SBLive Missouri high school baseball Power 25 rankings (April 17): Liberty North takes back No. 1 spot after series win against Blue Springs South

Liberty North reclaims its spot at the top of the rankings after taking two of three from Blue Springs South to cap off last week. Jackson breaks back into the rankings after knocking off Illinois powerhouse Edwardsville under the bright lights at Busch Stadium. Fort Zumwalt West barges into the top 5, while Nixa continues its meteoric climb up the rankings with win after win.

SBLIVE MISSOURI POWER 25 BASEBALL RANKINGS

• PREVIOUS RANKINGS: MARCH 21 | MARCH 28 | APRIL 3 | APRIL 10 

Here's a look at the SBLive Missouri Power 25 (with records through April 16):

1. Liberty North (15-4)

Last week: 2

The Eagles took two of three games against Blue Springs South in a rematch of the Class 6 state championship game. Tate McGuire and Andrew Agnew combined to get 17 strikeouts in 11 innings in the series' first two games. Joe Hall collected seven RBIs in the two victories. Blue Springs South was able to hand Liberty North a loss in the finale to snap a seven-game winning streak. The Eagles will have a midweek game at Park Hill South before concluding the weekend with a three-game series against crosstown rival Blue Springs.

2. Blue Springs South (14-3)

Last week: 1

Blue Springs South ran its winning streak to seven games before back-to-back losses to Liberty North on the road. Tommy LaPour and Trenton Roehler suffered road losses before Liam Bryan picked up the win in the series finale. Blue Springs South was able to score four runs in the third inning and able to hang on for a 4-3 victory for its 14th win of the season. The Jaguars get a home game against Grain Valley before a three-game set against Raymore-Peculiar over the weekend.

3. Logan-Rogersville (11-2)

Last week: 6

The Wildcats picked up a 10-0 victory over Marshfield to cap off last week and notched their 11th win of the season. Brody McNeil picked up the win with seven strikeouts over five innings and gave up one hit. Curry Sutherland went 3-for-3 with a double in the victory. Logan-Rogersville will host Hollister before a trip to Aurora and two games with Carthage and Parkview to cap off the weekend.

4. Fort Zumwalt West (17-3)

Last week: 7

The Jaguars suffered a four-run loss to Rock Bridge in the Columbia tournament but rebounded with a come-from-behind victory over Francis Howell to earn a rematch with Rock Bridge on Saturday night. The Jaguars held an 8-6 lead over the Bruins before the game was suspended in the bottom of the fourth inning. The makeup date for that game has not been set. Fort Zumwalt West will play two against Timberland in conference play before facing Fort Zumwalt South over the weekend.

5. Francis Howell (15-5)

Last week: 3

The Vikings have won four of the last five games but it is one loss being its second loss to Fort Zumwalt West in a tournament this year. Francis Howell lost 6-5 to the Jaguars after giving up four runs in the top of the seventh inning. Aden Johnson and Brett Norfleet launched home runs in the loss. Francis Howell was able to rebound with a shutout victory over Blair Oaks in the final game of the Columbia tournament.

6. Southern Boone (15-3)

Last week: 4

After running its record to 13-1, Southern Boone ran into trouble last week. Hallsville managed to outlast the Eagles in eight innings before Borgia handed them the most lopsided loss since a 16-2 loss to Hickman on May 9, 2017. Southern Boone rebounded with an eight-run victory over Kearney to cap the week. It travels to Russellville in a matchup of top-ranked schools on Monday before a home visit from Osage.

7. Springfield Catholic (7-2)

Last week: 5

Started the season with six consecutive wins before back-to-back losses to Fair Grove and Glendale. In the first loss of the season, a 4-2 affair, Fair Grove managed to get three runs in the seventh inning to get the win. Coleman Morrison picked up nine strikeouts for the Irish in five innings. The Fighting Irish will host Aurora on Tuesday before road trips to Hollister and Ozark to cap off the week.

8. Portageville (18-2)

Last week: 9

The Bulldogs picked up their 18th win on the season, pushing their winning streak to five games. They ripped through the Malden Invitational tournament, outscoring the four opponents 42-7 in four games, including a 7-5 victory over Scott City in the title game. Portageville will have two home games this week sandwiched around a trip to Caruthersville in the middle of the week.

9. Helias Catholic (11-3)

Last week: 10

Helias outlasted Borgia in eight innings before getting shut out by Oak Park to cap the weekend. In the eight-inning win, the Crusaders got a strong start by Sam Wyrick who went six innings with five strikeouts. Trey Rice came on in relief with a two-inning save. Wyrick went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI, while Ben Miller got the walk-off hit to cap a 2-for-4 day with two RBIs.

10. Valle Catholic (14-2)

Last week: 8

Valle Catholic rebounded after a 7-3 loss to Jefferson City with a 7-0 shutout victory over Valley. The Warriors pounded out 11 hits in the win with Chase Fallert, Rylan Fallert and Aaron Eftink each collecting RBIs. Rylan Fallert picked up the win with four scoreless innings while Cannon Wolk worked the final three innings in the win. Valley Catholic capped the week with a 4-3 win over Hillsboro.

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11. Russellville (14-3)

Last week: 14

The Indians won a wild affair to cap the week, a 17-12 victory over Harrisburg. During its four-game winning streak, Russellville has scored 51 runs. The 12 runs given up is the most given up 14 runs in the 2019 season. Russellville hosts Southern Boone in a huge matchup of two top-ranked teams on the season before a trip to Linn and St. Elizabeth to cap off the week.

12. Rock Bridge (17-2)

Last week: 15

The Bruins are on a 14-game winning streak. They knocked off one of the hottest teams in the state, Fort Zumwalt West, in the Columbia tournament. Rock Bridge and the Jaguars played in a rematch in the title game of the tournament but the game was suspended in the bottom of the fourth. The Bruins will square off with Helias Catholic on Wednesday in a huge matchup between top-rated teams.

13. Valley Park (8-1)

Last week: 12

After a season-opening loss to Sullivan, the Hawks have rattled off eight-straight wins. In the eight wins, Valley Park has averaged nearly 13 runs a game. It scored 10 or more runs in seven of the eight games. Jeff Chitwood is swinging the hottest bat this side of the Mississippi with a video-game-like .783 batting average. In 23 at-bats, he has 18 hits and 17 RBIs. Will Geary forms the second part of the two-headed monster with 12 RBIs and a .593 batting average.

14. Nixa (14-2)

Last week: 21

One of the hottest teams in the area, the Eagles notched their 14th win with an eight-run victory over Joplin. It picked up 13 runs on 12 hits with Jackson Edwards collecting six RBIs. Rylan Michel picked up three hits and scored three times. The 12-game winning streak got put to an end with a 7-1 loss to Fayetteville out of Arkansas. Nixa hosts Willard on Tuesday in a huge matchup.

15. Vianney (16-2)

Last week: 20

Last year's middling campaign is a distant memory for the Golden Griffins. Vianney is off to its best start since 2018 where it started the year 21-0 before capping off the season with the Class 5 state championship. David Broughton, Oliver Degenhardt and Trey Jozwiakowski have combined for 47 RBIs to power the offense, while Danny Lindsey is 2-0 on the mound in five starts and has a 1.47 ERA in 19 innings pitched.

16. Fort Zumwalt South (8-1-1)

Last week: 17

After a one-run road loss to Liberty (Wentzville), the Bulldogs have outscored their next three opponents 26-2. Leading the offensive attack for Fort Zumwalt South has been a plethora of bats, but Connor Mendell leads the team with 10 RBIs and two home runs. Connor Henke has thrown 25 innings and has only allowed two earned runs while going 3-0 in his two starts. Carter Cox has 37 strikeouts over 18 1-3 innings pitched.

17. Fort Zumwalt East (10-5)

Last week: 13

The Lions stopped the bleeding after a three-game skid in the middle of the season. Fort Zumwalt East eeked out back-to-back one-run wins over North Point and Liberty (Wentzville). It was shut out in a non-conference game at De Smet to snap its three-game winning streak. In the 2-1 victory over Liberty, Lukas McGill went the distance and picked up four strikeouts.

18. Borgia (11-2)

Last week: 18

After a one-run loss to Helias Catholic, Borgia picked up an 11-run win over Southern Boone before a three-run win over Kearney to cap off the day. In the win over the defending Class 4 state champs, Jack Nobe went 3-for-4 with six RBIs, scored three times and hit two home runs. Reagan Kandlbinder went six innings of shutout ball to pick up the win. He also struck out eight while scattering four hits over the six innings.

19. Glendale (14-1)

Last week: NR

The Falcons continued their winning way with back-to-back run-rule victories. Glendale blew out Waynesville before a 10-0 run shutout victory over Power 25-ranked Springfield Catholic. In the 14-0 win, Brooks Kettering went 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Alex Rankin collected a two-run home run. It picked up 12 hits in the blowout win. Glendale faces off against Camdenton in a huge matchup before three-straight home games against Ozark, Bolivar and Branson.

20. Willard (12-8)

Last week: 16

The Tigers finished a whirlwind of a week with a walk-off victory over Grain Valley in the Columbia Tournament. Willard played seven games in six days last week, winning four of them. Owen Bushnell collected a two-run walk-off home over Grain Valley while Hayden Larson picked up the win with multiple innings coming in relief. The Tigers get a much-needed breather this week with only two games scheduled.

21. Eureka (16-1)

Last week: 23

The Wildcats keep finding ways to add to their eye-popping win total. Eureka suffered a two-run loss to Lindbergh after taking the first two from the Flyers in the three-game series. Dakota Joggerst leads the Wildcats with a .472 batting average and 23 RBIs. Brady Picarelli has a staggering .979 slugging percentage and leads the team with four home runs. Brodie Hunt is 3-0 on the mound with a 0.51 ERA in 13 2-3 innings pitched.

22. Jackson (15-5)

Last week: NR

After a few weeks away from the rankings, Jackson has burst back onto the scene. The Indians have won five straight, including a 5-1 victory over Illinois powerhouse Edwardsville over the weekend at Busch Stadium. Jackson pitcher John Paul Sauer tossed seven innings without giving up an earned runs over the Tigers and picked up nine strikeouts. Quinton Borders went 2-for-3 with two RBIs in the win. The Indians host Marion on Monday before a road trip to Poplar Bluff.

23. Kennett (11-4)

Last week: 24

Kennett capped off the week with a 12-0 win over Dexter highlighted by a no-no by senior pitcher Tanner Pierce. He went the distance with 14 strikeouts to cap off the week that saw the Indians notch four straight wins. After three-straight losses, Kennett enters this week on a four-game winning streak and is in line to face off at Cape Notre Dame on Wednesday.

24. CBC (14-9)

Last week: 25

The Cadets were able to stop the bleeding, winning six of their last seven. CBC's offense has exploded into life recently. In the previous seven games, the Cadets have averaged 10 runs a game including a 20-run explosion against Smith-Cotton in the first game of the Columbia tournament. Ryan Stevens is leading the way with 28 RBIs, while teammates Nazzan Zanetello and Kaden Peer have added 26 and 25 RBIs, respectively. Those three have combined for 20 home runs. The Cadets face Vianney in a huge Metro Catholic Conference contest this week.

25. Platte County (8-8)

Last week: 19

The Pirates suffered back-to-back losses to two teams out of the Kansas City area last week to push their record back to .500. An offense that had been explosive in weeks past went cold mustering just five runs in the two losses to Lee's Summit West and Kearney. Dayton Doll went 1-for-3 with an RBI in the loss to Kearney. Jordy Hendrick went 2-for-3 at the plate against Lee's Summit West.

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