While May is the start of high school baseball playoffs across the United States, it is also the height of horse racing season with the running of the Triple Crown. And if you could compare the
JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) baseball team to a horse, that horse would be Silky Sullivan.
Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Willie Shoemaker in the late 1950s,
Silky Sullivan was known for falling way back in the pack only to come on strong at the end. Silky Sullivan once fell 41 lengths behind the field, according to his Wikipedia entry, yet managed to win the race by three lengths.
JSerra Catholic has fashioned the same winning strategy the past three seasons. In 2021, the Lions were 4-5 at one point in the season, but finished 30-7 overall and won the Southern California Division 1 championship. Last year, they were 6-9 but finished the year 25-11 with a Southern Section Division 1 championship.
This year, the Lions were 4-6 at point after going 1-2 in a Trinity League series with
Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita). JSerra closed out the season with a 20-3 record down the stretch and a second straight Southern Section Division 1 championship that included a 1-0 win over league champ Santa Margarita in the final.
Despite nine losses on their record, the Lions move up to No. 11 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25. It just goes to show that a higher number of losses don't mean as much in Orange County where every roster is filled with multiple starters heading to play at the next level.
Eric Sondheimer of the L.A. Times pointed out as much in his story about the championship game, noting that the first six batters in the starting lineups for both schools are headed to Division I schools, assuming they don't go the professional route.
Newcomers this week include
Magnolia Heights (Senatobia, Miss.), which won its fifth straight state championship and has posted a 133-17 record over the past four seasons. It also won 36 straight games to finish the season and moves into the rankings at No. 16. Another is
Sickles (Tampa, Fla.), which has reached the Class 6A semifinals and enters at No. 21.
A pair of returning teams include
Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.), which returns at No. 15 after winning the Class 3A state championship. Also back is No. 22
Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa, Calif.), which avenged a previous defeat to Windsor and is in the second round of the North Coast Section playoffs.
Other state champions this week include
Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), which moved up to No. 9 after winning its ninth state championship and second in a row.
Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) stayed at No. 5 after winning its ninth state title in program history but first since 2015.
Houston County (Warner Robins, Ga.), meanwhile, won the Class AAAAAA state championship and moved up to No. 14.
Game of the Week: JSerra Catholic def. Santa Margarita, 1-0. In a pitching duel between Santa Margarita's
Collin Clarke and the Lion duo of
Benjamin Reimers and
Matthew Champion, JSerra Catholic prevailed in the bottom of the eighth on a walk-off RBI single by
Dmitro Susidko that drove in
Jackson Summers from second base to end a 0-0 tie in the Southern Section Division 1 championship game.
Player of the Week: Drew Burress of Houston County came up big in the Class AAAAAA championships series against Pope as he went 4-for-7 with three doubles in leading his team to the state title.
Game to watch: Cypress Woods (Cypress, Texas) vs.
Rockwall-Heath (Rockwall, Texas). Cypress Woods has won 20 games in a row while Rockwall-Heath has won 20 of its last 21. The two teams meet in the Class 6A Region II semifinals.
Streaks:
Van Meter (Iowa), which had won 54 games in a row, lost its season opener to Newman Catholic on Monday. The loss leaves
Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.) with the longest active win streak in the nation at 49 in a row. Another team on the radar is Magnolia Heights, which finished the season with 36 wins in a row.
Team of the Week: Selected based on stats submitted to MaxPreps.
P — Daniel Velichko,
St. Joseph Notre Dame (Alameda, Calif.): Pitched seven innings and gave up no runs on three hits with 16 strikeouts.
C — Dylan Miller,
Coal Ridge (New Castle, Colo.): 10-for-12 with six runs, two doubles, one triple and 15 RBI.
1B — Joe Sullivan,
Calumet Christian (Griffith, Ind.): 14-for-15 with eight runs, 13 RBI, four doubles, one triple and one home run.
2B — Aidan Nguyen,
Mira Mesa (San Diego, Calif.): 8-for-9 with five RBI and a double.
3B — AJ Hardy,
Southfield Arts & Tech (Southfield, Mich.): 9-for-9 with 11 RBI, four doubles, one triple and one home run.
SS — Dane Morrow,
Trinity (Louisville, Ky.): 5-for-5 with four runs, a double and three triples.
OF — Matthew DeSimone,
Youngsville (Pa.): 12-for-14 with seven runs, 10 RBI, two doubles, one triple and one home run.
OF — Trevor Johnson,
Bellefonte (Pa.): 7-for-8 with seven runs, nine RBI, two doubles, two triples and two home runs.
OF — Drew Perry,
Leroy Greene Academy (Sacramento, Calif.): 6-for-7 with six runs, 10 RBI, three doubles and three home runs.
JSerra Catholic celebrates Friday's 1-0 win over Santa Margarita in the Southern Section Division I championship game. (Photo: Gregory Fiore)
Record: 25-0 |
Last week: 1
Season complete.
2. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 27-0 |
Last week: 2
Scores: Def. Columbus, 10-1
Hitter of the week: Matthew Ossenfort went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and three RBI in the win.
Pitcher of the week: Gavin Gargiulo went one inning in the relief and did not give up a run or hit while striking out two.
Next: Tuesday vs. Spruce Creek, Class 7A semifinals
3. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 39-1 |
Last week: 3
Season complete. Non-Select Division 1 state champions.
4. Sinton (Texas)
Record: 33-1 |
Last week: 4
Scores: Def. Pleasanton, 13-3
Hitter of the week: Jaquae Stewart went 2-for-3 with two runs, three RBI and a home run.
Pitcher of the week: Braeden Brown gave up two earned runs and struck out three in 5.2 innings in the win.
Next: Saturday vs. Davenport
5. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas)
Record: 35-2 |
Last week: 5
Scores: Def. Damonte Ranch, 10-0; def. Desert Oasis, 12-2, 10-1
Hitter of the week: In the state final against Desert Oasis,
Maddox Riske went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI.
Pitcher of the week: Just a sophomore,
James Whitaker got the win in the state final, giving up one run on three hits with five strikeouts.
Next: Season complete. Division 1 state champions.
6. Cypress Woods (Cypress, Texas)
Record: 34-3 |
Last week: 6
Scores: Def. Klein Oak, 10-0, 15-0
Hitter of the week: Brady Sullivan went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a triple and three RBI in the 10-0 win.
Pitcher of the week: Mason Green gave up no runs on one hit with 11 strikeouts in six innings of the 10-0 win.
Next: Saturday vs. Rockwall-Heath
7. West Monroe (La.)
Record: 34-4 |
Last week: 7
Season complete. Non-Select Division 1 runner-up.
8. Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)
Record: 26-4 |
Last week: 9
Scores: Def. Osceola (Seminole), 12-2
Hitter of the week: Vincent Decarlo went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI.
Pitcher of the week: Wes Mendes went four innings for the win, striking out seven and giving up one earned run.
Next: Today vs. Sebring
9. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
Record: 26-5 |
Last week: 18
Scores: Def. Queen Creek, 3-1
Hitter of the week: Liam Wilson went 1-for-2 with a triple and an RBI.
Pitcher of the week: Rohan Lettow got the win in the state final, giving up no earned runs on three hits with eight strikeouts.
Next: Season complete. Class 6A state champions.
10. Westlake (Austin, Texas)
Record: 36-4 |
Last week: 8
Scores: Lost to Round Rock, 1-0; def. Round Rock, 5-1, 7-1
Hitter of the week: Will Magids went 2-for-3 with two RBI in the 5-1 win.
Pitcher of the week: Jack Brady went all seven innings in the 7-1 win and gave up one run on four hits with 10 strikeouts.
Next: Saturday vs. Eagle Pass
11. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Record: 24-9 |
Last week: 20
Scores: Def. Corona, 6-0; def. Santa Margarita, 1-0
Hitter of the week: Trent Caraway went 4-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI in the 6-0 win.
Pitcher of the week: Benjamin Reimers went four innings and allowed no runs on one hit with five strikeouts against Santa Margarita.
Next: TBD
12. Lake Braddock (Burke, Va.)
Record: 22-1 |
Last week: 11
Scores: Def. Fairfax, 5-4; def. West Springfield, 5-3
Hitter of the week: Jamie Laskofski went 3-for-3 with two runs and two triples against Fairfax.
Pitcher of the week: Jake Drumm went 2.1 innings and did not give up a run or a hit while striking out six against West Springfield.
Next: TBD
13. Johnson (San Antonio)
Record: 31-4-2 |
Last week: 13
Scores: Lost to Lake Travis, 1-0; def. Lake Travis, 1-0, 7-1
Hitter of the week: Barrett Johnson went 2-for-3 with an RBI in a 7-1 win.
Pitcher of the week: Tyler Walton did not give up a run on three hits in 4.2 innings with five strikeouts in the 1-0 win.
Next: Saturday vs. Pharr-San Juan Alamo
14. Houston County (Warner Robins, Ga.)
Record: 36-6 |
Last week: 24
Scores: Def. Pope (Marietta), 8-3, 7-4
Hitter of the week: Drew Burress went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI in the 8-3 win. He also went 2-for-4 with a double in the 7-4 win.
Pitcher of the week: Ryker Chavis went all seven innings in the 8-3 win, giving up three runs and striking out six.
Next: Season complete. AAAAAA state champions.
15. Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.)
Record: 28-4 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Tampa Catholic, 1-0; def. Providence School, 5-4 (10), def. North Broward Prep, 9-3
Hitter of the week: Blake Opie went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI in the 9-3 win.
Pitcher of the week: Landen Maroudis went 5.2 innings and gave up no runs on no hits with nine strikeouts against Tampa Catholic.
Next: Season complete. Class 3A state champions.
16. Magnolia Heights (Senatobia, Miss.)
Record: 40-3 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Oak Forest Academy, 16-0, 9-0
Hitter of the week: Cole Prosek hit a home run and drove in two runs in the final.
Pitcher of the week: Cooper Pratt got the win in the finals, giving up no runs on three hits with four strikeouts.
Next: Season complete. MAIS Class AAAAA state champions.
17. St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 30-1-1 |
Last week: 14
Season complete. Washington Catholic Athletic Conference champions.
18. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
Record: 26-7 |
Last week: 17
Scores: Def. Orange Lutheran, 5-1; lost to JSerra Catholic, 1-0
Hitter of the week: Zach Fjelstad went 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI against Orange Lutheran.
Pitcher of the week: Samuel Cova went all seven innings against Orange Lutheran, giving up one run on two hits with five strikeouts.
Next: TBD
19. Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
Record: 28-3 |
Last week: 23
Season complete.
20. Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.)
Record: 27-3 |
Last week: 25
Scores: Def. Menlo-Atherton, 6-3
Hitter/Pitcher of the week: Michael Castaneda went 1-for-3 with two RBI in the win. He also got the win, going 4.1 innings and striking out four.
Next: Wednesday vs. St. Ignatius
21. Sickles (Tampa, Fla.)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Lennard (Ruskin), 2-1; def. Gaither (Tampa), 7-1
Hitter of the week: Caden McDonald went 3-for-4 with a home run, a double and three RBI against Gaither.
Pitcher of the week: Cameron Guise gave up no runs on three hits in four innings with three strikeouts against Lennard.
Next: Tuesday vs. Winter Springs
22. Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa, Calif.)
Record: 25-1 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Saint Mary's (Albany), 3-0
Hitter of the week: Dante Overholser got a basehit in his only at-bat and drove in a run in the win.
Pitcher of the week: Mason Lerma gave up no runs on two hits with six strikeouts in seven innings.
Next: Tuesday vs. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland)
23. Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 31-5 |
Last week: 15
Season complete.
24. Sulphur (La.)
Record: 33-5 |
Last week: 16
Season complete.
25. St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
Record: 28-4 |
Last week: 19
Scores: Def. Detroit Country Day, 8-4, lost to Hartland, 4-3; def. University Liggett, 2-1
Hitter of the week: Parker Brzustewicz went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI against DC.
Pitcher of the week: Aidan Donovan struck out 10 against University Liggett, giving up one run on four hits.
Next: Friday vs. Lakeshore (Stevensville)
Dropped out: No. 10
Concordia Lutheran (Tomball, Texas); No. 12
Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.); No. 21
Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.); No. 22
Corona (Corona, Calif.)
