MaxPreps Top 25 National High School Baseball Rankings

Video: Line drive caught with bare hand
In an act of self-preservation, Wisconsin pitcher Anthony Schlass catches the come-backer without the glove.

Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) takes over the top spot in the MaxPreps Top 25 National High School Baseball Rankings one week after American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) opened the season at No. 1.

The Patriots lost their first game of the year to Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) last week and dropped to No. 6 while Calvary Christian Academy enters the rankings at No. 5. Lake Travis moves up one spot to No. 1 after winning its only game last week and staying undefeated.

Florida claims three of the top six spots with Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.) jumping to No. 2 with its 42nd straight win of the season. El Toro (Lake Forest, Calif.), the previous No. 3, dropped to No. 25 with a loss and a tie last week.

Only two other teams entered the rankings — Huntington Beach (Calif.) and Basic (Henderson, Nev.). Oak Mountain (Birmingham, Ala.), New Hanover (Wilmington, N.C.) and Mountain View (Mesa, Ariz.) all dropped out.

1. (Last week 2) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 14-0
The Cavaliers move up to No. 1 after an impressive start in Texas. Lake Travis has won a pair of tournaments and is 3-0 to start District 25-6A play. In a 3-2 win over Buda Hays, Brett Baty went four innings on the mound for the win, giving up no runs on one hit. He also had a double at the plate. The Cavaliers face their toughest test of the season thus far with a three-game district series against crosstown rival Westlake (Austin).

2. (4) Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.), 12-0
The Warriors won three times last week to extend their winning streak to 42 games in a row. Calvary Christian is averaging 10 runs a game over their past six outings. They beat defending Class 8A state champion Lincoln 10-0 earlier in the week, blanked Lovett (Ga.) 10-0 and finished the week with an 8-1 win over Berkeley Prep (Tampa Bay). Christian Cairo had a pair of home runs during the week.

3. (5) Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), 8-0
The Knights swept three games in Mission League play, beating St. Francis (La Canada) 6-5, 11-5 and 6-1. Daylen Reyes had a home run in the 11-5 victory and Michael Effatian had two of the wins in relief. Notre Dame has a three-game set with Loyola (Los Angeles) this week and will take part in the Boras Classic the first week of April.

4. (6) Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.), 19-0
The Broncos continue to rip off wins, collecting five victories while giving up just five runs. Sam Houston topped New Iberia 10-3, West Ouachita 11-0, Welsh 7-0, Parkway 6-1 and Byrd 5-1. Sulphur hosts Sam Houston in a key district matchup on March 31.

5. (NR) Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 10-1
The Eagles handed No. 1 American Heritage (Plantation) its first loss of the season and make their debut in the Top 25. Calvary Christian Academy and American Heritage could meet again next week as they both compete in the National High School Invitational.

6. (1) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 8-1
The Patriots drop from No. 1 after their first loss ... but not too far. American Heritage lost 5-1 to Calvary Christian Academy, which has appeared in several national rankings by other ranking services and enters the MaxPreps Top 25 this week. The Patriots managed just two hits in the loss. The Patriots crushed perennial small school Florida powerhouse Bishop Verot (Fort Myers) 11-1 earlier in the week. Triston Casas and Matt Ruiz both drove in a couple of runs in the win. Gulliver Prep looms in another key match-up this week before the Patriots head to the National High School Invitational.

7. (8) Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), 14-1
The Titans won twice last week, beating West Forsyth 11-3 and River Ridge 9-7. Jake Smith had a double and home run with four RBIs in the win over River Ridge. Next week, Blessed Trinity has a three-game series with Marist, the team that beat the Titans for the state title last year.

8. (9) Elk Grove (Calif.), 2-0-1
The Thundering Herd didn't play last week, but takes on St. Mary's (Stockton) and Lincoln (Stockton) his week before heading to the San Diego Lions Tournament next week.

9. (10) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 12-0
The Eagles bashed four home runs in a 13-0 win over Avant Garde Academy in their only game last week. Nander De Sedas, one of the nation's top shortstop prospects, is batting .406 with two doubles and a home run.

10. (12) Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.), 8-0-1
The Warriors edged Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 1-0 in nine innings last week in West Catholic Athletic League play and also topped St. Ignatius (San Francisco) 6-1. Valley Christian has played three extra-innings games already this season. Saint Francis comes to play on Tuesday in a key league showdown.

11. (14) Providence School (Jacksonville, Fla.), 9-1
The Stallions easily won their only game last week, topping Bishop Snyder 14-0. Providence School hosts its own tournament this week, facing IMG Academy Blue and King's Academy.

12. (16) Zachary (La.), 18-1
The Broncos have won six straight since losing to Sam Houston, including a 10-0 win over Airline on Saturday. Also beat Tioga 6-5, West Ouchita 8-3, Dutchtown 3-0 and St. Amant 13-3. Ryder Lockhart pitched a two-hit shutout against Airline with Joey Blanchard hitting a home run.

13. (17) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 8-0
The Ascenders will head west with an 8-0 record after beating Dunedin 5-1 and Tampa Catholic 15-0. IMG Academy plays in the Coach Bob Invitational in Arizona this week. Ray Torres, a junior catcher transfer from Providence (Charlotte, N.C.) went 2-for-4 with four RBIs against Tampa Catholic.

14. (19) Owasso (Okla.), 9-0
The Rams head out on their annual trip to Florida with nine straight wins under their belt. They won six games in six days last week, beating Bartlesville 12-7 and 14-0, Victory Christian 17-6, Coweta 14-0, Norman 9-6 and Oktaha 7-3. Zach Jaccarino had a double and a home run with four RBIs in the second win over Bartlesville. Sam Thompson had a home run and five RBIs against Victory Christian, while Hayden Tallman struck out 11 in a win over Norman.

15. (20) Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas), 4-0
The Gaels outscored Spring Valley (Las Vegas) 51-2 over a three-game series to up their record to 4-0. Parker Aquino had a five-inning one-hitter in a 16-0 win, while Christian Lamar hit two home runs in a three-inning 20-0 win. Max Prescott had a home run and knocked in five runs in a 15-2 victory. The Gaels head to the San Diego Lions tournament next week and face Rancho Bernardo (San Diego).

16. (21) Reagan (San Antonio), 17-3
The Rattlers extended their win streak to 16 in a row with three district wins. Reagan blanked Churchill (San Antonio) 6-0 and Lee (San Antonio) 5-0 before beating Canyon (New Braunfels) 7-3.

17. (23) Argyle (Texas), 14-0
The Eagles had their closest game of the season, but still defeated Braswell 4-3 for their 14th straight win. Hayden Clearman had a double and a triple in the win. Argyle hit six home runs in a 14-0 win over Tremble Tech, including two by Bryson Hudgens.

18. (25) South Caldwell (Hudson, N.C.), 8-0
The Spartans had two of their more lopsided wins of the season thus far with a 9-1 win over Watauga (Boone) and a 10-0 win over West Caldwell (Lenoir) last week. South Caldwell faces a tough test against Freedom (Morganton) this week.

19. (11) Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose, Calif.), 7-1
After a 7-5 win over Jesuit (Carmichael), a 7-1 win over St. Ignatius (San Francisco) and a 1-0 win over Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.), the Bells fell to Serra (San Mateo) 5-3 in West Catholic Athletic League play. Another tough league contest against Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) is set for Tuesday with the Boras Classic slated for next week.

20. (NR) Huntington Beach (Calif.), 9-2
The Oilers have won nine in a row since losing an early doubleheader with Bellarmine College Prep. Included along the way are a win over Orange Lutheran and a doubleheader sweep of JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano).

21. (NR) Basic (Henderson, Nev.), 5-0
The two-time defending Nevada Class 4A state champion got its season off to a strong start with a tournament championship at the Boras Classic in Arizona, including an 18-4 win over Coronado in the championship game.

22. (13) Gulfport (Miss.), 12-1
The Admirals defeated Washington 3-1 and Memphis University 8-3 in the Battle at the Beach tournament, but lost to Warren Central 10-9 on Thursday. Rain washed out the remaining games of the tournament, including a key match-up with George County.

23. (15) Katy (Texas), 14-2-2
The Tigers split their two district games last week, beating Cinco Ranch 9-0 and losing to Katy Taylor 12-11. Katy continues district play against Seven Lakes (Katy) and Morton Ranch (Katy) this week.

24. (22) Har-Ber (Springdale, Ark.), 7-1
The Wildcats suffered their first loss, a 1-0 defeat to Rogers, but bounced back the next day to beat Rogers 9-1. Also blasted Olathe South 12-0. Blake Adams homered against Olathe South while Blaze Brothers went 3-for-4 in the win over Rogers. Har-Ber plays perennial Tennessee state champion Christian Brothers (Memphis, Tenn.) at the Best of the West tournament this week.

25. (3) El Toro (Lake Forest, Calif.), 7-1-1
The Chargers saw their 18-game win streak (dating back to April 28) come to an end with a 1-1 tie with Bishop Amat (La Puente) and a 3-2 loss to Mission Viejo last week. The Diablos got the game-winning hit in the seventh inning. Chase Luttrell was 3-for-4 with a double for El Toro in the loss. El Toro was scheduled to play Gahr (Cerritos) on Saturday, but the game was postponed to Monday.

Dropped out: No. 7 Oak Mountain (Birmingham, Ala.); No. 18 New Hanover (Wilmingon, N.C.), No. 24 Mountain View (Mesa, Ariz.).