11-8
Hitter of the week: Hank Tripaldi went 3-for-5 with two home runs and six RBI against Valley Christian.
Pitcher of the week: Jack Hershey went six innings without giving up a run against Buchanan, striking out five.
Next: Season complete. Northern California Division 1 champion.

18. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Record: 29-3 | Last week: 24
Scores: Def. West Clermont (Cincinnati), 10-4; def. Elder (Cincinnati), 7-6
Hitter of the week: Nathan Manley went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI against Elder.
Pitcher of the week: Carson Marsh got the save against Elder, throwing two innings with no runs, no hits and three strikeouts.
Next: Thursday vs. Walsh Jesuit

19. Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Record: 36-8 | Last week: 19
Class 4A state champions.

20. American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)
Record: 21-6 | Last week: 20
Class 5A state champions.

21. Pearland (Texas)
Record: 37-6-1 | Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Katy, 7-0, 2-1.
Hitter of the week: John Moya went 1-for-2 with a double in the 7-0 win
Pitcher of the week: Nicholas Partida threw a seven-inning shutout in a 7-0 win, giving up three hits with two strikeouts.
Next: Friday vs. Westlake (Austin)

22. Magnolia West (Magnolia, Texas)
Record: 33-5 | Last week: NR
Scores: Lost to Lake Creek, 7-2; def. Lake Creek 4-2, 6-2
Hitter/Pitcher of the week: Caylon Daggert went eight innings and gave up two runs while striking out three. He also went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the 4-2 win.
Next: Thursday vs. Boerne Champion

23. La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.)
Record: 26-7 | Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks), 6-4; def. Eastlake, 11-5; lost to Santa Margarita, 3-2
Hitter of the week: Kalen Applefield had a home run in the loss to Santa Margarita.
Pitcher of the week: Max Collins got the save against Eastlake, going three innings and giving up one run on one hit with five strikeouts.
Next: Season complete. Southern California Division 1 runner-up.

24. Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.)
Record: 31-4 | Last week: 17
Scores: Def. Clayton Valley Charter, 7-3; def. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa), 2-1; lost to De La Salle (Concord), 11-8.
Hitter of the week: Tatum Marsh went 1-for-3 with three RBI against Clayton Valley.
Pitcher of the week: Michael Castaneda went five innings against Cardinal Newman and gave up one run with four strikeouts.
Next: Season complete. Northern California Division 1 runner-up.

25. Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)
Record: 27-5 | Last week: 25
Class 5A runner-up.

Dropped out: No. 9 Lake Braddock (Burke, Va.); No. 16 Johnson (San Antonio, Texas); No. 21 Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa, Calif.); No. 23 Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.).