Stoneman Douglas (Florida) named best baseball team in the country in final 2023 SBLive Power 25 rankings
With the 2023 high school baseball season wrapped up it's time to crown a national champion.
Stoneman Douglas won its third consecutive Florida state title while extending its winning streak to 51 games, securing the Eagles' spot atop SBLive's season-ending Power 25 national baseball rankings.
Ten new teams entered the final rankings led by Flower Mound (Texas). The Jaguars recovered from a shaky end to the regular season by winning the UIL 6A state title.
Find the complete breakdown of the final SBLive Power 25 rankings of the 2023 season below.
The Power 25 rankings are compiled by SBLive reporter Bodie DeSilva based on observations and conversations with an extensive network of coaching and media sources across the country. Reach Bodie on Twitter (@SDPreps) or email him at bodie@scorebooklive.com.
SBLIVE POWER 25 NATIONAL BASEBALL RANKINGS
June 20, 2023
1. Marjory Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.) (29-0)
The Eagles put together a dominant season, outscoring their opponents by 215 runs over 29 games. Stoneman Douglas was able to capture their third consecutive state championship while extending their winning streak to 51 games. Florida-signee Christian Rodriguez ended the season 12-0 with a 0.69 ERA and 117 strikeouts over 70.2 innings.
Previously: 2
2. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) (25-0)
IMG wrapped up their unbeaten season nearly two months ago. The Ascenders had 104 extra-base hits this season and had a team ERA of 1.44. IMG Academy does not participate in FHSAA postseason play.
Previously: 1
3. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.) (39-1)
Barbe completed their season in May, beating No. 18 West Monroe for the Louisiana Non-Select Division 1 championship. The Buccaneers trailed 4-1 entering the final inning for exploding for nine runs in a 10-4 victory.
Previously: 4
4. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) (36-2)
Bishop Gorman dominated their seven playoff games, outscoring their opponents 64-11 in the postseason to capture their ninth state championship. UNLV-signee Easton Shelton hit .400 with 12 home runs and 10 doubles on his way to being named 2023 Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year.
Previously: 5
5. JSerra (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) (24-9)
JSerra won 13 of their final 14 games, sneaking their way into the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. Once in the bracket, the Lions put together a dominant run and beat No. 10 Santa Margarita 1-0 in the Southern Section championship game. Oregon State-signee Trent Caraway was named California's Gatorade Player of the Year after leading the Lions with a .467 average, seven home runs and 11 doubles.
Previously: 8
6. Houston County (Warner Robins, Ga.) (37-6)
Houston County posted huge offensive numbers in the playoffs and swept each of the final two rounds, beating Pope 8-3 and 7-4 in the GHSA AAAAAA championship round. Georgia Tech-signee Drew Burress hit .430 with 13 home runs and 17 doubles and also stole 17 bases.
Previously: 14
7. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) (31-3)
The Crusaders won 27 of their final 28 games after dropping back-to-back games in early April. Archbishop Moeller beat Olentangy Orange 4-1 in the championship game of the OHSAA Division 1 state title. George Mason-signee Toby Hueber hit .406 with 10 doubles to help the Crusaders capture their ninth state title and first since 2015.
Previously: 21
8. Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.) (28-4)
Calvary Christian closed out the season by winning their final 10 games. In seven playoff games, they outscored their opponents 43-8. NC State-signee Landen Maroudis tossed four shutout innings and hit his fourth home run of the season in the 3A FHSAA State championship game against North Broward Prep.
Previously: 7
9. Flower Mound (Texas) (37-10-2)
Flower Mound lost their final three games in the regular season but managed to regroup in time for playoffs. They needed three games to advance past Prosper in the opening round but finished the year by winning 11 of 12 games. The Jaguars took down No. 20 Pearland 6-4 in the UIL 6A state championship game. Texas A&M commit Adrian Rodriguez was named MVP after hitting a two-run home run in the title game.
Previously: NR
10. Santa Margarita (Calif.) (29-7)
Santa Margarita dominated the Trinity League, finishing five games ahead of Mater Dei and JSerra at 14-1. They reached the championsip game of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs before falling to No. 5 JSerra, 1-0. The Eagles rebounded in the Southern California Division 1 regional playoffs, beating No. 21 La Costa Canyon 3-2 to win the title.
Previously: 17
11. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.) (26-5)
The Huskies closed out the regular season by winning seven of eight games and played their best baseball in the postseason. They outscored their first four opponents 35-6 before beating Queen Creek 3-1 in the AIA 6A state championship game. Senior infielder Roch Cholowsky hit .466 with 11 home runs and nine doubles on his way to being named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year.
Previously: 18
12. De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) (27-5)
De La Salle won their sixth straight North Coast Section baseball championship, beating Clayton Valley Charter 7-3 in the championship game. The Spartans then won twice more to advance to the championship game of the Northern California Division 1 regional playoffs. Trailing 8-5 going into the final inning, De La Salle scored six runs including a dramatic grand slam by Hank Tripaldi to beat No. 17 Valley Christian for their second title in just over a week.
Previously: NR
13. Sickles (Tampa, Fla.) (30-2)
Sickles finished the season on a 22-game winning streak, beating Viera 4-2 for the 6A FHSAA state title. Florida commit Caden McDonald showcased his two-way ability, finishing with a 0.87 ERA and 97 strikeouts on the mound and a .383 average and 12 home runs at the plate.
Previously: NR
14. St. John’s (Washington, D.C.) (30-1-1)
St. John's wrapped up their season in mid-May by taking consecutive wins over Gonzaga in the Washington Catholic League tournament. The Cadets rebounded from their first loss of the season to Paul VI earlier in the week.
Previously: 15
15. Magnolia West (Magnolia, Texas) (35-5)
Magnolia West won 23 of their final 25 games on their way to beating Argyle 3-2 in the UIL 5A State championship game. Rice-signee Jackson Blank drove in all three runs in the state championship victory.
Previously: NR
16. American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) (21-6)
The Patriots upset Archbishop McCarthy in the 5A regional final before coming from behind to beat No. 25 Jesuit in extra innings for the state title two rounds later. Florida State-signee Spencer Butt hit a grand slam in the state championship game.
Previously: NR
17. Valley Christian (San Jose, Calif.) (31-4)
Valley Christian caught fire midseason, winning 17 straight games on their way to a victory against Hollister in the Central Coast Section Division 1 championship game. The Warriors won twice more in the Northern California regional playoffs and led No. 12 De La Salle in the championship game before the Spartans scored six runs in the final inning to win. Senior Michael Castaneda finished the season 13-1 with a 1.19 ERA for the Warriors.
Previously: NR
18. West Monroe (La.) (34-5)
West Monroe held a 4-1 lead over No. 3 Barbe in the Louisiana Non-Select Division 1 championship game before surrendering nine runs on their way to a 10-4 loss. Junior LSU commit John Pearson finished the year by hitting .427 with 10 doubles, four triples and four home runs.
Previously: 25
19. Magnolia Heights (Senatobia, Miss.) (40-3)
The Chiefs scored double digit runs 21 times during their 36-game winning streak to finish the season. In 10 playoff games, they outscored their opponents 92-10 to capture the Mississippi AAAAA state title.
Previously: NR
20. Pearland (Texas) (38-7-1)
Pearland rebounded from a 3-3 start to the season by reaching the UIL 6A championship game, falling to No. 9 Flower Mound 6-4. Houston-signee Anthony Avalos had three hits and drove in three runs against Westlake in the semifinal round.
Previously: NR
21. La Costa Canyon (Carlsbad, Calif.) (26-7)
Photo by Steven Silva
La Costa Canyon stayed on the winners side of the San Diego Section Open Division bracket, beating Eastlake 5-2 for their second consecutive section title. In the Southern California regional playoffs, the Mavericks beat Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and took down Eastlake once again before falling at No. 10 Santa Margarita in the championship game, 3-2.
Previously: NR
22. Liberty North (Liberty, Mo.) (34-7)
Liberty North won 13 of their final 14 games that resulted in winning the Missouri Class 6 State championship. The Eagles recorded shutouts in each of their first four playoff games and beat Howell 9-3 for their second straight state title.
Previously: NR
23. Cypress Woods (Texas) (38-5)
Cypress Woods saw their 2023 season come to an end with a 6-3 loss to No. 9 Flower Mound in the semifinal round of the UIL 6A championships. Mason Green was named pitcher of the year in District 16-6A while fellow senior Ethan Farris was named District MVP.
Previously: 11
24. Westlake (Austin, Texas) (40-5)
Westlake went 10-1 during the first five rounds of the UIL 6A championship, only losing to Round Rock during that stretch. Their season came to an end with an 11-1 loss to No. 20 Pearland in the semifinal round.
Previously: 12
25. Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.) (27-5)
Jesuit's playoff run ended with an extra innings loss to No. 16 American Heritage in the championship game of the 5A FHSAA playoffs. The Tigers gave No. 2 IMG Academy two tough games during the season, losing 10-7 and 9-8.
Previously: 6
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