Gainesville – It’s the usual suspects in the first FHSAA state baseball rankings of the 2016-17 season.
The top overall team in the all-classification rankings, Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy, is ranked No. 1 in the country by MaxPreps, USA Today and Collegiate Baseball.
Head coach Rich Bielski has a total of 13 players who are committed to play college baseball, led by one of the country’s top power hitters in second-team All-American Alex Toral, and third-team All-American Joe Perez, who has power and a mid-90s fastball major league slider.
The Mavericks, who won their sixth state title in the last seven years in 2016, are ranked third by Perfect Game and third according to Baseball America. Archbishop McCarthy is also the top-ranked team in ThePrepZone.com Class 6A rankings.
Parkland Stoneman Douglas, the No. 1 team in Class 9A, is second overall. The defending Class 9A state champions, who also finished No. 1 in the country last year by Perfect Game, have All-State pitcher Brandon Kaminer back.
Other No. 1 teams that are perennial powers in the Sunshine State include Venice (7A), which made its fifth straight FHSAA Final Four last season, and Miami Monsignor Pace, which lost to Jacksonville Bolles in last year’s 5A state semifinals and has won six state titles.
Here is the first FHSAA state baseball rankings for the 2017 season. Teams in The Prep Zone’s coverage area are in bold.
ALL-CLASSIFICATION
1. Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy (6A) 8-0
2. Parkland Stoneman Douglas (9A) 5-1
3. Miami Columbus (9A) 9-0
4. Venice (7A) 7-1
5. Fort Myers Canterbury (3A) 8-0
6. Jacksonville Providence (4A) 6-1
7. Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley (9A) 7-0
8. Lynn Haven Mosley (6A) 7-0
9. Miami Monsignor Pace (5A) 6-1
10. Jacksonville Atlantic Coast (8A) 7-0
CLASS 9A
1. Parkland Stoneman Douglas 5-1
2. Miami Columbus 9-0
3. Altamonte Springs Lake Brantley 7-0
4. Miami Palmetto 8-0
5. Lake Worth Park Vista 6-2
6. Jupiter 7-2
7. Jacksonville Sandalwood 6-1
8. Winter Garden West Orange 5-3
9. Vero Beach 7-0
10. Orlando Olympia 7-1
Honorable mention: Haines City 6-2; Tampa Alonso 6-2; Apopka 7-3; Jacksonville Mandarin 5-3; Winter Park 5-3; Orlando Timber Creek 5-3; Palm Beach Central 6-3.
CLASS 8A
1. Jacksonville Atlantic Coast 7-0
2. Orange Park Oakleaf 8-1
3. Tampa Plant 8-1
4. Lakeland George Jenkins 7-1
5. Tarpon Springs East Lake 6-1
6. Oviedo Hagerty 6-2
7. Tampa Steinbrenner 7-2
8. Dover Strawberry Crest 7-1
9. Lakeland 5-2
10. Tallahassee Leon 6-1
Honorable mention: Clearwater Countryside 7-2; Gainesville Buchholz 5-3; Tallahassee Chiles 5-4; Sarasota Riverview 7-2; Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas 6-3; Davie Nova 7-1; Neptune Beach Fletcher 7-2.
CLASS 7A
1. Venice 7-1
2. Palm Beach Gardens Dwyer 9-2
3. Winter Haven 5-2
4. Doral Academy 7-2
5. St. Johns Creekside 8-2
6. Cantonment Tate 6-1
7. Tampa Gaither 6-2
8. Estero 7-1
9. Punta Gorda Charlotte 7-1
10. Pensacola Escambia 7-2
Honorable mention: Viera 7-2; Naples Gulf Coast 7-3; Brandon 7-2; Miami Belen Jesuit 5-2; Fort Myers Riverdale 6-1; New Smyrna Beach 7-2.
CLASS 6A
1. Southwest Ranches Archbishop McCarthy 8-0
2. Lynn Haven Mosley 7-0
3. Rockledge 7-1
4. Tampa Jesuit 7-1
5. Merritt Island 5-1
6. Plantation American Heritage 6-2
7. Belleview 10-0
8. Sebring 8-2
9. Spring Hill Springstead 7-1
10. Miami Springs 6-0
Honorable mention: Panama City Beach Arnold 5-1; Jacksonville Terry Parker 7-2; Gulf Breeze 5-2
CLASS 5A
1. Miami Monsignor Pace 6-1
2. Melbourne Central Catholic 7-0
3. Ft. Lauderdale Pine Crest 6-1
4. Jacksonville Bishop Kenny 7-0
5. Live Oak Suwannee 8-0
6. Jacksonville Bolles 4-2
7. Pompano Beach 6-1
8. Melbourne Holy Trinity Episcopal 5-2
9. Orlando Bishop Moore 7-3
10. Pembroke Pines Somerset Academy 6-2
Honorable mention: Miami Gulliver Prep 6-3; Keystone Heights 6-2; The Villages 7-2; Bushnell South Sumter 5-0; Marianna 8-3; LaBelle 6-1, Panama City Bay 5-2.
CLASS 4A
1. Jacksonville Providence 6-1
2. Miami Westminster Christian 7-2
3. Pensacola Catholic 6-1
4. Jacksonville Trinity Christian 5-1
5. Fort Lauderdale Calvary Christian Academy 6-3
6. Clearwater Calvary Christian 8-0
7. Fort Lauderdale University 8-0
8. Orlando The First Academy 7-1
9. Miami Florida Christian 6-1
10. Delray Beach American Heritage 8-2
Honorable mention: Sarasota Cardinal Mooney 6-2, Fort Lauderdale Westminster Academy 6-2, Ocala Trinity Catholic 5-1, Fort Myers Bishop Verot 6-3.
CLASS 3A
1. Fort Myers Canterbury 8-0
2. Jacksonville University Christian 6-1
3. St. Petersburg Northside Christian 8-1
4. Tallahassee North Florida Christian 6-2
5. Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic 6-2
6. Spring Hill Bishop McLaughlin 7-4
7. Naples St. John Neumann 8-2
8. Sarasota Out-of-Door 6-2-1
9. Tampa Cambridge Christian 7-2
10. Tampa Carrollwood Day 8-2
Honorable mention: Fort Myers Evangelical Christian 7-3; Miami Archbishop Carroll 6-2; Largo Indian Rocks Christian 5-2; Fort Pierce John Carroll 4-3; Maitland Orangewood Christian 6-5.
CLASS 2A
1. Lecanto Seven Rivers Christian 8-0
2. Lake Worth Trinity Christian 6-4
3. Lake Worth Christian 8-1
4. Mount Dora Christian Academy 8-1
5. Miami Christian 6-3
6. Deltona Trinity Christian 8-2
7. Brito Miami Private 6-1
8. Jacksonville Christ’s Church 5-3
9. Miami Westwood Christian 4-3
10. Jacksonville First Coast Christian 6-2
Honorable mention: Land O’Lakes Academy at the Lakes 5-2; St. Petersburg Keswick Christian 5-2-1; Tampa Bayshore Christian 3-0; Brooksville Hernando Christian 6-4.
CLASS 1A
1. Trenton 7-1
2. Blountstown 7-1
3. Pierson Taylor 7-1
4. Bell 7-1
5. Santa Rosa South Walton 4-1
6. Milton Central 7-1
7. Chipley 5-2
8. Chiefland 4-2
9. Baldwin 5-2
10. Lake Butler Union County 5-2
Honorable mention: Malone 6-1; Vernon 5-1; Jay 5-3; Cross City Dixie County 5-3; Port St. Joe 4-2; Williston 4-3.
