In the first 10 years of the National High School Invitational, the winner of arguably the toughest prep baseball tournament in the country has never gone on to be crowned a national champion by MaxPreps. But this year seems different.
Corona (Calif.) won four straight games at the event in Cary, N.C., winning three games by shutout, defeating the defending tournament champion and blanking the team that has won a record three NHSI titles in the championship game.
As a result, the Panthers return to No. 1 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25.
Corona opened the tournament with an 8-0 win over
Puyallup, a perennial contender in Washington that entered the tournament with a 9-1 record. Then came a 2-0 shutout of
Trinity Christian Academy (Jacksonville, Fla.), which was ranked No. 10 in last week's MaxPreps Top 25.
Corona is back at No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 after an impressive run over the weekend at the National High School Invitational in North Carolina. (File photo: Duy Pham)
A late-inning rally gave Corona a 6-5 win over defending NHSI champion
Huntington Beach (Calif.) and a stellar pitching performance by tournament MVP
Seth Hernandez gave the Panthers a 3-0 win over
Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), which had previously won three NHSI titles.
That victory over Orange Lutheran was key with regard to the rankings since the Lancers handed Corona one of its two losses in the Prep Baseball Report championship game earlier in the season. Corona's other loss came against
Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in the final of the Boras Classic South two weeks ago.
Corona has now participated in three of the toughest tournaments in the nation (Prep Baseball Report, Boras Classic South and NHSI) with possibly two more looming in the coming weeks. The Panthers will be the favorite in the Southern Section Division 1 tournament after reaching the semifinals last year.
Head coach Andy Wise's squad may also choose, if it qualifies, to participate in the Southern California regional tournament.
Helping Corona move to No. 1 was a pair of losses by last week's top team,
Central (Phenix City, Ala.).
Dropped out: No. 10 Trinity Christian Academy, No. 24
Granada (Livermore, Calif.), No. 25
Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point, N.C.)Newcomers: No. 21
Grapevine (Texas), No. 22
Barbe (Lake Charles, La.), No. 23
Lincoln-Way West (New Lenox, Ill.)Game of the Week: Corona def. Huntington Beach, 6-5. The Panthers rallied with two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning in the semifinals of the NHSI.
Josh Springer singled to drive in the tying run and Brian Carlson hit a fly ball to centerfield to bring home Seth Hernandez for the winning run.
Game to Watch: Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.) vs.
North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek, Fla.) or
Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.). The Eagles started the season ranked No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 but have struggled with five losses. Stoneman Douglas stayed in the rankings this week since it plays two ranked teams this week in North Broward Prep (No. 5) and Doral Academy (No. 8) and could move back up in the rankings heading into the postseason.
Player of the Week: Seth Hernandez. Another big week for the Panther ace who got the win over Orange Lutheran in the championship game of the NHSI and was named MVP of the tournament. He also scored the winning run in the semifinal win over Huntington Beach.
Streaks: Eaton (Colo.) added three wins last week to up its record to 12-0 and its win streak to 53 in a row.
MaxPreps Top 25 baseball rankings
1. Corona (Calif.)
Record: 19-2 |
Last week: 3
Scores:
Def. Puyallup, 8-0; def. Trinity Christian Academy, 2-0;
def. Huntington Beach, 6-5; def. Orange Lutheran, 3-0.
Hitter of the week: Ethan Schiefelbein went 5-for-12 in the tournament with five RBI and a double.
Pitcher of the week: Seth Hernandez went seven innings for the win over Orange Lutheran, giving up no runs on three hits with four strikeouts.
Next: Monday vs. Centennial
2. Catholic-B.R. (Baton Rouge, La.)
Record: 32-2 |
Last week: 2
Scores: Def. Scotlandville, 16-0, 11-1; def. Zachary, 10-0, 12-1
Hitter of the week: Andrew Clapinski played in three of the wins last week, going 5-for-6 with two home runs, a double and 11 RBI.
Pitcher of the week: Cohen LeBlanc went three innings in a 16-0 win, giving up one hit with eight strikeouts.
Next: Monday vs. Central, Friday vs. Barbe
3. Jackson Prep (Jackson, Miss.)
Record: 29-2 |
Last week: 4
Scores: Def. Hartfield Academy, 9-0, 5-1, 10-2
Hitter of the week: Tre' Bryant went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI in the 9-0 win.
Pitcher of the week: Konnor Griffin gave up no runs on two hits with eight strikeouts in a 9-0 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Presbyterian Christian
4. Flower Mound (Texas)
Record: 26-3 |
Last week: 5
Scores: Def. Coppell, 3-0, 7-0; def. Byron Nelson, 9-8
Hitter of the week: Adrian Rodriguez went 3-for-3 with a double and three RBI against Byron Nelson.
Pitcher of the week: Josh Glaser allowed only two hits in a 3-0 shutout while striking out five and walking none.
Next: Tuesday vs. Plano East
5. North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek, Fla.)
Record: 17-2 |
Last week: 6
Scores: Def. Palm Beach Central, 5-1; def. Coral Springs Charter, 3-0; def. Trinity Christian Academy (Lake Worth) 7-3
Hitter of the week: Andrew Cutler went 3-for-3 with two RBI against Palm Beach Central.
Pitcher of the week: Nate Hernandez went five innings and gave up no runs on one hit with four strikeouts in the 3-0 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Stoneman Douglas
6. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Record: 11-0 |
Last week: 8
Scores: Def. St. Xavier (Cincinnati), 7-1; def. St. Edward, 3-1; def. St. Ignatius (Cleveland), 11-9; def. Northville, 6-2
Hitter of the week: Carter Christeson went 3-for-4 with an RBI against St. Ignatius.
Pitcher of the week: Zion Theophilus gave up one run on two hits with 10 strikeouts in seven innings against St. Xavier.
Next: Monday vs. Elder
7. Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.)
Record: 17-1 |
Last week: 9
Scores: Def. Bishop McLaughlin Catholic, 8-1; def. Venice, 3-1
Hitter of the week: Maximus Mayes went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBI against Bishop McLaughlin.
Pitcher of the week: Grayson Gibson went four innings and gave up no runs on no hits with four strikeouts in the 8-1 win.
Next: Monday vs. Pinellas Park
8. Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.)
Record: 20-1 |
Last week: 11
Scores: Def. South Broward, 12-0; def. American Heritage, 7-6
Hitter of the week: Sebastian Berrios went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI against American Heritage.
Pitcher of the week: Marcelo Rodriquez threw three innings of a five-inning three-way no-hitter, striking out four.
Next: Tuesday vs. Trinity Christian Academy, Friday vs. Stoneman Douglas.
9. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Record: 17-5 |
Last week: 16
Scores: Def. Farragut, 4-1; def. St. John's, 8-0; def. Harvard-Westlake, 3-2; lost to Corona, 3-0
Hitter of the week: Derek Curiel went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI against Harvard-Westlake.
Pitcher of the week: Gary Morse got the win over Farragut, going 5.1 innings with one run on three hits.
Next: Tuesday vs. Mater Dei
10. Central (Phenix City, Ala.)
Record: 31-3 |
Last week: 1
Scores: Def. Auburn, 11-5; lost to Auburn, 8-5, 3-1; def. Dothan, 3-2, 5-3
Hitter of the week: Landon Beaver went 3-for-3 with a double and a triple and three RBI in the 11-5 win.
Pitcher of the week: Jordan Balkum went six innings and gave up two runs with four strikeouts in 3-2 win.
Next: Wednesday vs. Smiths Station
11. Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.)
Record: 21-4 |
Last week: 12
Scores: Def. Archer, 8-3, 14-1, 15-1
Hitter of the week: Cade Brown hit two home runs in a 14-1 win to tie him for the national lead with 12 homers.
Pitcher of the week: Thorpe Musci had nine strikeouts in five innings in an 8-3 win.
Next: Monday vs. Brookwood
12. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
Record: 18-4-1 |
Last week: 15
Scores: Def. Key West, 10-2; def. Casteel, 3-2; lost to Orange Lutheran, 3-2; def. Wesleyan Christian Academy, 12-9
Hitter of the week: James Tronstein went 4-for-4 with four runs scored, two RBI and a home run against Wesleyan.
Pitcher of the week: Duncan Marsten struck out five in six innings to beat Key West.
Next: Tuesday vs. Loyola
13. North Cobb Christian (Kennesaw, Ga.)
Record: 24-2 |
Last week: 17
Scores: Def. South Atlanta, 18-0, 15-0; def. KIPP Atlanta Collegiate, 11-0, 15-0; def. Southside Christian, 4-3
Hitter of the week: Michael Mullanix hit two home runs in a 15-0 win over South Atlanta, going 3-for-3 with five RBI.
Pitcher of the week: Davis Brown struck out nine in three no-hit innings in a 15-0 win over KIPP.
Next: Monday vs. Walker
14. Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas)
Record: 23-1-1 |
Last week: 18
Scores: Def. John Paul II, 1-0, 6-3
Hitter of the week: Trent Vilade hit a home run for the only run in the 1-0 victory.
Pitcher of the week: Xavier Mitchell struck out seven in six innings in the 6-3 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Parish Episcopal
15. Tomball (Texas)
Record: 25-3 |
Last week: 19
Scores: Def. Klein Forest, 10-2, 11-0; def. Magnolia, 14-3
Hitter of the week: Cade Arrambide hit a grand slam in the 11-0 win over Klein Forest.
Pitcher of the week: Karson Reeder went five innings and gave up no runs on three hits with five strikeouts in the 11-0 win.
Next: April 23 vs. Klein Cain
16. Prosper (Texas)
Record: 24-4 |
Last week: 21
Scores: Def. Braswell, 11-1, 10-0
Hitter of the week: Erick Thompson went 3-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in 10-0 win.
Pitcher of the week: Micah Melott gave up no runs on two hits with four strikeouts in 10-0 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Allen
17. Pensacola Catholic (Pensacola, Fla.)
Record: 20-1 |
Last week: 22
Scores: Def. Escambia, 11-0; def. Crestview, 11-0; def. South Walton, 13-2
Hitter of the week: Chris Rembert went 2-for-3 with a triple a home run and five RBI against Crestview.
Pitcher of the week: Jackson Kohr gave up no runs on one hit with eight strikeouts against Crestview.
Next: Friday vs. Escambia
18. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 17-3 |
Last week: 13
Scores: Def. Jesuit, 10-0; lost to Northside Christian, 4-1
Hitter of the week: Josh Hanson went 2-for-2 with a triple and two RBI against Jesuit.
Pitcher of the week: Noah Franco threw four no-hit innings with five strikeouts against Jesuit.
Next: Tuesday vs. Jesuit
19. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
Record: 15-6-1 |
Last week: 14
Scores: Def. JSerra Catholic, 6-0; lost to JSerra Catholic, 14-1; def. JSerra Catholic, 3-2
Hitter of the week: Warren Gravely IV went 3-for-4 with three runs and two doubles in the 14-12 loss.
Pitcher of the week: Cade Townsend struck out 14 in seven innings in a two-hit shutout.
Next: Tuesday vs. Servite
20. Harlem (Ga.)
Record: 26-1 |
Last week: 7
Scores: Def. Salem, 16-1; lost to Greenbrier, 4-1
Next: Monday vs. Morgan County
21. Grapevine (Texas)
Record: 25-2 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Denton, 3-0, 10-0, Def. V.R. Eaton, 12-2
Hitter of the week: Sammy Kelley had a double and a triple in the 12-2 win.
Pitcher of the week: Dasan Hill struck out 14 and gave up no runs on two hits in a 10-0 win.
Next: Tuesday vs. Argyle
22. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 29-5 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Elizabeth, 15-0, 14-0; def. Acadiana, 11-0; def. Sulphur, 2-1; def. Acadiana, 10-3
Hitter of the week: Collin Harris went 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in 11-0 win.
Pitcher of the week: Diego Corrales allowed no runs on two hits with six strikeouts in 11-0 win.
Next: Friday vs. Catholic-B.R.
23. Lincoln-Way West (New Lenox, Ill.)
Record: 12-0 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Sandburg, 5-3; def. Marian Catholic, 14-12; def. Lincoln-Way East, 7-1; def. Minooka, 4-3
Hitter of the week: Lucas Acevedo went 1-for-1 with a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in 14-12 win.
Pitcher of the week: Conor Essenburg struck out 13 in five innings with no runs allowed on two hits in 7-1 win.
Next: Monday vs. Stagg
24. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
Record: 18-4 |
Last week: 23
Scores: Def. Perry, 16-2; lost to Perry, 7-0; def. Chandler, 9-6; def. Liberty, 8-3
Hitter of the week: Drew Rogers went 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs and four RBI in 16-2 win.
Pitcher of the week: A.J. Diaz struck out seven in six innings to beat Liberty.
Next: Tuesday vs. Chandler
25. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 15-5 |
Last week: 20
Scores: Def. Cooper City, 15-2; lost to Columbus, 9-6; def. Flanagan, 7-4
Hitter of the week: Rylan Lujo went 4-for-4 with two home runs and six RBI against Cooper City.
Pitcher of the week: Breylynn Courtney struck out six in three innings against Flanagan.
Next: Tuesday vs. North Broward Prep, Friday vs. Doral Academy
