JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Varsity 4 Super 6 high school baseball rankings presented by the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp will be published on Fridays during the regular season. Records are through April 17.
Varsity 4 Super 6 baseball rankings
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Rank, Previous, School, Record, Classification
1. (1) Trinity Christian (23-4, Class 2A)
Quality wins: Baldwin, Beachside, Bishop Snyder (twice), Clay, Columbia, Creekside, Episcopal, Florida Christian, Huntington Beach (Calif.), Lincoln, Lowndes (Ga.), Marist (Ga.), Newberry, North Marion (twice), Oakleaf, Providence, Regis Jesuit (Colo.), Stony Brook (NY), Tocoi Creek, University Christian.
Notable: The Conquerors are a state championship contender. They finished runner-up in the prestigious National High School Invitational in Cary, NC. They lost to Venice (3-2) in a walk-off fashion. No shame in that. The returned to the area to cruise through the District 3-2A tournament. Aaron Watson tossed a five-inning no-hitter with eight whiffs in a 10-0 win over Episcopal. They won the district championship with a 5-1 win over Bishop Snyder. Brady Harris (.414, 15 RBI, 2 HR) and Gage Petrutz (.357, 20 RBI, 2 HR) lead the offense. This team is set up perfectly for the new best-of-three regional playoff format, especially with Watson, Ethan Wheeler and Tyler Ellis the top three arms. This Trinity team is one of the best the area has seen in years.
2. (2) Bishop Snyder (20-6 Class 2A)
Quality wins: Baldwin, Bartram Trail, Bolles, Clay, Columbia, Florida Christian, Neumann, Ponte Vedra, Sandalwood, Suwannee, Tocoi Creek, University Christian.
Notable: The Cardinals beat Providence (6-5) in the District 3-2A semis, then lost to Trinity Christian (5-1) in the championship to end a 12-game winning streak. Snyder is still no worse than a No. 3 seed in Region 1-2A. Tripp Hannah (.392) is leading the offense, while Cody Boshell (.344, 9 HR, 21 RBI) remains the area’s most feared bat.
3. (3) St. Johns Country Day (19-8, Class 1A)
Quality win: Baldwin, Christ’s Church, Clay, Lowndes (Ga.), Maclay, Middleburg, Neumann, North Oconee (Ga.), Oakleaf, Valdosta (Ga.), St. Joseph, Suwannee.
Notable: The defending 1A state champs beat Christ’s Church (12-2) and St. Joseph (4-1) since our last Super 6. They will open the playoffs as the No. 1 overall seed and a good pick to go back to back. TJ Sunderhaus (.417, 5 HR, 20 RBI), Preston Cole (.377, 5 HR, 20 RBI), Brayden Harris (.360, 15 RBI) and Hunter Rodgers (.305, 5 HR, 23 RBI) lead a deep St. Johns lineup. Harris is elite on the bump (7-0, 0.66 ERA, 98 Ks in 52.2 IP).
4. (NR) Clay (18-9, Class 4A)
Quality wins: Episcopal, Keystone Heights (twice), Mary Persons (Ga.), South Paulding (Ga.), Suncoast.
Notable: The Blue Devils return to the Super 6 in the final edition. They were ranked to start the season and finish there, too. They’ve played a difficult schedule, and lost to some elite teams, too. They don’t have the best resume of wins but they have scheduled tough (Jesuit, Trinity Christian, IMG Academy to name a few). JC Rosette (.397, 12 RBI) and Merrick Rapoza (.379, 4 HR, 21 RBI) lead the Blue Devils.
5. (NR) Columbia (15-10, Class 5A)
Quality wins: Chiles, Episcopal, IMG Academy Gray, St. Johns Country Day, Suwannee.
Notable: The Tigers are back in the Super 6. A few things bother me about moving them back in, especially a couple losses to a very good West Nassau. They move in on the strength of the second-most difficult schedule by a public school in the area (behind Creekside). They handed St. Johns Country Day its worst loss of the season (11-3)
6. (NR) Suwannee (18-6, Class 3A)
Quality wins: Chiles, Columbia, Lafayette, Lowndes (Ga.), Newberry (twice), North Marion, Paxon, St. John Paul II, Wakulla, Yulee.
Notable: The Bulldogs make their Super 6 entrance after ripping off 11 straight wins, capped by a 10-0 romp over a quality Paxon in the District 3-3A championship game. They’re on the fringe of the News4JAX coverage region, but the Bulldogs are stout. They handed 20-2 Lafayette one of its losses this year. Noah Lopez (.380, 13 RBI), Kyler Watson (.344, 13 RBI), Jace Moran (.329, 18 RBI) and Colton Rogers (.327) lead the Bulldogs.
Dropped out
Creekside (16-10, Class 7A); Episcopal (20-6, Class 2A); Providence (15-10, Class 2A).
On the bubble
Atlantic Coast (18-9, Class 7A); Baldwin (13-12, Class 3A); Bolles (16-9, Class 2A); Christ’s Church (14-11, Class 1A); Creekside (16-10, Class 7A); Englewood (12-12, Class 5A); Episcopal (20-6, Class 2A); Fernandina Beach (18-6, Class 3A); Fletcher (15-8-1, Class 6A); First Coast (17-9, Class 6A); Keystone Heights (19-7, Class 2A); Mandarin (13-12, Class 6A); Palatka (18-8, Class 3A); Paxon (16-8, Class 3A); Ponte Vedra (15-9, Class 5A); Providence (15-10, Class 2A); St. Joseph (19-7-1, Class 2A); Sandalwood (13-9, Class 7A); Tocoi Creek (17-8, Class 6A); University Christian (17-8, Class 2A); West Nassau (17-9, Class 3A); Yulee (16-12, Class 4A).
