BUFORD H.S. NO. 1 IN COLLEGIATE BASEBALL POLL
TUCSON, Ariz. — Buford (Buford, GA) is ranked No. 1 in the latest Collegiate Baseball National High School Poll presented by Diamond Pro.
The Wolves are undefeated at 14-0 and replaced Jesuit (Tampa, FL) after the Tigers lost to Venice (FL), 3-2.
Buford, which has recorded 9 shutouts in 14 games, is ranked No. 1 in Georgia’s 6A division.
The Wolves have a microscopic 0.88 team ERA with 146 strikeouts and only 30 walks. Four pitchers have not given up a run in Dylan Lesko, Jax Brockett, Jackson Gaspard and Treyton Rank in a combined 64 innings.
Recently the Wolves won the PG High School Showdown held in Hoover, AL. They beat Thompson (AL) 4-2, Hartselle (AL), 2-0, Providence School (Jacksonville, FL) 12-2, and Spanish Fort (AL) 7-6 for the title.
C/3B Nathan Smith led the offense, hitting .500 over the 3-day tournament. He hit a double, 2 triples, scored 5 runs and collected 3 RBI.
In a 2-0 win over Hartselle (AL), Lesko struck out 13 to earn the win.
Jesuit (8-1) of Tampa, FL, ranked No. 1 in the last poll, slipped to third after its 21-game winning streak which dates back to 2019 was snapped with a 3-2 loss to Venice (FL). The next day, Jesuit returned the favor by beating Venice, 3-2.
Pitching continues to be a strong point for the Tigers. LHP Dominic Castellano threw a no-hitter in a 3-0 win over Sarasota (FL).
In a 7-2 win over Jefferson (Tampa, FL), Wes Mendes hit a grand slam and a double for 5 RBI while Jake Kulikowski belted a two-run homer.
No. 9 Owasso (OK) has recorded 8 straight wins to start the season and is 5-0 in District play. Junior LHP Brennan Phillips is 3-0 record with 43 strikeouts in 18 innings. Freshman LHP Jackson Farrell threw a shutout to improve to 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 17 strikeouts in 11 innings.
Leading the offense is SS Brody Green with a .462 batting average, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 1 home run, 3 RBI and 6 stolen bases and OF Solo Skalnik with a .583 batting average, 2 doubles, 1 home run and 4 RBI.
No. 10 Barbe (Lake Charles, LA) is 14-0 and has recorded 8 shutouts so far this season. Recently the Buccaneers won a 3-game series against Catholic (Baton Rouge, LA), 9-1, 5-3 and 1-0.
In a 13-0 win over Northshore (LA), OF Kameron Edwards hit a double, home run and collected 6 RBI.
No. 12 Calvary Christian Academy (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), 7-1, won the La Grange Invitational, defeating Walton (GA) 3-1, Denmark (GA) 10-0, Pacelli (GA) 10-0 and Smith Station (AL) 7-6.
UT John Lane was named the tournament’s MVP after batting over .700 in the 4 games. Pitchers Irv Carter and Andrew Painter both recorded wins and struck out 13 in the games they pitched.
Following the tournament, the Eagles suffered their only loss against IMG Academy, 2-0.
No. 13 Calvary Christian (Clearwater, FL) is 10-1 with the only loss against Lakeland Christian, 4-2, but have 6 wins following the setback.
No. 14 Lake Travis (Austin, TX) is 14-2-2 and has moved to No. 1 in the Diamond Pro/Texas High School Baseball Poll.
The two losses have come during tournaments against Round Rock (TX), 4-3 and Cedar Park (TX) 3-1. The tied games also happened during tournaments.
Lake Travis defeated Reagan (San Antonio, TX), 5-4 during a tournament, knocking the Rattlers to No. 2 in the state poll.
No. 15 Madison Central (Madison, MS) is 10-0 and is ranked No.1 in Mississippi 6A.
The pitching staff posted a 0.72 ERA in the first 7 games of the season. Hunter Hines leads the offense with a .682 batting average and 3 home runs.
Ronald Reagan (San Antonio, TX) dropped to No. 16 with a 17-2 overall record and 4-0 in District.
New to the poll at No. 18 is Grayson (Loganville, GA) which is 9-0.
The Rams will meet Georgia powerhouse Parkview for a 3-game series. Grayson is the top team in Georgia’s 7A division.
No. 19 Charlotte Christian (Charlotte, NC), 3-1, had to revamp its schedule when the North Carolina public schools were limited to 14 games this season due to Covid-19 concerns.
The team also had to cancel its Spring break trip to Florida due to the pandemic, but private schools will have a full schedule with each other and academy travel teams. In a 6-0 win over Hickory Grove, LHP Philip Abner got the win and struck out 14.
No. 20 Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, FL) is 9-1. Pitcher Christian Arroyo leads the team with a 4-0 record, 0.00 ERA and 27 strikeouts while Christian Rodriguez is 1-0-1 with an 0.00 ERA, 35 strikeouts in 16 innings.
Leading the offense are Roman Anthony (.400, 7 RBI, 12 SB) and Cameron Harris (.340, 7 SB).
No. 21 Doral Academy (Doral, FL) is 8-1-1 and 2-0 in district. In a 14-0 win over Mater (FL), Nicholas Fraginals and Jake Gorelich combined for a no-hitter. Fraginals struck out 10 in 4 innings while Gorelich pitched the final inning, allowing no hits.
In a 7-0 win over Hialeah (FL), three Doral pitchers — Frank Menendez, Jake Gorelich and Renzo Gonzalez — combined for the shutout, striking out a combined 13 batters.
No. 23 Madison-Ridgeland Academy (Madison, MS) is 11-1 and recently won the Adidas/Sumrall Tournament. Outstanding performances helped MRA dominate the tournament with Bryce Chance (6-for-17, 1 2B, 2 HR – 1 grand slam – 7 RBI, 6 BB), Nike Mazza (6-for-16, 1 2B, 1 grand slam, 10 RBI, 2 wins, 25 K in 10 IP), Jackson Evers (1-0, 0 runs, 1 hit, 4 strikeouts, 7 innings), and Sam Thomas McInnis (5-for-13, 2 2B and 7 RBI).
New to the poll at No. 26 is Auburn (AL) with a 13-1 record. The Tigers suffered a 1-0 loss to Faith Academy in 12 innings. They won a 4-3 against Tuscaloosa County (Northport, AL) in an 8-inning affair.
New to the poll at No. 27 is Carrollton (GA) with a 14-1 record which is one of the top teams in Georgia’s 6A division. Their only loss this season has been against Cullman (AL), 12-3, during the PG Tournament.
Leading the pitching staff is Colton Cosper (3-0, 0.00 ERA, 4 BB, 25 K, 20.1 IP) and Eli Runyan (3-0, 0.85 ERA, 7 BB, 23 K, 16.2 IP).
Top hitter is Bear Madliak with a .378 batting average, 3 doubles, 4 home runs and 16 RBI.
No. 30 Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City, OK) kicked off the season 2-1 with wins over Carl Albert, 6-2 and Bethany, 6-0 and a loss to Deer Creek, 8-3.
Teams that slipped out of the poll include John Carroll Catholic (FL) 5-4, Jesuit Dallas (TX) 14-4 and Malvern Prep (PA) 0-1.
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(As Of March 15, 2021)
| Rank | School City/State | 2021 Record |
| 1. | Buford (Buford, GA) | 14-0 |
| 2. | JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, CA) | 0-0 |
| 3. | Jesuit (Tampa, FL) | 8-1 |
| 4. | Orange Lutheran (Orange, CA) | 0-0 |
| 5. | Hamilton (Chandler, AZ) | 0-0 |
| 6. | St. Mary’s (Orchard Lake, MI) | 0-0 |
| 7. | Reagan (Pfafftown, NC) | 0-0 |
| 8. | Baylor (Chattanooga, TN) | 1-0 |
| 9. | Owasso (Owasso, OK) | 8-0 |
| 10. | Barbe (Lake Charles, LA) | 14-0 |
| 11. | Farragut (Farragut, TN) | 0-0 |
| 12. | Calvary Christian Acad. (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) | 7-1 |
| 13. | Calvary Christian (Clearwater, FL) | 10-1 |
| 14. | Lake Travis (Austin, TX) | 14-2-2 |
| 15. | Madison Central (Madison, MS) | 10-0 |
| 16. | Ronald Reagan (San Antonio, TX) | 17-2 |
| 17. | De La Salle (Concord, CA) | 0-0 |
| 18. | Grayson (Loganville, GA) | 9-0 |
| 19. | Charlotte Christian (Charlotte, NC) | 3-1 |
| 20. | Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, FL) | 9-1 |
| 21. | Doral Academy (Doral, FL) | 8-1-1 |
| 22. | Providence (Charlotte, NC) | 0-0 |
| 23. | Madison-Ridgeland Acad. (Madison, MS) | 11-1 |
| 24. | Millard West (Omaha, NE) | 0-0 |
| 25. | Walsh Jesuit (Cuyahoga Falls, OH) | 0-0 |
| 26. | Auburn (Auburn, AL) | 13-1 |
| 27. | Carrollton (Carrollton, GA) | 14-1 |
| 28. | Red Land (Lewisberry, PA) | 0-0 |
| 29. | Thousand Oaks (Thousand Oaks, CA) | 0-0 |
| 30. | Heritage Hall (Oklahoma City, OK) | 2-1 |
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