Best 2012 high school baseball team in each state

Picking the best high school baseball team in Nevada (Xcellent 25 No. 1 Bishop Gorman), Florida (Xcellent 25 No. 2 Jesuit) or Texas (Xcellent 25 No. 3 Carroll) might be an easy task, but how about the top high school baseball team in states like North Dakota, Connecticut or Rhode Island?

Here's MaxPreps' look at the top baseball teams in each of the 48 states (Montana and Wyoming excluded) for the 2012 season.

Alabama - Cullman, 45-11
Cullman finished one game away from a state championship in 2011, falling to Spanish Fort in the Class 5A state championship game. The return of Gatorade State Player of the Year Keegan Thompson along with 12 other lettermen could put Cullman back in the state finals. Games against Madison Central (Miss.), Oxford and Fairhope during the regular season will be a good test.

Alaska - Dimond (Anchorage), 12-4
Runner-up last year to South Anchorage after falling in 12 innings in the championship game, Dimond returns most of its pitching staff, including Sagan Osborne, Kyle Kornegay, Sheldon Rouzan and Payton Lauwers, as well as shortstop Tyler Thompson.

Arizona - Mountain Pointe (Phoenix), 27-5
The defending state champions lose their top player from last year in Kevin Cron, but heavy-hitting Joey Curletta is back along with all-state pick Scott Kingery, making Mountain Pointe a good bet to reach the championship game again this year. Curletta batted .420 with 21 home runs as a junior while Kingery hit .495 with 10 home runs.

Arkansas - Catholic (Little Rock), 19-10
Catholic is regarded as having the best pitching staff among the 7A schools in Arkansas with Taylor Wallace leading the way on the mound.

California - Mater Dei (Santa Ana), 24-6
The Monarchs have one of the state's top players in pitcher/outfielder Ty Moore and one of the nation's top juniors in catcher Jeremy Martinez. The Monarchs begin the season ranked No. 4 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Preseason Baseball Rankings presented by Reebok.

Colorado - Highlands Ranch, 18-7
The return of all-state pitcher Ryan Burr and honorable mention all-state catcher Adam Gauthier has Highlands Ranch eying a potential state championship this year.

Connecticut - Notre Dame (West Haven), 18-9
The Green Knights won the Division L state championship last season and return 12 lettermen from that team, including all-state pitcher Gary Powers.

Delaware - Tatnall (Wilmington), 16-4
Tatnall was in the running for a state championship last season, but could go all the way in 2012 behind the play of returning all-conference players Ryan Donnelly (P), Tucker Ketchings (1B), Justin Casanova (SS), Donovan May (OF) and Derrick May (OF).

Florida - Jesuit (Tampa), 27-7
The Tigers begin the season ranked No. 2 in the Xcellent 25 thanks to the return of eight starters on offense and a pitching staff that includes 100-mph flamethrower Lance McCullers.

Georgia - Parkview (Lilburn), 29-10
The defending state 5A champions are No. 14 in the Xcellent 25 and have one of the candidates for state player of the year in first baseman Matt Olson.

Hawaii - Mid-Pacific Institute (Honolulu), 20-5
With utility player Marcus Doi, pitcher Travis Garcia Perreira, first baseman Daniel Fentriss and outfielder Nikolas Alarcio returning, Mid-Pacific will challenge for the Interscholastic League championship and Division I state championship.

Idaho - Rocky Mountain (Meridian), 17-8
Rocky Mountain plays in the rugged Southern Idaho Conference and has four returning all-league players, the most of any school in the conference. Rickie Kyro (DH), Blake Thoren (P), Bryce Feist (IF) and Mason Smith (OF) all return to help improve on last year's 17-8 finish.

Illinois - Mount Carmel (Chicago), 33-8-3
With a pair of all-state candidates in Sam Kint and Jerry Houston, Mount Carmel could be in line for a state title. It finished just short of the Class 4A state finals last year, losing to eventual champion Lyons in the semifinals.

Indiana - Carroll (Fort Wayne), 32-2
Carroll knocked off favorite Indianapolis Cathedral in the Class 4A state championship game last year and returns some of the top players from that squad, including pitcher Steve Remesnik and Peyton Lengacher at pitcher and Grant Wilson in the outfield.

Iowa - Martensdale-St. Mary's (Martensdale), 44-0
Yes, the Blue Devils are only a Class 1A team in Iowa and there are likely a number of 4A teams that could beat Martensdale-St. Marys. However, when a team wins 87 straight games, it deserves a little recognition, especially with 17 of 19 players returning from last year's 44-0 squad.

Kansas - Maize, 25-0
Another team with a long winning streak, Maize deserves to start the season on the mountain top until someone comes along to knock it off. With five players who saw considerable playing time last year returning, Maize should be in the mix with pitcher Craig Nicks (8-0, 0.88 ERA) leading the way.

Kentucky - Lexington Catholic, 30-8
Lexington Catholic entered the state tournament last year ranked No. 1 before being upset in the first round by Pleasure Ridge Park. Still, the Knights return a number of contributors from last year's team, including state player of the year candidate Will Hurt.

Louisiana - Barbe (Lake Charles), 25-9
Barbe is always one of the top teams in Louisiana and this year should be no different, especially considering the presence of shortstop Gavin Cecchini, who ranks as one of the top infield prospects in the country.

Maine - Cheverus (Portland), 18-2
The Stags won their first baseball state championship last season and return one of the best players in the state in shortstop Louis Distasio.

Maryland - Archbishop Spalding (Severn), 27-5
The MIAA A conference champions return one of the state's top pitchers in Austin Clark, along with some talented infielders in first baseman Nick Freeberger and Sean Miller.

Massachusetts - Lincoln-Sudbury (Sudbury), 25-4
Winners of 19 straight to finish the season, Lincoln-Sudbury returns all-conference picks Matt Cahill and Dan Celluccito keep the streak alive and vie for another state title.

Michigan - Rockford, 32-6
The defending state champs have a potential All-American candidate in outfielder Andrew Farmer.

Minnesota - Burnsville, 17-3
The return of five starters makes Burnsville the choice in Minnesota. Adam Lambrecht and Matt Stemper both return after receiving all-conference honors last year.

Mississippi - Petal, 24-12
Petal, the defending state champ, has one of the state's most exciting athletes in football-baseball standout Anthony Alford.

Missouri - St. Louis University, 24-1
Nearly every player returns for a team that did not lose until the semifinals of the state playoffs. Tops among those returning are pitchers Mitch Klug (6-0) and Brian Howard (10-0).

Nebraska - Lincoln Southeast, 19-5
The return of all-state pitcher Ryan MacDonald and Class A honorable mention Tanner Kirk has Lincoln Southeast challenging for a state championship this year.

Nevada - Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 35-4
The Gaels have won six straight state titles, are ranked No. 1 in the Xcellent 25 and have one of the nation's top all-around players in Joey Gallo, who belted 25 home runs last year. Bishop Gorman will find out how well it stacks up against the rest of the nation when it participates in the National High School Invitational in Cary, N.C., in late March.

New Hampshire - Portsmouth, 20-0
The winner of 83 straight games, Portsmouth gets the nod here until it loses a game.

New Jersey - Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey), 25-1
It's a close call between the Ironmen and defending group champion Gloucester Catholic, but the Ironmen return two of their top pitchers from last season, including potential state player of the year Tommy Burns.

New Mexico - La Cueva (Albuquerque), 25-4
The Cavemen are regularly one of the top teams in the country and a perennial state champion. La Cueva returns eight lettermen from last year's title team.

New York - Washington (New York City), 45-2
Two of the top prospects in the nation dot the Washington lineup, with Nelson Rodriguez regarded as one of the nation's top catchers and Fernelys Sanchez regarded as one of the top outfielders. Both could go early in this year's Major League Baseball draft.

North Carolina - Providence (Charlotte), 23-3
Providence came close to winning it all last year and has four all-conference players returning, including Ty Buttrey and Jackson Campana.

North Dakota - West Fargo, 18-7
West Fargo begins the season as the favorite with the return of pitcher Andy Young, catcher Tucker Bucholz, pitcher Kory Wolden and infielder Landon Uetz.

Ohio - Butler (Vandalia), 34-3
With one of the nation's top pitching prospects in Taylore Cherry taking the mound, Butler could battle for a state championship this year.

Oklahoma - Owasso, 37-2
The Rams are almost always the team to beat in Oklahoma, reaching the state finals 14 of the past 15 seasons. While last year's National Player of the Year Dylan Bundy is gone, the tradition continues, led by Cory Taylor (P, 9-0).

Oregon - Westview (Portland), 26-5
Westview won the state title last season and returns the state's top player in All-American candidate Carson Kelly.

Pennsylvania - Conestoga (Berwyn), 21-5
Scott Williams, one of the state's top players and a potential draft pick at catcher, leads Conestoga in a quest for another state championship.

Rhode Island - Bishop Hendricken (Warwick), 19-7
Loaded with talent, Bishop Hendricken welcomes back all-division players Tom Pannone, Billy Walker, Bobby Indeglia, and Richard Bacon.

South Carolina - Byrnes (Duncan), 22-5
Byrnes should have a deep pitching staff this year after finishing second in the state last season. Zach Bridgeman, Ryan Pistey and Alec Saikal all return to bolster the lineup.

South Dakota - O'Gorman (Sioux Falls), 24-9
O'Gorman was the team to beat last year in South Dakota, but a misstep in the postseason ended its title hopes. However the return of all-state players Damon Baruth (3B) and Connor Schaefbauer (SS), as well as all-region outfielder Flynn Donelan makes O'Gorman the team to beat once again in 2012.

Tennessee - Farragut (Knoxville), 37-8
With four straight state championships under their belts, the Admirals are always the team to beat in Tennessee. An injury to pitcher Xander Taylor, who misses the year after shoulder surgery, could open the door for other teams to break Farragut's streak, however coach Matt Buckner still has a deep group of experienced ballplayers ready to fill in the gaps.

Texas - Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas), 34-7
The top team in Texas two years ago, Carroll lost in the semifinals last year. With potential first-round draft pick Courtney Hawkins leading the way in the outfield and on the mound, Carroll could move back to the top. The Tigers begin the season ranked No. 3 in the Xcellent 25.

Utah - Spanish Fork, 29-3
The Dons are the odds-on favorite to win the Class 3A state championship after moving down from 4A, where they won a title last year. Spanish Fork has two of the top pitchers in the state in Hayden Nielsen and Kayden Porter, with Porter recognized as the MaxPreps Junior Player of the Year last season.

Vermont - Colchester, 15-2
Matt Roy (IF) and Zach Tandy (P) are two of the top returning players in the Metro Division and make Colchester the favorite out of the gate in Vermont.

Virginia - South County (Lorton), 28-1
A loss in the state finals kept South County from going unbeaten. The return of five starters, including Andrew Rector, will make South County a contender again.

Washington - Mount Si (Snoqualmie), 22-3
The Class 3A state champions knocked off a Shorewood team last year that was filled with MLB draft picks. This year, a strong pitching staff led by Trevor Lane has Mount Si searching for a second-straight championship.

West Virginia - Bridgeport, 36-3
Outfielder John Koon and pitcher Brady Weaver return for a team that had the best record in the state prior to the playoffs last year.

Wisconsin - Appleton North, 22-5
The Wisconsin Coaches Association has tabbed Appleton North as the No. 1 team to start the season. Clark Eagan (1B), Jesus Cazares (3B) and Grant Yost (P) all return.