The semifinals of the National High School Invitational provided a monumental change at the top of the MaxPreps Top 25 baseball rankings and a colossal shift in power from one coast to the other.
Venice (Fla.) provided one of the more shocking wins of the season, if not the history of the NHSI, with a 5-0 win over No. 1-ranked
Corona (Calif.).
The win alone was not as impressive as how the Indians accomplished it. Corona had belted 16 home runs in its previous six games heading into the tournament and was averaging 12 runs per game during that stretch. The pitching staff had also posted 12 shutouts leading up to the NHSI.
Venice turned the tables on Corona, however, limiting the Panthers to a season-low five hits and their first shutout loss since a 2-0 defeat to
La Mirada (Calif.) on April 20, 2024. That was also the last time Corona lost a game, period, with Venice's win ending a 24-game win streak.
Venice prevailed 3-2 in the championship game, making it just the third Florida team to win the national tournament.
The two wins by a pair of Florida teams upended the top of the MaxPreps Top 25 and shifted the power structure of the rankings. Southern California has long been the favorite in the National High School Invitational, winning nine of the 12 tournaments, and has regularly placed multiple teams at the top of the national rankings.
In beating Corona and Huntington Beach, however, Venice and Trinity Christian Academy knocked off the two previous tournament champions (Corona 2024, Huntington Beach 2023) and helped Florida take over the top spot in the rankings.
IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), the 2023 MaxPreps National Champion, moved to the No. 1 spot thanks to its earlier wins over Venice and Trinity Christian Academy. The Ascenders have also posted wins over multiple top 100 teams.
Florida also holds down the No. 2 spot with Venice while Corona drops to No. 3. The Sunshine State has eight teams in the MaxPreps Top 25 with Venice, Trinity Christian Academy and
Spruce Creek (Port Orange, Fla.) all moving in this week.
Other newcomers include
Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), the 2023 national champion, and
Memorial (Houston, Texas). After a 6-4 start, Barbe has won 24 straight to move up to No. 23. Memorial, meanwhile, has won 17 in a row since starting the season 4-3-1. The Mustangs, now No. 24, have also posted nine shutouts in their last 10 games.
Sophomore Kyler Meccage has struck out 19 batters while allowing just three hits in 12.1 inning pitched this season for new No. 1 IMG Academy. (PHOTO: Ansley White)
Corona 8,
Casteel (Queen Creek, Ariz.) 7. Prior to the loss to Venice, Corona's matchup with Casteel was the Panthers' closest thing to a loss this year. Trailing 7-5 in the bottom of the seventh, Corona got a bases-loaded walk to force in a run and make it 7-6.
Ethin Bingaman came to the plate and, with two outs, fouled off four two-strike pitches before rapping a two-run game-ending single to left field that ended the game.
Game to watch: Etowah (Woodstock) vs.
Blessed Trinity (Roswell). A battle between perhaps the top two AAAAAA teams in Georgia and the top AAAA takes place Wednesday with a doubleheader between Etowah and Blessed Trinity. Etowah got as high as No. 3 in the rankings this year before a loss to Houston County last week. Blessed Trinity was on a roll in March, winning 19 straight before losing to a pair of Florida teams last week in Jesuit (Tampa) and IMG Academy.
Pitcher
of the week: Zion Theophilus,
Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio). The Crusaders stayed
unbeaten on the season behind the pitching of their senior standout as
he tossed a no-hitter against Elder and struck out 17 batters.
Hitter of the week: Diego Velazquez,
Crespi (Encino, Calif.). The Celtic senior shortstop provided eight of Crespi's 13 runs last week, going 2-for-4 with two RBI in a 5-0 win and 3-for-4 with a home run and six RBI in an 8-0 win.
Streaks: Owyhee (Meridian, Idaho) won twice last week to stay undefeated at 16-0 and up its win streak to 33 games in a row.
MaxPreps Top 25 baseball rankings
1. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 20-1 |
Last week: No. 2
Scores: Def. Blessed Trinity, 1-0
Pitcher of the week: Oki Hosakawa struck out four in two hitless innings against Blessed Trinity.
Hitter of the week: Sean Gamble went 2-for-2 in the 1-0 win.
Next: Wednesday vs. Inspiration Academy.
2. Venice (Fla.)
Record: 22-3 |
Last week: No. 93
Scores: Def. La Mirada, 3-1; def. Corona del Sol, 4-1; def. Corona, 5-0; def. Trinity Christian Academy, 3-2
Pitcher of the week:
Kasen Poplin threw four and two-thirds innings of shutout ball against
No. 1 Corona, giving up three hits and striking out two. He also pitched
the final two innings against Corona del Sol to get the win.
Hitter of the week: Eddie Zaun had a home run against La Mirada.
Next: Tuesday vs. North Point
3. Corona (Calif.)
Record: 18-1 |
Last week: No. 1
Scores: Def. Casteel (Queen Creek), 8-7; def. Columbus (Miami), 4-1; lost to Venice, 5-0; def. Poly Prep Country Day, 3-1; Def. Santiago (Corona), 4-3
Pitcher of the week: Jason Gerfers got the win over Poly Prep Country Day, giving up one run on three hits and six strikeouts over five innings.
Hitter of the week:
Anthony Murphy went 3-for-4 with a double against Poly Prep Country
Day. The double was the Panthers' only extra-base hit in the NHSI.
Next: Tuesday vs. Santiago (Corona)
4. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Record: 7-0 |
Last week: No. 3
Scores: Def. Elder, 5-0; def. New Richmond, 19-1; def. Brophy College Prep (Ariz.), 3-1
Pitcher of the week: Zion Theophilus threw a seven-inning no-hitter against Elder with 17 strikeouts.
Hitter of the week: Conner Cuozzo went 2-for-3 with a home run against Elder.
Next: Tuesday vs. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.)
5. Puyallup (Wash.)
Record: 13-0 |
Last week: No. 4
Scores: Def. Sumner, 12-2; def. Spanaway Lake, 21-0; def. Sumner, 10-5
Pitcher of the week: Maxwell Schweyen gave up no runs on no hits with two strikeouts and no walks against Spanaway Lake.
Hitter of the week: Noah Benedict went 4-for-4 with two doubles and five RBI against Spanaway Lake.
Next: Tuesday vs. Curtis
6. Harlem (Ga.)
Record: 26-0 |
Last week: No. 7
Scores: Def. Effingham County, 5-4, 6-1; def. Fox Creek, 10-0
Pitcher of the week: Domenic Titus struck out 12 in five innings to get 6-1 win.
Hitter of the week: Austin Fox had a double with two RBI in a 5-4 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Hephzibah
7. Gloucester Catholic (Gloucester City, N.J.)
Record: 5-0 |
Last week: No. 8
Scores: Def. Clearview, 2-1
Pitcher of the week: Jackson Smallets allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts in 2-1 win.
Hitter of the week: Mike Angelo went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI against Clearview.
Next: Wednesday vs. Gloucester County Tech
8. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 22-2 |
Last week: No. 9
Scores: Def. Doral Academy, 10-1; def. Coral Glades, 6-0
Pitcher of the week: Gio Rojas struck out four in two innings in the win.
Hitter of the week: Jake Rizzo had a home run and two RBI against Doral.
Next: Tuesday vs. Western
9. Owasso (Okla.)
Record: 25-1 |
Last week: No. 11
Scores: Def. Jenks, 3-2; def. Cushing, 9-1; def. Tuttle, 9-0; def. Ozark, 3-0
Pitcher of the week: Jaiden Gustafson threw a five-inning no-hitter against Tuttle with four strikeouts.
Hitter of the week: Cooper Auschwitz hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to give Owasso the win over Jenks.
Next: Tuesday vs. Charles Page
10. St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 18-1 |
Last week: No. 19
Scores: Def. Bishop Ireton, 18-1; def. The Heights, 6-0; def. DeMatha, 9-1
Pitcher of the week: Clayton Armah pitched five innings of a three-way combined no-hitter against the Heights, striking out six.
Hitter of the week: Nick Felton went 3-for-4 with a double and a triple against Bishop Ireton.
Next: Tuesday vs. Our Lady of Good Counsel
11. Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Record: 21-4 |
Last week: No. 29
Scores: Def. Stony Brook, 8-2; def. Regis Jesuit, 3-1; def. Huntington Beach, 3-2; lost to Venice, 3-2
Pitcher of the week: Ethan Wheeler struck out 11 and gave up one run on four hits against Regis Jesuit.
Hitter of the week: Gage Petrutz had three RBI against Stony Brook and a double against Regis Jesuit.
Next: Tuesday vs. Episcopal School of Jacksonville
12. Huntington Beach (Calif.)
Record: 15-2 |
Last week: No. 6
Scores: Def. Poly Prep Country Day, 5-4; def. Collierville, 12-1; lost to Trinity Christian Academy, 3-2; def. Edwardsville, 6-3
Pitcher of the week: Jared Grindlinger got the win over Collierville, going four innings and giving up one run on one hit with three strikeouts.
Hitter of the week: Ethan Porter went 3-for-4 with three RBI against Poly Prep Country Day.
Next: Tuesday vs. Los Alamitos
13. Etowah (Woodstock, Ga.)
Record: 23-2 |
Last week: No. 13
Scores: Def. Cherokee, 11-3
Pitcher of the week: Matthew Sharman struck out 11 in win over Cherokee.
Hitter of the week: Colin Anderson had a home run and three RBI in the win.
Next: Wednesday vs. Blessed Trinity
14. Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.)Record: 29-2 |
Last week: No. 14
Scores: Def. Oak Mountain, 8-2; 8-2, 8-6; def. Hoover, 8-0
Pitcher of the week: Christian Helmers struck out 11 and gave up two runs on three hits in a 8-2 win.
Hitter of the week: Cooper Huffman had two doubles and a home run with two RBI in 8-2 win.
Next: Wednesday vs. Hoover
15. Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Record: 24-1 |
Last week: No. 16
Scores: Def. Port Charlotte, 15-0; def. Out-of-Door Academy, 11-1; def. Neumann, 11-1
Pitcher of the week: Joey Lawson threw his third no-hitter of the season, going five innings with four strikeouts against Neumann.
Hitter of the week: Anthony Reitler went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a double and four RBI against Port Charlotte.
Next: Tuesday vs. DeSoto County
16. Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.)
Record: 24-1 |
Last week: No. 17
Scores: Def. Providence School, 11-1; def. Gainesville, 11-4
Pitcher of the week: Wyatt Clarke struck out seven in five innings, giving up one run on one hit against Gainesville.
Hitter of the week: Blake Brewer had two doubles, a home run and four RBI against Gainesville.
Next: Tuesday vs. Forest
17. Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Record: 23-1 |
Last week: No. 10
Scores: Def. Robstown, 15-0; def. Alice, 9-1; lost to Bishop, 3-2
Pitcher of the week: Hayden Brock struck out six in the win over Alice.
Hitter of the week: Wyatt Duke went 2-for-3 with a triple, a home run and five RBI against Robstown.
Next: Tuesday vs. Tuloso-Midway
18. Crespi (Encino, Calif.)
Record: 16-1 |
Last week: No. 2
Scores: Def. Bishop Alemany 5-0, 8-0
Pitcher of the week: Tyler Walton tossed a seven-inning shutout with five strikeouts in an 8-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Diego Velazquez went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run and six RBI in 8-0 win.
Next: April 23 vs. Saugus
19. South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.)
Record: 22-3 |
Last week: No. 23
Scores: Def. Niceville, 3-0; def. Mosley, 10-0; def. Crestview, 12-0; def. Pensacola, 24-1
Pitcher of the week: Denton Lord struck out 11 and gave up no runs on one hit in five innings against Mosley.
Hitter of the week: Frank Wells went 3-for-4 with a home run and an RBI against Mosley.
Next: Tuesday vs. West Florida
20. Conway (Ark.)
Record: 16-0 |
Last week: No. 24
Scores: Def. Jonesboro, 11-1; def. North Little Rock, 17-1; def. Russellville, 12-8
Pitcher of the week: Owen Davenport went three innings and struck out five against Jonesboro.
Hitter of the week: Shaun Cover went 2-for-3 with a home run against Jonesboro.
Next: Tuesday vs. Central (Little Rock)
21. Lutheran South Academy (Houston, Texas)
Record: 29-2-1 |
Last week: No. 25
Scores: Def. Second Baptist, 12-1, 11-1
Pitcher of the week: Grant Burns went six innings and struck out five to beat Second Baptist 11-1.
Hitter of the week: Ryan Reed went 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBI in a 12-1 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Fort Bend Christian Academy
22. Spruce Creek (Port Orange, Fla.)
Record: 23-2 |
Last week: No. 32
Scores: Def. Deltona, 14-4; def. Viera, 9-0
Pitcher of the week: Garrett Grant struck out eight and gave up no runs on three hits in seven innings against Viera.
Hitter of the week: Tyler Boyesen had two home runs and three RBI against Viera.
Next: Tuesday vs. West Port
23. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 30-4 |
Last week: No. 33
Scores: Def. Southside, 4-2, 17-0; def. Grace Christian, 15-0, 18-0
Next: Wednesday vs. St. Louis Catholic
24. Memorial (Houston, Texas)
Record: 21-3-1 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Northbrook, 11-0, 10-0; def. Cypress Ranch, 6-0.
Next: Tuesday vs. Jersey Village
25. Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.)
Record: 15-2 |
Last week: No. 20
Scores: Def. Arrowhead Christian, 11-4; def. Woodcrest Christian, 7-2; lost to Valley Christian (San Jose)
Pitcher of the week: Trevor Busby got the win over Woodcrest, striking out four.
Hitter of the week: Gavin Egan went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI against Arrowhead Christian.
Next: Tuesday vs. North Cobb Christian
