Michael Basler and Southlake Carroll have rolled into the Xcellent 25.
Photo by Jim Ricketts
Braden Webb made sure that Owasso got its season off on the right foot. In the spirit of Bob Feller, the Hall of Fame Cleveland Indians pitcher who once threw a no-hitter on the opening day of the Major League Baseball season, Webb no-hit Norman in a 7-0 victory in the Rams' first game of the season Friday.
The no-hitter, coupled with a 14-1 win over Norman in the second half of a doubleheader, keeps Owasso in the No. 1 spot in the Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings for the second week in a row. The two wins also increased Owasso's winning streak to 38 games in a row.
Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.) follows the Rams thanks to a 10-0 start. The Fresno-Clovis area is a hotbed for top baseball teams right now as Buchanan, Clovis North (9-1), Clovis (10-1) and Clovis West (9-1-1) are all off to hot starts.
Harvard-Westlake, thanks in part to a stellar pitching performance from reigning MaxPreps National Player of the Year Jack Flaherty, is off to a 3-0 start while playing at the Easton Tournament.
Eight teams dropped from last week's Xcellent 25, which means eight teams joined the rankings this week. They include Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Carroll (Southlake, Texas), Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), Oak Grove (Hattiesburg, Miss.), Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), defending Xcellent 25 national champion Pensacola Catholic (Fla.), Fayetteville (Ark.) and North Buncombe (Weaverville, N.C.).
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Baseball Rankings
1. (Last week 1) Owasso (Okla.), 2-0
Braden Webb tossed a no-hitter in the season opener for the Rams, who got their year off to a strong start with a pair of wins over Norman last week. Webb went all seven innings in the 7-0 victory and allowed three walks and struck out 15.
Blake Enzbrenner led the offense with a home run and a double and three RBIs while
Bryce Colt was 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Jeb Bargfeldt was nearly as efficient as Webb, as he gave up one run on one hit with two walks and 13 strikeouts in a 14-1 victory.
Jonah Bride was 3-for-3 while
Bo Winters was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. The two wins increased Owasso's win streak to 38 in a row.
2. (4) Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.), 10-0
The Bears defeated Stockdale 6-2 in the final game of the Central California Classic to stay undefeated on the season.
Conner Loeprich won his third game of the season in gaining the victory. The Bears also downed Rocklin 5-0, Merced 11-1 and Frontier (Bakersfield) 6-2 during the week.
3. (5) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 3-0
The Wolverines won their first three games in the Easton Tournament, defeating Westlake (Westlake Village) behind
Jack Flaherty's 12-strikeout effort, Birmingham (Lake Balboa) 3-1 and Moorpark 6-1. Harvard-Westlake plays Chatsworth in a semifinal game Tuesday.
4. (6) Roberson (Asheville, N.C.), 3-0
Tyler Deason, St. Francis
Photo by Scott Dinn
Roberson picked up two more wins last week, defeating Erwin (Asheville) 11-1 and South Point (Belmont) 3-0.
Braxton Davidson was 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBIs and a double in the win over Erwin. He also added a double in the win over South Point.
5. (8) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 3-0
The Lancers pulled off a pair of close, but impressive wins over two talented teams. In a 2-0 win over Campolindo (Moraga),
Tyler Deason went 5 1/3 innings for the win and also knocked in a run. He had five strikeouts and gave up three hits.
John Gavin went the distance in a 2-1 win over Elk Grove, giving up one run on one hit with seven strikeouts. The Lancers play De La Salle Tuesday and Pacific Grove Friday.
6. (9) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 10-1
The Mavericks moved up in the rankings thanks to a 5-0 win over previously undefeated American Heritage (Plantation).
Brian Gonzalez threw five scoreless innings and had nine strikeouts with two hits allowed.
Eddie Silva had two home runs in the win and has five on the season, including three he hit in an earlier win over Cardinal Gibbons. Archbishop McCarthy also downed Coconut Creek by a reported score of 11-1 earlier in the week.
7. (NR) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 8-0
The Falcons are ranked No. 1 in Broward County, ahead of both Archbishop McCarthy and American Heritage, and have wins over Coral Springs Christian, Douglas and Columbus.
8. (2) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 8-1
After losing to Destrehan 5-3 on Monday of last week, Barbe rattled off four straight wins at the Tarver Tournament, including a 3-2 victory over defending state champion Catholic (Baton Rouge). The Buccaneers also defeated Zachary 11-4, St. Michael (Baton Rouge) 11-1 and Notre Dame (Crowley) 6-0.
9. (3) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 8-1
The Patriots saw their eight-game win streak to start the season come to an end with a 5-0 loss to Archbishop McCarthy. Early in the week, the Patriots dropped Dillard 16-0 with
Dallas Perez belting a pair of doubles. Perez also had a double for one of American Heritage's three hits in the loss to Archbishop McCarthy.
10. (14) Venice (Fla.), 7-1
The Indians rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh to down Jesuit in a battle between two of the top programs in Florida. Venice won on a bases-loaded walk after tying the game with two hits, and error and a wild pitch.
Ryan Miller drew the game-winning walk to drive in the winning run. Venice also defeated Port Charlotte 7-3.
11. (10) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 0-0
Opens season March 20 vs. O'Connor at Coach Bob Invitational in Arizona.
12. (11) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 0-0
Opens season March 22 vs. Centerville.
13. (NR) Oak Grove (Hattiesburg, Miss.), 5-0
The Warriors have outscored opponents 48-7 in building a 5-0 mark.
Taylor Braley leads the team with a .533 batting average, eight RBIs and four doubles.
14. (NR) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 14-1
The Dragons have just one loss on their schedule, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Weatherford.
15. (NR) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 17-1
The Wildcats have wins over Carroll (Corpus Christi), O'Connor (Helotes) and Westlake (Austin) while the only loss is a 5-2 defeat against Dripping Springs at the Comal Tournament. The Wildcats are in their first year under head coach Joe Luis Lopez.
16. (NR) Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), 8-0
The Dolphins have won eight in a row, led by
Bowen Mcguffin, who is batting .565 with nine RBIs and four doubles.
Brady Bell leads the team with two home runs while
Clay Causey has 10 RBIs.
17. (NR) Pensacola Catholic (Fla.), 6-0
The defending Xcellent 25 national champions are off to a 6-0 start and are riding a 41-game win streak – the longest streak in the nation.
Cody Henry tops the Crusaders with a .400 average that includes 13 RBIs and two home runs.
18. (18) Blue Valley West (Stilwell, Kan.), 0-0
Opens season April 1 vs. Blue Valley Southwest.
19. (19) Hanover (Mechanicsville, Va.), 0-0
Alex Jackson, Rancho Bernardo
Photo by Steven Silva
Opens season March 21 vs. Midlothian.
20. (20) Mount Carmel (Chicago), 0-0
Opens season March 27 vs. Brooks College Prep.
21. (21) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 0-0
Opens season Tuesday vs. La Costa Canyon.
22. (22) ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 0-0
Opens season Tuesday vs. Rangeview.
23. (24) Westminster Christian (St. Louis), 0-0
Opens season March 25 vs. Parkway North.
24. (NR) Fayetteville (Ark.), 2-0
The Purple Bulldogs opened their season with a pair of wins over Conway, 7-4 and 5-3. Fayetteville has a big matchup on March 22 when it takes on Bishop Gorman at the Coach Bob Invitational.
25. (NR) North Buncombe (Weaverville, N.C.), 3-0
The Black Hawks are off to a strong start, batting .432 as a team in going 3-0.
Alex Destino leads the team with nine RBIs, two doubles and a home run.
Dropped Out: No. 7 Gainesville, No. 12 The First Academy, No. 13 DeSoto Central, No. 15 Cypress Ranch, No. 16 Moody, No. 17 Parkview, No. 23 O'Connor and No. 25 Milton (Ga.).
