Video: California team wins two-day, 19-inning playoff game.Watch Drake (San Anselmo) win incredibly long playoff game in walk-off fashion.
The town of Woodstock is the center of the high school baseball universe in Georgia this week as Etowah and Woodstock meet for the Class AAAAAAA state title.
Etowah and Woodstock knocked off two teams ranked in the Xcellent 50, including previous No. 2 North Gwinnett and No. 24 Mill Creek. Neither Etowah (26-16) or Woodstock (25-15) were ranked heading into the semifinals as they both have 15 or more losses on their records.
That means the AAAAAAA state champion will have at least 15 losses when the winner of the all-Woodstock title matchup is eventually crowned. That would continue a national trend of teams with double-digit losses winning state titles.
It happened in Oklahoma and Louisiana two weeks ago, and it happened in Arizona and Mississippi last week. Mustang won the Class 6A state title in Oklahoma with a 28-12 record, while Central (Baton Rouge) won the Class 5A state title in Louisiana with a 32-13 record. In Arizona, Hamilton (Chandler) won the Class 6A state title with a 23-10 record.
In Mississippi, Tupelo won the Class 6A title and finished 26-10 while Pearl River Central won the 5A crown and finished 28-12.
All of those state champions, along with Etowah and Woodstock, were included in the state rankings this week.
MaxPreps 2017 Xcellent 50 National High School Baseball Rankings
1. (last week 1) Shawnee (Okla.), 40-0Oklahoma Class 5A state champion.
Tanner Sparks finished the season as the national leader in RBIs with 81, while
Jake Taylor finished second with 68.
Eli Davis leads the nation in runs scored with 72, while
A.J. Barron is second with 69.
Daniel Federman of Archbishop McCarthy
File photo by Mark Camp
2. (3) Archbishop McCarthy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 26-2The Mavericks blanked Goleman 5-0 in the Florida Class 6A regional semifinal and advanced to play Eau Gallie in the regional final.
Daniel Federman was the winning pitcher.
3. (4) Huntington Beach (Calif.), 27-4The Oilers opened the first round of the Southern Section Division I playoffs with an 11-1 win over Redondo Union.
Justin Cianca and
Nick Pratto each had two doubles and
Nick Lopez had a home run.
Hagen Danner also threw five innings for the win, giving up one earned run on two hits with five strikeouts. Huntington Beach plays Servite (Anaheim) in the second round.
4. (5) Moody (Corpus Christi, Texas), 26-1-3Moody took a pair from King (Corpus Christi), winning 9-1 and 4-3 to advance to the regional semifinals against Tivy (Kerrville).
Ramsey Flores with 3-for-4 with a home run and three runs scored in the first game, while
Dominik Lopez had a walkoff two-run double in the bottom of the seventh in the second game.
5. (6) Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.), 25-2Justin Kelley hit a home run to pace the Dolphins to a 13-2 win over Gulf Breeze in the Class 6A regional semifinals. Mosley meets Clay in the regional final.
6. (7) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 30-1The Crusaders won two times last week, beating Caravel (Bear, Del.) 8-1 and Hill School (Pottsown, Pa.) 15-4.
Harold Cortijo went the distance against Caravel and struck out eight while allowing one hit. He also went 3-for-4 with a doubles and two RBIs against Hill School.
7. (8) Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), 28-3The Broncos completed the regular season with a 6-0 win over Poway.
Noah Kaagan went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs and
Calvin Mitchell went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in the win.
8. (9) Buchanan (Clovis, Calif.), 27-3The Bears opened the Central Section Division 1 playoffs with a 6-2 quarterfinal win over Centennial (Bakersfield, Calif.). The Bears meet Clovis West in the semifinals. Clovis West handed Buchanan one of its three losses on the season.
9. (10) West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.), 26-3West Orange knocked off Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs) 9-1 to advance to the Florida Class 9A regional final.
Bobby Head hit a home run and
Cole Beavin struck out 10 in the win. West Orange faces University (Orange City) in the regional finals.
10. (12) Helena (Ala.), 38-6Helena came back from a one-game deficit to capture the Alabama Class 6A state championship. Helena lost the first game 9-1, but rebounded to win the final two games, 3-2 and 5-4.
Nash Adams had two of the RBIs in the 3-2 win while adding a pair of RBIs in the 5-4 victory.
11. (14) Pope (Marietta, Ga.), 32-6Pope takes on Lee County in the Class AAAAAA state championship after beating River Ridge (Woodstock) 7-6 and 10-0 in the semifinals.
Antonio Jareno had a double in the first game and a grand slam in the second.
Parker Orr also homered in the second game.
12. (11) Fort Bend Travis (Richmond, Texas), 29-6Fort Bend Travis needed three games to get past Katy, winning 12-0 in the first game, losing 2-1 in the second game and winning 8-2 in the final game. Travis advances to play North Shore in the Class 6A Region 3 semifinals.
13. (17) Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas), 35-4-1Although Colleyville Heritage lost the first game of the series to Northwest 5-1, it bounced back to post two shutouts, 10-0 and 9-0, and advance to the Class 5A Region 1 semifinals.
Alex Scherff allowed one hit and struck out eight in the 10-0 win, while
Bobby Witt had a home run in the 9-0 victory. Colleyville meets Canyon Randall in the next round.
14. (18) Jackson (Massillon, Ohio), 26-1The Polar Bears opened postseason play with a 1-0 win over Hoover in the district final. It also knocked off Massillon 11-7 in the semifinals. Earlier in the week, Jackson topped Twinsburg 6-0.
15. (20) Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.), 28-0After knocking off Trinity Prep 4-2 last week in the regional semifinals, Calvary Christian stayed undefeated by edging The First Academy 3-2 in the Class 4A regional final. The Warriors meet American Heritage (Delray Beach) in the state semifinals.
16. (25) La Cueva (Albuquerque), 28-1New Mexico Class 6A state champion. Season over.
17. (26) Jefferson City (Mo.), 27-2The Jays won the district tournament by blanking Smith Cotton 10-0 and knocking off Hickman 6-2. Jefferson City heads to the Class 5 state tournament where it opens with Willard.
18. (28) Neuqua Valley (Naperville, Ill.), 31-1-1Neuqua Valley claimed three wins from Glenbard North last week, winning 12-0, 11-1 and 13-6.
Noah Herdman had a home run in the 12-0 victory, a grand slam in the 11-1 victory and two home runs in the 13-6 win.
19. (27) Saline (Mich.), 29-2Lake Orion handed Saline just its second loss of the season as the Hornets split their twinbill with the Dragons 5-2, 4-5. Saline also knocked off Skyline 9-0, 4-1 and 15-3 during the week.
20. (29) Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), 33-4Blessed Trinity swept Heritage (Ringgold) 12-0 and 6-4 to advance to the Class AAAA state championship game against Marist (Atlanta). Blessed Trinity swept Marist in three games earlier this season.
21. (32) Wakeland (Frisco, Texas), 32-3-1Wakeland reached the Class 5A Region 2 semifinals by sweeping Prosper 7-4, 2-1. Wakeland takes on Cleburne this week.
22. (33) William Penn Charter (Philadelphia), 23-1William Penn Charter ran its shutout streak to six in a row with three last week. The Quakers beat Central Bucks South (Warrington, Pa.) 7-0, Father Judge (Philadelphia) 10-0 and Germantown Academy (Fort Washington) 17-0.
23. (34) Westminster Christian (St. Louis), 31-1Westminster Christian won its district tournament beating St. Charles 12-2. The Wildcats also knocked off Duchesne 10-4 in the semifinals.
24. (35) Northwestern (Rock Hill, S.C.), 31-5Northwestern won the first baseball state title in school history by beating River Bluff in a three-game series 2-4, 10-4 and 5-2 for the South Carolina Class 5A state crown.
John Gilreath picked up the win to put his season record at 12-0.
25. (36) Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.), 27-1Wesleyan Christian Academy won the NCISAA class 3A state championship by beating Charlotte Christian 6-2 and 7-6 (12). The Trojans also topped High Point Christian Academy 12-2 in the semifinals.
The Next 2526. (30) Canterbury (Fort Myers, Fla.), 25-5Canterbury reached the Class 3A state semifinals by defeating Indian Rocks Christian (Largo) 8-2 in the regional semifinals. The Cougars take on Bishop McLaughlin in the semifinals.
27. (40) T.C. Roberson (Asheville, N.C.), 27-3The Rams reached the Class 4A state semifinals beating North Davidson 5-4 and Providence (Charlotte) 11-5. They face Lake Norman.
28. (42) Cathedral (Indianapolis), 22-0The Fighting Irish remained undefeated with two wins last week, beating Heritage Christian (Indianapolis) 8-3 and Indianapolis Bishop Chatard 3-1.
29. (43) O'Fallon (Ill.), 30-4O'Fallon won five times last week, beating East St. Louis 10-0, Belleville West 6-4, Alton 4-0, Freeburg 8-3 and Triad 3-2.
30. (45) Rockwall (Texas), 33-5The Yellowjackets swept Oak Ridge 5-3 and 5-4 to advance to the Texas Class 6A regional semifinals against Hendrickson (Pflugerville).
31. (38) St. Laurence (Burbank, Ill.), 29-5St. Laurence went 3-1 during the week, beating Brother Rice 3-1, St. Rita 8-7 and Montini 13-3, while also losing to St. Rita 1-0.
32. (41) Carmel (Ind.), 21-2After absorbing a 5-4 loss to Ben Davis two weeks ago, Carmel won four times last week by beating Mt. Vernon (Fortville) 1-0, Warren Central (Indianapolis) 18-0 and 11-1, and Elwood 10-0.
33. (NR) New Hanover (Wilmington, N.C.), 23-3Advanced to the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament.
34. (16) Cullman (Ala.), 38-9The Bearcats fell in the Class 6A state championship game for the second straight year, losing to Helena in three games. Cullman won the first game 9-1, but lost the next two 3-2 and 5-4.
Owen Lovell unofficially finishes his career with 233 RBIs, which is third most in state history according to the AHSAA record book.
35. (46) Eastlake (Chula Vista, Calif.), 27-3The Titans claimed their final two regular season games by beating Hilltop (Chula Vista), 14-0 and 7-3.
36. (NR) Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.), 22-4Stoneman Douglas advanced to the Class 9A regional finals.
Hamilton celebrates its Class 6A state title.
File photo by Mark Jones
37. (NR) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 23-10Hamilton defeated Pinnacle to win the Class 6A state championship. Season over.
38. (37) Webster Schroeder (Webster, N.Y.), 19-1Webster Schroeder lost its only game of the week, falling to Penfield 2-0 for its first loss of the season.
39. (NR) West Lauderdale (Collinsville, Miss.), 33-3West Lauderdale defeated Corinth in a three-game series to claim the Mississippi Class 4A state championship.
40. (NR) Etowah (Woodstock, Ga.), 26-16Etowah defeated Mill Creek to advance to the Georgia Class AAAAAAA state championship game and faces Woodstock.
41. (47) Mustang (Okla.), 28-12Oklahoma Class 6A state champion. Season over.
42. (NR) Woodstock (Ga.), 25-15Woodstock defeated North Gwinnett in three games to advance to the Georgia Class AAAAAAA state championship game against Etowah.
43. (2) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.), 35-4North Gwinnett lost to Woodstock 2-3, 10-2, 3-4 in the Georgia AAAAAAA state semifinals and was eliminated from postseason play.
44. (48) Owasso (Okla.), 31-4Season over.
45. (49) Central (Baton Rouge, La.), 32-13Louisiana Class 5A state champion. Season over.
46. (50) West Monroe (La.), 38-3Season over.
47. (NR) Pearl River Central (Carriere, Miss.), 28-12Pearl River Central defeated two-time defending state champion Oxford 8-4, 2-9, 7-3 to win the Mississippi Class 5A state championship.
48. (21) Oxford (Miss.), 32-7The Chargers lost to Pearl River Central (Carriere, Miss.) 4-8, 9-2, 3-7 in the Mississippi Class 5A state championship game.
49. (NR) Tupelo (Miss.), 26-10Tupelo defeated Gulfport 2-1, 3-4, 3-0 to win the Mississippi Class 6A state championship.
50. (NR) Tate (Cantonment, Fla.), 24-4
Tate advanced to the Florida Class 7A regional final.
Dropped Out: No. 13 Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), No. 15 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), No. 19 Westminster Christian (Miami), No. 22 Gulfport (Miss.), No. 23 Oak Grove (Hattiesburg, Miss.), No. 24 Mill Creek (Hoschton, Ga.), No. 31 Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), No. 39 J.H. Rose (Greenville, N.C.), No. 44 Butler (Vandalia, Ohio).