Category: Sports News

America’s favorite past time is making its way back and now beginning to take center stage as winter sports start to wind down. The one that continues to stand out during the spring months is high school baseball, with there being many great teams all around the national scene ready to hit the diamond to break out the cleats, gloves and bats.

Last week we released our first-ever rankings and we roll out the second edition of the Rivals High School Baseball Top 25 of 2026.

Topping this week’s set of rankings is California’s St. John Bosco Braves as the leap over Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas, which went 31-2 and won the FHSAA Class 7A state championship a year ago. The Braves have yet to play a game this season, but are loaded with talent and expected to contend for the mythical national crown, along with teams like Marjory Stoneman Douglas and IMG Academy. Which other teams join the Braves, Eagles and Ascenders in our second Rivals High School Top 25 baseball rankings?

We dive into the best high school baseball programs around the nation and give you our take on which teams stay in the conversation as of Feb. 22.

1. St. John Bosco Braves (Calif.) (0-0)

St. John Bosco (Calif.) jumps up a spot after Marjory Stoneman Douglas lost their first game of the season. Unlike down in the Sunshine State, the state of California has yet to see its high school baseball season’s first pitch, but that’s right around the corner and topping all of the schools out west is the St. John Bosco Braves (0-0). The Braves’ roster is stacked with returning talent from the 30-4 team from 2025, including on the pitcher’s mound. Returning with the most experience of all the hurlers is senior Gavin Cervantes, who went 8-0 with 44 strikeouts in 2025. Another up and coming arm to watch for is sophomore Brayden Krakowski, who went 5-0 with 31 strikeouts last spring.

2. IMG Academy Ascenders (Fla.) (4-0)

The IMG Academy Ascenders, which are off to a sizzling 4-0 start, jumps up to the second spot after defeating Tampa Jesuit (Fla.) last week 10-8. The Ascenders, one of three Florida teams among the top five, started off fairly high for us due part to the victories they have already notched on their schedule, with wins over nationally ranked Jesuit, No. 6 ranked Etowah (Ga.) and always talented Lowndes (Ga.). IMG Academy (4-0) is always going to be well stocked with baseball talent that’s preparing to head off to the next level and this spring is no different, no by the talents of Maple Mountain (UT) transfer Cry Chrisman, who hit 19 home runs in 2025.

3. Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagles (Fla.) (5-1)

Marjory Stoneman Douglas (5-1) ended the 2025 Florida high school baseball season by winning the Class 7A state championship and boasting a 31-2 record. That’s by no coincidence they’re considered one of the best in the nation and much has to do with them being at the top because of some of the returning talent. The Eagles will feature senior left-handed pitcher Gio Rojas, who is committed to the University of Miami. Rojas is a projected first round draft pick in this summer’s MLB Draft and will be one of the country’s best on the mound after going 13-0 with a 0.73 ERA last spring. Marjory Stoneman Douglas dropped down a couple spots in our second set of rankings after an unexpected 4-3 loss to Columbus last week.

4. Orange Lutheran Lancers (Calif.) (0-0)

Checking in at No. 4 of the Top 5 of the Rivals High School Baseball Rankings are the Orange Lutheran Lancers, which could make a strong argument in being higher on this list of teams. The Lancers went 23-7 last season, but with the talent the team possesses at the plate, it’s hard to not have this group in the conversation of the nation’s best. Player to watch for the Lancers on the mound is senior pitcher Gary Morse, who is already committed to the University of Tennessee. Morse led the Orange Lutheran pitching staff in 2025 with a 8-2 record and a 0.94 ERA.

5. Jesuit Tigers (Fla.) (4-1)

Already off to a 4-1 start to the Florida high school baseball season, the Jesuit Tigers look to be the favorites to win it all in the FHSAA’s Class 4A classification. With victories already over Wesley Chapel (9-1 win), Berkeley Prep (5-0 win), Lakeland Christian (8-4 win), Plant (4-1 win), the Tigers have already shown why they’re one of the country’s best programs once again. Lone loss of the season came against No. 2 ranked IMG Academy at home, 10-8. Leading the way for Jesuit this spring is the bat of infielder/outfielder Christian Sheffield (Florida A&M commitment), the son of former MLB star Gary Sheffield. The younger Sheffield has impressed thus far, batting .500 and driving in three runs off of two hits.

Rivals High School Baseball Rankings Nos. 11-25

6. Etowah Eagles (Ga.) (5-1)
7. Venice Indians (Fla.) (6-0)
8. Grapevine Mustangs (TX) (5-0)
9. South Walton Seahawks (Fla.) (4-1)
10. De La Salle Spartans (Calif.) (0-0)

11. Trinity Shamrocks (Ky.) (0-0)
12. Corona Panthers (Calif.) (0-0)
13. Casteel Colts (Ariz.) (0-0)
14. Trinity Christian Academy Conquerors (Fla.) (4-1)
15. Blessed Trinity Catholic Titans (Ga.) (5-2)

16. Huntington Beach Oilers (Calif.) (0-0)
17. Calallen Wildcats (TX) (6-0)
18. Magnolia Heights School Chiefs (MS) (1-0)
19. Mater Dei Monarchs (Calif.) (0-0)
20. St. Laurence Vikings (IL) (0-0)

21. Basic Wolves (Nev.) (0-0)
22. The Stony Brook School Bears (NY) (0-0)
23. Delbarton Green Wave (NJ) (0-0)
24. BufordWolves (Ga.) (3-0)
25. Baylor SchoolRed Raiders (0-0)

Dropped out:Lake Travis Cavaliers (TX), Memorial Warriors (TX)

In the first offensive explosion of spring training, when the Rockies totalled 13 hits and scored 11 runs, including a three-hit, three-RBI performance by Brenton Doyle and a homer from Adael Amador, the Rockies beat Arizona 11-6 for their first spring training win on Saturday.

The Rockies (1-1) will now face their first opponent other than the Diamondbacks when they take on the Texas Rangers (1-1) today at Surprise Stadium.

RHP Jimmy Herget, one of the Rockies best relievers last season, will get the start in his first action of spring training. “The Human Glitch” recorded career highs in appearances (59), innings (83.1 IP) and strikeouts (81) while posting a 2.48 ERA in his first season with Colorado in 2025. Due to his success, Herget is now auditioning for a spot in the rotation.

Warren Schaeffer is starting out with a lefty-heavy lineup, with six left-handed batters, to take on Texas LHP MacKenzie Gore. There are also three non-roster invites in the starting lineup in catcher Brett Sullivan, first baseman TJ Rumfield and shortstop Nicky Lopez.

Sunday will mark Gore’s first action of the spring, as well as his first start with Texas. The third overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft is in his fifth MLB season and was an All-Star for the National League, representing the Washington Nationals in 2025. He was traded to the Rangers in January.

First Pitch: 1:05 p.m. MDT

TV: None

Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM KOA Rockies Radio Network (12:55 p.m. pregame)

Lineups:

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Early Friday morning on the half field behind Clover Park, new Mets third base coach Tim Leiper played an impromptu game with new Mets second baseman Marcus Semien. When the prescribed number of groundballs were over, Leiper whacked a few extras right at Semien, one after another, moving a few steps closer to the veteran each time.

Semien fielded each one until Leiper blinked, mishitting a soft line drive that Semien caught before gleefully jump-shooting it toward the bucket like a rookie whose legs did not yet know the weight of a full MLB season. But Semien, of course, knows that grind better than anyone in the Mets clubhouse this spring. And he sees no need for workload management.

“My mindset has always been, every day you can do something special. No matter how your body is feeling, and that’s the beauty of our sport. There are plenty of ways to impact the game,” Semien said. “There are so many different ways you can be feeling on a given day, but you still have to get in the box and compete. There are days where you don’t feel your best and you can still have one of your best games.”

Since Semien became a full-time major leaguer with the then-Oakland Athletics in 2015, only five players have played in more games. In the five seasons since he turned 30, he has played fewer than 159 games just once.

In 2023, as a member of the Texas Rangers, Semien played all 162 regular games then started every one of the Rangers postseason games, eventually setting the record for most plate appearances ever taken in a single MLB season (835). After the Rangers clinched a title with a win in Game 5 of the World Series, a champagne-soaked Semien said he was not even tired.

The 35-year-old can make a credible argument that he should still be on the field as much as possible. For example, he won his Gold Glove at second base last year and tied for fourth among all second basemen with seven outs above average, a metric that offers insight into a player’s range. His average sprint speed in 2025 (28.5 feet per second, according to Baseball Savant) is slightly better than it was in his late 20s.

The counterpoint to his optimism is his offense, where bat speed often wanes as the years accumulate: After winning his third Silver Slugger with an .826 OPS in that championship 2023 season, Semien’s OPS dropped below .700 in the two years since, well below his career mark of .756. Since that World Series season, Semien’s bat speed has ranked in the league’s lowest 10 percent. Then again, it was among the league’s worst in that 2023 season -- in which he finished third in American League MVP voting -- too.

“I have not looked into [bat speed] much. I’m sure there are people who will look at that,” said Semien, who added that as long as he feels he can pull pitches in the air when pitchers give him the chance, he should be able to produce the way he expects.

Though he pulled the ball in the air less frequently the past two seasons than he did at his best, he still ranks above average in his ability to do so.

“He wants to play,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said, when asked if the Mets are considering limiting Semien’s workload somewhat to keep him fresher. “He takes pride in being available, posting, being in the lineup. We will have to watch him closely. Continue to have constant communication. I will check like I always do with them once we get going and playing every day. But being available is super important for him and us as a team. But again, we just have to be mindful and manage the workload there.”

The Mets have the personnel to spell Semien if they want. Brett Baty worked at second base in 2024, and the Mets will be looking for places to get him at-bats this season now that Bo Bichette is locked in at third base. Ronny Mauricio could play there when he is done filling in for Francisco Lindor at shortstop. But early in camp, Semien has been alone most days at second base, building rapport with new first baseman Jorge Polanco on the right side and chatting regularly with Lindor during drills.

“If you look at all the years in my career, there have been a couple 162s, but those are the best years of my career. I just kept going. One of those years was a World Series,” Semien said. “That’s always going to be my mindset. I’ll leave it up to other people to let me know.”

More baseball! For those of us unsatisfied with yesterday’s contest we get another game today to get our first win of the season this afternoon. Time for a win!

The A’s will be going with a veteran for today’s start as Luis Severino gets the ball for the first time this spring. The leader of the starting rotation, we’re all hoping for better results here in Year 2 of his deal and it seems like he’s ready to put last year’s struggles in the rearview mirror as well.

“Yeah, I think everybody is more comfortable. The pitchers had a year in Sacramento to figure out what we need to do. I think this year, we just need to stop making excuses, go out there and compete, and try to win more games.”

Love the sound of that! The A’s won’t be going anywhere if Sevy doesn’t step his game up and this is the type of attitude he needs to have right out of the gate. Are we set for a massive season for Severino? He does have an opt-out after the season concludes so in a sense he’s pitching for a potential next contract. He’ll be an interesting player to watch over the coming months.

Other pitchers we are expected to see today include Luis Morales, Wei-En Lin, Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, and Kade Morris. Morales looks to have a spot in the rotation more or less in the bag and just needs to get through spring without an injury or obvious ineffectiveness. Lin, Zhuang, and Morris meanwhile are unlikely to be on the Opening Day roster but could each be an option for the team later this summer. Pitching will be interesting to watch this afternoon.

Here’s how the starting lineup looks for the second game of Spring Training:

Lots of Opening Day starters in today’s lineup! In fact, this could very well end up being the regular batting order that manager Mark Kotsay intends to use this season. There’s been a lot of debate and discussion about first baseman NickKurtz’s lineup spot this coming season but it seems like Kotsay is genuinely planning to have Kurtz atop the lineup in some way or fashion. One would think a potential 50-homer bat would be hitting third or cleanup, but not with our A’s. Where he bats in the lineup will be another thing to keep an eye on this spring.

Here’s how the Guardians will line up for their game today against our Athletics:

No regulars in Cleveland’s lineup this afternoon so hopefully that helps the pitchers have a strong day on the bump.

Who is ready for more spring baseball? Time to secure that first win. Let’s go A’s!

First Pitch (CT):12:05
TV: MLB.tv (Braves Broadcast)
Radio:Braves Broadcast — 680 AM/93.7 FM The Fan
Know Yo’ Foe: Battery Power

Lineups

Twins

SP: Taj Bradley

1. Byron Buxton, DH
2. Josh Bell, 1B
3. Victor Caratini, C
4. Trevor Larnach, LF
5. Orlando Arcia, SS
6. Kody Clemens, 2B
7. James Outman, CF
8. Alan Roden, RF
9. Eric Wagaman, 3B

Braves

SP: Chris Sale (LHP)

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., RF
2. Drake Baldwin, C
3. Matt Olson, 1B
4. Jurickson Profar, LF
5. Austin Riley, 3B
6. Ozzie Albies, 2B
7. Michael Harris II, CF
8. Aaron Schunk, DH
9. Mauricio Dubon, SS

If you’ve gotten accustomed to Orioles spring training games being on television after the first two games of the schedule, tough luck today. No video feed! The game will at least be broadcast on 98 Rock (97.9 FM) in the Baltimore vicinity, or online anywhere you can access that feed. The O’s are on the road to play the Tigers in this one, lining up like this:

1. Colton Cowser – CF
2. Pete Alonso – 1B
3. Heston Kjerstad – LF
4. Coby Mayo – 3B
5. Sam Huff – C
6. Samuel Basallo – DH
7. Jeremiah Jackson – 2B
8. Reed Trimble – RF
9. José Barrero – SS

Now this is a spring training road lineup. Four guys who figure to be regular major league players, two guys who have a reasonable path to some MLB playing time if not a guaranteed spot on the Opening Day roster, and three guys where the season has probably gone towards disaster if they get any kind of extended run on the roster.

Kyle Bradish is the starting pitcher, expected to be followed by these pitchers, probably not in alphabetical order by last name: Cameron Foster, Andrew Magno, Anthony Nunez, Cameron Weston, Brandon Young. Cade Povich is expected to start tomorrow, with Albert Suárez making Tuesday’s start. For the expected starting rotation, still waiting to see Chris Bassitt, Shane Baz, or Zach Eflin get on the calendar. We know they are pitching live BPs, so don’t worry.

Sunday notes…

• FORMER CUBS IN GIANTS CAMP: Michael Fulmer and Caleb Kilian (back where he started!). Rowan Wick was signed by the Giants, but he’s on the 60-day IL.
• THE CUBS SPRING COMPLEX: The Cubs complex features 20 batting tunnels, including 16 indoors, and 22 pitching mounds. The 142-acre property features the 70,000-square food Nike Performance Center that houses Cubs offices, clubhouses and workout and training facilities.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup:

Giants lineup:

Colin Rea will start for the Cubs. Other Cubs pitchers scheduled today: Jordan Wicks, Caleb Thielbar and Riley Martin.

Robbie Ray will start for the Giants. Other Giants pitchers scheduled today: Carson Seymour, Tristan Beck and Spencer Bivens.

Today’s game will be on Giants TV. There will also be a radio broadcast on the Giants flagship station, KNBR 104.5.

MLB.com Gameday

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

Please visit our SB Nation Giants site McCovey Chronicles. If you do go there to interact with Giants fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

As we have done in the past, we’ll have a first pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time. For today, that will be 2 p.m. CT and 3:30 p.m. CT.

These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Detroit Tigers vs. Baltimore Orioles

Time/Place: 1:05 p.m., Joker Marchant Stadium – Lakeland, FL
SB Nation Site: Camden Chat
Media: Tigers Radio Network