IMG Academy finishes its season No. 1 in MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings – but will it stay there?

IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) finished the regular season with a 24-1 record and sits at No. 1 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings. That doesn't mean the Ascenders are a lock to be crowned national champions, however.

While the odds are in IMG Academy's favor, there is a possibility that other teams could move ahead. The Ascenders don't participate in a state tournament and do not face the rigors of a postseason run. That being said, a team will likely have to finish undefeated in order to displace the Florida sports academy.

The MaxPreps Top 25 features only four unbeaten teams at this point, including No. 3 Puyallup (Wash.), No. 4 Harlem (Ga.), No. 5 Gloucester Catholic (Gloucester City, N.J.) and No. 17 Conway (Ark.). No. 16 South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.) has the only win over IMG Academy but the three losses would likely prevent the Seahawks from overtaking the Ascenders.

The rankings remained almost unchanged this week, although Texas teams Calallen (Corpus Christi) and Lutheran South Academy (Houston) both lost and dropped to No. 21 and 22, respectively. Huntington Beach (Calif.) was the only team to drop out after a pair of league losses to Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.). The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.) moved in at No. 25.

Game of the week: Gloucester Catholic def. Kingsway, 1-0. The Rams rallied for a run in the bottom of the seventh to pull out the win over Kingsway and stay undefeated. With runners at second and third base with two outs, Noah Danza singled home the winning run.

Game to watch: Crespi (Encino, Calif.) vs. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.). A perennial member of the MaxPreps Top 25, Harvard-Westlake is 16-7 this year and second place in the Mission League behind Crespi. The winner of this series likely wins the league championship.

Pitcher of the week: Domenic Titus, Harlem. The entire pitching staff at Harlem gets the nod here thanks to three no-hitters in its last four games. Titus had the most recent with a four-inning no-no in a 15-0 win over Mt. Zion with nine strikeouts.

Hitter of the week: Braeden Lipoff, Gloucester Catholic. In a 14-5 win over St. Augustine Prep, Lipoff went 5-for-5 with two doubles, two home runs and seven RBI.


1. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 24-1 | Last week: No. 1
Scores: Def. Sunshine State Elite Academy, 7-0; def. Central Pointe Christian Academy, 11-1
Pitcher of the week: Parker Jennings allowed no runs on one hit with five strikeouts in five innings in a 7-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Nathan Eisfelder went 3-for-3 with a home run, four runs scored and two RBI in the 11-1 win.
Next: Season complete

2. Venice (Fla.)
Record: 26-3 | Last week: No. 2
Scores: Def. Olympia, 18-3; 11-1
Pitcher of the week: Jackson Lucas went four innings and gave up no runs on three hits with two strikeouts in 11-1 win.
Hitter of the week: Jonathan Mauro went 2-for-3 with two home runs and two RBI in the 11-1 win.
Next: Wednesday vs. Newsome

3. Puyallup (Wash.)
Record: 20-0 | Last week: No. 3
Scores: Def. Rogers, 12-5, 9-4; def. Yelm, 16-3; def. Eastlake, 4-2
Pitcher of the week: Mason Pike continues to rack up impressive performances as he went six innings and gave up no runs on two hits with 10 strikeouts in six innings in a 12-5 win.
Hitter of the week: Gage Thompson went 2-for-2 with a home run, four runs and four RBI against Yelm.
Next: Wednesday vs. Graham-Kapowsin

4. Harlem (Ga.)
Record: 31-0 | Last week: No. 4
Scores: Def. Mt. Zion, 15-0, 13-0
Pitcher of the week: Domenic Titus threw a four-inning no-hitter in a 15-0 win with nine strikeouts. It was the third no-hitter for Harlem in the past four games.
Hitter of the week: Steven Harshbarger had a home run in the 15-0 win.
Next: Thursday vs. Whitewater

5. Gloucester Catholic (Gloucester City, N.J.)
Record: 10-0 | Last week: No. 5
Scores: Def. Washington Township, 15-2; def. St. Augustine Prep, 14-5; def. Kingsway, 1-0
Pitcher of the week: Jackson Smallets struck out 12 and walked just one in a 14-5 win.
Hitter of the week: Braeden Lipoff went 5-for-5 with two doubles, two home runs, four runs scored and seven RBI in a 14-5 win.
Next: Thursday tournament, TBD

6. Corona (Calif.)
Record: 24-2 | Last week: No. 6
Scores: Def. Centennial, 11-2, 10-5; def. St. Mary's (Stockton), 13-3; def. Roosevelt (Eastvale), 8-0
Pitcher of the week: Seth Hernandez struck out 10 in five innings and gave up one run on one hit in a 10-5 win.
Hitter of the week: Anthony Murphy continued his hot streak at the plate as he had a double and a home run in a 10-5 win and added a double and a triple in a 13-3 win over St. Mary's.
Next: Tuesday vs. Roosevelt (Eastvale)

7. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 25-2 | Last week: No. 7
Scores: Def. Cypress Bay, 3-0, 6-2
Pitcher and hitter of the week: Gio Rojas had another big outing, striking out 13 in six and a third innings while giving up zero runs on two hits in a 3-0 win. Rojas also had a home run and three RBI in a 6-2 win.
Next: Wednesday vs. Taravella

8. St. John's (Washington, D.C.)
Record: 24-1 | Last week: No. 8
Scores: Def. Gonzaga, 11-10; def. St. Mary's Ryken, 10-0; def. Archbishop Spalding, 14-4
Pitcher of the week: Ren Devereaux struck out seven in five innings and gave up no runs on two hits in 10-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Nick Felton had a double, triple and a home run in 14-4 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Paul VI

9. Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Record: 26-4 | Last week: No. 9
Scores: Def. Maclay, 10-0; def. Episcopal (Jacksonville), 1-0
Pitcher of the week: Ethan Wheeler struck out nine and walked none while giving up no runs on two hits in five innings of 10-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Aiden Arnett went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI against Maclay.
Next: Tuesday vs. Episcopal (Jacksonville)

10. Etowah (Woodstock, Ga.)
Record: 30-2 | Last week: No. 11
Scores: Def. Richmond Hill, 6-5, 7-1
Pitcher of the week: Jackson Rose struck out nine and gave up one run on six hits in six innings in 7-1 win.
Hitter of the week: Deion Cole had a double in a 6-5 win and a home run in a 7-1 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Carrollton

11. Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.)
Record: 33-2 | Last week: No. 12
Scores: Def. Sparkman, 4-0, 5-1
Pitcher of the week: Hudson Mitchell struck out eight and gave up one run on two hits in 5-1 win.
Hitter of the week: Cooper Huffman homered in the 5-1 win over Sparkman.
Next: Friday vs. Bob Jones (Madison)

12. Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.)
Record: 29-1 | Last week: No. 13
Scores: Def. Aubrey Rogers, 12-5; def. McKeel Academy, 9-3
Pitcher of the week: Tyler Reeder threw two and third no-hit innings with three strikeouts for the save against Aubrey Rogers.
Hitter of the week: Nick Raber had a pair of doubles and three RBI in the 12-5 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. McKeel Academy

13. Buchholz (Gainesville, Fla.)
Record: 28-1 | Last week: No. 14
Scores: Def. First Coast, 5-1, 9-2
Pitcher of the week: Wyatt Clarke had eight strikeouts in three innings for the win in a 9-2 victory.
Hitter of the week: J.J. Gardner hit home runs in both games against First Coast.
Next: Wednesday vs. Tate (Catonment)

14. Owasso (Okla.)
Record: 31-2 | Last week: No. 16
Scores: Def. Southmoore, 11-2; def. Broken Arrow, 9-2; def. Enid, 3-1
Pitcher and Hitter of the week: Kooper Ranallo had nine strikeouts and gave up two runs on five hits in a 11-2 win. He also had a home run against Southmoore and was 4-for-5 with a double against Broken Arrow.
Next: Tuesday vs. Enid

15. Crespi (Encino, Calif.)
Record: 18-1 | Last week: No. 17
Scores: Def. Saugus, 8-2; def. La Salle, 10-1
Pitcher of the week: Jackson Eisenhauer went four innings and gave up no runs on no hits with five strikeouts in 8-2 win.
Hitter of the week: Josh Stonehouse had three doubles and two RBI in 8-2 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Harvard-Westlake

16. South Walton (Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.)
Record: 27-3 | Last week: No. 18
Scores: Def. Bay, 10-0; def. West Nassau, 11-3
Pitcher of the week: Denton Lord pitched five innings of a combined six-inning no-hitter against Bay, striking out 12 and walking none.
Hitter of the week: Braxton Varnes went 3-for-3 with triple against Bay.
Next: Tuesday vs. West Nassau

17. Conway (Ark.)
Record: 21-0 | Last week: No. 19
Scores: Def. Catholic, 10-0; def. Little Rock Christian Academy, 3-0; def. Bentonville, 5-3
Pitcher of the week: Owen Davenport struck out six against Catholic for the win and fanned three against Little Rock Christian for the save.
Hitter of the week: Carter Crow went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI in 10-0 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Little Rock Southwest

18. Spruce Creek (Port Orange, Fla.)
Record: 27-2 | Last week: No. 21
Scores: Def. Atlantic Coast, 4-1, 10-0
Pitcher of the week: Garrett Grant gave up no runs on two hits with six strikeouts in 10-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Lamar Edwards went 3-for-3 with a double in 4-1 win.
Next: Wednesday vs. Creekside

19. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 34-4 | Last week: No. 22
Scores: Def. Central (Baton Rouge), 1-0, 1-0
Pitcher of the week: Jairus Miller threw a one-hitter and raised record to 12-0 in 1-0 win.
Next: Friday vs. Dutchtown (Geismar)

20. Memorial (Houston, Texas)
Record: 25-3-1 | Last week: No. 23
Scores: Def. Stratford (Houston), 4-1, 9-2
Pitcher of the week: Grant Sperandio struck out eight and gave up one run on three hits in 4-1 win.
Hitter of the week: Will Van Wie went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in 4-1 win.
Next: Playoffs

21. Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Record: 26-2 | Last week: No. 15
Scores: Def. Zapata, 13-0; lost to Reagan (San Antonio), 5-4
Pitcher of the week: Drayton Mitchell struck out 10 and gave up no runs on no hits in four innings against Zapata.
Hitter of the week: Chase Lynch went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI and a triple against Zapata.
Next: Thursday vs. Valley View

22. Lutheran South Academy (Houston, Texas)
Record: 32-3-1 | Last week: No. 20
Scores: Lost to Central Catholic, 6-5; def. Waltrip, 10-0
Hitter of the week: Omar Serna went 3-for-3 with a home run against Waltrip.
Next: Tuesday vs. St. Joseph (Victoria)

23. Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.)
Record: 17-4-1 | Last week: No. 24
Scores: Def. Washington (Fremont), 5-0; def. Folsom, 3-1
Pitcher of the week: Brock Ketelsen struck out six in the win over Washington.
Hitter of the week: Quinten Marsh went 2-for-2 with a double and three RBI in 3-1 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Archbishop Riordan

24. Aquinas (San Bernardino, Calif.)
Record: 21-2 | Last week: No. 25
Scores: Def. Arrowhead Christian, 11-6, 13-3; def. Ontario Christian, 15-3
Pitcher of the week: Hayden Vanderhoof went five innings and gave up three runs on two hits with nine strikeouts in 13-3 win.
Hitter of the week: Mason Greenhouse went 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI in 11-6 win. He also had a double and a home run against Ontario Christian.
Next: Wednesday vs. Jurupa Valley

25. The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.)
Record: 25-4 | Last week: No. 26
Scores: Def. Melbourne Central Catholic, 23-0, 12-0; def. John Carroll Catholic, 4-3
Pitcher of the week: Thomas Achey struck out seven in the 12-0 win.
Hitter of the week: Jonah Reeves hit a grand slam in the 23-0 win. It was one of eight home runs by eight different players in the win.
Next: Tuesday vs. John Carroll Catholic

Dropped out: No. 10 Huntington Beach (Calif.)