Throughout the first decade of the National High School Invitational, no winner of the highly competitive prep baseball tournament has gone on to win a national championship. However, there is a sense that this year may break that trend.
Corona (Calif.) had an impressive showing at the event in Cary, N.C., winning four consecutive games. They showcased their dominance by recording three shutout victories, defeating the defending tournament champion, and blanking the team that holds the record for three NHSI titles in the championship game.
Corona started the tournament strong with an 8-0 victory over Puyallup, a consistently strong team from Washington with a 9-1 record. They followed that up with a 2-0 shutout of Trinity Christian Academy from Jacksonville, Florida, a team ranked No. 10 in last week’s Top 25.
Corona’s win over Orange Lutheran was significant in terms of rankings, as the Lancers had previously handed Corona one of its two losses in the Prep Baseball Report championship game earlier in the season. The other loss came against Mater Dei in the final of the Boras Classic South two weeks ago. With participation in three of the toughest tournaments in the nation, including the NHSI, the Panthers are likely to face two more tough tournaments in the coming weeks. They are considered the favorite in the Southern Section Division 1 tournament after reaching the semifinals last year.
New Top 25 baseball rankings
A late-inning rally gave Corona a 6-5 win over defending NHSI champion Huntington Beach (Calif.) and a stellar pitching performance by tournament MVP Seth Hernandez gave the Panthers a 3-0 win over Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), which had previously won three NHSI titles.
That victory over Orange Lutheran was key with regard to the rankings since the Lancers handed Corona one of its two losses in the Prep Baseball Report championship game earlier in the season. Corona’s other loss came against Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) in the final of the Boras Classic South two weeks ago.
Corona has now participated in three of the toughest tournaments in the nation (Prep Baseball Report, Boras Classic South and NHSI) with possibly two more looming in the coming weeks. The Panthers will be the favorite in the Southern Section Division 1 tournament after reaching the semifinals last year.
1. Corona (Calif.)
Record: 19-2 | Last week: 3
Scores: Def. Puyallup, 8-0; def. Trinity Christian Academy, 2-0; def. Huntington Beach, 6-5; def. Orange Lutheran, 3-0.
2. Catholic-B.R. (Baton Rouge, La.)
Record: 32-2 | Last week: 2
Scores: Def. Scotlandville, 16-0, 11-1; def. Zachary, 10-0, 12-1
3. Jackson Prep (Jackson, Miss.)
Record: 29-2 | Last week: 4
Scores: Def. Hartfield Academy, 9-0, 5-1, 10-2
4. Flower Mound (Texas)
Record: 26-3 | Last week: 5
Scores: Def. Coppell, 3-0, 7-0; def. Byron Nelson, 9-8
5. North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek, Fla.)
Record: 17-2 | Last week: 6
Scores: Def. Palm Beach Central, 5-1; def. Coral Springs Charter, 3-0; def. Trinity Christian Academy (Lake Worth) 7-3
6. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Record: 11-0 | Last week: 8
Scores: Def. St. Xavier (Cincinnati), 7-1; def. St. Edward, 3-1; def. St. Ignatius (Cleveland), 11-9; def. Northville, 6-2
7. Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.)
Record: 17-1 | Last week: 9
Scores: Def. Bishop McLaughlin Catholic, 8-1; def. Venice, 3-1
8. Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.)
Record: 20-1 | Last week: 11
Scores: Def. South Broward, 12-0; def. American Heritage, 7-6
9. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Record: 17-5 | Last week: 16
Scores: Def. Farragut, 4-1; def. St. John’s, 8-0; def. Harvard-Westlake, 3-2; lost to Corona, 3-0
10. Central (Phenix City, Ala.)
Record: 31-3 | Last week: 1
Scores: Def. Auburn, 11-5; lost to Auburn, 8-5, 3-1; def. Dothan, 3-2, 5-3
11. Parkview (Lilburn, Ga.)
Record: 21-4 | Last week: 12
Scores: Def. Archer, 8-3, 14-1, 15-1
12. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, Calif.)
Record: 18-4-1 | Last week: 15
Scores: Def. Key West, 10-2; def. Casteel, 3-2; lost to Orange Lutheran, 3-2; def. Wesleyan Christian Academy, 12-9
13. North Cobb Christian (Kennesaw, Ga.)
Record: 24-2 | Last week: 17
Scores: Def. South Atlanta, 18-0, 15-0; def. KIPP Atlanta Collegiate, 11-0, 15-0; def. Southside Christian, 4-3
14. Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Texas)
Record: 23-1-1 | Last week: 18
Scores: Def. John Paul II, 1-0, 6-3
15. Tomball (Texas)
Record: 25-3 | Last week: 19
Scores: Def. Klein Forest, 10-2, 11-0; def. Magnolia, 14-3
16. Prosper (Texas)
Record: 24-4 | Last week: 21
Scores: Def. Braswell, 11-1, 10-0
17. Pensacola Catholic (Pensacola, Fla.)
Record: 20-1 | Last week: 22
Scores: Def. Escambia, 11-0; def. Crestview, 11-0; def. South Walton, 13-2
18. IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.)
Record: 17-3 | Last week: 13
Scores: Def. Jesuit, 10-0; lost to Northside Christian, 4-1
19. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.)
Record: 15-6-1 | Last week: 14
Scores: Def. JSerra Catholic, 6-0; lost to JSerra Catholic, 14-1; def. JSerra Catholic, 3-2
20. Harlem (Ga.)
Record: 26-1 | Last week: 7
Scores: Def. Salem, 16-1; lost to Greenbrier, 4-1
21. Grapevine (Texas)
Record: 25-2 | Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Denton, 3-0, 10-0, Def. V.R. Eaton, 12-2
22. Barbe (Lake Charles, La.)
Record: 29-5 | Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Elizabeth, 15-0, 14-0; def. Acadiana, 11-0; def. Sulphur, 2-1; def. Acadiana, 10-3
23. Lincoln-Way West (New Lenox, Ill.)
Record: 12-0 | Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Sandburg, 5-3; def. Marian Catholic, 14-12; def. Lincoln-Way East, 7-1; def. Minooka, 4-3
24. Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)
Record: 18-4 | Last week: 23
Scores: Def. Perry, 16-2; lost to Perry, 7-0; def. Chandler, 9-6; def. Liberty, 8-3
25. Stoneman Douglas (Parkland, Fla.)
Record: 15-5 | Last week: 20
Scores: Def. Cooper City, 15-2; lost to Columbus, 9-6; def. Flanagan, 7-4
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