Arkansas high school baseball Super 7 rankings (3/18/2024)
Spring Break is upon us. Conference play has begun in every classification, and there have been a few surprises this season. Several teams will be traveling this week to out-of-state tournaments, looking to represent Arkansas very well. Our weekly notebook returns Thursday with a recap of spring break tournaments across the state.
6A
1. Rogers (6-1)
2. Rogers Heritage (6-0)
3. Springdale Har-Ber (5-3)
4. Fayetteville (4-2)
5. Cabot (6-1)
6. Bryant (6-3)
7. Bentonville (6-4)
Rogers: Rogers swept Fayetteville to keep pace with Rogers Heritage. The Mounties had to come from behind in both games with the first game going to extra innings.
Rogers Heritage: The War Eagles ran their shutout streak to four games with a 5-0 win over Olathe South (Kan.). Luke Askew continues to baffle hitters. The lefty went six innings, allowing only two hits while striking out nine to earn the win.
Har-Ber: The Wildcats are riding a four-game winning streak after sweeping Fort Smith Northside by a combined score of 25-0 in the two-game series. Senior Braden Sprague was 2-for 3 with two doubles and five runs batted in to lead the offense in game one. Senior Arkansas signee Ross Felder was 2 for 3 with five runs batted in to lead the offense in game two. The pitching staff allowed two hits total in the series.
Fayetteville: Baseball is a game of luck at times and the ball does not bounce your way sometimes. The Purple Dogs had to have had that feeling after blowing a late lead in two straight losses to Rogers. Jaison DeLamar and Landon Schaefer continue to put up big numbers offensively while junior Landon Holzhauer is making a name for himself as one of the best defensive catchers in the state.
Cabot: The Panthers took care of business this week with wins over Catholic and Southwest. UCA signee Aden Velasquez tossed a complete game shutout against Catholic. He struck out 11 batters allowing only three hits. Austin Ryals continues to be a tough out. The Panthers’ leftfielder is hitting .579 for the season.
Bryant: The Hornets make their debut in our rankings after a strong 7-3 start. They have key wins over Maumelle, Benton, and Catholic while their losses have been to out-of-state teams. Oklahoma commit Ridge Southerland drove in the winning run in the 4-3 win over Catholic on Thursday.
Bentonville: The Tigers had their six-game winning streak snapped against Lee’s Summit West (Mo.) on Friday. Bentonville has looked sharp since their opening week losses to No. 1 Rogers with the offense clicking in a sweep of crosstown rival Bentonville West this past week.
5A
1. Valley View (7-0)
2. LR Christian (6-1)
3. Maumelle (4-2)
4. Greenwood (6-1)
5. Marion (6-0)
6. Lake Hamilton (6-1)
7. Van Buren (7-1)
Valley View: The Pitching staff has only allowed six runs in seven games. Hudson Hosman hit two home runs in the doubleheader sweep of West Memphis. Senior Razorback signee Eli Crecelius tossed a complete game shutout against Jackson Christian (Tenn.), striking out 11 while giving up one hit. Dax Webb hit his first home run of the season. Drew Gartman, Jade Taylor and Keaton Mathis added a double each in the win.
LR Christian: The Warriors got outstanding pitching performances from Tate Collins and Jackson Kircher in a doubleheader sweep of Vilonia. The dynamic duo combined for 26 strikeouts over 10 innings of work allowing three hits. Cade Bowman had a home run in game two, his first of the season.
Maumelle: The offense came alive in a doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville. Tag Andrews helped himself with a double and a triple driving in three runs while also getting the win on the mound in game one. The Hornets had a combined no-hitter in game two by Peyton Lee and Chandler Eubanks. Blaize Ward had his second double in as many games. Lee and Ward knocked in two runs each.
Greenwood: The Bulldogs split with Russellville in the 5A-West opening series for both teams. Wichita State commit Grant Karnes was 4 for 5 at the plate and struck out nine in six innings to get the win. The Bulldogs offense collected 16 hits, nine against Razorback commit Russ Martin.
Marion: The Patriots just keep winning. They swept Searcy in a doubleheader, outscoring the Lions 21-5. Cohen Bumbaugh threw a complete game one-hitter in game two, Little Rock signee Davis York got the win in game one while Matthew Kearney went 2 for 5 with a home run to pace the offense.
Lake Hamilton: The Wolves continue to be the surprise team in 5A with an overall record of 7-1. They dropped their first game of the year on Monday to Magnolia 8-7. The Wolves walked off rival Hot Springs Lakeside in the bottom of the 12th inning on Tuesday to remain perfect in 5A south play. Landon West hit a double with one out scoring Coy Autrey.
Van Buren: How about those Pointers! Van Buren makes their debut in our rankings after splitting a doubleheader with Greenbrier in the 5A west opener for both schools. Weston Wilcox is a name to watch in the 2026 as a two-way player.
4A
1. Lonoke (8-1)
2. Brookland (9-3)
3. Morrilton (8-2)
4. Robinson (8-2)
5. Huntsville (10-1)
6. Gravette (7-2)
7. Arkadelphia (5-1)
Lonoke: The Jackrabbits are now at full strength with the return of Jaxson Ingle and Tripp Sullivan. Ingle homered in his first at bat back from ACL surgery last fall. Sullivan is off to a hot start at the plate going 4 for 6 with five runs batted in. Lonoke will play in the Robinson Invitational this week.
Brookland: The Bearcats scored 45 runs in three games to stay undefeated in conference play. This team has shown they can score in bunches, and they have the depth on the mound to challenge Lonoke.
Morrilton: Motown had nice wins over Southside and Greenbrier this past week. Luke Carner and Caden Meeler limited the Panthers to four hits in the 7-2 win. Morrilton will play three games this coming weekend in a tournament.
Robinson: The Senators will host the premier spring break tournament in Arkansas with 28 teams coming to central Arkansas for three days. Robinson will play Russellville, North Little Rock and Ashdown across the three days of the event which features teams from five different states.
Huntsville: The Eagles were the first team in the state to reach 10 wins for the season. They will have to wait on their 11th after dropping their first game of the season, albeit to an out of state opponent. Huntsville won two of their three games in Tampa, Florida this weekend.
Gravette: The Lions took care of business in wins over Grove (Okla.) and Siloam Springs last week. Hunter Roughton tossed a complete game one-hitter in the 1-0 win over Siloam Springs. The senior struck out 11 while allowing one walk.
Arkadelphia: The Badgers make their way into the rankings after beating Ashdown 4-2 to stay unbeaten in conference play. They have a chance to remain at the top if they can beat conference rival Nashville on March 26th.
3A
1. Harding Academy (4-1)
2. Central Arkansas Christian (3-3)
3. Gosnell (9-1)
4. Genoa Central (7-1)
5. Walnut Ridge (6-1)
6. DeWitt (6-0)
7. Melbourne (8-1)
Harding Academy: The Wildcats came to central Arkansas and beat Sylvan Hills 5-3 on Friday. Catcher Isaac Baker was 3 for 3 while Kyler Hoover and Parker Hawks had a double each to lead the offense. Bentley Hawks and Nate Corbitt kept the Bears offense off balance.
CAC: The roster is finally complete, and the Mustangs looked the part of a state title contender in their conference opening win over Baptist Prep. The Mustangs will be off this week and return to action on March 25th against No. 1 Harding Academy.
Gosnell: The Pirates went 2-0 last week with convincing wins over Corning by a combined score of 26-1. The Pirates are hitting .398 as a team and averaging 11.8 runs per game.
Genoa Central: The Dragons have not played a game since March 9th and will return to action on Thursday this week against Spring Hill.
Walnut Ridge: The Bobcats have won six straight since losing their opener 3-2 to Greene County Tech. They have outscored their last five opponents by a combined score of 53-3. Arkansas State signee Nolan Belcher is hitting .722 with two home runs and 19 runs batted in. UCA signee Rex Tedder is 3-0 with a 0.87 ERA and 26 strikeouts over 16 innings.
DeWitt: The Dragons are undefeated and appear to be the frontrunner in the 3A-7 conference after beating HGOC 1-0 this past week. Griffin Whitmore tossed an eight-inning complete game allowing one hit while collecting 12 strikeouts.
Melbourne: The Bearcatz had been rolling right through this season until Cedar Ridge gave them their first loss on Saturday. A key conference matchup with Walnut Ridge looms on April 1st.
2A
1. Woodlawn (11-0)
2. Palestine Wheatley (2-0)
3. Mansfield (1-1)
4. McCrory (4-0)
5. Rector (6-0)
6. Southside Bee Branch (7-3)
7. Greenland (6-1)
Woodlawn: The Bears are rolling and not looking back. They took care of Fordyce in conference play then traveled to North Arkansas for an event and proceeded to beat Riverside and HGOC. Woodlawn plays Gosnell Thursday.
Palestine-Wheatley: Easy week for the Patriots with wins over Magnet Cove and England. A conference matchup with McCrory had to be rescheduled due to rain.
Mansfield: The Tigers dropped a contest to Booneville in their only game of the week. Ready to see this team get in to conference play and flex their muscle.
McCrory: The Jaguars commanded attention after defeating Rivercrest 4-1 on opening day. They have taken care of business since then as well, going 2-0 in conference play. Pitching was the key to a 4-0 start with the staff posting a 0.84 ERA. Will Rushin leads the team with 25 strikeouts over 11.2 innings pitched.
Rector: Another week, two more blowout wins for the Cougars. They dispatched Cross County 11-2 on Monday then beat Marmaduke 15-1 on Tuesday. A three-game stretch against Bay, Buffalo Island Central and East Poinsett County is on the other side of spring break.
SS Bee Branch: The Hornets have a great baseball tradition and this year’s team may add to the hardware. They played Woodlawn within a run and lost to higher class Heber Springs and Robinson. If they keep this pace, they will keep rising in the rankings.
Greenland: The Pirates make their return after a four-game win streak. They swept Ozark Mountain by a combined score of 36-0 and beat Charleston 12-9. Every goal is still in front of them this season.
1A
1. Taylor (6-2)
2. Nemo Vista (2-3)
3. West Side Greers Ferry (7-1)
4. St. Joseph (4-2)
5. Viola (6-1)
6. Mount Ida (2-2)
7. Norfork (5-2)
Taylor: The Tigers opened conference play with a 17-0 win over Lafayette County. Jessie Umphries hit a grand slam and had five runs batted in to lead the offense. The pitching staff allowed one hit and struck out 10 batters.
Nemo Vista: The Red Hawks are off to a 2-0 start in conference play after defeating Sacred Heart 11-1 on Tuesday. They are off until the 22nd when they will face Marshall in the opening round of their spring break tournament.
WS Greers Ferry: The Eagles have won seven games since losing their opener to Midland. They have shutout five opponents and only allowed three runs total in the seven wins.
St. Joseph: Nicholas French continues to dazzle on the mound. The lefty struck out 12 in five innings of work to get the win against Bigelow. He also went 3 for 4 with a triple and four runs batted in at the plate. The Bulldogs lost to Mayflower 13-3 on Thursday after beating Conway Christian on Tuesday. Their next game will be March 25th against Hector.
Viola: The Longhorns were upset 5-4 by Concord on Monday but rebounded nicely with wins over Omaha and Norfork by a combined score of 25-5. We must wait until April 5th for a matchup with West Side that will play a major factor in postseason seeding.
Mount Ida: The Lions still do not have a large sample size in the season. They have beaten Acorn and Centerpoint while dropping games to higher class teams. I expect them to take care of business in conference play.
Norfork: The party finally crashed for the Panthers this week. They were outscored 18-2 in conference losses to West Side and Viola. They will have their shot against those teams in the second-round robin in a few weeks. How they bounce back will be the key to how far they go this season.
--Kevin Bohannon | @SBLiveArk
