Video: Top 25 national baseball rankings
Young season already seeing movement as four new teams enter.
Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) nearly saw its No. 1 national ranking come undone in its very first game against Bishop Amat, a 2-1 win in 13 innings.
Lucas Gordon's walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 13th inning drove in Daylen Reyes with the winning run. Reyes scored both of the runs during the day with the other coming in the bottom of the first after Bishop Amat took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the opening frame.
The two teams threw zeros at each other for the next 11 and a half innings before the Knights came through in the bottom of the 13th.
Only 15 teams in the Top 25 started their season in the past week. The rest are expected to begin play in the next two weeks. Only teams playing by March 9 were considered for the initial regular season rankings.
Other teams off to a strong start included Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.) with a pair of wins, Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) with three wins and American Heritage (Delray Beach, Fla.) with four wins.
Dropped out: No. 7 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.); No. 18 Smiths Station (Smiths, Ala.); No. 21 Miami Springs (Fla.); No. 25 St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
Game of the Week: Notre Dame 2, Bishop Amat 1 (13 innings). Reyes scored the winning run in the 13th inning to give the Knights the win in their season opener.
Player of the Week: Tommy White, Calvary Christian. White had a big week going 2-for-3 in back-to-back games with a double, a home run and five RBI.
Recruit Watch: Blaze Jordan, DeSoto Central. The reclassified third baseman is now in the Class of 2020 and he got DeSoto Central off to a strong start with a double and an RBI in the season opener.
Game to Watch: Valley Christian vs. North Gwinnett, Feb. 28. North Gwinnett makes the
trip west to take on some of the top teams in California. The battle
between the No. 13 Warriors and No. 17 Bulldogs will give a good
indication of how East matches up with West in the rankings.
Tournaments on Tap: LaGrange Classic, Feb. 27-28, features DeSoto Central, Providence School (Jacksonville, Fla.) and several Georgia schools; Sulphur Tournament, Feb. 27-28, includes Barbe; George Peach Tournament, Feb. 27-28, hosted by Parkview.
Top 25 High School Baseball National Rankings
Christian Rodriguez, Orange Lutheran
File photo by Alyson Boyer Rode
Results: Def. Bishop Amat, 2-1 (13 innings) and 6-2.
Stats: Daylen Reyes scored both runs and went 3-for-5 with a double in the 13-inning win over Bishop Amat.
Lucas Gordon also went 2-for-6 with an RBI. In the second game,
Alex Rynn was 2-for-3 while Reyes was 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI.
Next: Crespi (Encino), March 3/4/6.
2. (2) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 0-0
Next: Live Oak, Feb. 24; Sulphur Tournament, Feb. 27-28.
3. (3) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 0-0
Next: Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose), Feb. 29.
4. (4) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 0-0
Next: Desert Mountain at Desert Vista Tournament, Feb. 27.
5. (5) Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), 2-0
Results: Def. Blake (Tampa) 13-0; Tampa Catholic, 11-1.
Stats: Against Blake,
Jalen Niles was 3-for-3 with two RBI, a double and a triple while
Bennett Lee was 2-for-2 with a double. In the second game,
BJ Graham had three RBI and Lee had a double.
Camden Minacci went three innings for the win, striking out six.
Next: Clearwater, Feb. 26; Boca Ciega, Feb. 27; Bishop Moore, Feb. 29.
6. (6) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 0-0
Next: Socorro, Feb. 27; Pebble Hills, Feb. 27; Franklin, Feb. 28; Montwood, Feb. 28.
7. (8) Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 3-0
Results: Def. Cypress, 3-2 and 4-0; Def. La Mirada, 2-0.
Stats: Christian Rodriguez got the win in the 3-2 win over Cypress, going 4.1 innings with three strikeouts.
Brett Pierson got the win in the second game against Cypress, striking out five in five innings with no hits.
Max Rajcic pitched a complete-game shutout against La Mirada, striking out seven and allowing just one hit.
Next: Marcus (DH), Feb. 28; Valley Christian, Feb. 29.
8. (13) La Mirada (Calif.), 1-1
Results: Lost to Orange Lutheran, 2-0; Def. Loara (Anaheim), 25-3.
Stats: Eugene Jeon went 2-for-3 and had a home run while
Jared Jones had a double and
Tanner Salazar had a triple against Loara.
Next: Santa Margarita, Feb. 24
9. (16) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 1-0
Results: Def. Mira Costa, 11-3.
Stats: Tyler Ganus got the win.
Next: Damien, Feb. 24.
10. (17) DeSoto Central (Southaven, Miss.), 2-0
Results: Def. Madison Central, 7-3; Def. Saltillo, 2-0.
Stats: Landon Powell went 3-for-4 while
Blaze Jordan had a double and an RBI and
Kyle Booker had two RBI against Madison Central. Jordan went 1-for-4 with a triple and Booker was 2-for-3 with a double against Saltillo.
Next: Oxford, Feb. 25; Providence School (Jacksonville, Fla.), Feb. 28.
11. (10) Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.), 0-0
Next: West, March 9.
12. (11) Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 0-0
Next: Grace Christian Academy (Knoxville), March 9.
13. (14) Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.), 0-0
Next: North Gwinnett, Feb. 28; Orange Lutheran, Feb. 29.
14. (15) Kingwood (Texas), 0-0
Next: Klein Collins, Feb. 24; Klein Oak, Feb. 27; Keller, Feb. 27.
15. (19) Reagan (San Antonio), 0-0
Next: Lamar, Feb. 27; Fort Bend Dulles, Feb. 28; Katy, Feb. 28.
16. (22) American Heritage (Delray Beach, Fla.), 4-0
Results: Def. Santaluces (Lantan), 7-0; Def. Jupiter, 12-0; Def. Palm Beach Gardens, 8-0; Def. Palm Beach Central, 11-2.
Stats: Bailey Uderitz had a home run and
Ryan Bruno was 3-for-3 while
Mason Manriquez struck out eight in six innings against Santaluces; Uderitz also went 3-for-4 and
Nelson Berkwich struck out 10 against Jupiter.
Carsten Finnvold struck out seven against Palm Beach Gardens.
Jason LeToille went 2-for-5 with three RBI against Palm Beach Central.
Next: Brito, Feb. 25; Champagnat Catholic (Hialeah), Feb. 26.
17. (20) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.), 4-1
Results: Def. Loganville, 5-0; Def. Lanier, 10-1; Def. Parkview, 2-1; Lost to Flowery Branch, 2-1, Def. Brookwood, 2-1.
Stats: Josh Shuler was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI against Loganville;
John Anderson was 4-for-4 with a triple and three RBI against Lanier;
Corey Collins hit a home run against Parkview; Anderson was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a double against Brookwood.
Next: St. John Bosco, Feb. 28; Valley Christian, Feb. 28.
18. (9) Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 2-1
Results: Lost to North Gwinnett, 2-1; Def. Berkmar 15-0, 19-0; Def. Loganville, 6-1.
Stats: Miles Garrett went five innings and struck out four while
Xander Stephens struck out five in two innings in the loss to North Gwinnett.
Jack Davis had a triple and three RBI in the 15-0 win over Berkmar while
Graham Yntema threw a three-inning, no-hitter with eight strikeouts. In the second game,
Dobbs Bowden went 3-for-3 with a home run and five RBI while
Pas Ferraras was 2-for-2 with a home run.
Next: Lassiter, Feb. 26; Jefferson, Feb. 27.
19. (23) Mountain Pointe (Phoenix, Ariz.), 0-0
Next: Red Mountain, March 3.
20. (24) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 3-0
Results: Def. Westminster Christian (Miami), 2-0; Def. Miami Christian, 5-2; Def. Venice, 4-3.
Stats: Gavin Casas had a home run against Westminster Christian;
Gio Ferraro and
Enrique Bradfield each had two hits against Miami Christian;
Kolbe Aven had a grand slam against Venice.
Next: Dwyer, Feb. 26; Pembroke Pines Charter, Feb. 28.
21. (NR) Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.), 3-0
Results: Def. Tarpon Springs, 10-2; Def. Countryside (Clearwater), 5-0; Def. Lakeland Christian, 8-4.
Stats: Tommy White was 2-for-3 with a triple and three RBI against Tarpon Springs; White also went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI against Countryside.
Charles Stevens was 2-for-2 with a triple, a grand slam and five RBI.
Next: Tampa Catholic, Feb. 25; Venice, Feb. 28.
22. (NR) Huntington Beach (Calif.), 2-0
Results: Def. Temecula Valley, 6-3; Def. Gahr, 7-0.
Stats: Shane Stafford went 2-for-4 with an RBI and was one of six Oilers to get a double against Temecula Valley; Stafford also had a home run against Gahr.
Next: Loyola, Feb. 24.
23. (NR) Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), 1-0
Results: Def. JW North (Riverside), 8-1.
Stats: Milan Tolentino was 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI while
Michael Mira also had a home run against North.
Next: La Mirada, Feb. 24.
24. (NR) Mitchell (New Port Richey, Fla.), 3-0
Results: Def. Dunedin, 9-3; Def. Northeast (St. Petersburg), 8-3; Seminole, 6-3..
Stats: Jackson Miller was 2-for-4 with two doubles against Dunedin; Miller also went 3-for-4 with a double against Northeast while
Mason Miller was 3-for-4 with two RBI;
Next: Sunlake (Land O' Lakes), Feb. 25
25. (12) Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.), 3-1
Results: Def. Hartselle 7-2; lost to Hartselle, 7-5; Def. Smiths Station, 6-0 and 2-1; Def. Buckhorn, 7-1; Def. Sparkman, 12-5.
Stats: Mitchell Daly had three RBI against Sparkman;
Cam Hill had a home run and
Caden Rose was 3-for-4 with a double against Buckhorn; Daly had two doubles in the second game against Smiths Station; Rose, Hill,
JW Hopkins and
Max Soliz Jr. all hit home runs in the 6-0 win; Hill was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI.
Next: Hazel Green, Feb. 25/27.
