No. 2 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings, Puyallup got a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts from MaxPreps National Player of the Year candidate
Mason Pike in the state tournament opener against
Moses Lake. The Vikings then rallied from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh to defeat
Lake Stevens 7-6. That sends them to the Class 4A semifinals and a meeting with
Lake Washington (Kirkland) on Friday.
Corona, meanwhile, got an impressive performance from its own POY candidate
Seth Hernandez. In an 11-2 win over
Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) in the second round of the Southern Section Division 1 tournament, Hernandez hit two home runs with six RBI and also struck out 10 batters for the pitching win.
Puyallup and Corona have the best chance to knock
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) off its perch at No. 1. Puyallup's potential undefeated season would be an impressive line on its resume while Corona's potential run through, perhaps, the toughest postseason tournament in the nation would weigh in its favor.
IMG Academy's strong points include wins over state champions
The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.),
Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.),
St. John's (Washington, D.C.), and
Magnolia Heights (Senatobia, Miss.).
A total of four teams moved into the rankings this week.
Grapevine and
Kingwood have emerged as favorites in their respective brackets in Texas.
Miami Springs (Fla.) joined the MaxPreps Top 25 for the first time this year after back-to-back wins over
Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.) and
South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.). Aforementioned Blessed Trinity returned to the rankings after winning the Georgia AAAA championship.
Game of the week: Blessed Trinity def.
Cartersville (Ga.), 7-6. The Titans rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 6-6. In the bottom of the eighth,
Carson Zagryn singled with two outs to score
Andrew Cochran from second base. The win gave Blessed Trinity the Class AAAA championship.
Game to watch: St. John Bosco vs. Corona. Winners of arguably the toughest league in the nation, St. John Bosco went 14-1 in Trinity League play. Ranked No. 9 this week, the Braves take on Corona.
Pitcher of the week: Mason Pike, Puyallup. The Viking senior improved his record to 11-0 with his best outing of the season. He struck out 17 in a seven-inning no-hitter against Moses Lake in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs. He now has 110 strikeouts and a 0.22 ERA on the season.
Hitter of the week: Seth Hernandez, Corona. Known more for his pitching, Hernandez can also swing a bat. The Panther senior belted two home runs with six RBI in an 11-2 win over Los Osos. He has seven home runs on the season.
Streaks:
Hempfield (Landisville, Pa.) had its 29-game winning streak come to an end with an 8-5 loss to
Cedar Cliff (Camp Hill). That left
Blanchard (Okla.), which finished its season May 17 with a Class 4A state championship, as the active leader with 27 wins in a row. However, Puyallup passed Blanchard on Saturday with a pair of wins to give the Vikings 28 wins in a row.
After losing its last five regular season games, Blessed Trinity went 10-2 in the postseason en route to Georgia's Class AAAA state championship. (PHOTO: Cecil Copeland)
1. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 24-1 |
Last week: No. 1
Season complete.
2. Puyallup (Wash.)
Record: 28-0 |
Last week: No. 2
Scores: Def. Moses Lake, 5-0; def. Lake Stevens, 6-5
Pitcher of the week: Mason Pike delivered is best outing of the season with a 17-strikeout no-hitter in a seven-inning 5-0 win over Moses Lake.
Hitter of the week: Noah Benedict went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run and three RBI against Moses Lake.
Next: Friday vs. Lake Washington
3. Corona (Calif.)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: No. 3
Scores: Def. Los Osos, 11-2; def. Norco, 2-0
Pitcher of the week: Ethin Bingaman struck out eight in a seven-inning one-hit shutout of Norco.
Hitter of the week: Seth Hernandez had two home runs and six RBI in the 11-2 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. St. John Bosco
4. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 31-2 |
Last week: No. 4
Season complete. Class 7A state champion.
5. St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 30-1 |
Last week: No. 5
Season complete. WCAC champions.
6. Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Record: 32-2 |
Last week: No. 8
Scores: Def. Tuloso-Midway, 1-0 (10)
Pitcher of the week: Collier Carroll threw nine shutout innings with three hits and seven strikeouts in a no-decision.
Hitter of the week: Drayson Gamez had a pair of hits in the 1-0 win.
Next: Saturday vs. China Spring
7. Lutheran South Academy (Houston)
Record: 36-3-1 |
Last week: No. 9
Season complete. TAPPS Division II state champion.
8. The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.)
Record: 30-4 |
Last week: No. 11
Scores: Def. Saint Andrew's, 3-2; def. Trinity Christian Academy, 7-2
Pitcher of the week: Kyle Hopper struck out nine to get the 3-2 win over Saint Andrew's.
Hitter of the week: Erick Martinez went 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI in the 7-2 win.
9. St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
Record: 25-4 |
Last week: No. 12
Scores: Def. Vista Murrieta, 5-4; def. Villa Park, 4-3
Pitcher of the week: Jack Champlin gave up no hits in the final two and a third innings with three strikeouts in the win over Villa Park.
Hitter of the week: Noah Everly went 3-for-3 with a doubles and two RBI in the 5-4 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Corona
10. Crespi (Encino, Calif.)
Record: 24-2 |
Last week: No. 13
Scores: Def. El Dorado, 5-2; def. Mira Costa, 3-2
Pitcher of the week: Jackson Eisenhauer went seven innings and gave up two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts against El Dorado.
Hitter of the week: Gavin Huff went 2-for-3 against El Dorado.
Next: Tuesday vs. Santa Margarita
11. Catholic (Baton Rouge, La.)
Record: 37-5 |
Last week: No. 14
Season complete. Division I Select state champion.
12. Grapevine (Texas)
Record: 33-3 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Lubbock-Cooper, 4-0, 13-8
Pitcher of the week: Luke Esquivel went seven innings and gave up two hits and no runs with 12 strikeouts in 4-0 win.G
Hitter of the week: Gianni Corral went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in 13-8 win.
Next: Thursday vs. Lovejoy (Lucas)
13. Kingwood (Texas)
Record: 36-3 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Katy Taylor, 2-1, 8-4
Pitcher of the week: Ryder Renfro got the save in the 2-1 win and also pitched the final inning in the 8-4 victory.
Hitter of the week: Brian Schumacher went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI in the 8-4 win.
Next: Thursday vs. Dripping Springs
14. Walton (Marietta, Ga.)
Record: 33-8 |
Last week: No. 23
Scores: Def. Lowndes, 7-0, 10-3
Pitcher of the week: Hyland Brown threw a seven-inning shutout, giving up three hits while striking out three.
Hitter of the week: Walker Killimet went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI in the 10-3 win.
15. American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.)
Record: 29-6 |
Last week: No. 17
Scores: Def. Mulberry, 6-1
Pitcher of the week: Mark Aleman got the win over Mulberry, going five innings and striking out five.
Hitter of the week: R.J. Machado went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the title game.
16. St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Record: 29-6-1 |
Last week: No. 15
Season complete. Class 6A state champion.
17. Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 37-8 |
Last week: No. 18
Season complete. Division I Non-Select state champion.
18. Teurlings Catholic (Lafayette, La.)
Record: 34-5 |
Last week: No. 21
Season complete. Division II Select state champion.
19. Miami Springs (Fla.)
Record: 28-3 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. South Walton, 2-1
Pitcher of the week: Magdiel Estevez got the win over South Walton, giving up one run on two hits with six strikeouts.
Hitter of the week: Justin Mercado had the best hit of the title game with a triple.
20. Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.)
Record: 33-9 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Lost to Cartersville, 6-3; def. Cartersville, 7-3, 7-6
Pitcher of the week: Joseph Contreras had eight strikeouts in the 7-3 win.
Hitter of the week: Terrance Bowen went 2-for-3 with a home run in the 7-6 win.
21. Basic (Henderson, Nev.)
Record: 24-7 |
Last week: No. 22
Season complete. Class 5A state champion.
22. Magnolia Heights (Senatobia, Miss.)
Record: 39-5 |
Last week: No. 24
Season complete. MSAIS Class 5A champion.
23. South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.)
Record: 31-4 |
Last week: No. 7
Scores: Lost to Miami Springs, 2-1
24. Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.)
Record: 33-3 |
Last week: No. 10
Season complete.
25. Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Record: 30-5 |
Last week: No. 6
Scores: Def. Berkeley Prep, 1-0; lost to First Academy, 7-2
Pitcher of the week: Aaron Watson threw a one-hit shutout with seven strikeouts against Berkeley Prep.
Hitter of the week: Brady Harris went 2-for-2 with the only one run scored in the 1-0 win.
Dropped
out: No. 10
Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.), No. 19
Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), No. 20
Huntington Beach (Calif.), No. 25
Purvis (Miss.)
