Top 25 Louisiana high school baseball state rankings entering the playoffs

Who are the Top 25 teams at the conclusion of the regular season?

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The Catholic League (District 9-5A) and District 5-5A have some competition.

This week, four programs from District 1-5A in the Shreveport-Bossier area made the rankings. Five Catholic League schools remained ranked, while Dutchtown shot up the list after an impressive showing against Live Oak in District 5-5A action.

Here is a look at the top 25 teams in Louisiana heading to the prep baseball playoffs.

1. Live Oak (26-5)

Previous rank: 1

Playoff seed: No. 1 (Division I nonselect)

Live Oak, Catholic-Baton Rouge and Barbe are ranked again - in that order - nationally this week by High School on SI. The Eagles beat Division IV select No. 3 Opelousas Catholic 1-0 and split games with ranked Dutchtown, winning 4-2 and losing 3-2. Cooper Smith hit a walk-off home run in the win over Dutchtown for the District 5-5A title. Zant Gurney and Rezin Lindsay combined for the shutout vs. Opelousas Catholic, allowing four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.

Live Oak will meet the winner of No. 16 Denham Springs (21-13) and No. 17 Mandeville (19-15) in the playoffs. Live Oak beat Denham Springs in district by scores of 5-2 and 6-1.

2. Catholic-BR (29-5)

Previous rank: 2

Playoff seed: No. 1 (Division I select)

The reigning state champs split a pair of District 4-5A games with Zachary and tuned up for the playoffs with a 12-2 win over Division III nonselect No. 4 Westlake. Lucas Lawrence threw a one-hitter, walking one and striking out six in a 3-0 win over Zachary. UL Ragin' Cajuns recruit Noah Lewis hit a leadoff homer against Westlake for Catholic, which will face the winner of No. 16 Lafayette (15-13)/No. 17 Higgins (18-10) in the playoffs.

3. Barbe (30-4)

Previous rank: 3

Playoff seed: No. 2 (Division I nonselect)

Entering the playoffs on a 24-game winning streak, the Bucs took two games from Grace Christian and Southside and beat Sulphur. JD Alexander homered with two RBIs in the 4-2 win over Sulphur. Brit Vick and Presley Courville each collected two hits. Barbe will meet the winner of No. 15 Central-BR (21-10)/No. 18 Destrehan (21-12) in the tough Division I nonselect bracket.

4. Brother Martin (25-6)

Previous rank: 5

Playoff seed: No. 3 (Division I select)

The New Orleans Catholic League championship will reside at Brother Martin for the second time in three years. The Crusaders went 12-1 in league play, sweeping St. Augustine and ranked Rummel to finish the season. Rummel led 9-0 in the fourth inning before the Crusaders rallied to win 11-10, according to Grant Chachere of Crescent City Sports. Cody Kropp hit a walk-off sacrifice fly for Brother Martin, which will face the No. 14 Pineville (15-15)/No. 19 Riverdale (16-12) winner in the playoffs.

5. Teurlings Catholic (26-4)

Previous rank: 4

Playoff seed: No. 1 (Division II select)

The reigning state champion Rebels went 4-1, beating Avoyelles, St. Edmund, Loreauville and Sulphur by a combined score of 47-6 with two shutouts. Central-BR edged the Rebels 4-3 in the final game of the regular season. Jack Purser had three hits and four RBIs in the 7-0 win over Loreauville. Isaac Boudreaux, Nick Brown and Zan Johnson combined to no-hit Avoyelles.

The Rebels will meet the winner of No. 16 Tara (15-6)/No. 17 Lake Charles College Prep (13-18) in the playoffs.

6. West Monroe (26-7)

Previous rank: 6

Playoff seed: No. 6 (Division I nonselect)

How tough is Division I nonselect? The reigning champion Rebels will meet the winner of state tournament fixture Sam Houston and No. 22 St. Amant in the second round. West Monroe comes into the playoffs with plenty of momentum, having won 18 straight games. Last week, the Rebels swept 23-11 Ruston and defeated Division II select No. 4 Buckeye and Division III nonselect No 1 Oak Grove. Brady Guillot allowed two hits over 6/2 innings with four strikeouts in the 2-1 win over Buckeye.

7. Parkview Baptist (26-6)

Previous rank: 7

Playoff seed: No. 1 (Division III select)

In a District 6-3A series vs. ranked University Lab, the Eagles prevailed by scores of 4-3 and 2-1. Parkview Baptist also won at Division IV select No. 3 Opelousas Catholic, 8-5. Logan Sorrel struck out seven over 5.2 innings. Cade Durbin and Clayton Fontenot each had two hits for the Eagles, who will face the winner of No. 16 De La Salle (18-12)/No. 17 Northlake Christian (15-14).

8. Covenant Christian (34-0)

Previous rank: 11

Playoff seed: No. 1 (Division IV select)

The Lions silenced critics, topping ranked John Curtis 7-0, sweeping Division II select No. 2 St. Charles by scores of 5-1 and 11-1, and rallying from a 4-0 deficit to win at Division III nonselect No. 2 Erath, 14-5. Junior Owen Trosclair, who had four hits vs. Erath, threw a complete game vs. John Curtis.

Covenant Christian, which set an LHSAA record for consecutive wins to begin a season, will face the winner of No. 16 St. Martin's Episcopal (13-16) and No. 17 Central Catholic (12-17). The Lions edged Central Catholic in a District 7-1A game, 1-0.

9. Holy Cross (27-4)

Previous rank: 13

Playoff seed: No. 2 (Division I select)

The Tigers took down ranked Archbishop Rummel 4-2, blew out Karr by scores of 20-1 and 28-1, and tuned up for the playoffs with a win over Division III select No. 3 Pope John Paul II. Holy Cross will meet the winner of No. 15 St. Paul's (8-18)/No. 18 Byrd (13-21) in the playoffs.

10. Dutchtown (23-11)

Previous rank: 20

Playoff seed: No. 10 (Division I nonselect)

The Griffins split a pair of games with Live Oak, which has been consistently ranked inside the top dozen schools nationwide by High School on SI. Oakley Rutzen drilled a walk-off single in a 3-2 win over the Eagles in extra innings, according to William Weathers of The Baton Rouge Advocate. Rutzen and Cooper Pickett each finished with two hits. Louisiana Tech recruit Casey McCoy proved to be a bulldog out of the bullpen again, allowing one hit over three innings.

Dutchtown will host No 23 Airline in the bi-district playoffs. The Vikings (20-14) posted a 9-7 record in District 1-5A with a sweep of Captain Shreve, which debuts in this week's rankings, by scores of 6-2 and 8-2.

11. Sam Houston (27-7)

Previous rank: 8

Playoff seed: No. 11 (Division I nonselect)

If Sam Houston wins its bi-district series against No. 22 St. Amant (19-15), the Broncos will travel to West Monroe in a regional round matchup more befitting of the state tournament. Last week, the Broncos split a pair of district games with Sulphur and tuned up for the playoffs with wins over Division IV nonselect No. 7 Grand Lake and Division II select No. 5 Vandebilt Catholic. Owen Galley pitched a four-hitter in a 1-0 win over Sulphur.

12. St. Thomas More (22-7)

Previous rank: 9

Playoff seed: No. 4 (Division I select)

After wins over False River and Opelousas Catholic, the Cougars dropped a 6-4 decision to Southside in 12 innings. Cade Wilkerson homered and drove in three runs in the 13-1 win over Opelousas Catholic. Cayden Dartez threw three scoreless innings in relief, allowing one hit with five strikeouts. Vincent Cicardo had three hits, including a double, in the 15-0 win over False River for the Cougars, who will meet the winner of No. 13 St. Augustine (18-14)/No. 20 Liberty (15-15). St. Aug has wins over Holy Cross, John Curtis, Central-BR and Hahnville.

13. Benton (31-3)

Previous rank: 10

Playoff seed: No. 5 (Division I nonselect)

Another stellar second round series in Division I will pit No. 12 Ruston (23-11) or No. 21 Hahnville (22-12) at Benton, which swept Airline, defeated Division III nonselect No. 7 Jena, and split games with Natchitoches-Central. Outfielder Hayden Miller drove in four runs on three hits (2BH, 3BH) in the 15-0 win over Jena. Bryson Gates pitched all three innings, walking none and striking out five with no walks.

14. Northwood-Shreveport (30-4)

Previous rank: 12

Playoff seed: No. 3 (Division I nonselect)

The Falcons are similar to St. Thomas More in terms of Class 4A schools landing top five seeds in Division I brackets almost exclusively made up of Class 5A programs. Northwood won 11 games in little more than a week. Jaxon Bentzler threw a two-hitter with eight strikeouts in a 10-0 win over Logansport in five innings. Jack Carlisle no-hit Logansport (7 IP, 9 K, 1 BB) in a previous 5-0 win for the Falcons, who will meet the winner of No. 14 Zachary (22-12)/No. 19 Slidell (23-9). Zachary split a pair of recent games with Catholic-BR. Slidell won one of two vs. Northshore.

15. Haughton (28-6)

Previous rank: 16

Playoff seed: No. 4 (Division I nonselect)

The Buccaneers will host the winner of No. 13 Covington (22-8)/No. 20 Sulphur (13-18), which comes out of challenging District 3-5A (Barbe, Sam Houston, Acadiana). Haughton has won 11 of its last 12 games with a loss to Northwood-SH. The Bucs swept Airline by scores of 10-1 and 3-1. JP Cormier went 3-for-3 with two doubles in an 8-1 win over Jena in the final game of the regular season. Christian Turner doubled and drove in a run.

16. Northshore (29-5)

Previous rank: 15

Power rating: No. 8 (Division I nonselect)

City rival Slidell High prevented Northshore from going perfect in District 7-5A, but the Panthers won a previous encounter, 1-0. Northshore also won two tune-up games against Bayou Region traditional powers E.D. White and Vandebilt Catholic. Third baseman Connor Smith went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI, scored three times and pitched a perfect inning of relief with a save in a 6-4 win over Vandebilt Catholic (22-12). Northshore will face the winner of No. 9 Walker (24-10) and No. 24 Thibodaux (19-13) in the regional round.

17. Natchitoches-Central (27-7)

Previous rank: Not ranked

Playoff seed: No. 7 (Division I nonselect)

The Chiefs got a first-round bye ahead of a regional matchup at home vs. either ranked No. 10 Dutchtown or No. 23 Airline. Last week, Natchitoches-Central notched league wins over Parkway and Benton, swept Delhi Charter, and lost to Benton. Yancy Spillman had three hits, including a triple, in a 7-0 win over Delhi Charter.

18. Archbishop Rummel (21-12)

Previous rank: 14

Playoff seed: No. 8 (Division I select)

The Raiders and ranked East Bank rival John Curtis (No. 9 seed) will face off again in the second round after each received a bye. In Catholic League play, the Raiders split a pair of games with the Patriots, winning 10-0 and losing 9-7. Recently the Raiders were swept by Holy Cross and B rother Martin but lost the four games by a combined total of only eight runs. Rummel concluded the regular season with a 14-2 win over Archbishop Shaw.

19. Zachary (22-12)

Previous rank: Not ranked

Playoff seed: No. 14 (Division I nonselect)

The Broncos, who will host No. 19 Slidell (23-9) in a bi-district series at Zachary Youth Park, handed Catholic-BR its only District 4-5A loss. The Broncos also lost to Catholic-BR and split of pair of games - all three pitching duels - with Central High. Noah Sullivan threw a complete game five-hitter with four strikeouts in the 1-0 win over Catholic-BR.

20. Jesuit (22-10)

Previous rank: 18

Playoff seed: No. 5 (Division I select)

The Blue Jays swept Warren Easton and St. Augustine on the back end of Catholic League play before losing in a tune-up game vs. Terrebonne, 4-3. The Blue Jays will welcome No. 12 Alexandria (18-13) to New Orleans in the regional round after each received a bye. Jesuit beat St. Augustine team by scores of 5-2 and 3-2. Connor Donnelly singled in the go-ahead run in the latter game. He also pitched all seven innings, striking out six.

21. Walker (24-10)

Previous rank: 22

Playoff seed: No. 9 (Division I nonselect)

The Wildcats are the top seed to play a bi-district series in their Division (first eight seeds get a bye) and will host No. 24 Thibodaux (19-13). Walker had a six-game winning streak, which included victories over Central-B R and Denham Springs, snapped in the district and regular season finale by East Ascension. Previously, the Wildcats blanked East Ascension 9-0 behind three hits (two doubles) from Braylen Montgomery. Tyson Michelli threw a one-hitter over four innings before turning things over to the bullpen.

22. John Curtis Christian (22-12)

Previous rank: 17

Playoff seed: No. 9 (Division I select)

The Patriots will face No. 8 Archbishop Rummel, their East Bank parish rival, in the second round. Each received a first-round bye. Curtis won six straight games following a 7-0 loss to Covenant Christian. The Patriots swept Division IV nonselect No. 8 Centerville by scores of 15-0 and 16-0.

23. Brusly (29-5)

Previous rank: 19

Playoff seed: No. 1 (Division II nonselect)

The Panthers won six of seven games to finish the regular season with a one-run loss to St. Michael. Brusly will host either No. 16 Eunice (20-13) or No. 17 Franklin Parish (15-11) in the playoffs.

24. University Lab (21-9)

Previous rank: 21

Playoff seed: No. 2 (Division III select)

The top four in Division III select - Parkview Baptist, U-High, Pope John Paul II and Catholic New Iberia - seem to stand out, along with No. 10 Lafayette Christian, which is better than its seed. Last week, U-High lost two one-run contests to Parkview Baptist and defeated Class 5A East Ascension. Pitcher Grant Sunstrom is especially tough on right-handed hitters due to his sidearm delivery, according to Will Weathers of The Baton Rouge Advocate.

25. Captain Shreve (23-11)

Previous rank: Not ranked

Playoff seed: No. 6 (Division I select)

The Gators will welcome No. 11 Ponchatoula (19-10) to northwest Louisiana in the second round. Each got a bye. Captain Shreve lost seven of eight games at one point but have won nine straight, including victories over Division II nonselect No. 2 North DeSoto, Division IV select No. 9 St. Mary's (21-5) and Class B No. 1 Pitkin.

First out: Catholic New Iberia (18-9)

Want pitching? The Panthers, who are looking to send coach David Jordan off with a state title in his last year, have lots of it. Options for pitching coach Jason Sullivan include Lane Fenske (LSU-Eunice signee), J.D. Hidalgo (SW Miss. CC), Jace Ruskoski and sophomore left-hander Luke Hewitt, who can start or slam the door as a closer. That's not even mentioning senior left-hander Luke Landry, a college football quarterback signee, or junior infielder Owen Morris.

Hidalgo, who has an ERA of 0.88 with a 5-1 record per Eric Narcisse of The Acadiana Advocate, is an intimidator who starred as a linebacker and short-yardage specialist (fullback) on the state championship football squad.

Dropped out: No. 23 Sterlington, No. 24 St. Charles Catholic, No. 25 Erath

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