MaxPreps final 2014 Top 50 national high school baseball rankings

With the conclusion of the high school baseball season on Saturday, the Barbe Buccaneers became the official national champions, based on the MaxPreps Xcellent 50 National Baseball Rankings.

Barbe has been ranked No. 1 in the nation since April 15 after starting the season at No. 6. Coach Glenn Cecchini felt early in the season that his team could finish the season at the top.

In February, Cecchini liked his team's chance of finishing as the national champion, saying, "This team has chemistry, experience, toughness, humility and a burning desire to excel in everything."

Barbe did just that, winning its final 27 games and defeating a pair of Louisiana state champions (St. Thomas More and Evangelical Christian) during the regular season.

The Buccaneers edge Lambert, the Georgia 6A state champion, and undefeated Puyallup, the Washington 4A state champion, for the top spot.


1. (Last week 1) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 39-2
The Louisiana Class 5A state champions had four players earn first team all-state honors, including state MVP Kennon Fontenot (.434, 52 RBI, 15 doubles, 6 HR). Also earning all-state recognition were pitcher Gunner Leger (11-0, 65 K, 72 IP), catcher Bryce Jordan (.481, 29 RBI, 10 doubles, 4 HR) and outfielder Beau Jordan (.396, 43 RBI, 12 doubles, 12 HR). Braden Comeaux (.354, 5 doubles, 2 HR), Braedon Barrett (.427, 31 RBI, 12 doubles, 2 HR) and Adam Goree (12-0, 63 K, 68.1 IP) were all-state honorable mention. Comeaux, a junior, and Goree, a freshman, are the top returning players for the Buccaneers.

2. (2) Lambert (Suwanee, Ga.), 36-2
The Georgia 6A state champion likely starts the 2015 season as the preseason No. 1 team in the national rankings after finishing No. 2 in 2014. On offense, Lambert returns 11 of its top 14 hitters, including sophomore Seth Beer (.589, 21 doubles, 56 RBI, 10 HR), sophomore Tucker Maxwell (.404, 27 RBI, 7 doubles, 6 HR), junior Jd Dutka (11-1, 47 K, 72.0 IP, .361 average, 11 doubles, 5 HR, 34 RBI), junior Ian Kimbrell (.435, 29 RBI), and sophomore Kyle McCann (.404, 31 RBI, 7 doubles, 3 HR). One senior Lambert will definitely miss is Dylan Biumi, who went 11-1 on the mound.

3. (3) Puyallup (Wash.), 28-0
The Washington 4A state champion will miss Quinn Rawson next season after a year in which he batted .354 with seven home runs and earned player of the year honors from the Seattle Times. However standout juniors Luke Heimlich (11-0, 4 shutouts, 106 K, 75 IP), who was the Gatorade State Player of the Year, and catcher Brendan Illies (.398, 26 RBI, six doubles) are back along with all-league second baseman Zach Needham. Others to earn all-league honors included third baseman Adam Stump (Sr), shortstop Levi Jordan (Sr), outfielder Darian Clemens (Sr), outfielder Tyler Mcdowell (Sr), and pitcher Lane Griffin (Sr).

4. (4) Clovis (Calif.), 32-5
The Cougars were a senior-dominated team, led by the duo of McCarthy Tatum, the Tri-River Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year with an 11-1 record, and Jacob Gatewood, the TRAC Silver Slugger Award winner after batting .387 with 10 doubles and five home runs. Gatewood was also drafted No. 41 overall while Tatum was drafted No. 590. The Cougars also lose all-league players Cody Murray (.291), RJ Hartmann (.270), Evan Steele (.292) and Alan Crowley (.282). Junior all-league players Preston Mott (9-1) and Tevin Mitchell (.354) return.

5. (5) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 30-3
The Arizona Division I state champion was led by all-state pick Austin Filiere (SS, .466, 18 doubles, 27 RBI, 6 HR), and Division I selections Kent Hasler (P, 8-1, 75 Ks, 66 IP, 1.59 ERA), Jake Boston (IF, .422, 29 RBI, 7 doubles, 5 HR) and Zach Pederson (P, Jr., 12-0, 35 K, 2.42 ERA, 63.2 IP).

6. (6) Sumter (S.C.), 28-2-1
The South Carolina Class 4A state champion won its final 21 games of the season and was led by Class 4A state MVP Charlie Barnes (LHP) and all-state selection Phillip Watcher (IF). Other all-region picks included Jacob Watcher (IF), Javon Martin (IF), James Barnes (OF) and Chris Crawford (OF).

7. (7) Flower Mound (Texas), 34-11-2
The Texas Class 5A state champion got a strong performance during the postseason from Kyle Johnston, who was named the Dallas Area Player of the Year by the Morning News after going 10-2 on the season with 129 strikeouts. BJ Myers (10-2, 104 Ks) was named the Pitcher of the Year for District 5-5A while Connor Wanhanen (.421, 10 doubles, 6 triples, 1 HR) was the Offensive Player of the Year. Other all-district first team players included senior Tim Millard (3B, .298) and juniors Casey Jacobsen (SS, .276) and Sean Wymer (UT, .388, 2 HR).

8. (8) Bryant (Ark.), 33-2
The Arkansas Class 7A state champion was led by Gatorade State Player of the Year Trevor Ezel, who batted .518 with 11 doubles, 43 RBIs, eight triples and six homers. Other standout performers included Chase Tucker (.513, 26 RBI, 7 doubles), Jason Hasting (.408, 22 RBI, 6 doubles), Blain Knight (Jr., 11-0, 0.43 ERA, 80 K, 65.2 IP) and Drew Tipton (Jr, .384, 26 RBI, 9 doubles).

9. (9) Fayetteville (Ark.), 30-4
The runners-up in the Arkansas Class 7A state playoffs were led by two of the state's top pitchers in seniors Andy Pagnozzi (11-0, 97 K, 72.2 IP, 0.59 ERA) and Kyle Pate (10-2, 116 K, 0.59 ERA, 71.1 IP). Top hitters included seniors Grant Koch (.340, 26 RBI, 11 doubles, 4 HR) and Duc Dunn (.301, 7 doubles, 4 HR), along with juniors Drew Tyler (.296, 4 HR) and Cody Davenport (.412, 14 doubles, 5 HR).

10. (10) Stillwater (Okla.), 32-4
The Oklahoma Class 6A state champion had one of the nation's top outfielders in John Littell, who batted .446 with 39 RBIs and five home runs while earning all-state honors. Also leading the way for Stillwater was Carson Teel, a senior outfielder (.471, 3 HR, 39 RBI) who also pitched and had a 9-0 record with a 1.44 ERA. Top returning players include all-state honorable mention selections T.J. Black and Brooks Zimmerman.

11. (11) Spanish Fort (Ala.), 40-6
Winner of four Class 5A state championships in the past five seasons, Spanish Fort was led by all-Super State pitcher Jesse McCord (RHP, 12-1, 0.73 ERA, 122 K). He was named the Coastal Alabama Player of the Year for the second year in a row. Other top players include Brian Lane (C, .424, 38 RBI), Rob Perteet (OF, .466, 21 RBI) and Will Luft (Ut, 6-0, .323, 25 RBI, 4 HR). Other honorable mention all-area picks include Dylan Alford (Sr, IF), Gunner Hendrix (Jr, SS) and Hunter Stokes (Soph, IF-P).

12. (12) American (Hialeah, Fla.), 27-6
The Florida Class 7A state champion had three players make the All-Dade County Team by the Miami Herald, including No. 68 draftee Ronald Williams (7-1, 83 K, 1.01 ERA), third baseman Roman Gonzalez (Jr., .377, 6 HR, 34 RBI) and outfielder Kevin Williams (Sr., .435, 20 SB). Second team members included senior second baseman Eric Gonzalez while senior shortstop Edison Cabrera and senior catcher Steven Alvarez made the third team.

13. (13) South Dade (Homestead, Fla.), 22-7
The Florida Class 8A state champion had two players selected to the All-Dade County team by the Miami Herald, including senior pitcher Erik Manoah (9-2, 120 K, 2.11 ERA) and junior second baseman Artie Paula (.443, 26 runs). Sophomore catcher Gabe Cruz and junior outfielder Sergio Lopez made the second team.

14. (14) Western Branch (Chesapeake, Va.), 28-2
The Virginia Class 6A state champion was led by Red Sox draftee Devon Fisher along with college-bound seniors Justin Hayes (OF), Zach Rutherford (P), Kyle McPherson (SS) and Kyle Butler (2B).

15. (15) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 23-2
An outstanding season came to an early end with a playoff loss to eventual state champion South Dade. Flanagan returns one of the nation's top junior pitchers in Gentry Fortuno (10-1, 76 K, 1.04 ERA) along with All-Broward County catcher Miguel Presno (.391). Flanagan loses all-county seniors Ryan Dodge (1B, .390, 6 HR, 23 RBI) and Oscar Rodriguez (OF, .456, 5 HR, 24 RBI), as well as second team pitcher Chris Rodriguez. Second team sophomore outfielder Eric Rivera also returns.

16. (16) Flora (Columbia, S.C.), 27-4
Winners of three straight South Carolina Class 3A state titles, Flora was led by Class 3A State Player of the Year Madison Stokes (as chosen by the High School Sports Report). Other all-state picks included Everett Eynon and Austin Beskid.

17. (17) North Florida Christian (Tallahassee, Fla.), 26-4
The Florida Class 3A state champion had a pair of draft picks in pitcher Carson Sands (11-1, 100 K, 60.2 IP) and outfielder Matthew Railey (.407, 10 doubles, 4 HR). NFC also had the Big Bend MVP in catcher Jared Barnes (.378, 9 HR, 9 doubles). First team All-Big Bend selection Cole Sands (5-1, 1.46 ERA, 41 K, 40 IP) returns along with honorable mention picks Landon Seymour (.369) and Ethan Michaelis (.404).

18. (18) Milton (Ga.), 28-8
The 2013 state champions fell one game short of repeating in the Georgia Class 6A state finals. The senior-dominated team had one draft pick in Dylan Cease, who missed part of the season due to injury. Ryan Gridley (.439) and Dalton Ewing (.389) were the top hitters for Milton while sophomore Steven Curry (.382) is the top returning hitter.

19. (19) Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.), 25-6
The Florida Class 5A state champion was a young team, led by All-Tampa Bay Times second team picks Michael Sandborn (P, Soph, 4-0, 42 K, 0.85 ERA, 33 IP) and Kennie Taylor (OF, junior, .348, 24 RBI, 3 HR). Jesuit loses all-area honorable mention pick Ryan McCullers (.366) but returns all-area honorable mention choice Ronnie Ramirez (OF, .292). Look for Jesuit to be a top 10 preseason pick next year with eight of its top 10 players returning.

20. (20) Bay City Western (Auburn, Mich.), 38-7
Bay City Western won the Division I state title for the second year in a row and had three players make the all-state team. Scott Badour (7-2) landed on the first team while Seth Freed (SS, .385) and Carson Eby (C, Jr., .395, 10 doubles, 41 RBI) made the second team.

21. (21) Hickory (Chesapeake, Va.), 21-7
Hickory won the 5A state championship in Virginia behind the play of LHP Connor Eason (8-2, 2.72 ERA), outfielder Christian Lowery and freshman Michael Polanski (.444, seven home runs).

22. (22) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas), 32-10
Marcus finished tied with Flower Mound in District 5-5A, defeating the state champions twice during district play. Junior Brendan Venter (.294, 20 RBI, 10 doubles) was the district player of the year while Tyler Boertje (2B, Sr., .422), Jack Cushing (P, Jr., 9-1, 61 K), Conner Dotson (P, Sr., 8-6, 107 Ks) and Ramiro Greer (SS, Sr., .280) earned first team all-district honors.

23. (23) Pearland (Texas), 37-6
Pearland lost in the Class 5A state semifinals. Top players included all-district first team selections Jacob Barfield (3B, Sr), Hayden Cole (DH, Sr), Ryan Diaz (OF, Jr), Kamren Dukes (OF, Sr), Jake Crain (P, Sr) and Connor Wong (SS, Sr).

24. (24) Reagan (San Antonio), 33-7
Troy Montemayor was the San Antonio News Express Player of the Year after leading Reagan to a second-place finish in Class 5A. He went 14-2 with 100 strikeouts in 106 innings pitched. Other top players include all-area infielder Drew Brooks (.337, 25 RBI), and all-district picks Ben Brookover (1B, Sr.), Jack Thompson (DH, Sr.) and Zach Morrow (OF, Jr.).

25. (25) Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 25-3
Olympia defeated Apopka three times during the regular season but lost in the second round of the playoffs and saw its season come to an early end. The Titans had Orlando Sentinel Player of the Year Nick Gordon (.512, 11 doubles, 6 HR) leading the way, however a number of top players return, including Juan Hillman (.366, 20 RBI, 8-1, 79 K, 0.73 ERA), Michael Byrne (10-1, 62 K, 0.93 ERA), Cameron Montgomery (.379, 3 HR) and Kirk Sidwell (.273).

The Next 25

26. (26) Carl Albert (Midwest City, Okla.), 38-4
The Oklahoma Class 5A state champion featured one of the top sluggers in the nation in Gatorade State Player of the Year Gavin Lavalley, who belted 19 home runs and had a national-best 75 RBIs while batting .548. Other standouts included all-state first baseman Cameron Warren (.433, 11 HR, 7-0, 65 Ks, 1.82 ERA), Justin McGregor (.455, 13 doubles, 8 HRs, 12-1, 86 K, 1.05 ERA) and Cory Zangari (Jr., .500, 8 doubles, 11 HRs).

27. (27) Greenway (Phoenix), 28-4
Tyler Frost, the Arizona Republic's State Player of the Year, led the Arizona Division II state champions. He batted .406 with 42 RBIs, nine doubles and seven home runs. He also went 12-1 on the mound with 92 strikeouts and a 0.26 ERA. Other key players included Payton Squier (.315, 23 RBI), Alejo Lopez (Jr., .430, 10 doubles, 6 HR), Sean Wagner (.494, 35 RBI, 10 doubles, 5 HR) and Cody Wescott (.412, 7 doubles, 3 HR).

28. (28) New Hope (Columbus, Miss.), 32-4
The Mississippi Class 5A state champion had a pair of all-state players in Will Golsan (.398) and Taylor Stafford (.327, 9 doubles, 3 HR, 7-1, 1.39 ERA).

29. (29) Lemont (Ill.), 29-6
The Illinois Class 3A state champion had one of the state's top catchers in Mike Papierski (.414, 12 doubles, 8 HR) along with one of the top pitchers in Jake Latz (9-0, 113 K, 0.22 ERA).

30. (30) Granite Hills (El Cajon, Calif.), 26-7
The California San Diego Section Open Division champion had a pair of all-section players in first-team senior pitcher Jayson Rose (8-0, 1.07 ERA, 103 K) and second team senior outfielder Robert Bostedt (.406, 10 doubles).

31. (31) St. Thomas More (Lafayette, La.), 31-5
The Louisiana 4A state champion had the state's top player in senior catcher Chase Vallot (.545, 15 doubles, 62 RBI, 13 HR), who earned Gatorade State Player of the Year honors. More also had one of the state's top juniors in O'Neal Lochridge (.383, 13 doubles, 48 RBI, 7 HR). Senior pitchers Wyatt Marks (8-1) and Sam Houston (9-0) also earned all-state honors.

32. (32) Oak Grove (Hattiesburg, Miss.), 27-6
The Mississippi 6A state champion had one of the state's top two-way players in all-state pick Kirk McCarty (7-1, 81 K, 1.41 ERA, .328, 20 RBI). Senior Taylor Braley (.446, 13 doubles, 37 RBI, 4 HR) was a second team all-state pick.

33. (33) Aledo (Texas), 34-6
The Texas Class 4A state champion had a pair of district MVPs in senior Zayne Willems (defensive MVP) and senior Chris Reed (pitcher of the year). Other all-district picks included Dakota Durant (1B, Sr.), Tyson Mauser (2B, Sr.), Taco Anderson (3B, Sr.), Hershel Gardner (DH, Sr.) and Wade Rayburn (OF, Jr.).

34. (34) Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), 20-10-1
The Eagles finished second in the Trinity League, but won the California Southern Section Division I championship. Pitcher Griffin Canning (10-3, 123 Ks, 1.27 ERA) was named the Pitcher of the Year by the Orange County Register. Other all-league players included Dillon Miyashiro (.301), JJ Carr (.347), Nick Meyer (.330), Jordan Steele (.278) and Nick Wallace (.280).

35. (35) Atascocita (Humble, Texas), 31-8
The Class 5A semifinalists had just two all-district players in Anthony Pagano (Jr., P) and Travis Jones (SS, Sr). Pagano also earned All-Greater Houston honors.

36. (36) La Cueva (Albuquerque, N.M.), 26-3
The New Mexico Class 5A state champions placed four players on the all-state first team, including Caleb McAlister (1B), Alex Howard (2B, P), Chad Smith (P) and Connor Calvert (OF). Howard was named the Class 5A State Player of the Year.

37. (37) St. Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), 26-5
St. Francis defeated Bellarmine (San Jose) three times during the season, only to lose in the Central Coast Section playoffs. The Lancers had two draft picks in John Gavin (8-1, 100 Ks, 0.71 ERA) and Tim Susnara (.223, 8 doubles). Other first team all-league players included Tyler Deason (Sr., 9-2, 61 Ks).

38. (38) West Forsyth (Clemmons, N.C.), 29-6
The North Carolina Class 4A state champion had the Central Piedmont 4A Pitcher of the Year in Michael Bates and the Player of the Year in Alex Vanderstok. Other all-league picks included Travis Holden, Jake Mayhew and Tripp Shelton.

39. (39) Temecula Valley (Temecula, Calif.), 24-8
Brandon Koch (9-1, 0.88 ERA, 52 Ks) was named the Pitcher of the Year and Kyle Plantier (.412, 8 doubles, 3 HR) was the Position Player of the Year by the Riverside Press Enterprise for the California Southern Section Division II champions.

40. (40) Westminster Christian (St. Louis), 31-5
The Missouri Division 4 state champion had five players make the St. Louis Post Dispatch All-Metro Team including Brett Bond (C, Sr., .420, 10 doubles, 6 HR, 34 RBI), Caleb Hicks (IF, Sr, .466, 17 doubles, 5 HR, 40 RBI), Collin Einertson (OF, Sr, .441, 14 doubles, 6 triples, 2 HR, 31 RBI), Travis Ralls (DH, Sr, .379, 9 doubles, 3 HR, 29 RBI) and Jordan Smith (P, Sr, Pitcher of the Year, 10-0, 1.53 ERA, 59.2 IP).

41. (41) St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.), 20-7
The New Jersey Non-Public A champion had a pair of all-state players in Joe Rotelli (1B, Sr., .529, 14 doubles, 36 RBI, 6 HRs) and Anthony Santoro (C, Sr., .445, 20 RBI, 10 doubles, 2 HRs).

42. (42) Jackson (Massillon, Ohio), 26-5
The Ohio Division I state champion had one all-state player in outfielder Jake Miller.

43. (43) Freeman (Richmond, Va.), 26-2
The Class 5A finalists were led by All-South Region picks Daniel Lynch (P, Jr.), Logan Harvey (C, Jr.) and Jake Gerstenmaier (SS, Sr.).

44. (44) Providence (Charlotte, N.C.), 26-6
The Class 4A state semifinalist had three All-Observer picks in pitcher Matt Ball (Sr., 11-0, 0.79 ERA, 105 Ks), infielder Tommy Dejuneas (.424, 1.79 ERA, 5 HR) and utility man Josh Hiatt (9-3, 2.14 ERA, .321, 21 RBI).

45. (45) Ardrey Kell (Charlotte, N.C.), 28-3
Ardrey Kell had the top player in the Charlotte area in sophomore Aaron Pilkington, who had a national-best 19 home runs along with a .400 average and 43 RBIs. Other All-Observer picks included senior pitcher Doug Norman (9-1, 0.78 ERA, 94 K) and infielder Zach Featherstone (.398, 7 HR, 25 RBI).

46. (NR) Noblesville (Ind.), 28-8
Noblesville defeated Terre Haute North Vigo 2-1 to capture the Indiana Class 4A state championship. Noblesville was led all season by Andrew Wilson (OF, Sr., .402, 26 RBI, 10 doubles, 5 HR), Vincent Essig (IF, Jr., .314, 26 RBI, 6 HR), Garrett Christman (P, Sr., 8-2, 77 K) and Zack St. PIerre (OF, Sr, .393, 8 doubles, 5 HR).

47. (47) Bloom-Carroll (Carroll, Ohio), 29-2
The Ohio Division II state champion had four all-state players in first team pick Sam Bordner (P) and second team selections Corey Stanley (P), Jarrett Peters (C) and Roger Danison (OF).

48. (48) College Station (Texas), 36-8-1
The Texas Class 3A state champion had eight all-district players including MVP Baylor Rowlett (C/P, Jr.), defensive MVP Izzy Martinez (2B, Jr.), offensive MVP Kyle Richardson (OF/P, Soph.), and first team picks Cody Staab (DH, Jr.), Jaxxon Grisham (IF, Jr.), Ryan Johnson (OF, Jr.), MacGregor Hines (P, Jr.) and Walker Davis (Ut, Jr.).

49. (49) Providence Catholic (New Lenox, Ill.), 27-14
The Class 4A state champion had the Chicago Sun Times Player of the Year in senior infielder Dylan Rosa (.413, 14 doubles, 11 HR, 55 RBI) and an MLB Draft pick in pitcher Jake Godfrey.

50. (50) St. Rita (Chicago), 37-5
St. Rita finished second in Class 4A and had two players make all-state in senior outfielder Jake Shepski (.385, 48 RBI, 12 doubles, 7 triples, 5 home runs) and senior infielder Nick Goldsmith (.398, 47 RBI, 9 doubles, 9 home runs).

Dropped Out: No. 46 Terre Haute North Vigo (Ind.)