MaxPreps Top 25 national high school baseball rankings

Losses by Owasso (Okla.) and Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.) allowed Harvard-Westlake (Studio City , Calif.) to move to the top spot in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Baseball Rankings this week.

The Wolverines are the third team to top the rankings this year, joining preseason No. 1 Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Calif.) and Owasso. Harvard-Westlake has opened the season 6-0, with all six wins coming in the Easton Tournament.

See the Top 100 seniors and Top 50 juniors for 2014

Owasso saw its 38-game in streak come to an end last Monday and dropped to No. 7 as a result of the loss. Buchanan, which won its first 10 games to start the season, fell from No. 2 to No. 9 after losing to rival Clovis.

Clovis was one of three teams to join the rankings this week. A participant in the National High School Invitational in two weeks, Clovis enters the rankings at No. 8. Other newcomers include Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) at No. 17 and Chiles (Tallahassee, Fla.) at No. 18. Dropping out were Oak Grove, Pensacola Catholic (which had its 43-game win streak come to an end) and Fayetteville.


1. (Last week 3) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 6-0
The Wolverines move up to No. 1 in the rankings after going undefeated at the Easton Tournament. Harvard-Westlake topped Oaks Christian 10-4 on Friday and also had a 6-3 win over West Ranch (Valencia) and a 1-0 win over Chatsworth last week. Jack Flaherty got the win against Chatsworth, going the distance and allowing four hits while striking out nine. Cameron Deere went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run and Jackson Grayson was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and a double in the win over Oaks Christian.

2. (4) Roberson (Asheville, N.C.), 4-0
Roberson scored four runs in the sixth inning to edge A.C. Reynolds (Asheville) 5-4 in its only game of the week. Freshman Garrett Blaylock hit a game-tying two-RBI single during the rally. The Rams play McDowell (Marion) on Tuesday and face fellow Xcellent 25 member North Buncombe (Weaverville) on Saturday.

3. (5) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 5-0
The Lancers posted two shutouts against quality opponents last week, defeating De La Salle (Concord) 2-0 and Pacific Grove 10-0. Tyler Deason went five innings, gave up five hits and struck out four in getting the win over De La Salle. Sophomore Andrew Martinez was 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs to lead the offense. Four pitchers combined to beat Pacific Grove, a team that went 38-0 last year. John Gavin got the win, going four innings and striking out four. The Lancers begin West Catholic Athletic League play this week and face Serra (San Mateo) on Friday.

4. (6) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 12-1
The Mavericks continue to roll, defeating Pompano Beach 5-1 last week and St. Brendan (Miami) 11-1. Aaron Soto was 2-for-3 with a home run and a double while Eddie Silva was 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Brian Gonzalez got the win against Pompano Beach, striking out seven and giving up just two hits with no walks in five innings. Alex Toral belted his first home run of the season and Soto was 2-for-3 with a double. The Mavericks have another big matchup with American Heritage on Friday. Archbishop McCarthy won the first game between the two teams two weeks ago.

5. (7) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 9-0
The Falcons won their only game of the week, edging Jupiter 4-3. Gentry Fortuno went five innings to get the win while Miguel Presno had a pair of RBIs on offense. Jupiter had eliminated Flanagan from the regional finals last year.

6. (10) Venice (Fla.), 9-1
The Indians had little trouble last week, defeating Island Coast (Cape Coral) 6-0 and Ida Baker (Cape Coral) 11-1. Brandon Elmy, and Ryan Miller each had two hits in the win over Island Coast while Michael Rivera knocked in three runs against Ida Baker. Venice has a key matchup on Friday against Sarasota.

7. (1) Owasso (Okla.), 5-1
The Rams saw their 38-game win streak come to an end with an 8-4 loss to Bishop Kelley on March 10, but won three straight games, two by shutout, to raise their record to 5-1. Braden Webb built on his opening-day no-hitter against Norman by tossing another no-hitter against Ponca City. He gave up three walks and struck out eight in a five-inning, 10-0 win. Webb also hit a home run in the victory. Jeb Bargfeldt put together another sparkling performance as well in beating Collinsville 2-0. He struck out 12 in a two-hitter. In a 6-1 win over Muskogee, Gabe Neph and Blake Vandegrift each hit home runs.

8. (NR) Clovis (Calif.), 13-1
The Cougars opened the Tri-Rivers Athletic Conference season with three impressive wins, including victories over previous Xcellent 25 No. 2 Buchanan and Clovis West. Clovis also topped Clovis East 13-3. The Cougars have two tough ones this week with Clovis North and Central (Fresno). McCarthy Tatum raised his record to 4-0 on the season with a 10-0 win over Clovis West. Jacob Gatewood was 3-for-3 with an RBI in the win. The loss was the first of the year for Clovis West (10-1-1).

9. (2) Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.), 11-1
The competition figures to be fierce in the Tri-Rivers Athletic Conference this year and that was evident in Buchanan's first conference game of the season as it fell to Clovis 4-3. The Bears lost the game in the bottom of the eighth inning on a two-run, walk-off double by Clovis's Cody Murray. The Bears bounced back to beat Central (Fresno) 4-2 behind the play of Korby Batesole, who was 3-for-4 with a double.

10. (11) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 0-0
Opens season March 20 vs. O'Connor at Coach Bob Invitational in Arizona.

11. (12) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 0-0
Opens season March 22 vs. Centerville.

12. (14) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 16-1
The Dragons won twice last week, beating Keller Central 8-3 and Timber Creek 10-0. Ryan Bellamy had a home run in the win over Keller Central while Joe Heineman got the win and hit a double against Timber Creek.

13. (15) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 20-1
The Wildcats reached 20 wins this week by topping Tuloso-Midway (Corpus Christi) 6-1, Gregory-Portland (Portland) 6-1 and Sinton 7-4. Dylan Duarte went the distance to get the win over Tuloso-Midway. Kyle Hill struck out nine against Gregory-Portland.

14. (16) Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), 10-0
The Dolphins won twice last week, beating Bay (Panama City) 2-1 and Choctawhatchee (Fort Walton Beach) 16-5. Freshman Weston Bizzle went the distance to get the win against Bay, allowing three hits while striking out six. Brady Bell paced the offense against Choctawhatchee, going 5-for-6 with three runs, four RBIs, two doubles and a triple. Clay Causey added a pair of doubles while Bowen Mcguffin was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a double. Mosley takes on one of Tennessee's top teams, Farragut (Knoxville) at the Panama City Invitational on Wednesday.

15. (21) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 3-0
The Broncos got off to a strong start with three wins at the Hilltop-Lolitas Tournament. Rancho Bernardo topped La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad) 4-3, Hilltop (Chula Vista) 9-1 and Granite Hills (El Cajon) 5-2. MaxPreps' No. 1 rated senior Alex Jackson is off to a good start, batting .417 (5 for 12) with a double, a triple and a home run.

16. (25) North Buncombe (Weaverville, N.C.), 3-0
The Black Hawks set up this week's matchup with Roberson (Asheville) by winning a pair of games in impressive fashion. North Buncombe routed Asheville 20-5 with Alex Destino going 4-for-4 with five RBIs, a double and two home runs. Carson Jones also added a homer. Destino also hit a home run in a 3-for-4 effort in a 10-4 win over A.C. Reynolds (Asheville) while Dylan Fox also hit one out. Destino, an All-American candidate, is batting .550 with 15 RBIs, three doubles and four home runs in just 20 at-bats.

17. (NR) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 10-0
The Huskies have outscored their opponents 95-23 to start the season. They will get a big test this week when they take on Brophy College Prep and Greenway.

18. (NR) Chiles (Tallahassee, Fla.), 11-0
Chiles is undefeated with wins over Hoover (Ala.) and North Florida Christian (Tallahasee). Jake Taddeo has been the top hitter for the Timberwolves, batting .432 with 12 RBIs, four doubles and three home runs.

19. (8) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 12-2
Hosting its own Marucci Tournament, Barbe defeated Hahnville 3-2, St. Thomas More 12-2 and Evangel Christian 9-5, but fell to West Monroe 5-4. The Buccaneers had defeated West Monroe earlier this year. Earlier in the week, Barbe topped DeRidder 12-2.

20. (9) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 9-2
The Patriots suffered a second straight loss with a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Cardinal Gibbons (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) on Thursday. American Heritage had lost its first game of the season on March 7 to Archbishop McCarthy. The Patriots pounded out 13 hits in a 20-0 win over Coconut Creek with Justin Hernandez and Milton Ramos each getting two hits. American Heritage hosts Archbishop McCarthy on Friday.

21. (22) ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 1-0
The Grizzlies pounded the ball in their opener, defeating Rangeview 18-3 behind the batting of Brody Westmoreland. The All-American candidate was 4-for-4 with five RBIs, a double and a triple.

22. (18) Blue Valley West (Stilwell, Kan.), 0-0
Opens season April 1 vs. Blue Valley Southwest.

23. (19) Hanover (Mechanicsville, Va.), 0-0
Opens season March 21 vs. Midlothian.

24. (20) Mount Carmel (Chicago), 0-0
Opens season March 27 vs. Brooks College Prep.

25. (23) Westminster Christian (St. Louis), 0-0
Opens season March 25 vs. Parkway North.

Dropped Out: No. 13 Oak Grove, No. 17 Pensacola Catholic, No. 24 Fayetteville