MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings

As expected, the National High School Invitational shook up the Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings. Maybe not as expected were losses by Spanish Fork, Farragut and JW North that created massive shakeups among the Top 10 teams.

Both Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), last week's No. 1 team, and Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas), last week's No. 2 team, lost a pair of games at the NHSI and thus dropped eight spots each in this week's rankings.

The drop allowed Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas) to move into the No. 1 spot, thanks to a 22-0 record. Whether or not Calallen deserves the top spot will surely be answered in the coming weeks as the Wildcats face Carroll in a Corpus Christi showdown on April 21.

Meanwhile Mater Dei, the NHSI champion, moves from being unranked all the way to the No. 4 spot. Unbeaten teams from Calallen, Olympia (Orlando, Fla.) and St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.) are all that keep the Monarchs from moving into the No. 1 position.

Five teams drop out of the Xcellent 25, including Washington (New York City), which lost three games at the NHSI and will be without star outfielder Fernelys Sanchez due to injury. Also gone are El Capitan, Carroll (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and Oak Grove (Miss.).

Moving in are Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.), Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), Mater Dei and Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.).

Spanish Fork (Utah) lost once to fall out of the Top 10 while Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.) and JW North (Riverside, Calif.) each lost twice and fell to the bottom of the Xcellent 25.

Spanish Fork can redeem itself at the Hard 9 National Classic next week. Regarded as the No. 1 baseball tournament in the country prior to the formation of the NHSI, the National Classic is a big winner after the upsets in Cary (N.C.). The presence of Alemany, a team that has defeated NHSI finalist Harvard-Westlake, and Xcellent 25 member Spanish Fork in the National Classic gives the event a pair of nationally ranked teams competing for the championship.

MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings

1. (3) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 22-0
With Bishop Gorman and Carroll both losing at the National High School Invitational, Calallen moves into the No. 1 spot. The Wildcats defeated Tuloso-Midway (Corpus Christi) 8-4 and John Paul II (Corpus Christi) 4-3 to remain undefeated on the season. The Wildcats have a big game looming April 21 against Carroll.

2. (11) Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 19-0
A championship at the Central Florida Spring Break Slam moves the Titans into the No. 2 spot. Olympia defeated Satellite 3-2, Orangewood Christian 15-11, IMG Academies 12-3 and Rockledge 9-1 to stay undefeated.

3. (12) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 14-0-1
The Lancers passed a tough test last week with a 1-0 win over Valley Christian, a team that had lost only once on the season. They also topped Bellarmine 14-1. Big games in the coming weeks against Willow Glen (San Jose) and De La Salle (Concord) loom.

4. (NR) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.), 11-3
The champions of the National High School Invitational, the Monarchs took down No. 1 Bishop Gorman, No. 2 Carroll and also defeated Saratoga (Fla.) and Harvard-Westlake. Three losses are all that keep Mater Dei from rising to the No. 1 spot.

5. (4) Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), 0-0
Season opens Tuesday at Clifton.

6. (8) Gloucester Catholic (N.J.), 0-0
Season opened Monday at Penns Grove.

7. (19) Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 12-3
The Lancers made a strong showing at the National High School Invitational, knocking off previous No. 10 Columbus (Ga.) 1-0 and Brookwood (Snellgrove, Ga.) 7-4. They lost to Sarasota 5-3, but the Sailors lost to Mater Dei. Orange Lutheran's previous win over Mater Dei keeps the Lancers in the Top 10.

8. (10) Columbus (Ga.), 13-1
The Blue Devils bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Orange Lutheran at the National High School Invitational to beat Lee County (Sanford, N.C.) 9-3 and Gulliver Prep (Miami) 4-1. The win over Gulliver Prep, and Bishop Gorman's loss to Gulliver Prep, allows Columbus to move ahead of the Gaels.

9. (1) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 9-2
It was a rough week for the Gaels, whose normally potent offense and strong pitching couldn't hold off either Mater Dei or Gulliver Prep. The Gaels bounced back to beat Carroll, a team that also defeated Gulliver Prep, to stay in the Top 10.

10. (2) Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas), 15-2
The Tigers are still the top 5A team in Texas, but the losses to Mater Dei and Bishop Gorman at the National High School Invitational drop them down to the No. 10 spot. The win over Gulliver Prep helps Carroll stay ahead of Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.). A big game against No. 1 Calallen in late April could have Carroll moving back up the rankings.

11. (13) Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), 15-1
The Tigers picked up three wins, beating Middleton (Tampa) 6-1, Lennard (Ruskin) 5-0 and Tampa Catholic 13-5. A big test nears next week with the Jesuit Easter Tournament, then an April 18 meeting with Sarasota.

12. (14) Owasso (Okla.), 16-1
The Rams remain No. 1 in Oklahoma after downing Bartlesville 13-0 and 13-3, then knocking off Sapulpa 11-5. Owasso plays Broken Arrow this week.

13. (16) Klein Collins (Spring, Texas), 18-2
Despite the loss of shortstop C.j. Hinojosa due to a shoulder injury, the Tigers continue to win. They picked up their 16th straight victory with a 17-0 win over Dekaney and also defeated Klein Forest 6-2 last week.

14. (17) Broken Arrow (Okla.), 17-1
The Tigers had a strong showing last week at the Tiger Trojan Classic with wins over Edmond Memorial 9-1, Deer Creek (Edmond) 4-1, Edmond Santa Fe 3-0 and Moore 4-2.

15. (NR) Alemany (Mission Hills, Calif.), 11-2-1
The Warriors move into the Xcellent 25 based on their strong performance against Harvard-Westlake. Alemany has defeated the Wolverines once this season and also has a tie. The Warriors have wins over Valencia, Chaminade and a doubleheader sweep of Standley Lake (Westminster, Colo.).

16. (NR) Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), 12-3-1
The Wolverines showed they still have plenty of pitching even without injured ace Lucas Giolito. Sophomore Jack Flaherty and Hans Hansen both came up big at the National High School Invitational where the Wolverines were 3-1 with wins over Russell County (Seale, Ala.), Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) and American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) before falling to Mater Dei in the finals.

17. (5) Spanish Fork (Utah), 9-1
The Dons' strong start came to an end with a 4-1 loss to defending 5A state champion Bingham. Spanish Fork will have a chance to prove itself next week when it competes in the Hard 9 National Classic in Fullerton, Calif.

18. (18) Nova (Davie, Fla.), 13-1
The Titans took on a pair of North Carolina teams, defeating Lake Norman 7-0 and East Rowan 12-4.

19. (20) Pelham (Ala.), 26-1
The No. 1 team in Alabama continued to roll, defeating Thompson 4-2 and 2-1 last week along with a 5-0 win over Spain Park.

20. (22) Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.), 17-1
The Vikings won three times last week, beating Dunbar (Fort Myers) 11-1, Clewiston 4-3 and Doral Academy (Doral) 7-3.

21. (15) Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas), 18-2-1
The Spartans got a key win over Memorial (Houston) 6-3, but lost a close one to Katy Taylor 8-7 in the bottom of the eighth inning.

22. (6) Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.), 12-2
The Admirals suffered their first two losses of the season, falling to a pair of talented Tennessee teams in Tullahoma 1-0 and Arlington 5-0. Farragut also defeated West 10-0 and William Blount 8-4.

23. (9) JW North (Riverside, Calif.), 11-2
Playing in the Anaheim Lions Tournament, JW North dropped its first two games of the season with a 3-2 loss to Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo) and a 7-6 loss to JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano).

24. (NR) Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 11-3
Wins over Washington (New York) and Russell County (Seale, Ala.) at the National High School Invitational have Parkview back in the rankings.

25. (25) Conestoga (Berwyn, Pa.), 2-0
Defeated Upper Darby 5-1 and Haverford Township 6-2.

Dropped Out: No. 7 Washington, No. 21 El Capitan, No. 23 Oak Grove, No. 24 Carroll (Fort Wayne).