No-hitters highlighted the first week of action for several teams in the Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings, including one by the No. 1-ranked Lambert Longhorns.
Lambert had three players combine for a no-hitter in a 13-0 win over Forsyth Central in the season opener.
J.D. Dutka started and went three innings for the win with three strikeouts.
Ben McCurley and
Cole Varner each pitched an inning with two strikeouts apiece.
Olympia and Pelham also had no-hitters. Michael Byrne threw one against Wekiva for Olympia while Sam Finnerty blanked Oak Mountain for Pelham.
Five teams fell out of the Xcellent 25 from the
preseason rankings. Jesuit (Tampa), Killian (Miami) and Plant (Tampa) all suffered more than two losses during their first week of play and were dropped. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) and Gloucester Catholic (Gloucester City) do not start play until late March/early April and will be included once their seasons begin play.
Joining the Top 25 this week were last year's Xcellent 25 No. 1 team Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), last year's preseason No. 1 team Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.) and Pelham (Ala.).
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings
1. (Preseason 1) Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.), 2-0
The Longhorns opened with a 13-0 win over Forsyth Central and a 7-4 win over Etowah. Three Lambert pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter against Forsyth Central. Kennesaw Mountain looms on the schedule on Friday.
2. (2) St. Thomas More (Lafayette, La.), 4-0
The Cougars went undefeated at the WGNO Tournament and upped their win streak to 27 games in a row.
St. Thomas More will compete in the Jesuit Tournament this weekend.
3. (3) JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), 0-0
The Lions will open their season on March 14 with a doubleheader against Loyola (Los Angeles) before taking on Huntington Beach in a twin bill on March 17.
4. (5) Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 5-0
Michael Byrne, Olympia
Photo by Andrew Bershaw
The Titans are off to a strong start with a 4-2
win over Lake Brantley and a 4-3 win over Dr. Phillips.
Juan Hillman
struck out nine and gave up just two hits in five innings against Lake
Brantley. Meanwhile
Michael Byrne struck out 14 and threw a no-hitter in
a 1-0 victory over Wekiva.
5. (7) College Station (Texas), 3-0-1
After tying Dallas Jesuit 6-6 in the
first game of the Brazos Valley Invitational, College Station defeated
Fort Bend Kempner 5-4, Giddings 15-7 and Magnolia West 11-1. College
Station faces Marcus and Flower Mound at the Mound Showdown this
weekend.
6. (9) Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo, Calif.), 2-0
The Wolverines were impressive in taking two
from Huntington Beach on Friday.
Remy Wasserbach was 2-for-3 and
Kyle Molnar had an RBI in a 3-2 win in the first game. Aliso Niguel scored
seven runs in the fifth inning to win 7-4 in the second game. Molnar
started and went 4.1 innings with three strikeouts but he did not get
the decision.
7. (10) Winter Haven (Fla.), 7-0
The Blue Devils have
opened the season with seven straight wins.
Luis Morales has been
impressive at the plate, batting .458 with 11 base hits and two doubles.
Tobias Myers leads the pitching staff with a 3-0 record and 27
strikeouts.
8. (4) Park Vista (Lake Worth, Fla.), 7-1
After losing its season opener to Taravella, the Cobras have won seven games in a row, including a 2-1 win over Jupiter.
Austin Smith, Park Vista's All-American pitcher, holds the one loss while
Tyler Constable is 3-0 for the Cobras.
9. (6) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas), 3-1
The Marauders fell 10-3 to College Park at the Georgetown Tournament, but managed to defeat Dripping Springs 3-2, host Georgetown 4-0 and Monterey (Lubbock) 9-1. Marcus will compete at the Mound Showdown against College Station and Flower Mound this weekend.
10. (11) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 5-1
Baron Collier handed the Ascenders their only loss of the season so far, a 5-3 defeat. Chris Sabo's team pounded the ball against Tampa Catholic and Fort Myers, winning 17-6 and 16-1 respectively.
Nick Patten,
L.T. Tolbert and
Chase Illig each homered against Tampa Catholic.
Logan Allen is 3-0 with 19 strikeouts on the season.
11. (13) Puyallup (Wash.), 0-0
The defending Class 4A state champions open their season March 14 against South Kitsap.
12. (14) San Clemente (Calif.), 0-0
The Tritons open their season on Friday against Edison (Huntington Beach).
13. (15) Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.), 0-0
The Admirals begin play on March 7 against Sevier County (Sevierville, Tenn.).
14. (16) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 0-0
The Spartans open their season on Saturday against Saint Francis (Mountain View).
15. (18) College Park (Pleasant Hill, Calif.), 0-0
The defending North Coast Section Division 2 champions open play today against Liberty (Brentwood).
16. (19) Fayetteville (Ark.), 0-0
The Purple Dogs open their season this weekend with a tournament in North Dallas.
17. (20) St. Rita (Chicago), 0-0
The Mustangs begin their season with Brother Rice (Chicago) on March 16.
18. (23) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 0-0
The Gaels open play against Liberty (Henderson) on March 7.
19. (24) DeSoto Central (Southaven, Miss.), 0-0
The Jaguars open play tonight against Tupelo Christian Prep.
20. (26) Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 1-0
The Panthers opened play with a 9-0 win over Collins Hill. Next week they will face IMG Academy at the Perfect Game Showdown.
21. (NR) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 8-0
The Mavericks are off to a strong start and are ranked No. 1 in South Florida by the High School Baseball Network.
22. (40) Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), 7-0
The Dolphins are off to a strong start at 7-0, but a showdown with Pensacola Catholic (5-0) on Wednesday will be a battle of unbeatens.
23. (44) Pelham (Ala.), 7-0
The Panthers have already defeated last year's 6A runner-up Sparkman and 5A runner-up Cullman. In a 3-0 win over Oak Mountain,
Sam Finnerty tossed a no-hitter.
24. (27) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 4-0
The defending national champions went 4-0 at the Sulphur Tournament. They will play in the Tarver Tournament this weekend.
25. (12) Huntington Beach (Calif.), 0-2
The Oilers lost their two games
against Aliso Niguel to open the season, falling 3-2 and 7-4. They will
have another tough doubleheader coming up against JSerra Catholic.
Dropped out: No. 8 Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), No. 17 Plant (Tampa, Fla.), No. 21 Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), No. 22 Gloucester Catholic (Gloucester City, N.J.), No. 25 Killian (Miami).
