Corona made its pitch for No. 1 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings – and ultimately the national championship – with a convincing 5-0 win over
Harvard-Westlake (Studio City) in California's Southern Section Division 1 title game Saturday.
Ethan Schiefelbein, who is headed to UCLA, tossed a seven-inning shutout with nine strikeouts to beat the Wolverines, who had knocked off
Orange Lutheran (Orange) in the semifinals. With the win, Corona moves to 30-3 on the season.
However, the Panthers aren't finished yet. Corona has the opportunity to compete in the Southern California regional playoffs starting May 28.
Last year,
JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) won the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs but chose not to play in the regional playoffs. As a result,
Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita) won the SoCal regional despite losing in the Southern Section playoffs. CIF teams are not required to play in the regional.
If Corona chooses to play in the regional, then it has the opportunity for at least three more games and a chance to add to its resume in the hopes of overtaking
Catholic (Baton Rouge, La.) for the No. 1 spot. Should Corona decline the invitation, its season would be complete at 30-3.
Flower Mound (Texas) continued to make its case for No. 1 with a two-game series win over
Prosper. The Jaguars advance to the Region 1 semifinal against
Keller.
Another team to watch is
Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.). One week after winning the CHSL tournament championship over
St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake), the Warriors took two games from
Northville, which was ranked No. 2 in the state by the state coaches association. Brother Rice is 34-1 on the season and moves up seven spaces from No. 12 to No. 5 this week.
Dropped out: No. 8
Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas), No. 14 Prosper, No. 24
Huntington Beach (Calif.)Newcomers: No. 20
Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.), No. 21
Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.), No. 23
Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)Game of the Week: Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.) def.
Windermere (Fla.), 3-2 (8). The Eagles won their fourth straight Class 7A state championship with a walk-off single by
Nick Diaz in the bottom of the eighth.
Game to Watch: Tomball (Texas) vs.
Rockwall (Texas). With 23 straight wins, Tomball's win streak is second only to Flower Mound (24 in a row) in Class 6A in Texas. Tomball moves up to No. 4 in the MaxPreps Top 25 and faces
Rockwall (27-10-1) in the Region 2 semifinals.
Player of the Week: Braden Booth,
Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.). Excelling on the mound and at the plate, Booth went seven innings for a win in the championship series against
Central (Phenix City, Ala.) and also hit a pair of home runs during the series.
Streaks:
Eaton (Colo.) won three games last week to move to 24-0 and put
its active win streak at 65 games in a row. The total ties Eaton with
Waxahachie (Texas), which won 65 in a row from 1924-27, for eighth
place on the all-time list.
In California's Southern Section Division 1 final, UCLA-bound Ethan Schiefelbein turned in a dominant performance on the mound for No. 2 Corona in a 5-0 win over Harvard-Westlake. (File photo: Duy Pham)
Record: 38-2 |
Last week: 1
Season complete. Select Division 1 state champion.
2. Corona (Calif.)
Record: 30-3 |
Last week: 2
Scores: Def. Huntington Beach, 3-1; def. Harvard-Westlake, 5-0
Hitter of the week: Sam Burgess went 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI in the 5-0 win.
Pitcher of the week: Ethan Schiefelbein went all seven innings against Harvard-Westlake, giving up no runs on two hits with nine strikeouts and no walks.
Next: TBD
3. Flower Mound (Texas)
Record: 36-3 |
Last week: 3
Scores: Def. Prosper, 1-0, 5-3
Hitter of the week: Zane Becker had key two-run double in 5-3 win.
Pitcher of the week: Josh Glaser tossed a seven-inning shutout on two hits with eight strikeouts and two walks in 1-0 win.
Next: Friday vs. Keller
4. Tomball (Texas)
Record: 35-3 |
Last week: 9
Scores: Def. Willis, 5-4, 1-0
Pitcher/Hitter of the week: Karson Reeder gave up no runs on two hits with seven strikeouts and no walks in 1-0 win. He also went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in 5-4 win.
Next: Friday vs. Rockwall
5. Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.)
Record: 34-1 |
Last week: 12
Scores: Def. Edison, 7-2, 13-3, def. Northville 10-0, 8-1
Hitter of the week: Chase VanAmeyde had a home run and three RBI in 13-3 win.
Pitcher of the week: Aiden Pack gave up one run on two hits with seven strikeouts in 7-2 win.
Next: Wednesday vs. Stevenson
6. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 26-5 |
Last week: 10
Scores: Def. West Broward, 4-0; def. Vero Beach, 9-7; def. Windermere, 3-2
Hitter of the week: Nick Diaz hit a home run, had two RBI and three runs scored against Vero Beach.
Pitcher of the week: Jayden Dubanewicz gave up no runs on three hits with six strikeouts and one walk over seven innings against West Broward.
Next: Season complete. Class 7A state champion.
7. Jackson Prep (Jackson, Miss.)
Record: 39-4 |
Last week: 4
Scores: Def. Presbyterian Christian, 3-2, 2-6, 9-4
Hitter of the week: Chris Maddux went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, and three RBI in 9-4 win.
Pitcher of the week: Konnor Griffin struck out nine and gave up two runs on six hits in 3-2 win.
Next: Season complete. MAIS Class 6A state champion.
8. North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek, Fla.)
Record: 26-3 |
Last week: 11
2Scores: Def. St. John Paul II Academy, 13-0
Hitter of the week: Thomas Gramesty III went 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI.
Pitcher of the week: Mateo Gray went five innings for the win, giving up no runs on three hits with eight strikeouts.
Next: Tuesday vs. Bishop Verot
9. Harlem (Ga.)
Record: 40-1 |
Last week: 13
Scores: Def. Calvary Day, 13-5, 7-0
Hitter of the week: Will Holder went 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored in 13-5 win.
Pitcher of the week: Caden Coile went the distance for a 7-0 shutout, giving up seven hits and striking out seven.
Next: Season complete. Class AAA state champion
10. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
Record: 27-5-1 |
Last week: 7
Scores: Def. Orange Lutheran, 4-2; lost to Corona, 5-0
Hitter of the week: James Tronstein went 2-for-4 in 4-2 win.
Pitcher of the week: Jacob Magna went 4.2 innings for the win over Orange Lutheran, striking out two and giving up one run.
Next: TBD
11. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Record: 25-7 |
Last week: 6
Scores: Lost to Harvard-Westlake, 4-2
Hitter of the week: Brady Murrietta went 2-for-4 with a double against Harvard-Westlake.
Pitcher of the week: Ross Clark gave up no runs on two hits with four strikeouts in 4-2 loss.
Next: TBD
12. North Cobb Christian (Kennesaw, Ga.)
Record: 34-4 |
Last week: 15
Scores: Did not play
Next: Monday vs. Appling County
13. Granada (Livermore, Calif.)
Record: 27-1 |
Last week: 16
Scores: Def. Dublin, 7-0; def. James Logan, 11-1
Hitter of the week: Quinn Boyd had a home run and two RBI in 11-1 win.
Pitcher of the week: Parker Warner struck out six in 4.2 innings pitched with no runs on two hits against Dublin.
Next: Tuesday vs. Acalanes (Walnut Creek)
14. Valley View (Jonesboro, Ark.)
Record: 31-2 |
Last week: 17
Scores: Def. Maumelle, 5-0
Hitter of the week: Noah Ragsdale went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and an RBI.
Pitcher of the week: Lance Davis went six innings for the win, giving up no runs on two hits with six strikeouts.
Next: Season complete. Class 5A state champion.
15. West Monroe (La.)
Record: 31-8 |
Last week: 18
Season complete. Non-Select Division 1 state champion.
16. Grapevine (Texas)
Record: 34-4 |
Last week: 19
Scores: Def. Rider, 3-1, 4-0
Hitter of the week: Sammy Kelley went 1-for-3 with a triple and two RBI in 3-1 win.
Pitcher of the week: JoJo Kubo went six innings and gave up no runs on two hits with five strikeouts in 4-0 win.
Next: Friday vs. Lubbock Cooper
17. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Record: 25-2 |
Last week: 20
Scores: Def. Goshen, 11-1
Hitter of the week: Jovan Love went 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI in win.
Pitcher of the week: Zion Theophilus struck out 10 and gave up one run on two hits in five innings against Goshen.
Next: Tuesday vs. Hamilton
18. Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.)
Record: 36-5 |
Last week: 23
Scores: Def. Science Hill, 9-4, 18-0
Hitter of the week: Jake Merrick went 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in 18-0 win.
Pitcher of the week: MIchael Delph went six innings for the 9-4 win, striking out nine.
Next: Tuesday vs. Beech
19. Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.)
Record: 24-6 |
Last week: 25
Scores: Def. Bishop Snyder, 8-6
Hitter of the week: Aiden Arnett went 1-for-3 with three RBI in win.
Pitcher of the week: Brady Harris struck out nine against Bishop Snyder.
Next: Tuesday vs. Westminster Christian (Miami)
20. Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.)
Record: 35-6 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Grayson, 4-3, 4-2
Hitter of the week: Coleman Lewis went 3-for-5 in the 4-3 win.
Pitcher of the week: Noah Thigpen threw nine innings in a 4-3 win, striking out seven.
Next: Season complete. Class AAAAAAA state champion.
21. Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.)
Record: 44-9 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Central (Phenix City), 6-1; lost to Central, 6-3; def. Central, 12-5
Hitter/Pitcher of the week: Braden Booth went 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in 12-5 win. He also had a home run in the 6-1 win. He also went seven innings and gave up one run on two hits with seven strikeouts in 6-1 win.
Next: Season complete. Class 7A state champion.
22. Central (Phenix City, Ala.)
Record: 40-5 |
Last week: 5
Scores: Lost to Bob Jones, 6-1, def. Bob Jones, 6-3; lost to Bob Jones, 12-5
Hitter of the week: Landon Beaver went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI in the 6-3 win.
Pitcher of the week: Brody Stamp got the win over Bob Jones, allowing one run on one hit with three strikeouts.
Next: Season complete.
23. Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.)
Record: 26-6 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Parish Community, 6-3; def. Wesley Chapel, 11-1; def. American Heritage (Plantation), 5-2
Hitter of the week: D.J. Pirela went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI against Parish Community.
Pitcher of the week: Aden Knowles got the win against Wesley Chapel, giving up one run on three hits with six strikeouts.
Next: Season complete. Class 5A state champion.
24. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 19-6 |
Last week: 21
Season complete.
25. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 34-7 |
Last week: 22
Season complete.
