SBLive Arkansas Super 7 baseball rankings: Conference season brings movement to the rankings
By Kevin Bohannon
Spring Break is upon us, and that means teams have had their conference openers, and we are starting to see separation from the contenders and pretenders. There has been plenty of movement in rankings across each classification this week.
SB Live Class 6A Super 7
1. Springdale Har-Ber 8-1
2. Bentonville West 9-1
3. Rogers 6-1
4. Bentonville 5-2
5. Catholic 5-2
6. Rogers Heritage 6-1
7. Cabot 5-3
Analysis: Har-Ber and Bentonville split their doubleheader this week while Rogers swept their conference series opener. Bentonville West had their first setback of the season losing to Bryant. The Central Conference seems to be as wide open as it has been in a long time. Cabot has started out 2-0 and makes their Super 7 debut. Catholic has made some noise behind the power bat of Luke George and power arm of UCA signee Lucas Greer. We will see more movement as conference play continues.
SB Live Class 5A Super 7
1. Van Buren 7-1
2. Benton 9-0
3. Batesville 6-0
4. Jonesboro 7-2
5. Sheridan 6-1
6. Greenbrier 4-2
7. LR Christian 6-2
Analysis: Van Buren split its conference doubleheader with Greenbrier. Panther lefty Jordan Huskey kept the Pointers off-balance all night moving them back into the Super 7. Benton, Batesville and Jonesboro took care of business this week with each team going 2-0 in conference play. Sheridan is also 2-0 in the 5A-South with El Dorado who is knocking on the door. Little Rock Christian drops a couple spots after splitting their series with Sylvan Hills. Plenty of time left and plenty of great matchups on the horizon.
SB Live Class 4A Super 7
1. Valley View 8-0
2. Lonoke 9-1
3. Brookland 6-2
4. Morrilton 7-0
5. Farmington 6-3
6. Nashville 7-4
7. Magnolia 5-2
Analysis: Valley View continues to roll taking a 5-4 contest against Class 3A Harding Academy. Lonoke swept Stuttgart behind dominant pitching performances by Tripp Sullivan and Steele Eaves. Sullivan threw his third career no-hitter and improved to 4-0 on the year with a .30 ERA while Eaves struck out 13 Ricebirds. Brookland heads down to Magnolia this week and will take on some of the best teams in the south. Morrilton defeated Ozark 10-2 in their conference opener while Farmington has won 6 of their past 7 games. Nashville makes it back in the Super 7 after going 3-0 this week. Magnolia has been Jekyl and Hyde losing to Star City 12-4 after beating Monticello 4-1 behind a 17-strikeout performance from Seth Edwards
SB Live Class 3A Super 7
1. Ashdown 10-1
2. Harding Academy 5-3
3. Walnut Ridge 5-0
4. Camden Harmony Grove 7-1
5. Manila 6-1
6. Rose Bud 4-1
7. Paris 5-1
Analysis: A little bit of a shakeup this week in Class 3A. Ashdown is the new No. 1 after continuing to win at every level. Their only loss was to Class 4A Nashville. Harding Academy must clean up things defensively and play clean baseball if they want to repeat as state champs. They held Valley View to 2 hits but committed four errors in a 5-4 loss. Walnut Ridge has become the clear favorite in 3-3A with Manila right behind them. Camden Harmony Grove also had their first loss of the season to Nashville. Rose Bud has one of the state’s top freshman pitchers in Russ Martin who has 26 strikeouts in 12 innings without a walk. Paris is 3-0 in conference play after defeating defending champ Danville behind a big-time performance from University of Missouri signee Duke Walker.
SB Live Class 2A Super 7
1. Woodlawn 6-3
2. McCrory 5-3
3. Horatio 7-2
4. Parkers Chapel 5-3
5. Carlisle 5-3
6. Buffalo Island Central 3-0
7. Rector 5-1
Analysis: Woodlawn stepped up in classification traveling to Harrison for the Ozarks Invitational and played well against 5A schools going 1-2. McCrory and Horatio have settled in at the top of their conference, but McCrory will be tested by Carlisle. That should be a great matchup. The last two spots are conference foes Buffalo Island Central and Rector. The Mustangs gave Rector their first loss on the season and remain undefeated in conference play. Murfreesboro, Melbourne and Tuckerman are teams to keep an eye on as each team had the talent to make a run as we approach the postseason next month.
SB Live Class 1A Super 7
1. Izard County 5-0
2. West Side Greers Ferry 3-1
3. Taylor 7-1
4. Mount Ida 6-0
5. Ouachita 4-4
6. Viola 2-2
7. Nemo Vista 3-2
Analysis: Currently, the Top 4 teams in Class 1A are head and shoulders above the rest. Taylor defeated Ouachita 13-7 and Izard County took care of Westside 6-2 in the first of what could be 5 matchups this season. Viola and Nemo Vista are trending upward. Viola’s problem is they are in the same conference as the top two teams in the state right now.
