MaxPreps Top 50 national high school baseball rankings

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See a walk-off home run in Georgia that provided plenty of drama

The Florida high school baseball state playoffs came to an end last week and three champions are now in the top six of the MaxPreps Xcellent 50 National Baseball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard.

Stoneman Douglas, which won its first state title, won the Class 9A title and stayed at No. 4 in this week's rankings. Archbishop McCarthy won the Class 6A state title for the second-straight year and moved up from No. 11 to No. 5 after a dominant performance in the semifinals and championship game. Canterbury, which won the Class 3A title two weeks ago, dropped from No. 5 to No. 6.

Deer Park, however, holds on to the top spot as it continues to rumble through the Class 6A playoffs without a loss. The Deer took two from Fort Bend Kempner and will take on Strake Jesuit in the regional semifinals.

Seven new teams entered the rankings this week, including Florida 8A state champion Steinbrenner (Lutz, Fla.) and 7A champion Gaither (Tampa, Fla.), Alabama 6A state champion Hillcrest (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) and 5A state champion Russellville (Ala.), and Georgia 3A state champion Westminster (Atlanta).

1. (last week 1) Deer Park (Texas), 34-0
No team has been able to stop Deer Park this year and Fort Bend Kempner was the latest victim. The Deer advanced to the regional semifinal with a 2-1, 6-0 sweep of Kempner last week. Deer Park will take on Strake Jesuit (Houston), which knocked off Lamar last week. Cameron Thompson gave up just two hits and struck out five in the 2-1 victory while Peyton Sherlin threw a three-hit shutout with five strikeouts in the 6-0 win. Rylan Meek also added a home run.

2. (2) Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.), 28-1
The Bears had no trouble with Liberty (Bakersfield) in the second round of the Central Section Division 1 playoffs, with pitcher Hunter Reinke upping his season record to 11-0. Buchanan faces Bullard (Fresno) in the semifinals.

3. (3) Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.), 27-2 *Season over
Stoneman Douglas won its first state championship, beating defending Class 8A state champion Columbus (Miami) 3-0 for the Class 9A state title (Florida did not have a Class 9A last year). Brady Norris pitched a complete game shutout for the Eagles.

4. (4) Coppell (Texas), 32-2
The Cowboys played just a one-game series against Flower Mound and won 1-0 to advance to the Class 6A regional semifinals. Ray Gaither got the shutout win, giving up five hits and striking out 10. Ben Kelly tripled to drive in the lone run.

5. (11) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 29-2 *Season over
The Mavericks repeated as state champions and won their sixth state title in seven seasons with a 10-4 win over Mosley (Lynn Haven). Ubaldo Lopez went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs in the championship game while Adan Fernandez was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and Joe Perez was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. The Mavericks also beat North Marion 14-2 in the semifinals.

6. (5) Canterbury (Fort Myers, Fla.), 30-1 *Season over
Florida Class 3A state champions. Season over.

7. (16) Walton (Marietta, Ga.), 32-4 *Season over
Walton captured the Class 6A state championship with an 11-1, 5-4 sweep of Pope (Marietta) in the championship series. Jason Rooks had two home runs, including a grand slam, in the 11-1 victory, while Zac Kristofak got the complete-game victory. Walton also swept Norcross 3-0 and 2-0 and did not lose a single game in five playoff series.

8. (7) North Davidson (Lexington, N.C.), 25-1
North Davidson advanced to the fourth round of the Class 4A playoffs with a 4-2 win over Southwest Guilford (High Point). It will play Butler, the No. 15 seed, Monday for the right to face Providence in the semifinals.

9. (14) Providence (Charlotte, N.C.), 26-2
Providence advanced to the semifinals of the Class 4A playoffs with a 17-0 win over South Caldwell in the fourth round. Providence also topped Mooresville 3-1 in the third round.

10. (10) St. Thomas Catholic (Houston), 30-1-1
The Eagles were idle last week. They will take on Prestonwood Christian (Plano), which is 31-1, on Tuesday in the TAPPS Class 5A state semifinals.

11. (15) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 27-2
The Wildcats took a pair from Vela (Edinburg), 12-1 and 6-4, to advance to the regional semifinals against Alamo Heights (San Antonio).

12. (17) Jackson (Massillon, Ohio), 28-0
Jackson won the district championship with a 7-0 victory over Wooster. Christian Specht raised his record to 9-0 with the win. Jackson also defeated Green 9-1 and Perry 4-3 in tournament play. The Polar Bears meet Stow Munroe Falls on Thursday in the regional semifinals.

13. (13) Rockledge (Fla.), 28-2 *Season over
Season over.

14. (18) Teurlings Catholic (Lafayette, La.), 35-4 *Season over
Louisiana Class 4A state champions.

15. (20) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 34-6 *Season over
Louisiana Class 5A state champions.

16. (9) West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.), 27-3 *Season over
West Orange fell to Stoneman Douglas (Parkland) 3-2 in the Class 9A state semifinals.

17. (12) South Caldwell (Hudson, N.C.), 28-2 *Season over
South Caldwell blanked Lake Norman 2-0 in the third round of the Class 4A playoffs, but it was eliminated from the postseason by Providence (Charlotte) with a 17-0 loss in the fourth round.

18. (19) Brother Rice (Chicago), 32-3
The Crusaders claimed 6-5 and 7-1 wins over Chicago Mt. Carmel, but suffered their first loss in two months with a 7-6 loss to Oak Park River Forest. Brother Rice had won 30 straight games prior to the loss. The Crusaders won an interstate matchup with Andrean (Ind.) on Saturday, winning 3-1.

19. (21) University (Orange City, Fla.), 23-4-1 *Season over
Season over.

20. (23) JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), 25-6
JSerra Catholic opened the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs with a 3-0 win over Dana Hills. Chase Strumpf went 1-for-2 with a home run and three RBIs to account for all of the Lions' runs. JSerra Catholic meets Loyola (Los Angeles) in the second round.

21. (24) Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.), 27-3 *Season over
Bolles won its third-straight playoff game by shutout, beating Monsignor Pace 1-0 to capture the Class 5A state championship. Bolles also blanked Melbourne Central Catholic 5-0 in the semifinal and had a 4-0 win over Rutherford in the regional final.

22. (22) Johnson (San Antonio), 27-5
Johnson moved into the regional semifinals of the Class 6A state playoffs with a series win over Carroll (Corpus Christi). Carroll won the first game 3-0, but Johnson came back to win the next two games 9-1 and 5-1.

23. (26) Bryant (Ark.), 28-2
The Hornets shut out every team they played in the state tournament, including Conway 5-0 in the championship game. Evan Lee went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs to lead Bryant to the championship.

24. (27) Greenup County (Greenup, Ky.), 33-1
The Musketeers won their only game of the week, beating Fleming County (Flemingsburg) 12-2.

25. (30) Plainfield North (Ill.), 28-2
Plainfield North won six games last week, beating Plainfield Central 6-2, 3-0 and 4-1, Nequa Valley 1-0 and Lincoln-Way East 3-1.

Next 25

26. (32) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 27-7 *Season over
The Huskies won their fifth state championship by topping Mountain Ridge (Glendale) 12-3 in a game delayed an hour due to lightning. Jake Desiderio went 1-for-3 with a triple and four RBIs in the win.

27. (33) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 19-5 *Season over
Season over.

28. (34) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 21-3
The Spartans concluded the regular season with a pair of shutouts, beating Monte Vista (Danville) 2-0 and California (San Ramon) 16-0. De La Salle opens the North Coast Section playoffs against Pittsburg.

29. (36) Staley (Kansas City, Mo.), 30-4
Staley won its district tournament by beating Central (St. Joseph) 11-1 in the semifinals and Park Hill South 8-1 in the championship game. Staley opens state tournament play against Liberty North on Tuesday.

30. (25) Buford (Ga.), 30-4
The Wolves took a pair from Eastside, 7-3 and 6-4, to advance to the championship series against Locust Grove. Buford won the first game 3-2, but lost the second game 4-1. The teams play Monday for the Class 4A state championship.

31. (28) Mountain Ridge (Glendale, Ariz.), 26-6 *Season over
Mountain Ridge had six errors and lost 12-3 to Hamilton in the Division I state championship game.

32. (29) O'Fallon (Ill.), 30-4
O'Fallon went 2-1 during the week, beating Triad 13-3 and Waterloo 4-0 while losing to Belleville West 5-4.

33. (31) St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.), 21-3
St. Joseph Regional knocked off Bergen Catholic 9-1 and Northern Highlands 4-2, but lost to Pope John 5-1.

34. (39) Catholic-B.R. (Baton Rouge, La.), 31-7 *Season over
Season over.

35. (40) Redondo Union (Redondo Beach, Calif.), 27-2
The Seahawks defeated Wilson (Hacienda Heights) 9-1 in the first round of the Southern Section Division 3 playoffs. Redondo Union meets La Salle (Pasadena) in the second round.

36. (43) Orange Lutheran (Calif.), 21-8
The Lancers opened the first round of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs with a 6-0 win over Canyon Springs (Moreno Valley). Orange Lutheran meets defending section champion Huntington Beach in the second round.

37. (46) Basic (Henderson, Nev.), 36-4 *Season over
Basic won its first Division I state championship since 1987 with a 9-1 victory over Centennial (Las Vegas). Basic also defeated Reno 3-2 in the first round and Galena 7-3 in the semifinals.

38. (NR) Hillcrest (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), 40-10 *Season over
Hillcrest defeated Cullman 4-3, 1-0 to capture the Alabama Class 6A state championship.

39. (47) Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.), 37-6
The Admirals won their three regional games heading into the state tournament, beating Karns 3-0, Powell 6-5 and Morristown-Hamblen East 13-0.

40. (49) Saline (Mich.), 26-4
the Hornets ripped off five wins last week, beating Pioneer (Ann Arbor) 3-2, 11-1 and 2-1, Hudsonville 7-0 and Mona Shores 12-0.

41. (NR) Westminster (Atlanta), 30-6 *Season over
Westminster knocked off Blessed Trinity 2-1, 7-6 to win the Georgia Class 3A state championship.

42. (6) Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), 33-4 *Season over
The Titans fell to Westminster, a team they had defeated twice during the season, 2-1 and 7-6 in the Class 3A state championship series. Blessed Trinity also dropped a game to Jackson County in the semifinals, winning 13-1, 1-2, 9-1.

43. (44) Dallas Jesuit (Dallas), 31-7-2
The Rangers advanced to the Class 6A regional semifinals with a 2-1 win over Highland Park. Dallas Jesuit won the first game 4-0, fell in the second game 4-2, but defeated Highland Park 3-2 to win the series. The Rangers meet Oak Ridge in the next round.

44. (45) Bergen Catholic (Oradell, N.J.), 21-3-1
Bergen Catholic went 3-1 during the week, falling only to St. Joseph Regional (Montvale) 9-1. The Crusaders knocked off North Valley Demarest 6-3, Clifton 3-1 and Dumont 12-0.

45. (NR) Russellville (Ala.), 47-7 *Season over
The Golden Tigers captured the Class 5A state championship with a 3-0, 1-9, 5-3 win over Faith Academy (Mobile).

46. (NR) Steinbrenner (Lutz, Fla.), 27-5 *Season over
The Warriors defeated Hagerty (Oviedo) 9-4 to win the Florida Class 8A state championship.

47. (NR) Gaither (Tampa, Fla.), 20-9 *Season over
The Cowboys captured the Florida Class 7A state championship with a 2-1 win over defending Class 6A state champion Venice.

48. (35) Venice (Fla.), 26-6 *Season over
The Indians saw their chance at a repeat championship end in the finals against Gaither, losing 3-2. Venice defeated Creekside 3-2 to advance to the final.

49. (NR) El Toro (Lake Forest, Calif.), 24-5
The Chargers opened the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs with a 4-0 winner over Kennedy (La Palma).

50. (NR) Naaman Forest (Garland, Texas), 31-4-1
The Rangers advanced to the Region 2 semifinals against Atascocita with a 3-1, 9-0 sweep of Richardson in the Texas Class 6A state playoffs.

Dropped out: No. 8 Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), No. 37 Cypress Ranch (Houston), No. 38 Seven Lakes (Katy, Texas), No. 41 Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), No. 42 Serra (San Mateo, Calif.), No. 48 Zionsville (Ind.), No. 50 Cullman (Ala.).