Receiving a No. 1 ranking to start the season, no matter who is doing the rankings, turned out to be a bit of a jinx for two teams that sat atop the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 High School Baseball National Rankings.
Alonso (Tampa, Fla.), the preseason No. 1, gave up three runs late against Sickles (Tampa, Fla.) and couldn’t recover to fall 4-3 in its season opener. The defending Florida 6A state champions have responded with four straight wins but have dropped from the top spot.
The Ravens’ loss would have opened the door for Bellaire (Texas) to move to the top spot, but the Cardinals were having their own problems in their season opener. Ranked No. 2 to start the season by MaxPreps and No. 1 overall by Perfect Game Crosschecker, the Cardinals fell to Galena Park (Texas) 4-3 in the Knoblauch Tournament.
The losses by Alonso and Bellaire allow Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.), which opens the season Friday against Aliso Niguel, to move into the No. 1 spot with Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) right behind at No. 2 and 2009 Xcellent 25 No. 1 Sumrall (Miss.) in the No. 3 spot. 
Tanner Phillips, Edison
Photo by Louis Lopez
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL NATIONAL RANKINGS
1. (Last Week 3) Edison (Huntington Beach, Calif.), 0-0
Season begins March 5 vs. Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.).
2. (4) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.), 0-0
Season begins March 11 vs. Desert Oasis (Las Vegas, Nev.).
3. (5) Sumrall (Miss.), 2-0
The Bobcats got off to a strong start with a pair of blowout wins against Purvis,11-1, and Forrest County Agricultural, 12-2, to raise their win streak to 44 straight games. Austin Carter, Dylan Anglin and Chad Guice each homered against Purvis while Jackson Posey, Luke Lowery and Guice all went yard in the win over Forrest County Agricultural. Lowery got the win in the first game while Posey gained the victory in the second.
4. (6) Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), 0-0
Season begins March 22 vs. Roosevelt (Kent, Ohio).
5. (7) Menchville (Newport News, Va.), 0-0
Season begins March 16 vs. Warwick (Newport News, Va.).
6. (9) Owasso (Okla.), 0-0
Season begins March 1 vs. Muskogee (Okla.).
7. (10) Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.), 0-0
Season begins March 15 vs. Heritage (Maryville, Tenn.).
8. (12) Poway (Calif.), 0-0
Season begins March 9 vs. Valhalla (El Cajon, Calif.).
9. (13) Rocky Mountain (Fort Collins, Colo.), 0-0
Season begins March 24 vs. Chaparral (Parker, Colo.).
10. (17) Chatsworth (Calif.), 0-0
Season begins March 5 vs. Hueneme (Oxnard, Calif.).
11. (20) Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas), 7-0
The Trojans opened the season in convincing fashion with seven straight wins, including a championship at the Laredo Tournament. After winning the first two games of the season 5-4 over John Paul II (Corpus Christi, Texas) and 15-5 over Johnson (Laredo, Texas), the Trojans posted five straight shutouts to win the title including a 12-0 win over previously undefeated Ray. Michael Franco got the win in the championship game, his second victory of the season.
12. (21) Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.), 6-0
The Bulldogs have already won a pair of tournaments, capturing the Wolfson Classic with a 6-0 win over Parker (Jacksonville, Fla.) on Feb. 19 and the Tournament of Champions with a 9-8 win over Lakeland (Fla.). Bolles also defeated Bishop Moore (Orlando, Fla.) 8-3 and Providence (Jacksonville, Fla.) 11-1.
13. (22) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 5-0
The Buccaneers went undefeated at the Steve Richardson Tournament over the weekend including a 10-1 victory over Brother Martin (New Orleans, La.).
14. (23) South Forsyth (Cumming, Ga.), 1-0
The War Eagles opened the season with a 9-4 victory over Redan (Stone Mountain, Ga.) on Feb. 25 and play Walton on Wednesday. Jae Hwang struck out 12 to get the win for South Forsyth.
15. (24) St. Rita (Chicago), 0-0
Season begins March 20 vs. Oak Lawn (Oak Lawn, Ill.).
16. (1) Alonso (Tampa, Fla.), 4-1
Ranked No. 1 to start the season, the Ravens promptly lost to Sickles 4-3 after giving up three runs late in the game. Alonso followed with four straight wins, including a 4-2 win over Gaither (Tampa, Fla.). Thomas Dorminy is off to a hot start at the plate with a .533 batting average and seven RBI in five games.
17. (2) Bellaire (Texas), 5-1
Like Alonso, Bellaire dropped its first game of the season with a 4-3 defeat to Galena Park. The Cardinals have won five in a row, including a 10-2 win over Milby (Houston), a 12-0 victory over Furr (Houston) and a 3-2 victory over North Shore (Houston).
18. (8) Naples (Naples, Fla.), 3-1
The defending Florida 4A state champions fell hard to neighboring Collier (Naples, Fla.), 11-0, but has won three straight in impressive fashion over Lely (Naples, Fla.), 15-0, Palmetto Ridge (Naples, Fla.), 10-0, and Estero (Fla.), 9-3.
19. (11) Lakeland (Fla.), 3-1
The Dreadnaughts competed in the Tournament of Champions and knocked off Palatka (Fla.) and Eagle's View (Jacksonville, Fla.) before falling to defending Florida 3A state champion Bolles 9-8 in the championship game.
20. (14) Columbus (Miami, Fla.), 5-1
The Explorers won four in a row to start the season, including shutout wins over Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.), 8-0, and Sunset (Miami, Fla.), 4-0, before falling to Ferguson (Miami, Fla.) 6-5. Columbus rebounded with a 10-0 win over Braddock (Miami, Fla.).
21. (NR) Germantown Academy (Fort Washington, Pa.), 0-0
Season begins March 12 vs. Shipley (Bryn Mawr, Pa.).
22. (NR) Northshore (Slidell, La.), 4-0
The Panthers began the season with three routs and a hard-fought 2-1 win over South Lafourche (Galliano, La.). Northshore also blasted Holy Cross (New Orleans, La.) 10-5, Ehret (Marrero, La.) 22-0 and Curtis (River Ridge, La.) 15-4. Four pitchers combined for a perfect game against Ehret. Taylor Leads leads the offense with a .571 average, 10 RBI and two home runs in four games.
23. (NR) Charlotte Christian (Charlotte, N.C.), 0-0
Season begins March 5 vs. Richmond (Rockingham, N.C.).
24. (NR). Wando (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), 0-0
Season begins March 4 vs. Dorman (Roebuck, S.C.).
25. (NR) Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.), 0-0
Season begins March 2 vs. Weddington (Matthews, N.C.).
Dropped Out: (15). Brenham (Texas), 5-1; (16). IMG Academies (Bradenton, Fla.), 3-2; (18). Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), 4-1; (19). The Woodlands (Texas), 3-1; (25) Auburn (Ala.), 8-2
