Video: Top 5 Plays of the Week // Week 1
See these gems from the diamond as spring sports are in full bloom.
With previous No. 1 Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) losing its first game of the season, the No. 1 ranking in the country for 2018 could come down to which Florida team can run the table.
Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.), which is 23-0 and has won 53 in a row dating back to the first game of the 2017 season, moves up to the top spot. They showed their mettle last week with a 1-0 win over Venice, a team that has won multiple state championships the past decade. The Warriors enter the Class 4A state playoffs next week as the clear favorite and could finish undefeated for a second straight season.
Then there is Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.). Also 23-0, the Eagles overcame their biggest challenge of the season thus far with a four-run, seventh-inning rally to beat IMG Academy 5-4 last week. Unlike Calvary Christian, however, Montverde Academy does not participate in the state playoffs and ends its season this week with games against IMG Academy and Seven Rivers Christian.
The Eagles could thus move into the No. 1 ranking without ever playing a postseason game. Montverde Academy also finished No. 1 in the nation in boys basketball in 2018.
Six teams move into the rankings this week, including Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), Neuqua Valley (Naperville, Ill.), Staley (Kansas City, Mo.), Coppell (Texas), Saline (Mich.) and Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch, Colo.).
MaxPreps Top 25 National High School Baseball Rankings
JP Corrigan, Harvard-Westlake
Photo by Samuel Mawanda
1. (last week 2) Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.), 23-0The Warriors moved up to the No. 1 ranking in the nation thanks to a 53-game win streak that includes a recent win over the top programs in the state of Florida. Calvary Christian edged Venice with
Nolan Hudi throwing a one-hitter. The Warriors also topped Berkeley Prep (Tampa) 5-2 and Manatee (Bradenton) 12-4.
2. (3) Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), 23-0The Eagles needed four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat IMG Academy 5-4 and remain undefeated.
Jake Holland had a home run early in the game and
Alejandro Rodriguez hit one out in the seventh, but the Eagles scored the winning run on a bases-loaded walk that forced in the winning run. The two teams meet again this week.
3. (1) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 27-1The Cavaliers saw their 25-game win streak come to an end with a 4-3 loss to Vista Ridge on Tuesday. The loss won't drop Lake Travis too much since it had two previous wins over Vista Ridge. The Cavaliers concluded the week by beating Vandegrift 2-0 and 5-1 with
Austin Plante hitting a double in both games.
4. (5) Argyle (Texas), 25-0The Eagles added shutout No. 16 with a 12-0 victory over Bridgeport.
Parker Abrego and
Chad Ricker combined for a no-hitter in the win. Argyle also scored a 10-run win over Krum (11-1) with
Dillon Carter hitting two doubles to lead a 15-hit attack.
5. (6) Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), 28-2The Titans won three region games, beating West Hall 4-3, 2-0 and 8-2.
CJ Abrams had two home runs during the series and
Jake Smith had one.
Clark Dearman also picked up his ninth win of the season.
6. (10) Cleburne (Texas), 27-1-2The Yellowjackets continue to score at will, beating three teams by a combined 33-1 score.
Coy Sims had a one-hitter in a 10-0 win over Sequin, while
Willie Rangel struck out 11 in a 13-1 win over Burleson.
Zac Blackburn had 10 strikeouts in a 10-0 win over Fort Worth Southwest.
7. (12) Zachary (La.), 31-2The Broncos head into the postseason with 10 straight wins, including an 11-2 win over Live Oak and a 16-0 win over Scotlandville last week.
Jayden Williams had a home run against Live Oak while
Creed David and
Rhett Hebert each had three hits and a triple in the win over Scotlandville.
8. (4) Vianney (Kirkwood, Mo.), 22-1The Griffins lost for the first time this year as part of a two-game set on Saturday. Vianney lost the opener to Parkway Central 7-5 before beating Troy-Buchanan 8-4 in the nightcap. Earlier in the week, Vianney blanked St. Louis University 4-0 and routed Christian Brothers 15-3.
9. (7) Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.), 20-2-1The Warriors have lost just two games this year, but both are to Serra (San Mateo). Valley Christian fell to Serra 3-0 early in the week, but captured a 6-3 win over Archbishop Mitty later in the week to stay in first place in the West Catholic Athletic League. The Warriors also received a forfeit win over St. Ignatius (San Francisco).
10. (14) Huntington Beach (Calif.), 21-3The Oilers took advantage of nine walks and three errors to beat Marina (Huntington Beach) 9-1 last week. They also beat Marina 7-0 with
Josh Hahn and
Cole Minato hitting a home run each.
11. (15) Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Md.), 23-1The Crusaders beat Newark Charter School 13-1 as
Corey Rosier had three RBIs. They also received a forfeit win from Model Secondary School for the Deaf.
12. (17) Mill Creek (Hoschton, Ga.), 26-4The Hawks picked up four more wins, including three region victories over Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee). Mill Creek beat the Lions 5-1, 14-3 and 11-1 and also topped Hillgrove (Powder Springs) 8-3.
13. (18) John Curtis Christian (River Ridge, La.), 26-4The Patriots concluded the regular season with three wins last week, beating Archbishop Shaw 7-3 and taking two from Holy Cross 7-2 and 6-0.
Cade Beloso had home runs in both Holy Cross wins and is among the national leaders with 11.
14. (19) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 20-2Triston Casas had a home run and a triple in a 12-2 win over Trinity Christian Academy, while
Ryan Cabarcas had a shutout and 11 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over Dwyer.
15. (20) McAllen (Texas), 24-1-1The Bulldogs continue to dominate, beating Rowe (McAllen) 21-1 and Palmview (La Joya) 10-0.
Gilbert Mata and
Abanny Garcia both had home runs against Rowe.
Rigo Moreno hit two out against Palmview, while
Hector Garcia also added a homer.
16. (21) O'Fallon (Ill.), 20-1-1The Panthers racked up four more wins last week, beating Edwardsville 7-6, Alton 6-3, Lutheran South 10-0 and Christian Brothers 5-3.
Matthew Albritton homered against Christian Brothers and Edwardsville and
Hayden Juenger hit one against Alton.
17. (23) Flanagan (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), 19-1The Falcons claimed three more wins, beating Western 11-1, Miramar 18-1 and Jupiter 2-1.
Jesus Delgado beat a home run against Western
Stephen Schissler hit one against Jupiter.
18. (25) St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.), 14-0The Tigers continued their win streak to start the season with four wins against teams from out of state. The Tigers beat Floyd Central (Floyd Knobs, Ind.) 10-1 and Jeffersonville (Ind.) 1-0, edged La Salle (Cincinnati) 9-5 and topped Chippewa Valley (Clinton Township, Mich.), 15-12.
19. (13) Har-Ber (Springdale, Ark.), 22-3The Wildcats continue to dominate Arkansas opponents, beating Fayetteville 8-2 and 9-0 last week. Har-Ber went to Missouri on Friday and split two games, beating Ozark 5-2 and losing to Kickapoo 7-1.
20. (NR) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 17-3The Wolverines picked up three big wins last week, beating formerly ranked Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks) 4-3, 10-2 and 8-4. Only loss in the last month is to JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano) at the Boras Classic.
21. (NR) Neuqua Valley (Naperville, Ill.), 14-0In the running with O'Fallon as the No. 1 team in Illinois. The Wildcats are coming off a season in which they lost just two games (35-2). They've opened the season undefeated with five wins coming out of state in Tennessee.
22. (NR) Staley (Kansas City, Mo.), 19-1The only loss for Staley is against Canyon Del Oro (Tucson, Ariz.) in an Arizona tournament. Has 17 straight wins and is ranked No. 2 in the state by the state coaches association.
23. (NR) Coppell (Texas), 26-3-1The Cowboys have 15 straight wins since an early-season tie with Prosper. Coppell is undefeated in district play and is ranked among the top five teams in Class 6A by the state coaches association.
24. (NR) Saline (Mich.), 5-0The defending state champions have gotten off to a delayed start due to the weather, but they are undefeated through the first week of the season.
25. (NR) Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 15-0The top-ranked team in Colorado, Mountain Vista has wins over a number of the top 5A teams in the state, including Cherry Creek, Legend, Arapahoe and Chatfield.
Dropped out: No. 8 Bellarmine College Prep (San Jose, Calif.), No. 9 Reagan (San Antonio), No. 11 Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), No. 16 St. Laurence (Burbank, Ill.), No. 22 Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), No. 24 Puyallup (Wash.).