2007 HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Top 50 Teams—Final Report

By JEFF SIMPSON

1. Horizon HS,Scottsdale, Ariz. (30-3)

The Horizon Huskies finished the year ranked as the top-rated team in the PG Crosschecker high school rankings for the 2007 season. Horizon knocked off arch-rival and 10^th-ranked Brophy Prep to win the state 5-A title. The team’s three losses came in a four-game stretch, with two losses to Brophy Prep and one loss against Mountain View High. The Huskies came up big when it mattered most, beating Brophy Prep in the state tournament and defeating 13^th-ranked Bishop Gorman High of Las Vegas in the Cleats National Invitational Tournament. 

With the 22^nd pick in the first round of this year’s draft, the Giants selected Horizon righthander Tim Alderson (12-0, 0.77), an Oregon State recruit. Alderson went the distance in the championship game, striking out 12 in a 9-6 victory over Brophy Prep. Righthander Kevin Rhoderick (8-1, 1.08), a Georgia recruit, was selected by the Tigers in the 18^th round. Together, Alderson and Rhoderick formed arguably the best pitching staff in the country.

2. Seton Hall Prep, West Orange, N.J. (32-1)

Seton Hall Prep finished the year in style by winning the New Jersey non-public A championship over St. Joseph High 10-1. Ace righthander Rick Porcello was named the Gatorade National player of the year and was the consensus top high school talent in the 2007 draft—though he wasn’t selected by the Detroit Tigers until the 27^th pick overall. Seton Hall Prep survived a huge scare against arch-rival Don Bosco Prep in the playoffs when it trailed 8-3 heading to the sixth inning before rallying for a 9-8 victory. In addition to Porcello, a North Carolina recruit, 6-foot-8 righthander Evan Danieli was selected in the 33^rd round of the draft by the Cleveland Indians. He has committed to Notre Dame, while outfielders Stephen Brooks (Wake Forest ) and Nick Natale (Rice) are other premium Division I recruits.

3. Woodrow Wilson HS, Long Beach, Calif. (32-3) 

From a shear talent standpoint, Wilson High may stand alone as the most talented high school team in 2007. The Bruins featured two drafted players along with the most talented junior class in the country. In the Southern Section Division I championship game, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 46^th-round pick Elliot Glynn, a lefthander committed to Connecticut , threw a complete game three-hitter to lead the Bruins to a 5-1 win over Canyon High. Shortstop Ryan Dent went in the sandwich round (62^nd overall) to the Boston Red Sox. 

The real strength of the team, though, may be the rising senior class. Righthander-outfielder Aaron Hicks has the potential to be a first-round pick in both the outfield and on the mound, while righthander Ray Hanson is generally consided to be a Top-100 type talent. Zack Wilson has already committed to Arizona State and should be a fixture in the middle of the lineup next year. The real wildcard for Wilson in 2008 will be whether highly-regarded righthander Jake Thompson is eligible. Thompson was unavailable in 2007 after transferring to Wilson but is considered a potential early-round draft pick. With so much elite talent scheduled to return, Wilson looks like a clear-cut favorite to start out the 2008 year as the top-rated team in the country.

4. Sarasota (Fla. ) HS (29-3)

Sarasota High took home its eighth state championship and avenged a loss to Flanagan High last year with a 1-0 over Deland High and first-round righthander Michael Main. The catalyst for the Sailors all year was junior shortstop-righthander Casey Kelly, who went 11-0, 0.24 and was named the area player of the year. Central Florida recruit Evan Stobbs-Bultema and Miami recruit Joey Terdoslavich (Devils Rays, 35^th round) were instrumental in leading the Sailers to the state title.

5. Owasso (Okla. ) HS (35-3)

Owasso High claimed its ninth state championship with a 1-0 victory over Edmond Memorial High. Dodgers first-round pick Pete Kozma provided all the offense needed for the Rams with a solo home run in the first inning. Oklahoma recruit Matt Hoffman (8-1) threw a complete-game shutout in the Rams victory.

6. Bishop Moore HS, Orlando, Fla. (31-1)

Bishop Moore High cruised to the Florida 4-A title by downing Pine Forest High 12-10 in the finals. Over its last three games, Bishop Moore piled up 43 runs of offense. Even without 2006 first-rounder Max Sapp, Bishop Moore had no trouble winning the championship. Senior lefthander Andy Horton went 15-0 on the year and will be heading to Florida Gulf Coast this fall. 

7. Chatsworth (Calif. ) HS (30-4)

Considered the nation’s top high school program of the last decade, Chatsworth did nothing to tarnish that reputation after winning the Los Angeles City sectional title with a 2-1 win over Cleveland High. Senior righthander Trent Jones (15-0) threw a complete-game, six-hitter in the victory. Most notable for Chatsworth was having the second and 12^th overall picks in the draft with Kansas City and Florida selecting shortstop Mike Moustakas and third baseman Matt Dominguez.  Arizona recruit Bobby Coyle, an outfielder, was also selected in the 19^th round by Cleveland .

8. Moody HS, Corpus Christi, Texas (39-3)

Moody High rolled to its second state championship in the past four years with a 9-1 victory over Poteet High in the final. Moody featured four players that were recognized as first-team all-state in junior lefthander Marc Gomez, (13-1), catcher Josiah Rodriguez, second baseman Jose Mendoza and third baseman Ronnie Flores. With Marc Gomez, and righthanders Miguel Gomez (6-0) and Gabriel Morales (8-1) returning, Moody appears primed to be one of the top teams in the country in 2008.

9. West Lauderdale HS, Collinsville, Miss. (38-2)

West Lauderdale faced little opposition in cruising to the Mississippi 4-A state championship, the 11^th title for the school and famed head coach Jerry Boatner. Mississippi State recruits Paxton Pace (12-0, 0.85; .450-7-36) and Cody Freeman (.450-14-57) played big parts in West Lauderdale’s season. Overall, nine players have committed to college baseball programs, with four players going to Division I schools and five heading to junior college programs.

10. Brophy Prep, Phoenix (30-4)

If Brophy Prep had knocked off Horizon High in the Arizona 5-A championship game, it could have finished as the top team in the country. Brophy was in the Top 10 all year with one of the best offenses in the nation, led by junior infielder Riccio Torrez, who hit .430 with a school record 16 home runs. Senior righthander R.J. Preach (12-0) was drafted in the 33^rd round by the Cleveland Indians, but is expected to end up at Arizona State along with 46^th-rounder Josh Garcia.

11. East Rutherford HS, Forrest City, N.C. (31-2)

The Cavaliers won their fourth state 2-A title in six years by overmatching opponents all season. Righthander Ryan Leach, a North Carolina recruit, and lefthander Tyler Smith, a UNC Wilmington recruit, helped East Rutherford take two of three games from two-time defending state champion North Lenoir High to win the state’s best-of-3 championship series.

12. Valley Christian HS, San Jose, Calif. (33-4)

Valley Christian captured the Central Coast Division CIF champion with a 6-2 win over San Benito High. California recruit Kevin Miller (12-1) surrendered only five hits in the championship game, while junior Jonathan Hughes went 4-for-4 to pace the offense.

13. Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas, Nev.           (35-6-1)

The Gaels won their second straight Nevada 4-A state title with a 4-3 victory over Galena High. Righthander-shortstop Taylor Cole (.467-5-52; 6-1, 2.49), a 26^th-round draft pick, and sophomore lefthander-first baseman Jeff Malm (.453-4-57; 8-2, 1.91) led the way for Bishop Gorman all season. Malm and a very solid group of returning players will make Bishop Gorman one of the top teams in the nation in 2008. 

14. South Caldwell HS, Hudson, N.C. (31-3)

After falling to Scotland County High in the 2006 4-A finals, South Caldwell swept Ashley High for the state championship in 2007. The pitching duo of senior lefthander Madison Bumgarner (11-2, 1.05), a first-round pick of the Giants, and junior righthander Jimmy Messer (15-0, 1.07) carried the Spartan pitching staff most of the year. The loss of top Clemson recruit Justin Poovey, who was hurt early in the season, had little effect as most teams where simply overmatched by South Caldwell all year.

15. Paul Dunbar HS, Lexington, Ky. (38-6)

Paul Dunbar closed out the season in style by beating Shelby High 10-1 to win the state championship. Senior righthander Thomas Royse (15-1), a Louisville recruit, picked up the win in the championship game and was honored with first-team all-state honors.

16. Langham Creek HS, Houston (34-4)

Langham Creek looked like the team to beat in the Texas 5-A tournament after sweeping both Bellaire High and Katy High, but unfortunately couldn’t hold off another perennial power, Kingwood High. Corey Maines, Jeff Onstott and Matt Rein all received all-state recognition.

17. Palm Beach Central HS, Wellington, Fla. (24-7)

The seven losses Palm Beach Central High had this season is deceiving because it was forced to forfeit three games early in the season. Central went undefeated in winning the Phil Nevin National Classic, the nation’s top in-season tournament, before falling once again to Flanagan High 5-0 in the state quarterfinals.

18. Katy (Texas ) HS (32-5)

Katy High began the year in the Top 10 in every national poll, but would eventually be swept in the Texas 5-A tournament by Langham Creek High. Aaron Daab, Andrew Stumph, Nick Pepitone and Michael Fuda were all selected to the first team all-state squad. With the top 2009 class in the country, the future is still very bright for Katy.

19. Palm Beach Gardens (Fla. ) HS (25-4)

Another year, same story for Palm Beach Gardens High, which cruised through the regular season with a deep and talented team but fell short in the Florida 6-A state tournament. Palm Beach Gardens ran into an old nemesis and fell to Flanagan High 7-6 in the Round of 16. Righthander Sean Koecheler was selected in the 20^th round by the Dodgers. 

20. Klein Collins HS, Spring, Texas (36-6)

Heading into the Texas 5-A Final Four, Klein Collins was the odds-on favorite to win it all. Unfortunately Klein Collins ran into an ultra-hot Cy-Fair High team that went on to win 3-0, before going on to win the state championship. Shortstop Rick Hague was selected in the 37^th round by the Brewers.

21. Cullman (Ala. ) HS (48-7)

Cullman swept Bibb County High to win its second straight state championship while also collecting the most wins in Alabama prep history. Outfielder John Nyquist claimed MVP honors in the championships series.

22. Prestonwood Christian Academy , Plano, Texas (31-1)

Prestonwood Academy was easily the most dominant team in the country through the course of the year but could not get the job done when it counted, falling to Dallas Christian in the state private school finals. It was the team’s only loss of the year. Central Florida recruit Hunter Hill, Texas recruit Cameron Rupp, Furman recruit John Patterson and junior Jordan Swagerty were impact players on one of the best private school teams that Texas has seen in the last several years.

23. Walton HS, Marietta, Ga. (32-7)

Walton High was the pre-season pick to win the Georgia 5-A championship and came through when it counted, winning a best-of-3 matchup with top-ranked Kennesaw Mountain . The Raiders clinched the final game with a 9-2 victory. Junior Mark Pope (11-3, 1.83; .424-7-25) was named the area player of the year and was instrumental in the championship run.

24. Jesuit HS, New Orleans, La. (33-6)

Jesuit captured the Louisiana 5-A title with a win over West Monroe 4-2, giving the Blue Jays their 20^th state championship. Sophomore lefthander Jordan Rittiner (10-0, 0.37) was key in Jesuit’s run to the 5-A championship, as well as the GMAC Classic in February.

25. Cy-Fair HS, Cypress, Texas (32-7)

Cy-Fair rode a 27-game winning streak all the way to the state 5-A championship with a 6-1 win over Harlington South High. Senior Thomas Collier was one of four pitchers selected to the 5-A all-state team, while junior outfielder Robbie Grossman (.415-4-17) will be one of the top players in Texas next year.

26. Norwell HS, Ossian, Ind. (35-0)

Norwell High beat Mater Dei High 3-0 to claim the Indiana 3-A state championship. Righthander Jarrod Parker, the ninth overall selection in this year’s draft, threw a shutout in the final and hit a two-run home run to help his cause.

27. Calvert Hall HS, Baltimore, Md. (33-0)

Calvert Hall claimed its 15^th conference title with a 4-0 victory over Mt. St. Joseph in the Maryland MIAA A conference championship game. Maryland private schools do not have a state championship. Junior righthander Mike Dillon (9-0) picked up the win in the championship game.

28. Jordan HS, Sandy, Utah (23-4)

After stumbling at the beginning of the year, Jordan High righted the ship en route to the Utah 5-A championship. Jordan had three players selected in the draft: shortstop Garrett Nash (4^th round, Texas ), lefthander James Mahler (42^nd round, Philadelphia ) and catcher Zack Jones (45^th round, Rockies ).

29. Barbe HS, Lake Charles, La. (35-5)

Barbe High, a perennial Louisiana power, fell short in its bid for yet another 5-A championship. The Buccaneers fell to St. Amant 5-0 in the state quarterfinals. Shortstop Carmen Angelini, a rice recruit, was selected in the 10^th round by the Yankees.

30. James River HS, Midlothian, Va. (26-2)

James River High won the Virginia 3-A championship behind a complete-game, three-hitter by junior Austin Stadler (10-0). Stadler struck out 13 in leading James River to a 5-1 victory over Deep Run High. With the return of Stadler and ace junior righthander Daniel Marrs, James River will be one of the top high school teams in the country in 2008.

31. Captain Shreve HS, Shreveport, La. (37-4)

Captain Shreve High came into 2007 looking to defend its 4-A state championship. The Gators made it all the way to the state final before falling to Zachary High. With a combined two-year record of 74-7, Captain Shreve will make the move up to the 5-A in 2008.

32. Auburn (Wash. ) HS (25-3)

A year after Mill Creek’s Jackson High went undefeated and finished second in the nation, a power-packed Auburn High team had expectations of duplicating the success. In the Washington 3-A final though, Auburn fell to a surprising Issaquah High team 7-3. Washington-bound third baseman Troy Scott (.500-8-32) led the way offensively for Auburn .

33. The Woodlands (Texas ) HS (31-6)

After winning the 2006 national championship, there wasn’t a whole lot The Woodlands could do to improve. The Highlanders fell to Georgetown High in the state 5-A playoffs but still put one of the most talented teams in the country on the field. Seniors Brett Eibner and Taylor Grote were taken in the fourth and eighth rounds of the draft by the Astros and Yankees. Nine or 10 players will move on to play college baseball from this year’s team.

34. Alonso HS, Tampa (27-4)

Sarasota High knocked off Alonso 3-2 in the quarterfinals and went on to win the state 6-A title. Alonso, however, had an impressive season of its own and never fell out of the Top 50 all year. It has lost two-way star Tommy Toledo to the draft but will return junior lefthander Alex Panteliodis and sophomore righthander-first baseman Ray Delphey, and they will give Alonso a solid one-two punch at the front of their rotation in 2008.

35. West Boca HS, Boca Raton, Fla. (25-5)

West Boca sat near the top of the Florida 5-A rankings all year before losing in eight innings to Port St. Lucie High 5-4 in the state quarterfinals. With juniors Brian Busch and Sean Adelman coming back in 2008, West Boca will be one of the favorites to win the 5-A championship in only the school’s four years of existence.

36. Lakewood HS, Calif. (28-5)

Lakewood fell to Eldorado High 7-2 in the CIF Southern Section playoffs to end the year on a losing note, but claimed the title at the prestigious Anaheim Lions Tournament earlier in the year. Catcher Travis d’Arnaud was selected 37^th overall in the draft by the Phillies.

37. James Monroe, Bronx, N.Y. (48-2)

James Monroe came up short in its quest for a New York PSAL Class A championship with a 4-2 loss to Tottenville High. With 48 wins, Monroe tied Alabama ’s Cullman High for the most wins in the country.

38. Lexington Catholic HS, Lexington, Ky. (32-5)

Lexington Catholic High came up short in its bid for a state title by falling to Paul Dunbar High in the Kentucky state semifinals. Leading the way were outfielder Ben Revere, the Twins first-round pick and junior lefthander Nick Maronde (9-1, 0.24).

39. Kennesaw Mountain HS, Kennesaw, Ga.           (31-6)

Ranked as the top team in Georgia for most of the year, Kennesaw Mountain was upset by Walton High in a best-of-3 championship series. Senior lefthander Will Casey was taken in the 38^th round by the Braves while outfielder Navarro Hall was selected in the 49^th round by the Phillies. 

40. Moeller HS, Cincinnati, Ohio (27-4)

Moeller saw its season come to an end at the hands of city rival St. Xavier 6-3 in the Ohio regional semifinals. Oklahoma State recruit Tom Belza set a school record for batting average by hitting .550 on the year.

41. Clearwater Central Catholic HS, Clearwater, Fla. (26-4)

Central Catholic won the Florida 3-A championship with a 9-2 victory over Trinity Prep. Junior righthander Ryan Weber dominated all year, going 11-0, 0.58.

42. Notre Dame Academy , Middleburg, Va. (32-4)

Notre Dame Academy won another Virginia private school Class A title, led by state player of the year Gabriel Ortiz, a shortstop. Buddy Sosnoskie, Ryan Crosby and Matt Barentino also claimed first-team all-state honors.

43. Riverside Poly HS, Riverside, Calif. (21-6)

It was a bit of an up and down year in 2007 for Riverside Poly, which eventually fell to Canyon High 9-8 in the CIF Southern Section playoffs. Poly was also runner-up at the Phil Nevin National Classic to Florida ’s Palm Beach Central High and also boasted Rangers’ 13^th-round pick Kyle Ocampo. A solid core of underclassmen will not let this team fall much in 2008.

44. Venice (Fla. ) HS (26-7)

Venice claimed the Florida 5-A championship with a 12-1 rout of Port St. Lucie High in the finals. In the semifinals Venice was able to stop a powerful Pace High squad, which was looking to repeat as state champions.

45. A.C. Flora HS, Columbia, S.C. (29-4)

Flora High won the South Carolina 3-A championship with a sweep of Hilton Head High in the Championship series. In its run to the title game, Flora also knocked off powerful Riverside High and Pickens High.

46. Winter Springs (Fla. ) HS (25-2)

Winter Springs sat at or near the top of the Florida 6-A rankings all year before falling to University High in the Round of 32. Seniors Tony Caldwell and Drew Morgan are heading to Miami and Western Kentucky, respectively, but a very solid junior class will keep Winter Springs near the top of the Florida rankings in 2008.

47. Vista Murrieta HS, Murrieta, Calif. (28-4)

Vista Murrieta beat Camarillo High 1-0 to win the CIF Southern Section Division II championship. En route to the title, Vista Murrieta knocked off previous nationally-ranked teams in Cypress High and Chino High.

48. Bartlett (Tenn. ) HS (40-5)

Bartlett won the Tennessee 3-A championship by knocking off Knoxville ’s powerful South Doyle High team. Heith Hatfield claimed MVP honors in the state tournament with two home runs and nine RBIs in four games.

49. Tahoma HS, Covington, Wash. (23-3)

Tahoma entered the Washington 4-A state tournament as the big favorite but ended up falling to Snohomish High 6-2 in the state semifinals. Washington State recruit Riley Tubbs was selected the Seattle Times’ high school male athlete of the year.

50. Blue Springs (Mo. ) HS (25-2)                                                    

Blue Springs won the Missouri 4-A championship with an 11-3 win over Holt High. Red Sox 28^th-round pick Nick Tepesch (9-0, 1.50; .410-7-30), junior Kyle Barbeck, senior Andrew Melanson, senior T.J. Schieber and senior David Williams were all awarded all-state recognition.