Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.) raised a cheer and IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) let out a collective sigh after the Wolverines defeated Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) in the third round of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs last week.
Orange Lutheran was No. 5 in the MaxPreps Top 50 National Baseball Rankings while IMG Academy is No. 1. Harvard-Westlake entered the week at No. 16 overall.
The win avenged Harvard-Westlake's loss to Orange Lutheran in the finals of the National High School Invitational and it advanced the Wolverines to the semifinals of the Division 1 playoffs where they will play Huntington Beach.
Video: Top 25 baseball rankings Playoff action in California shakes up this week's rankings.
IMG Academy, meanwhile, has completed its season and must watch as other teams in the rankings compete in their respective state rankings and attempt to make an impressive run in an effort to knock the Ascenders out of their top spot. Orange Lutheran had a good shot to do just that as it won the National High School Invitational, a tournament in which IMG Academy suffered its lone loss of the season.
With Harvard-Westlake's win, however, Orange Lutheran is out of the picture. No. 2 Argyle (Texas) remains in the mix, however, as it won both of its playoff games to advance to the third round of the Class 4A state playoffs.
Dropped out: No. 31 East Lake (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), No. 33 Biloxi (Miss.), No. 35 Owasso (Okla.), No. 41 Bryant (Ark.), No. 47 Stillwater (Minn.), No. 49 Buchanan (Clovis), No. 50 St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.).
Player of the Week: Alex Sniffen of New Hanover (Wilmington) threw a five-inning no-hitter in the second round of the playoffs against Gray's Creek and also hit a pair of doubles.
Prospect of the Week: Jonathan French of Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.) continues his hot streak as he has five home runs in the past four games. He had a double and a home run in both games against Walton.
Game of the Week: Harvard-Westlake 4, Orange Lutheran 3. After earning the No. 1 seed in the Southern Section playoffs last year, the Wolverines were upset in the first round by Valencia. This year, Harvard-Westlake knocked out the top-seeded Orange Lutheran when Michael Snyder singled home Sam Biller in the bottom of the seventh to cap a three-run rally that gave the Wolverines the win.
Game to Watch: Barbe vs. Sam Houston. The two schools from Lake Charles will battle for the Class 5A state championship in Louisiana on Tuesday. The two teams split their two league games with Barbe winning 3-0 and Sam Houston winning 10-3. Sam Houston is ranked No. 11 in the rankings while Barbe is No. 12.
Streaks: Page County (Shenandoah, Va.) saw its win streak go to 44 games in a row before falling to Riverheads 2-1 last week. The nation's longest win streak now belongs to an Oklahoma team, but it's not No. 7 Blanchard, which is 37-0. The honor goes to Silo, which won its last seven games from 2018 and has posted a 32-0 record in 2019 for 39 straight wins.
Potential No. 1 draft pick Bobby Witt Jr. helped Colleyville Heritage advance in the Texas Class 5A state playoffs.
File photo: Keith Owens
1. (last week No. 1) IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), 24-1
Notes: Will Bartlett led IMG Academy in hitting this year, batting .513 with 34 RBI, eight doubles and five home runs.
Brennan Malone went 11-0 on the mound with a 0.27 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched.
Kendall Williams was 6-0 with a 0.91 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched.
This week: Season complete.
2. (2) Argyle (Texas), 33-1-1
Results: Defeated Graham 2-1 and 15-0.
Stats: Hayden Clearman had a walkoff basehit in the first win while
Brenden Dixon had a double and a home run in the second game.
This week: Brownwood in third round of Class 4A playoffs.
3. (3) Georgetown (Texas), 34-2-1
Results: Defeated College Station 4-1 and 7-0.
Stats: Jeffrey David and
Ty Tilson each had two hits in the first game with Tilson and
Wyatt Childress each hitting a double in the second game.
This week: Will play winner of Leander Rouse/Porter series.
4. (4) Colleyville Heritage (Colleyville, Texas), 31-2
Results: Defeated Burleson 2-0.
Stats: Bobby Witt Jr. had a triple and a home run in the win.
This week: Mansfield Legacy in third round of Class 5A playoffs.
5. (6) New Hanover (Wilmington, N.C.), 22-1
Results: Defeated Union Pines (Cameron) 9-0 and Gray's Creek (Hope Mills) 10-0 in Class 3A state playoffs.
Stats: Blake Walston threw four innings of no-hit ball against Union Pines and
Jac Croom had a home run.
Alex Sniffen threw a five-inning no-hitter against Gray's Creek and also hit two doubles.
Kyle Smith added a home run.
This week: Southeast Guilford (Greensboro) in third round of playoffs.
6. (7) Cypress (Calif.), 29-3
Results: Defeated Capistrano Valley 2-1 in second round and Yucaipa 5-1 in quarterfinals of Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
This week: La Mirada on Tuesday in semifinals.
7. (9) Blanchard (Okla.), 37-0
Results: Defeated Berryhill 5-0.
Stats: Jace Beck struck out 11 in the win.
This week: Kingfisher in Class 4A semifinals on Tuesday.
8. (10) De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), 25-1
Results: Defeated Monte Vista (Danville) 12-1 and Amador Valley (Pleasanton) 9-3.
Stats: Jordan Wright hit a home run and
Chris Santiago had two doubles against Monte Vista.
Vince Bianchina was 3-for-3 with a double in the second game.
This week: North Coast Section playoffs.
9. (11) Cypress Ranch (Houston), 29-3-1
Results: Defeated Klein Collins 3-2 in second round of Class 6A playoffs.
Stats: J.J. Goss had six strikeouts and
Matt Thompson struck out three in the win.
This week: Round Rock on Thursday.
10. (12) Farragut (Knoxville, Tenn.), 36-2
Results: Defeated Maryville 3-1, Hardin Valley 2-1 and 10-1.
Stats: Nick Barnes was 2-for-2 with a double against Maryville.
Parker Noland hit a home run in the first game with Hardin Valley. Barnes and Ashton King each homered in the second game with King adding a double.
This week: Halls (Knoxville) on Monday.
11. (13) Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.), 35-4
Results: Defeated Parkway (Bossier City) 4-0 in Class 5A semifinals.
Stats: Cameron Meeks pitched a one-hitter with eight strikeouts.
This week: Barbe on Tuesday in Class 5A championship game.
12. (14) Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), 34-3
Results: Defeated West Monroe 8-1 in Class 5A semifinals.
Stats: Davis Meche was 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI while
Carter Quinn had a home run.
This week: Sam Houston in Class 5A state finals on Tuesday.
13. (8) DeSoto Central (Southaven, Miss.), 31-3
Results: Defeated Northwest Rankin 3-2 and lost to Northwest Rankin 7-6.
Stats: Hunter French was 2-for-3 in the win and
Terris Meeks had a double.
This week: Northwest Rankin in third game of series on Monday.
14. (16) Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.), 26-5-1
Results: Defeated Ayala (Chino Hills) 11-2 in second round and Orange Lutheran (Orange) 4-3 in quarterfinals of Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
Stats: Michael Snyder was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI against Orange Lutheran.
JP Corrigan had a home run and three RBI against Ayala.
This week: Plays Huntington Beach in semifinals.
15. (19) Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.), 32-4
Results: Defeated Walton (Marietta) 5-3 and 7-4.
Stats: Jonathan French had a double and a home run and finished with three RBI in the first game. He added another double and home run in the second game with three RBI. French has five home runs in his last four games.
This week: North Gwinnett on Tuesday.
16. (21) Kingwood (Texas), 27-5-2
Results: Defeated Clear Falls 6-0 and 1-0.
Stats: Tanner Evans and
Masyn Winn each hit home runs in the first game. Ryan Miche tossed a three-hit shutout in the second game.
This week: Dickinson in third round of Class 6A state playoffs.
17. (22) Lake Travis (Austin, Texas), 31-3
Results: Defeated Brandeis (San Antonio) 8-2 and 5-1.
Stats: Brett Baty was 1-for-2 with a double and two RBI in the first game. He won the second game, striking out 11.
This week: Play the winner of the East Central/Johnson (San Antonio) series.
18. (15) Notre Dame (SO) (Sherman Oaks, Calif.), 24-7
Results: Lost to Mira Costa (Manhattan Beach) 2-1 in second round of Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
This week: Season complete.
19. (5) Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 26-4
Results: Defeated Etiwanda 4-0 in second round and lost to Harvard-Westlake (Studio City) 4-3 in quarterfinals of Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
Stats: Garrett Frechette was 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI against Etiwanda.
Jared Thomas had two hits in the loss to Harvard-Westlake.
This week: Season complete.
20. (24) Huntington Beach (Calif.), 25-6
Results: Defeated Bishop Amat (La Puente) 2-1 in second round, Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo) 2-1 in quarterfinals of Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
Stats: Jag Burden hit walkoff single and finished 2-for-4 with a double against Bishop Amat.
Jake Vogel hit home run and
Josh Hahn had a double against Aliso Niguel.
This week: Plays Harvard-Westlake on Tuesday.
21. (18) The Woodlands (Texas), 28-6
Results: Won series with Cy Woods, 8-7, 3-5, 8-1.
Stats: Casey Sunseri was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI in the first game.
Drew Romo had two RBI in the second game and
Cameron Caley struck out 15 in the third game.
This week: Plays winner of Klein/Stony Point series.
22. (26) Bolles (Jacksonville, Fla.), 23-2
Results: Defeated Suwanee 7-4 in Class 5A-3 division final.
This week: Yulee on Wednesday in first round of Class 5A state playoffs.
23. (27) Collierville (Tenn.), 31-3-1
Results: Defeated Houston (Germantown) 5-4 and 4-1.
This week: Whitehaven on Monday in Region 8AAA semifinal.
24. (29) La Mirada (Calif.), 26-6
Results: Defeated Palm Desert 8-2 in second round, Mira Costa 9-2 in quarterfinals of Southern Section Division 1 playoffs.
Stats: Darius Perry,
Jared Jones and
Emilio Morales all had home runs in the win over Mira Costa.
This week: Cypress on Tuesday in semifinals of playoffs.
25. (23) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 24-7
Results: Lost to Mountain Ridge 4-1. Plays Saturday.
This week: Mountain Ridge in third game of series.
The Next 25
26. (30) Blessed Trinity (Roswell, Ga.), 30-7
Results: Won Class 4A quarterfinals series with Woodward Academy (College Park) 2-1 - 7-2, 1-3, 2-1.
This week: Denmark (Alpharetta) on Tuesday in Class 4A semifinals.
27. (32) American Heritage (Delray Beach, Fla.), 26-2
Results: Defeated St. Andrew's 11-2, Cardinal Newman 7-3 and Oxbridge Academy 3-0.
This week: Class 4A playoffs on Tuesday.
28. (20) Mitchell (New Port Richey, Fla.), 25-1
Results: Defeated Clearwater 3-0, lost to Osceola 5-3.
This week: Braden River on Wednesday in first round of Class 7A playoffs.
29. (36) Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.), 26-4
Results: Won WCAL Tournament, defeating Archbishop Riordan (San Francisco) 12-1, Saint Francis (Mountain View) 2-0 and Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 3-2.
This week: Central Coast Section playoffs.
30. (38) Myers Park (Charlotte, N.C.), 25-1
Results: Defeated Ardrey Kell (Charlotte) 9-6 in first round of Class 4A playoffs.
This week: Ronald Reagan (Prafftown) on Tuesday in second round of Class 4A playoffs.
31. (17) St. Laurence (Burbank, Ill.), 27-4
Results: Defeated Loyola Academy 6-4 and 3-1, Sandburg 5-4, lost to Brother Rice 5-2 and Marmion 2-0.
This week: DISW tournament.
32. (25) St. Rita (Chicago), 26-5
Results: Defeated Providence Catholic 9-5, Marmion 5-2, Brother Rice (Chicago) 8-5 and 10-8. Lost to Homewood-Flossmoor 9-1.
This week: St. Patrick on Monday, Chicago Mt. Carmel on Thursday.
33. (28) Yucaipa (Calif.), 26-6
Results: Defeated West Ranch (Valencia) 1-0, lost to Cypress 5-1 in Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinals.
This week: Season complete.
34. (37) North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.), 31-6
Results: Won series with Etowah 2-1 - 7-0, 0-3, 6-1 in Class AAAAAAA quarterfinals.
This week: Plays Parkview (Lilburn) in Class AAAAAAA semifinals on Tuesday.
35. (39) Desert Oasis (Las Vegas), 31-7
Results: Defeated Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) 12-6, Liberty (Henderson) 7-6, lost to Basic (Henderson) 2-1, beat Basic 18-0, and Las Vegas 10-0.
This week: State tournament.
36. (40) Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.), 41-8
Results: Defeated Hewitt-Trussville 5-3 and 5-4.
This week: McGill-Toolen on Friday, Saturday.
37. (42) Mesquite (Gilbert, Ariz.), 28-4
Results: Defeated Salpointe Catholic (Tucson) 5-0.
This week: Salpointe Catholic on Monday.
38. (43) Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), 19-2
Results: Defeated Thunderridge 16-9, Chaparral 9-3.
This week: Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) on Monday.
39. (45) Benedictine (Richmond, Va.), 25-2
Results: Defeated Hanover 4-3, Trinity Episcopal 8-2, Poquoson 12-6.
This week: VISAA Playoffs.
40. (46) Andrean (Merrillville, Ind.), 22-1
Results: Defeated Highland 7-6 and 13-3, Hammond Morton 11-0, Logansport 16-4 and Beecher 12-0.
This week: Guerin Catholic on Monday, Marquette Catholic on Wednesday.
41. (48) New Albany (Ohio), 24-1
Results: Defeated Groveport-Madison (Groveport) 1-0, Big Walnut (Sunbury) 2-1, Canal Winchester 3-0, Franklin Heights (Columbus) 17-0.
This week: First round bye, Central 4 Section playoffs. Plays winner of Teays Valley/Logan game on May 15.
42. (NR) Delbarton (Morristown, N.J.), 17-3
Results: Defeated Roxbury 4-0, Montville 7-3, Morristown 10-2 and West Morris 2-1.
This week: Governor Livingston on Monday, Randolph on Wednesday, Chatham on Thursday.
43. (44) St. Augustine Prep (Richland, N.J.), 19-3
Results: Defeated Atlantic City 8-0, Trenton Catholic 2-0, Vineland 8-5, Atlantic Tech 14-6. Lost to Pawnee 4-3.
This week: Millville on Monday, Clearview on Wednesday.
44. (NR) Jackson (Massillon, Ohio), 22-2
Results: Defeated GlenOak 7-1 and 4-0, Canton Central Catholic 4-1 and Strongsville 6-5.
This week: Louisville on Friday.
45. (NR) St. John's (Washington, D.C.), 27-3
Results: Defeated Bishop McConnell (Arlington, Va.) 3-6, 9-0, 3-2 in WCAC semifinals and DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.) 10-0 and 9-1 in WCAC finals.
This week: Paul Public Charter International in DCSAA quarterfinals on Tuesday.
46. (NR) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 22-3
Results: Defeated Fort Lauderdale 10-0 and South Plantation 10-0 in 8A-14 division playoffs.
This week: Spanish River in first round of Class 8A playoffs.
47. (NR) Crest (Shelby, N.C.), 26-0
Results: Defeated Burns (Lawndale) 10-0 and West Rowan (Mt. Ulla) 8-0 in first two rounds of Class 3A playoffs.
This week: Marvin Ridge (Waxhaw) on Tuesday.
48. (34) Parkway (Bossier City, La.), 31-6
Results: Lost to Sam Houston (Lake Charles) 4-0 in Class 5A semifinals..
This week: Season complete.
49. (NR) Prosper (Texas), 31-6
Results: Defeated Tyler Lee 8-2 and 6-3 in second round of Class 6A playoffs.
This week: Rockwall in third round of playoffs.
50. (NR) Memorial (Houston), 31-4-1
Results: Defeated Travis 5-1 and 4-2 in second round of Class 6A playoffs.
This week: Houston Lamar in third round of playoffs.
