Lambert: No. 1 in MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Preseason Baseball Rankings

Video: Lambert slideshow
See multiple images from our pro photo shoot with the Lambert High baseball team

The Lambert Longhorns came out of nowhere last year to challenge for a national championship. If not for a couple losses in the postseason, Lambert might have been the mythical national champion rather than Barbe (Lake Charles, La.).

Instead, Lambert lost twice in the playoffs during Georgia's best-out-of-three playoff format, but still won the Class 6A state championship, and finished ranked No. 2 in the final Xcellent 25 rankings with a 36-2 record.

This year, Lambert won't be sneaking up on anyone. The Longhorns begin the season ranked No. 1 in the country thanks to a high number of returning starters, one of the best juniors in the nation and a solid pitching staff.

Seth Beer, the MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year, heads the lineup after batting .589 last season with 10 home runs. However, Beer is just one of seven returning starters for the Longhorns, who have plenty of depth thanks to a deep senior class.

One new face is the head coach, Drew Ferrer. MaxPreps National Coach of the Year Jamie Corr left the Longhorns for a college coaching job in Florida last August. Ferrer, the school's athletic director, decided to step into the head coaching position on an interim basis while the school conducted a coaching search. In December, Lambert announced the hiring of Rick Howard, the head coach at Brookwood, to take over as the head baseball coach in 2015-16.

The announcement of Lambert as the No. 1 team ends MaxPreps' two-week countdown of the top 10 teams in the country. On Feb. 24, MaxPreps announces the preseason Top 100.

See the Top 10 teams landing page here

View the gallery from the Lambert preseason photo shoot by photographer Dennis Carter

School size: Georgia Class 6A


Enrollment: 2,361


2013 finish: 36-2 Georgia Class 6A state champion


Head coach: Drew Ferrer


Career record: 0-0


Years at school: 1 (interim head coach)


Notable MLB players:

None, Lambert was established in 2009

No. of starters returning: 7

Top losses:

Jake Chickowski, 1B, .358 batting average

Trey Logan, SS, .241 batting average

Dylan Biumi, P, 11-1 record

Key returners:

Seth Beer, P/OF, Junior, .589 batting average, 21 doubles, 10 home runs, 56 RBIs

Ian Kimbrell, P/1B, Senior, .435 batting average, 29 RBIs

Kyle McCann, C, Junior, .404 batting average, 3 home runs, 31 RBIs

Tucker Maxwell, P/OF, Junior, .404 batting average, 6 home runs, 27 RBIs

J.D. Dutka, P/IF, Senior, .361, 11-1 pitching record, 11 doubles, 5 home runs, 34 RBIs

Jeremy Johnson, OF, Senior, .360 batting average, 17 RBIs

Eric Furphy, SS/2B, Senior, .214 batting average, 22 RBIs


Key newcomers:

Darius Foster, OF

Will Dunavant, C/DH

Ben McCurley, P

Matt Vonderschmidt, P

Cole Varner, P

Zach Graverno, P

Brad Leathers, 2B/SS

Toughest game: The Longhorns will play in the National High School Invitational, which features some of the nation's top teams, including No. 3 JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), No. 7 College Station (Bryan, Texas) and Tennessee state champion Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.).

Local outlook: Georgia figures to have some of the top teams in the nation this year, including Kennesaw Mountain, which Lambert plays on March 6, and Parkview, which Lambert defeated in last year's state semifinals.

Overall outlook: Lambert nearly ran the table last year, winning its first 30 games before losing to Mill Creek in the postseason. Lambert also fell to Milton in one of the 6A championship games, but won the best-of-three matchup. If Lambert can get through the NHSI and the very tough Class 6A playoffs, the Longhorns should finish the season ranked No. 1.

Pitching: J.D. Dutka is the top returning pitcher for the Longhorns, as he went 11-1 last season with a 2.50 ERA. Look for Seth Beer to make more starts on the mound. He was 6-0 as a sophomore with a 0.69 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 39.1 innings pitched.

Offense: The offense should be a run-producing machine this year. Beer returns after knocking in 56 RBIs, Dutka is back with 34 RBIs, Kyle McCann had 31, Ian Kimbrell had 29 and Tucker Maxwell had 27. The Longhorns also hit 31 home runs with Beer hitting 10, Maxwell six, Dutka five and McCann three.

Coach quote: "We have a great group of seniors that work very hard. Our team has experience playing in big games and looks to have a great season this year."
- Drew Ferrer