After enjoying a season at or near the top of the MaxPreps Top 25
high school baseball rankings for most of the season, Buford (Ga.) and
Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.) faced the possibility of dropping out this week.
Here's why they're still in the rankings.
Buford, which had been
No. 1 for the vast majority of the season, dropped to No. 14 last week
after a couple of last-inning losses to Pope (Marietta, Ga.) in the
second round of the Class 6A state playoffs. Pope (29-12), which was in
the rankings last week at No. 13, was then eliminated from the
postseason two rounds later by Lassiter and was also dropped from the
rankings. So why is Buford still in this week's rankings?
For
one, Buford has 32 wins on the season and just two losses, both of which
occurred in the last at-bat. Additionally, Pope defeated Buford without
ever facing National Player of the Year candidate Dylan Lesko, who
didn't pitch during the series. In football and basketball rankings, two
losses can be enough to knock a team from the rankings. Not so in
baseball. So even though Buford will not be the Class 6A state champion,
it still deserves to be ranked for its overall body of work.
Jesuit,
meanwhile, picked the wrong time to lose to Jefferson (Tampa, Fla.).
The Tigers had defeated Jefferson four times during the regular season
and in the district tournament. However, Jefferson managed the 3-2 win in
the second round of bi-district play. Like Buford, however, Jesuit's
complete body of work can't be overlooked in favor of Jefferson's win.
Hamilton
(Chandler, Ariz.), was not as fortunate. Since it lost to Alhambra
(23-1), which had a better record than Hamilton, in the semifinals,
Alhambra had to move into the rankings and the Huskies dropped out.
Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), moved into the No. 2 spot, ahead of IMG Academy, after winning the Louisiana Class 5A state championship with a win over West Monroe. Barbe's only two losses came against Southside and Sam Houston, two teams it also defeated. One of Barbe's win was a 1-0, 11-inning thriller in the playoff semifinals.
Barbe had to move ahead of IMG Academy, since it had 16 more wins and the same amount of losses while also playing in a state playoff (IMG Academy does not participate in Florida playoffs). Barbe now faces the opportunity to finish as the final No. 1 team in the nation, a ranking it held in 2014, should current No. 1 Friendswood stumble.
A
total of four teams joined the rankings this week. Besides Lassiter and
Alhambra, Jackson Prep (Miss.) moved in after winning its fourth
straight MAIS championship. In the finals, the Patriots swept
Madison-Ridgeland, a team that had handed Jackson Prep one of its three
losses.
Butler (Vandalia, Ohio), which was ranked No. 2 in the
state coaches association rankings behind Olentangy Orange, moved in
this week after beating Orange on Monday.
Dropped out: Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), Lakeland Christian (Lakeland, Fla.), Parkview Baptist (Baton Rouge, La.), Pope (Marietta, Ga.).
Game
of the Week: Barbe 1, Sam Houston 0, 11 innings. Jack Walker
pitched 10 no-hit innings with 13 strikeouts, but Gavin Guidry got the
win by pitching the top of the 11th. Barbe won the game in the bottom of
the inning when Kyle DeBarge was hit by a pitch, advanced to third and
came home on Donovan LaSalle's fielder's choice. Barbe advanced to the
championship game, where it defeated West Monroe for the Class 5A title.
Player of
the Week: Maxwell Muncy, Thousand Oaks. Another big week for Muncy, who had three home runs, including a grand slam, with 10 RBI in three Thousand Oaks wins last week.
Recruit Watch:
Jack Walker, Barbe. Walker finished a spectacular season season
with a 10-inning no-hitter against Sam Houston in the semifinals of the
Class 5A state tournament. He completed his career with a 13-0 record
and 121 strikeouts.
Game
to Watch: Stoneman Douglas vs. Columbus. The Eagles are
coming off a quarterfinal win over Palm Beach Gardens that included a
walk-off, three-run home run. Columbus (27-4) knocked off Braddock in the
second round and Taravella 2-0 in the quarterfinals.
Milestones:
A pair of longtime Oklahoma coaches called it a career last week
following Roff's win over Red Oak in the Class B championship game. Roff
coach Ead Simon has been named the school's superintendent and will
step down from coaching. His team had a 59-game win streak and won a
fall and spring championship during the past school year. He ends his
career with 1,1,20 wins, according to Iwasatthegame.com. Red Oak coach
Trey Booth, meanwhile, retires with 1,514 career wins, which ranks No. 5
in state history.
Streaks: Webster (Wis.) won three more games last week (9-0) to put its win streak at 46 wins in a row.
Jack Walker, Barbe
Photo by Roddy Johnson
1. Friendswood (Texas)
Record: 27-0 |
Last week: 1
Results: Def. Fulshear, 7-0.
Stats: Jacob Rogers threw a one-hitters with 10 strikeouts in the win.
Next: Sat. vs. Port Neches Groves.
2. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 39-2 |
Last week: 3
Results: Def Sam Houston, 1-0, in 11 innings; def. West Monroe, 5-0 for Class 5A state championship.
Stats:
Jack Walker threw a 10-inning no-hitter against Sam Houston while
Gavin Guidry had a two-hitter with nine strikeouts against West Monroe.
Next: Season over. Louisiana Class 5A state champions.
3. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 23-2 |
Last week: 2
Next: Season over
4. St. Mary Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
Record: 30-1 |
Last week: 6
Results: Def. Grand Blanc, 13-3; def. Dexter, 12-1; def. Catholic Central, 7-2
Stats:
Alex Mooney was 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI against Grand Blanc.
Nolan Schubart was 2-for-4 with double and three RBI against Dexter. Ike Irish had a home run against Catholic Central.
Next: Tue. vs. Grosse Pointe North.
5. Thousand Oaks (Calif.)
Record: 22-0 |
Last week: 7
Results: Def. Calabasas, 5-3, 7-3; def. Newbury Park, 8-3.
Stats: Cody Carson struck out 10 and
Maxwell Muncy hit a home run in the 5-3 win.
Dylan Jackson
and Muncy each homered in the second game. Muncy also had a double and a
grand slam against Newbury Park with Jackson adding a home run.
Next: Wed./Fri. vs. Newbury Park
6. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 26-2 |
Last week: 8
Results: Def. Park Vista, 5-3; def. Palm Beach Gardens, 6-4
Stats:
Santiago Ordonez had a double and a walk-off, three-run home run against Palm
Beach Gardens.
Chris Arroyo hit a home run against Park Vista.
Next: Fri. vs. Columbus (Miami)
7. Madison Central (Madison, Miss.)
Record: 30-2 |
Last week: 5
Results: Def. Starkville 14-1, lost 3-2, won 19-1.
Stats:
Braden Montgomery struck out 11 and
Ross Highfill and
Connor Nation
each homered in the first win over Starkville. Nation also hit three
doubles and
Connor Chisolm hit a home run in the 19-1 win.
Next: Thur. vs. Tupelo
8. Gregory-Portland (Portland, Texas)
Record: 33-2-1 |
Last week: 10
Results: Def. Sharyland, 3-2, 7-0
Stats:
Robbie Spencer had two doubles and got the win in the first game while
Malachi Lott and
Walker Janek combined for a no-hitter in the second
game.
Next: Fri. vs. Carroll (Corpus Christi)
9. Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Record: 22-4 |
Last week: 15
Results: Did not play
Next: Playoffs Friday, opponent TBD
10. Lake Travis (Austin, Texas)
Record: 29-4-2 |
Last week: 16
Results: Def. Churchill (San Antonio), 4-1, 6-0.
Stats: Luke Jackson had eight strikeouts in the first win while
Ethan Roark had 10 strikeouts in the second game.
Next: Fri. vs. Round Rock.
11. Reagan (San Antonio, Texas)
Record: 33-4 |
Last week: 17
Results: Def. Cedar Ridge, 11-1, 6-1.
Stats:
Stayton Ankrom,
Britton Moore and
Cole Tabor each had a triple in the
first win and
Ryan Beaird had 10 strikeouts in the second win.
Next: Sat. vs. Smithson Valley
12. Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.)
Record: 21-1 |
Last week: 18
Results: Def. Central (Fresno), 5-3, 13-0, 5-2.
Next: Tue./Thur/Sat vs. Clovis West.
13. Roff (Okla.)
Record: 33-0 |
Last week: 19
Season over, Oklahoma Class B state champions.
14. Trinity (Louisville, Ky.)
Record: 23-1 |
Last week: 21
Results: Def. Silver Creek, 3-2; def. Bardstown, 6-0; def. Christian Academy, 4-0; def. St. Henry, 10-6, def. Ashland Blazer, 6-2.
Stats: Daylen Lile hit a triple and home run against Christian Academy and a double and a home run against St. Henry.
Next: Tue. vs. Butler; Wed. vs. Collins.
15. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Record: 22-2 |
Last week: 24
Results: Def. Santa Margarita, 19-14, 10-0, 2-0.
Stats: Gabe Miranda and
Mikey Romero each had a home run and
Matthew Polk had a grand slam in the first game.
Next: Tues/Wed. vs. St. John Bosco.
16. Allatoona (Acworth, Ga.)
Record: 32-6 |
Last week: 12
Results: Def. Glynn Academy, 6-2, 9-1; def. Houston County, 6-0, lost to Houston County, 6-1.
Stats:
Aidan Jolley went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI in the first game
while
Hunter Paulsen had a home run in the second game against Glynn
Academy.
Next: Houston County, TBD
17. Buford (Ga.)
Record: 32-2 |
Last week: 14
Season over.
18. St. Christopher's (Richmond, Va.)
Record: 20-0-1 |
Last week: 23
Results: Def. Woodberry Forest, 5-3; def. St. Anne's Belfield, 14-1, 14-0.
Next: Postseason, opponents TBD.
19. Jackson Prep (Jackson, Miss.)
Record: 35-3 |
Last week: NR
Results: Def. Madison Ridgeland Academy, 3-0, 5-1
Season over, MAIS state champion
20. Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)
Record: 26-3 |
Last week: 4
Results: Lost to Jefferson, 3-2.
Season over.
21. Puyallup (Wash.)
Record: 16-0 |
Last week: 22
Season over.
22. Auburn (Ala.)
Record: 32-6 |
Last week: 25
Results: Def. Central, 7-6, 2-1
Stats: Riley Austin had two home runs in the first game.
Next: Wed./Thur. vs. Hoover
23. Alhambra (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Record: 23-1 |
Last week: NR
Results: Def. Hamilton, 3-2
Next: Tue. vs. Liberty, Class 6A state championship game.
24. Butler (Vandalia, Ohio)
Record: 25-2 |
Last week: NR
Results: Def. Olentangy Orange, 3-2
Next: Postseason, opponent TBD
25. Lassiter (Marietta, Ga.)
Record: 32-6 |
Last week: NR
Results: Def. Pope, 3-2, 3-0
Next: Class 6A championship game, opponent TBD
