Brandon Chapman and Sarasota have blasted their way from out of the rankings all the way to ninth.
File photo by Alyson Boyer Rode
Don't look now, but the preseason No. 1 team is poised to reclaim its spot atop the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings.
Starting the season at No. 1, Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) dropped from the top spot after the first week of the season when it fell to Coral Gables. Since that loss, however, the Mavericks have steadily risen back up the rankings and they reached No. 2 this week after an impressive 12-0 win over previously ranked American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.).
Standing in the way of Archbishop McCarthy's ascension is Harvard-Westlake, which is off to an impressive start of its own. The Wolverines are 8-0 with an undefeated performance at the Easton Tournament. This week, the nation's top team travels to play in the Horizon National Tournament in Arizona.
Six teams dropped from last week's Xcellent 25, including Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), which lost twice at the Coach Bob Invitational. Previous No. 1 Owasso also lost twice last week and holds on to the No. 25 spot this week. Newcomers include Sarasota (a winner over Venice), Pearland (Texas), O'Connor (Helotes, Texas), Winter Haven (Fla.), Poway (Calif.) and Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.)
MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Baseball Rankings
1. (Last week 1) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 8-0
Ryan Sinzenich, Archbishop McCarthy
Photo by Stuart Browning
The Wolverines won a pair of Mission League games with two convincing wins over St. Francis (La Canada), 16-0 and 14-3.
Jack Flaherty powered the first win as he struck out 12 in five innings for the victory and also hit a three-run homer.
Brian Ginsberg also added three hits and four RBIs while
Jackson Grayson went 3-for-3.
2. (4) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 14-1
Preseason No. 1 Archbishop McCarthy has made a slow climb back up the rankings to get within striking distance of the top spot thanks to three impressive wins last week. The biggest win was a 12-1 victory over previously ranked American Heritage.
Alex Toral,
Ryan Sinzenich and Jake Anchia combined for three home runs, six hits and seven RBIs. Toral had two of the home runs while Anchia had the other. Sinzenich belted three doubles.
Andres Nunez got the win, striking out six in five innings. The Mavericks also defeated Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) earlier in the week.
3. (5) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 11-0
The Falcons continue to win, defeating Everglades (Miramar) 6-3 and Hialeah 9-2 last week.
Kharlin Sued got the win over Everglades while
Luis Barranco led the offense with a 2-for-4 effort that included two RBIs.
Oscar Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and four RBIs in the win over Hialeah.
Gentry Fortuno struck out five in three innings for the win.
4. (12) Carroll (Southlake, Texas), 18-1
The Dragons won twice in district play, beating Richland 5-2 and Justin Northwest 4-0.
Ben Leeper got the win against Richland while
Korey Gillespie and
Wayne Powell each had a double on offense.
Joe Heineman was the winning pitcher against Justin Northwest.
5. (17) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 12-0
The Huskies dropped two of the top teams in the state in beating Brophy College Prep (Phoenix) 7-3 and Greenway (Phoenix) 1-0 last week.
Zach Pederson got the win over Greenway, giving up five hits and striking out four with no walks.
Austin Filiere provided the only run with a homer in the sixth. Hamilton plays this week in the Arizona World of Baseball National Invitational. Hamilton rallied for five runs in the seventh inning to beat Brophy College Prep.
Ryan Peep had a home run in the win.
6. (11) Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), 0-0
Opens season March 29 vs. St. Edward.
7. (13) Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), 22-1
The Wildcats looked strong in district play last week, shutting out Victoria West (Victoria) 11-0 and Jones (Beeville) 7-0.
Dylan Duarte got the win against Victoria West, striking out six and allowing four hits in five innings.
8. (2) Roberson (Asheville, N.C.), 6-1
McDowell spoiled Roberson's showdown with North Buncombe by defeating the Rams 9-8 earlier in the week. Roberson bounced back to top North Buncombe 8-4. Roberson was able to top North Buncombe ace Alex Destino with Chris Barnwell going 2-for-2 with a home run and
Braxton Davidson adding a two-run single. Roberson also had a previously unreported 10-2 win over Enka.
9. (NR) Sarasota (Fla.), 12-0
The Sailors head into this week's Sarasota Baseball Classic with an undefeated record and a 4-2 win over defending state champion Venice.
10. (6) Venice (Fla.), 11-2
Brady Basso, Pearland
Photo by John Godwin
The Indians head into the National High School Invitational next week with an 11-2 record after falling to Sarasota 4-2 on Friday. Earlier in the week Venice had defeated North Fort Myers 14-3 and Riverview (Sarasota) 10-0. Sarasota scored two runs in the top of the ninth to edge Venice.
11. (NR) Pearland (Texas), 19-1
The Oilers are second in the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 5A poll. Their only loss is an 8-7 tournament setback to Clear Springs (League City).
12. (3) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 6-1
The West Catholic Athletic League is always a tough place to play, as shown by the Lancers' 5-2 loss to St. Ignatius in the first league game of the season.
Tyler Deason took the loss despite not giving up an earned run. St. Francis came back later in the week to defeat Serra (San Mateo) in a pitchers' duel that saw the Lancers score the winning run in the eighth inning.
Andrew Carter pitched two innings for the win, although
John Gavin went six innings and did not allow a run on three hits with 10 strikeouts.
13. (16) North Buncombe (Weaverville, N.C.), 7-1
The Black Hawks dropped a tough one to Roberson (Asheville) 8-4 last week, despite having All-American candidate
Alex Destino on the mound. North Buncombe picked up an 8-2 win over Enka and a 2-0 victory over McDowell. Destino belted his fifth home run of the season in the win over Enka.
14. (19) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 17-2
The Buccaneers went undefeated in their own Iberia Tournament, topping Dutchtown (Geismar), Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport), Byrd (Shreveport) and Beau Chene (Arnaudville). Barbe also defeated Jennings 11-0 earlier in the week.
15. (8) Clovis (Calif.), 14-2
The Tri-Rivers Athletic Conference continues to be very competitive this season. One week after dropping TRAC contenders Buchanan and Clovis West, Clovis fell 2-1 to defending Central Section Division I champion Clovis North on Tuesday. Clovis shut out Central (Fresno) on Friday and will take on ThunderRidge in the first round of the National High School Invitational on Wednesday.
McCarthy Tatum struck out nine in the shutout win over Central.
16. (21) ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 2-0
The Grizzlies held off Grandview with four runs in the sixth inning for an 8-7 win.
Josh Brown and
Jake Eissler each had a pair of RBIs in the win. ThunderRidge opens the National High School Invitational against Clovis on Wednesday.
17. (9) Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.), 12-2
The Bears split their two TRAC games last week, shutting out Clovis East 5-0 and falling to Clovis West (Fresno) 6-4.
Chandler Bengston was 2-for-2 with a double and a home run in the win over Clovis East.
18. (14) Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), 12-1
Chris Lowe, Poway
File photo by Orlando Ramirez
The Dolphins opened the Panama City Invitational with a 1-0 win over perennial Tennessee powerhouse Farragut (Knoxville), but they lost to Father Ryan (Nashville, Tenn.) 2-0 in the second round. Mosley has a key local matchup on April 1 when it takes on Chiles (Tallahassee).
19. (NR) Poway (Calif.), 5-1
The Titans defeated Cathedral Catholic and Rancho Bernardo in the past two weeks. Their only loss is in tournament play to Rancho Buena Vista.
20. (15) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 5-1
The Broncos opened the season with five straight wins before falling to Poway 2-0 in the final of the Hilltop Lolitas Tournament. Rancho Bernardo had defeated El Capitan 16-1 and Bonita Vista 9-1 earlier in the week.
Alex Jackson added two more home runs during the week and has hit three on the season while batting .500 (10-for-20).
21. (NR) Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.), 11-0
Sophomore
Seth Beer has been batting over .800 so far this season in leading Lambert to an undefeated record.
22. (23) Hanover (Mechanicsville, Va.), 1-0
The Hawks opened their season with a 2-1 victory over Midlothian on Friday. Hanover scored two runs in the sixth, including an RBI single by
Trevor Denton.
23. (NR) Winter Haven (Fla.), 14-1
Winter Haven is off to a strong start, including last week's 3-2 win over Owasso.
24. (NR) O'Connor (Helotes, Texas), 20-1
Ranked No. 1 in the San Antonio area and No. 3 in the state of Texas by the coaches association, O'Connor's lone loss is to Calallen.
25. (7) Owasso (Okla.), 6-3
The Rams hit a rough patch in their trip to Florida, falling to Sebring 6-4 on Thursday and Winter Haven 3-2 on Friday. Owasso topped Auburndale 3-0 on Saturday and began tournament play at the Blue Devils Class in Winter Haven on Monday.
Dropped Out: No. 10 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), No. 18 Chiles (Tallahassee, Fla.), No. 20 American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), No. 22 Blue Valley West (Stilwell, Kan.), No. 24 Mount Carmel (Chicago), No. 25 Westminster Christian (St. Louis).
