At the risk of jinxing the No. 1 team in the MaxPreps Top 25 high school baseball rankings, St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.) is poised to make history this week.
With two wins, the Eaglets would capture the Michigan Division 1 state championship and finish 44-0. The two wins would also give St. Mary's Prep a MaxPreps National Championship. Although the season is not over in multiple states, Baseball America has already crowned Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.) as the 2022 national champion while Perfect Game has Stoneman Douglas ranked No. 1 in its last posted rankings from May.
St. Mary's Prep would also be the first high school baseball team to ever finish a season undefeated and ranked No. 1 wire-to-wire. The Eaglets were the No. 1 team in preseason MaxPreps Top 25 and have not budged from that spot over the course of five months. Additionally, 44 wins would be the best all-time undefeated season for a national champion team.
While Michigan waits to setting things this weekend, Texas has already completed its 2022 season and for the third time in four seasons (not counting 2020), Southlake Carroll has claimed a 6A state championship. The Dragons defeated Reagan (San Antonio) for the crown, giving them titles in 2018, 2019 and this year. The win jumps Southlake all the way from No. 12 to No. 5.
Another Texas team, Sinton, joins the rankings this week after winning the Class 4A championship. The Pirates had to get past the likes of 4A powerhouses Calallen and Argyle to win the title. Along the way, Sinton won its last six playoff games by outscoring opponents 44-1 with five shutouts. For the entire playoffs, Sinton went 10-0 and outscored opponents 101-11. Sinton joins the rankings at No. 18.
In Illinois, Edwardsville won its fourth state championship with a come-from-behind win over Mundelein. Edwardsville returns to the rankings at No. 12.
Dropped out: No. 11 Rockwall-Heath (Rockwall, Texas); No. 13 Ridge Point (Missouri City, Texas); No. 16 Mason (Ohio.
Best game: Edwardsville 4, Mundelein 3. Trailing heading into the top of the seventh, Edwardsville scored two runs on a double, two singles and a sacrifice fly to come from behind and defeat Mundelein for its fourth state championship in school history.
Player of the Week: Griffin Herring, Southlake Carroll. The senior pitcher helped the Dragons win their third state championship over the past five years by striking out 13 in a semifinal win over Ridge Point.
Games to watch: St. Mary's Preps vs. Forest Hills Northern (Grand Rapids). The Huskies stand in the way of the Eaglets reaching win No. 43 and a spot in the Division 1 state championship game.
Streaks: St. Mary's Prep is tied with St. Benedict's Prep (Newark, N.J.), 1946-50; Naugatuck (Conn.), 1969-73; Nekoosa (Wis.), 1980-83; Edwardsville (Ill.), 1990-91 and Enterprise (Utah), 1992-95, for ninth place on the all-time list of consecutive wins in high school history. Two wins would put the Eaglets in a tie for No. 7 with Capitol Hill (Oklahoma City), 1952-54, with 66 in a row.
Sinton players celebrate their Texas 4A state title.
Photo: Jim Parker
1. St. Mary's Prep (Orchard Lake, Mich.)
Record: 42-0 |
Last week: 1
Results: Def. Lakeland, 5-0; def. Lake Orion, 8-1; def. Hartland, 7-0
Stats: Jake Dresselhouse went 2-for-4 with a triple against Lakeland and
Brock Porter struck out 14 batters in five innings against Lake Orion.
Nolan Schubart had a double and a home run against Hartland while
Jasen Oliver had a home run.
Next: Fri. vs. Forest Hills Northern (Grand Rapids)
2. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 30-2 |
Last week: 2
Florida 7A state champion
3. Providence (Charlotte, N.C.)
Record: 34-0 |
Last week: 3
North Carolina Class 4A state champion
4. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 23-2 |
Last week: 4
Season complete
5. Southlake Carroll (Southlake, Texas)
Record: 34-8 |
Last week: 12
Results: Def. Ridge Point, 6-1; def. Reagan (San Antonio), 8-5
Stats: Griffin Herring struck out 13 against Ridge Point.
Owen Proksch struck out nine against Reagan.
Next: Season over, Texas Class 6A state champion
6. North Oconee (Bogart, Ga.)
Record: 39-1 |
Last week: 5
Georgia AAAA state champion
7. Sumrall (Miss.)
Record: 35-1 |
Last week: 6
Mississippi Class 4A state champion
8. West Monroe (La.)
Record: 33-4 |
Last week: 7
Class 5A state champion
9. Northwest Rankin (Brandon, Miss.)
Record: 34-3 |
Last week: 8
Mississippi Class 6A state champion
10. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
Record: 29-4 |
Last week: 9
Arizona 6A state champion
11. Hartselle (Ala.)
Record: 39-4 |
Last week: 10
Alabama Class 6A state champion
12. Edwardsville (Ill.)
Record: 36-4 |
Last week: NR
Results: Def. Brother Rice, 7-4; def. Mundelein, 4-3
Stats: Grant Huebner had a triple and two RBI against Brother Rice while
Adam Powell had a home run against Mundelein.
Next: Season over, Illinois Class 4A state champion
13. Miami Christian (Miami, Fla.)
Record: 29-3 |
Last week: 15
Florida Class 2A state champion
14. Charlotte Christian (Charlotte, N.C.)
Record: 30-3 |
Last week: 17
NCISAA Division 1 champion
15. Woodstock (Ga.)
Record: 33-7 |
Last week: 18
Georgia AAAAAAA state champion
16. Pope (Marietta, Ga.)
Record: 33-7 |
Last week: 19
Georgia AAAAAA state champion
17. Silo (Okla.)
Record: 30-0 |
Last week: 20
Oklahoma Class 2A state champion
18. Sinton (Texas)
Record: 36-1 |
Last week: NR
Results: Def. Celina, 9-0; def. Argyle, 9-0
Stats: Blake Mitchell threw a three-hit shutout with seven strikeouts against Celina.
Kaden McCoy had a triple and three RBI against Argyle.
Next: Season over, Texas Class 4A state champion
19. Huntington Beach (Calif.)
Record: 25-9 |
Last week: 21
Southern California Division 1 champion
20. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Record: 25-11 |
Last week: 22
Southern California Division 1 runner-up; Southern Section Division 1 champion
21. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.)
Record: 27-6 |
Last week: 23
Northern California Division 1 champion
22. Brother Rice (Chicago)
Record: 36-6 |
Last week: 14
Results: Def. Lincoln-Way West, 5-1; lost to Edwardsville, 7-4; def. McHenry, 14-4
Stats: Will Flanigan was 3-for-4 with three RBI against Lincoln-Way West.
Bryce Nevils and
Nick Daugherty were 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI against McHenry
Next: Season over
23. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Record: 25-5 |
Last week: 25
Season over
24. Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.)
Record: 25-4-1 |
Last week: NR
Florida Class 6A state champion
25. Reagan (San Antonio)
Record: 32-7-2 |
Last week: 24
Results: Def. Rockwall-Heath, 6-0; lost to Southlake Carroll, 8-5.
Next: Season over, Texas Class 6A runner-up
