SBLive Missouri high school baseball Power 25 rankings (May 1): Logan-Rogersville moves up to second spot

Check out this week's SBLive Missouri Power 25 baseball rankings

Paul Halfacre | May 1, 2023

Liberty North continues to keep a stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking, while Logan-Rogersville leap-frogged Blue Springs South to lay claim to the No. 2 spot.

Francis Howell and Fort Zumwalt West flipped their spots, but a home-and-home matchup between the two will settle the rankings of the regular season once and for all.

Rock Bridge continued blazing up the power rankings after a 10-inning victory over Nixa last week. Eureka continues to march up the power rankings and sits at No. 12 on the penultimate week of the regular season.

SBLIVE MISSOURI POWER 25 BASEBALL RANKINGS

Here's a look at the SBLive Missouri Power 25:

1. Liberty North (21-6)

Last week: 1

The Eagles went due west this past weekend to compete in the River City Classic in Kansas and went 1-2 in the three games it played. The offense was held in check, only scoring eight runs in 22 innings. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, Liberty North has a trio of conference games against Raymore-Peculiar this weekend after a non-conference game against Staley.

2. Logan-Rogersville (18-2)

Last week: 3

The Wildcats just keep winning. With their toughest week of the schedule, Logan-Rogersville pushed its winning streak to 11 games. It capped the week with back-to-back wins over Mountain Grove and McDonald County after a six-run win over Springfield Catholic. In what could be a preview of a Class 4 postseason game, Brody McNeil struck out 13 batters over 6 1/3 innings, while also hitting a three-run home run in the fourth inning.

3. Blue Springs South (21-3)

Last week: 2

The Jaguars stretched their winning streak to eight games with a series sweep over Raymore-Peculiar at the beginning of the week. In two games in the River City Classic, Blue Springs South knocked off Olathe Northwest before a 3-0 shutout victory over Olathe West. Blue Springs South will take a trip to Liberty and Platte County this week.

4. Francis Howell (23-6)

Last week: 5

A two-run loss to Marquette was Francis Howell's only blemish as it knocked off Nixa and Ozark in the Columbia tournament over the weekend. In the six-run win over Nixa, Brady Wilson went ballistic with a bat. The senior went 3-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs, while University of Missouri commit Tytus Cissell had a two-RBI triple. Skidmore went six innings for the win. Fort Zumwalt West and Francis Howell will collide this week in a huge GAC matchup.

5. Fort Zumwalt West (22-6)

Last week: 4

Fort Zumwalt West split four games last week with a three-run loss to Francis Howell Central and a one-run loss to Troy that was sandwiched around Illinois powerhouse Edwardsville to cap the week. Six batters have 14 or more RBIs in a balanced and scary lineup led by freshman and University of Missouri commit Nolan Sissom's 21 RBIs. A huge top-five conference series between Francis Howell and Fort Zumwalt West headlines the matchup as both teams jockey for postseason positioning.

6. Rock Bridge (23-4)

Last week: 8

The Top 10 matchup between Rock Bridge and Nixa did not disappoint. The two hottest teams in the state battled it out in a 10-inning wild affair where the Bruins came out on top when Dane Gray blasted the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the 10th to get the 2-1 victory over Nixa. It was the first of three extra-inning affairs as the Bruins dropped two to Ozark and Staley in nine innings each before rebounding with a six-run win over Park Hill.

7. Nixa (22-5)

Last week: 7

The Eagles dropped a nail-bitter on the road to Rock Bridge on Friday before splitting two games against Hickman and Francis Howell in the Columbia tournament to cap off the weekend. Nixa got five RBIs from Tanner Grant in a blowout win over Carthage last week. The Eagles will hit the road for a pair of games against Kickapoo and Republic this week before a home match against Carl Junction.

8. Portageville (25-2)

Last week: 6

The Bulldogs pushed their winning streak to 12 games with a seven-run victory over Kelly to cap last week. In the last three games, Portageville has outscored its opponents 14-2. Portageville will compete in the Bootheel Conference Tournament this week before capping it with the Portageville Round Robin on Saturday.

9. Southern Boone (20-8)

Last week: 9

After back-to-back losses to Lawrence and Lee's Summit, Southern Boone was able to salvage the week with a 3-0 win over Shawnee Mission South out of Kansas. Brayden Beckmann got the complete game shutout with four hits allowed and one strikeout. Blaine Hargis went 1-for-2 with two RBIs for the Eagles. Southern Boone will participate in the Fulton Tournament this week before two road trips to California and Father Tolton to cap the season.

10. Springfield Catholic (12-4)

Last week: 10

The Fighting Irish have not shied away from the challenge. It lost back-to-back games to Ozark and Logan-Rogersville but rebounded with three straight wins over Marshfield, Parkway Central and Duchesne. In the 9-1 win over Duchesne, Cole Schoen got the win with five innings pitched and five strikeouts. He also went 3-for-4 with a triple and a home run.

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11. Vianney (22-4)

Last week: 14

The Golden Griffins powered up the rankings with three wins last week. Vianney knocked off Lutheran South and Pacific in a doubleheader on Saturday. Nick Steurer leads the pitching staff in innings pitched, getting two wins in two games started and a 2.47 ERA. He also leads the team with 40 strikeouts and only four walks allowed.

12. Eureka (24-2)

Last week: 19

The Wildcats continue to find ways to win. Eureka picked up five wins last week, stretching its winning streak to seven games. In the five victories last week, it outscored its opponents, 33-6. In a conference win over Seckman, Brodie Hunt picked up the win going 3 1/3 innings pitched with four strikeouts and only giving up one earned run.

13. Jackson (21-6)

Last week: 22

After a slow start to the season, Jackson has arrived. The Indians have minced their last few opponents, pushing their winning streak to five games. In those five games, Jackson has outscored its opponents, 46-12. In a close 3-2 victory over Cape Notre Dame, Carson McDaniel twirled a gem. He gave up two runs in 6 1/3 innings pitched and collected four strikeouts before John Paul Sauer came in to pick up the save.

14. Valle Catholic (23-3)

Last week: 13

The Warriors rebounded from a two-run loss to highly-rated Nixa with three consecutive wins over Kingston, Farmington and Cooter. In the three victories, Valle Catholic outscored its opponents 28-8. Grant Fallert is 5-0 on the mound with a 2.12 ERA in 29 2/3 innings pitched. Clayton Drury leads the staff with 45 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.

15. Helias Catholic (14-6)

Last week: 11

The Crusaders split two games last week, picking up a win over Mexico before falling to Jefferson City. In the 5-4 victory over Mexico, Sam Wyrick went 3-for-4 with two RBI and picked up a two-inning save with four strikeouts.

16. Russellville (20-6)

Last week: 12

After a high-scoring loss to Eugene, Russellville notched two blowout victories over Pembroke Hill and New Bloomfield before suffering an 11-run loss to defending Class 1 state champions St. Elizabeth. Alex Oligschlaeger had two hits against St. Elizabeth while Jesse Daniel collected two RBIs in the loss.

17. Valley Park (13-2)

Last week: 17

Valley Park suffered just its second loss of the season with a wild back-and-forth 14-13 loss to St. Pius X early last week. The Hawks couldn't overcome three errors in the field, despite bashing out 15 hits in the loss. Jeff Chitwood continued to be a hitting machine, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs, while WIll Gear went 3-for-4 with a home run and a triple with four RBIs in the loss. Valley Park will attempt to wrap up the conference title with two games scheduled with Hancock.

18. Glendale (19-3)

Last week: 18

Glendale sandwiched an 11-run loss to Staley on Saturday with two victories over Branson and Park Hill. The 11-run loss is the worse loss for Glendale since a 17-2 loss to Marquette in 2021. Glendale will look to rebound with a trio of home games against Springfield Central, Lebanon and Smith-Cotton this week.

19. Borgia (14-5)

Last week: 16

Suffered back-to-back losses to Father Tolton and St. Dominic before splitting two with in-city rival Washington to cap the week. In the first victory over Washington, a 2-1 win on Thursday, Caden Caroll picked up the win, giving up one unearned run on five hits and only walked one. Jack Nobe and Drew Eckhoff picked up two hits in the win.

20. Willard (19-8)

Last week: 21

The Class 5 power continues to roll and is starting to find its footing. Willard has won eight in a row, outscoring its opponents, 65-10. To cap the week, the Tigers had a 10-0 shutout victory over Smith-Cotton, Kaelin Adams got the win on the mound with eight strikeouts in four innings. Willard has two home games against Branson and Webb City this week.

21. Camdenton (23-4)

Last week: 23

After a one-run loss to Kickapoo, Camdenton rolled to two victories over Smith-Cotton and Excelsior Springs to cap off the weekend. The Lakers have a home game scheduled against Marshfield before a trip to Hillcrest midway through the week. It has a huge matchup with St. Elizabeth to cap off the weekend before the final week of the regular season.

22. Fort Zumwalt South (16-5-1)

Last week: 15

Suffered three losses in a row to Washington, Francis Howell Central and Westminster before rebounding with two 10-run victories over Hazelwood West and North Point. In the 10-run win over North Point, Evan Fulhorst picked up the complete game win with five innings pitched and seven strikeouts while Jacob Reynolds went 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs in the win.

23. St. Elizabeth (12-5)

Last week: NR

The defending Class 1 state champions had a rough start to the season, losing five of its first six. The Hornets haven't lost since. In the title game of the Russellville Tournament, St. Elizabeth bashed out 11 runs in the top of the fifth inning to secure its 11th consecutive win. Jace Kesel finished a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-3 at the plate, while Isaac Green led the team with four RBIs.

24. CBC (19-11)

Last week: 24

A two-run loss to Seckman is the only blemish on CBC's record last week. It knocked off Gateway Legacy before sweeping Westminster to cap the weekend. One of the most powerful lineups in the St. Louis area features two hitters with more than 30 RBIs in Ryan Stevens and Kaden Peer. Nazzan Zanetello has 29 RBIs. Kyan Franklin has carried the pitching load, leading the staff with 31 2/3 innings pitched and a 2.65 ERA.

25. Marquette (15-5-1)

Last week: NR

Lost back-to-back conference games to Eureka before rebounding with a two-run win over Francis Howell. The Mustangs will take on Metro Catholic Conference powers Vianney and De Smet this week before a non-conference clash with Fort Zumwalt West. Rusty Graves leads a stout pitching staff with five wins and three complete games with a 0.79 ERA in 35 2/3 innings pitched.

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Published May 1, 2023

PAUL HALFACRE