High School Baseball Notebook
March 19, 2008

By Jeff Simpson

The 2008 Anderson Bat National Classic, traditionally the nation’s strongest in-season high school tournament, kicks off March 24 in Southern California and will feature one of the top fields in the event’s history. This year’s 16-team field includes nine teams ranked in the PG Crosschecker’s national Top 50, and five of the top 15. Fifth-ranked St. John’s College Prep of Washington, D.C., leads the way.

The 2008 LaGrange (Ga.) Baseball Invitational boasted five teams that were ranked in PG Crosschecker’s preseason Top 100. Unranked Brookwood (Ga.) High stole the show at the eight-team event. Playing against arguably the toughest schedule in the country to date, Brookwood had already knocked off six ranked teams this season. The Broncos handled defending state 5-A champion Walton High 9-2 on March 17 and are starting to look like the front runners in Georgia in 2008, after falling in the state semifinal to eventual champion Kennesaw Mountain High a year ago.

The nation’s No. 1 team, American Heritage High of Plantation, Fla., dropped one of the most heavily-scouted games this year, losing to Stephens County (Ga.) High. Righthander Ethan Martin, who was considered a potential first-round pick at third base, now has people talking about him as a potential first-rounder on the mound after he led his Stephens County team to a 6-4 victory over American Heritage. Martin topped out at 96 mph on the day and consistently sat in the low 90s with good feel for a breaking ball. Other than a deep home run by Eric Hosmer, possibly the top high school hitter in the country, Martin was able to tame one of the most talented offensive teams to come around in years.

California/West

Second-ranked Bishop Gorman High of Las Vegas has lived up to its lofty preseason ranking after easily handling the competition at a tournament in Utah, then hammering perennial Arizona powerhouse Brophy Prep 11-0 on March 17 at the Cleats National Invitational. Arizona signee Donn Roach (2-0) threw a two-hit shutout For Bishop Gorman against Brophy Prep. Junior first baseman/lefthander Jeff Malm and a very talented supporting cast have a very legit chance of winning a national championship in 2008 after capturing consecutive Nevada 4-A titles.

One team that has surged into the national rankings is 17^th-ranked Los Alamitos (Calif.) High. The Griffins had little problem handling the competition in the 2008 Loara Tournament, downing then 13^th-ranked Cypress High and 20^th-ranked Vista Murrieta, two California powerhouses, on the way to the championship. Fourth-ranked Woodrow Wilson of Long Beach picked up its first loss of the season at the event, losing 6-1 to Anaheim’s Katella High.

Florida

Aside from No. 1 American Heritage High and No. 2 Bishop Gorman High, Tampa’s Plant High looks to be a third team in the country with legit national championship aspirations. Perennial power Hillsborough High felt the brunt of Plant’s high-powered offense by losing a pair of games by a combined score of 38-4. The Panthers outscored their opponents 134-22 through their first five games and have become a clear-cut favorite in the race for the Florida 5-A championship.

Jupiter High climbed in to the Top 10 in PG Crosschecker’s first in-season rankings and looks like the top 6-A school on the East Coast. The Warriors’ lone loss came to Palm Beach Gardens. Jupiter is one of the early favorites to win the Anderson Bat National Classic in California next week.

The Greater Orlando area is strong again this year with Lake Brantley High and Winter Springs High leading the way. Lake Brantley won the first matchup between the two schools, 3-0, behind Ryan Markell’s masterful performance. The senior lefthander threw a complete game, one-hit shutout with 15 strikeouts and no walks. Other schools in the area to watch as the season moves along are Oviedo High, Bishop Moore High and West Orange High.

The 2008 season looks like it might be a bit of a down year for the traditionally-strong Miami high school ranks. The one school that seems to be ahead of the pack at this point is perennial power Florida Christian High. Sitting at 12-1, the Patriots have already knocked off 30^th-ranked Barbe High of Lake Charles, La., as well as several other solid opponents outside of Florida.

Texas

As usual, the Greater Houston area is loaded with top-notch talent. Despite already dropping a few games, Cypress Fairbanks High is still considered the team to beat for the state 5-A championship. Perennial national power Bellaire High has raced off to another impressive start at 21-1. The Cardinals started last year 31-1 last year before falling to Langham Creek High in the state playoffs.

Corpus Christi is home to the best 4-A baseball in the state again and local rivals Moody High and Calallen High squared off last weekend. Nearly 2,500 fans packed Whataburger Field to see Moody overtake Calallen 6-3 March 14. In a three-game series last year, more 17,000 fans saw the two teams square off.

Rest of the Country

Many northern schools were another week away from getting their 2008 season off the ground. A few states to keep in mind for 2008 include Kentucky and New Jersey, which have an abundance of talent in 2008. Despite not losing a game since 2006, Calvert Hall still has many doubters who wonder how the team would do against top competition. Any doubters will get their chance to see if the club is for real when it takes the field next week at the Anderson Bat National Classic in California.