MaxPreps Top 50 national high school baseball rankings

Barbe moved within two games of a Louisiana 5A state championship and a possible mythical national championship when it knocked off defending Louisiana state champion Catholic in a sweep last week.

The Buccaneers are 38-2 on the season and advanced to the state semifinals with the sweep. If Barbe can win the next two games, it all but guarantees a final No. 1 ranking in the MaxPreps Xcellent 50 National Baseball Rankings.

Others in contention include Archbishop McCarthy, which moved up to No. 2 following Brian Gonzalez's second-straight no-hitter in the playoffs in a win over Cardinal Gibbons. The Mavericks are attempting to win their fifth-straight state championship.

O'Connor advanced to the third round of the postseason in the Class 5A state playoffs in Texas and has lost just once this season. Meanwhile, previous No. 1 Lambert lost its first game of the season last week, but it is still in line for a possible 6A state championship in Georgia.


1. (Last week 1) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 38-2
Barbe advanced in the state tournament with an 11-6, 3-2 win over defending state champion Catholic (Baton Rouge). Barbe will take on St. Amant in the semifinals on May 16.

2. (4) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 28-2
The Mavericks got past Cardinal Gibbons in the regional semifinals 7-0. as Brian Gonzalez threw his second-straight no-hitter. He struck out 16 batters and came within a walk of a perfect game.

3. (6) O'Connor (Helotes, Texas), 32-1
The Panthers advanced to the third round with a sweep of MacArthur (San Antonio). Kolby Lunsford was 3-for-4 with four RBIs in a 6-4 win while Drew Fields was also 3-for-4 with four RBIs in a 13-5 victory. O'Connor will meet Carroll (Corpus Christi) in the third round.

4. (2) Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.), 30-1
The Longhorns lost their first game of the season when they fell in the second game of their series with Mill Creek, 6-5. Lambert won the opener 12-0 behind Seth Beer's two home runs. Jd Dutka had three RBIs in a 7-4 win in the third game to advance Lambert to the next round against Luella.

5. (7) Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), 26-3
Connor Green went 1-for-2 with a three-run home run and four RBIs to lead the Dolphins past Rutherford 5-1. Mosley faces Clay (Green Cove Springs) for the regional championship on Tuesday.

6. (8) Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), 22-0
The Warriors raised their record to 22-0 with four wins last week. In a 10-1 win over Mentor Lake Catholic, Blake Jenkins hit two home runs. In a 5-0 win over Mentor Lake Catholic, Ty Shoaff allowed just two hits and struck out 10. Joel Ruane then pitched a no-hitter for five-plus innings in a 7-0 win over Benedictine. Walsh Jesuit also topped St. Vincent-St. Mary's 4-1.

7. (9) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 32-3
The Wildcats reached the regional quarterfinals with a 7-6 win over Flour Bluff. They will face Medina Valley.

8. (11) Puyallup (Wash.), 21-0
Brendan Illies went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs to help lead Puyallup past Kentridge 12-0 in postseason play. Puyallup advances to the West Central District Tournament to face Gig Harbor.

9. (12) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 22-3
Rancho Bernardo blanked Westview (San Diego) in a pair of games, winning 5-0 and 14-0. Jacob Gorman and Drew Finley each homered in the second game with Gorman driving in four runs on the day.

10. (16) Clovis (Calif.), 30-5
The Cougars completed league play with a sweep of Clovis West, winning 4-3 on Tuesday and 7-4 on Friday. Mccarthy Tatum got the win on Friday, his 10th of the season. The Central Section playoffs are next.

11. (17) Cypress Ranch (Houston), 23-4-1
The Mustangs advanced to the regional quarterfinals with a 7-6 win over Westside. They will take on Cy Fair in the regional semifinals.

12. (18) Elk Grove (Calif.), 22-4
The Thundering Herd completed the regular season with a two-game sweep of Davis, 6-4 and 8-5. Nick Madrigal was 2-for-5 with a double and four RBIs in the first game while Derek Hill had a triple and an RBI in the second game.

13. (19) Langham Creek (Houston), 26-3
The Lobos advanced to the regional quarterfinals against Katy Taylor with a 9-3 win over Cinco Ranch. Zach Sweet was 3-for-4 with three RBIs while Gonzalo Garcia-Sosa hit a home run.

14. (13) St. Rita (Chicago), 27-1
St. Rita lost for the first time this year with an 8-5 setback to St. Laurence in the second meeting between the two teams last week. St. Rita won the first matchup 2-1 in 10 innings, and also beat Brother Rice (Chicago) 7-2 during the week. Jake Shepski and Nick Goldsmith both homered against Brother Rice. Tyler Halas homered in the loss to St. Laurence.

15. (22) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 28-3
Hamilton won three times in postseason play, defeating Chandler 3-2, Mesquite 2-1 and Liberty 4-0. Hamilton will face Chaparral on Thursday in a third-round game.

16. (23) Pearland (Texas), 32-4
The Oilers lost to Fort Bend Elkins in the second round, but came back to claim the series with a pair of wins, 10-0 and 13-7.

17. (3) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 23-2
The Falcons defeated Miami 6-4 in the regional semifinals, but were eliminated from postseason play with a 5-3 loss to South Dade.

18. (24) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 31-2-1
Lake Travis scored a run in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat Bryan 1-0 and advance to the third round. Connor Mayes gave up two hits and struck out 10 in the win.

19. (25) Alexander (Laredo, Texas), 24-2
Alexander trailed 7-2 before rallying to defeat Weslaco 10-9 and advance to the third round.

20. (26) Broken Arrow (Okla.), 34-4
The Tigers won the regional tournament with three victories. They defeated Page (Sand Springs) 5-3 in the opener and then took two from Muskogee, 10-3 and 5-3.

21. (27) Fayetteville (Ark.), 28-3
The Purple Dogs claimed a pair from Bentonville, winning 2-1 and 4-3. Andy Pagnozzi threw a three-hitter with seven strikeouts in the initial win.

22. (20) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 22-4
The Lancers lost their rematch with Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 2-1, with the Monarchs scoring the winning run in the seventh inning. St. Francis defeated Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) 4-2 and will play Riordan to open the West Catholic Athletic League tournament on Tuesday.

23. (28) Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.), 25-2
Ardrey Kell had three wins last week, including a 2-1 victory over Providence (Charlotte). Ardrey Kell also defeated Harding University (Charlotte) 23-0 and Charlotte Catholic 6-1.

24. (5) Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas), 27-3
The Trojans saw their season come to an end with a 2-0 loss to Victoria East in the second round of the Texas Class 4A playoffs.

25. (29) Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas), 33-3
Carroll advanced to a third-round game against O'Connor with a pair of wins over New Braunfels. Carroll won 5-0 and 8-1 with Rene Pineda and Zach Alaniz each going 2-for-3 in the latter game.

The Next 25

26. (21) Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 26-6
The Huskies defeated Sunnyslope 6-5 on Tuesday, but lost their first-round game to Gilbert 8-3. Horizon rebounded to top Pinnacle 9-5 in the losers' bracket and will face Liberty on Tuesday.

27. (10) Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 25-3
The Titans were unable to defeat Apopka for a fourth time, losing 8-2 in the regional semifinals.

28. (30) Sumter (S.C.), 23-2-1
Sumter took its district tournament with a 2-1 win over Summerville. It then opened the Lower State playoffs with a 7-0 win over Lexington.

29. (31) Freeman (Richmond, Va.), 17-0
Freeman won four times last week to remain undefeated. It beat Thomas Jefferson (Richmond) 10-0, Deep Run (Glen Allen) 6-1, Hermitage (Richmond) 10-0 and Tucker (Henrico) 14-6.

30. (32) Cosby (Midlothian, Va.), 13-0
Cosby remained undefeated with a 13-0 win over Huguenot (Richmond), a 10-2 win over Clover Hill (Midlothian) and a 4-3 win over James River (Midlothian).

31. (37) Stillwater (Okla.), 29-4
Stillwater won its regional with back-to-back wins over Booker T. Washington, 24-5 and 15-2. Stillwater also beat Bartlesville 11-6 in the opener and Metro Christian 13-3 in a non-playoff game earlier in the week.

32. (40) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 28-4
The Dragons took two from El Dorado (El Paso), winning 12-2 and 10-2 to advance to the third round. They will play San Angelo Central.

33. (41) Park Vista (Lake Worth, Fla.), 27-3
Park Vista advanced to the Class 8A semifinals with a 12-8 win over Palm Beach Gardens and a 4-3 win over Douglas.

34. (42) Spanish Fort (Ala.), 38-6
Spanish Fort advanced to the Class 5A finals with a 2-1, 8-1 sweep of Rehobeth (Dothan). Spanish Fort has won three of the last four 5A state championships, but lost in last year's final.

35. (NR) Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.), 25-2-1
The Warriors are ranked ahead of Sterling Heights Stevenson by MLive.com.

36. (43) Sterling Heights Stevenson (Mich.), 22-1-1
The Titans won four times last week, beating L'Anse Creuse North (Macomb) 2-0, 6-2 and 10-0 and Walled Lake Central 6-0.

37. (44) Lee's Summit West (Mo.), 23-3
Lee's Summit West won three times last week, beating St. Joseph Central 1-0, Ruskin 10-0 and Blue Valley North 7-0.

38. (46) Regis Jesuit (Aurora, Colo.), 18-3
The Raiders won two games in district play, beating Westminster 3-0 and Castle View (Castle Rock) 5-4.

39. (47) Norco (Calif.), 22-2
Norco made it 20 in a row with a sweep of King (Riverside) 10-2 and 12-8.

40. (48) Sacred Heart-Griffin (Springfield, Ill.), 25-2
Sacred Heart-Griffin won four times last week, beating Southeast 4-0 and 12-0, and Collinsville 3-2 and 9-4.

41. (50) Bishop Eustace Prep (Pennsauken, N.J.), 20-1
Bishop Eustace won four times last week, beating Washington Township 7-3, Seneca 11-0, Winslow 10-8 and Egg Harbor 12-1.

42. (NR) Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 25-4
Chaparral advanced to the third round of the playoffs with a 3-2 win over Pinnacle and a 10-5 win over Gilbert.

43. (NR) Orangewood Christian (Maitland, Fla.), 23-7
Orangewood Christian defeated The First Academy for the third time this year, winning 5-3.

44. (34) Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.), 30-6
Christian Brothers lost to Memphis University 4-1 and Briarcrest Christian 9-8 before winning a pair of playoff games over St. Benedict, 7-0 and 10-0.

45. (33) Woodside (Newport News, Va.), 16-1
Woodside knocked off Western Branch (Chesapeake) for a second time, 16-3, but lost to Bethel (Hampton) for its first loss of the season.

46. (NR) Cleburne (Texas), 27-3-1
Cleburne advanced to the third round of the Texas Class 4A state playoffs with a 2-0 win over Guyer (Denton, Texas).

47. (NR) Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.), 19-6
Great Oak defeated Temecula Valley twice last week, winning 10-2 and 1-0.

48. (NR) Liberty North (Mo.), 23-2
Liberty North rebounded from its second loss of the season by defeating Winnetonka 18-0 and Raytown South 28-6 and 12-0.

49. (NR) Chiles (Tallahassee, Fla.), 22-6
Chiles reached the state semifinals with a 7-3 win over Oviedo. Chiles also defeated Lincoln 5-3 earlier in the week. It will play American in the semifinals.

50. (NR) Coral Springs Christian (Fla.), 23-7
The Crusaders will meet North Florida Christian in the Class 3A semifinals after beating Westminster Academy 10-0 and Westminster Christian 8-4 last week.

Dropped Out: No. 14 Clearwater Central Catholic, No. 15 The First Academy, No. 35 Western Branch, No. 36 The Woodlands, No. 38 Jenks, No. 39 Buchanan, No. 45 Bishop Gorman, No. 49 Bridgewater-Raynham.