Langham Creek/Travis

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Monday (April 23, 2007)

SETON HALL PREP NO. 1 IN EASTON SPORTS COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NEWSPAPERPOLL

TUCSON, Ariz. — Led by one of the top pitching staff’s in the country, Seton Hall Prep (West Orange, NJ), 9-0, continues to be the No. 1 team in the Easton National High School poll.

In 57 innings, the Pirates’ pitching staff has posted a 1.72 ERA with 91 strikeouts, 29 walks and only 15 runs (14 earned). Leading the team is Rick Porcello (3-0, 0.70 ERA, 43 strikeouts, 5 walks in 20 innings) and Evan Danieli (3-0, 0.93 ERA, 21 strikeouts, 12 walks in 15 innings).

South Caldwell (Hudson, NC) remains No. 2 in the nation. At 17-1, they are the top team in the state. Caldwell was headed for a showdown with perennial powerhouse Reynolds, currently the No. 4 team in the state. James Madison (Vienna, VA), 12-1, retains the No. 3 spot.

Palm Beach Gardens (Palm Beach Gardens, FL), 23-3, moves up to No. 4. They have remained the top team in Florida’s 6A division for most of the season and are 8-1 in district play so far. James Monroe (Bronx, NY) also moves up in the poll after posting a 25-0 record for the season. No. 6 Lexington Catholic (Lexington, KY) is the No. 1 team in Kentucky with a 12-1 record.

Katy, Tex. moves up to No. 7 after winning 18 straight games and clinching its district championship with a 12-0 record. They outscored district opponents, 134-13. The two hottest hitters for the team continue to be Michael Fud (.520, 7 HR, 11 2B, 2 3B, 42 RBI) and Carter Jurica (.511, 3 HR, 10 2B, 3 3B, 33 RBI). Leading the pitching staff is Aaron Daab (7-1, 60 K, 9 BB, 0.55 ERA in 48.6 IP).

Brophy College Prep (Phoenix, AZ) drops slightly to No. 8 as the team has suffered three losses this season, but remains strong as the No. 1 team in Arizona’s 5A competition. The defending state champs have hit 45 home runs with 2B Riccio Torrez belting 14, 1B Josh Garcia, 12 and LHP/OF Matt Newman, 10. Newman is 7-0 on the hill with a 1.91 ERA.

No. 10 Pace, Fla., 21-3, remains the top team in its Florida division. They recently beat the No. 2 Niceville, 2-1. Barbe (Lake Charles, LA) jumps to the No. 11 spot with a 31-4 record and top billing in the state the past few weeks. Dobyns-Bennett (Kingsport, TN) is undefeated in its league at 13-0. They are hitting .401 as a team and averaging 11 runs per game. Derek Trent has broken the school career home run, runs scored and doubles records. He could break the single season record for home runs and RBI. Currently Trent has hit 11 home runs with a .448 batting average, 16 doubles and 48 RBI.

No. 13 Lakewood, Calif. has jumped into the poll. They have moved up to the No. 1 spot in the Los Angeles area poll after posting a 21-3 record. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) is No. 15. They won 14 straight games until recently posting a loss. Top hitters for the team are CF Joey Richard (.463, 11 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR, 26 RBI) and 2B Scott Dysinger (.494, 14 2B, 2 3B, 28 RBI, only 4 strikeouts). Leading the pitching staff is Taylor Cole, who is expected to be a high draft pick this season, and sophomore Jeff Malm (6-1, 1.47 ERA, 46 K).

No. 16 Grosse Pointe North, Mich. finally was able to start its season and posted an 8-2 record. They recently won the Milan Tournament with a walk-off three-run homer from Nick Cullen to beat Grandville, 8-0. No. 17 Riverside Poly (Riverside, CA) is undefeated at 9-0 in league play. They came in second place in the Phil Nevin National Classic after losing, 2-1 to Palm Beach Central, but have improved to the No. 3 spot in the Los Angles area.

Foy H. Moody (Corpus Christi, TX) has taken over the No. 1 spot in its division from cross-town rival Calallen and moved into the No. 18 spot. The team is 27-2 with great hitting performances from Ronnie Flores (.552, 21 game hitting streak), Joey Mendoza (.500) and Christian Gallegos (.652). Top pitcher is Marc Gomez who is 7-0 with a 0.51 ERA. Calallen fell to No. 25 in the poll.

No. 21 Cottonwood, Utah (11-3) placed third in the Phil Nevin National Classic, beating Central Private, La., Mater Dei, Calif. and Riverside, S.C. Riverside (Greer, SC) is No. 22. After playing in the Phil Nevin National Classic, they returned home to win the first two games in the district playoffs, 10-0 and 13-3.

Bishop Carroll (Wichita, Kan.) is No. 27 after starting the season 8-0 and beating previously ranked Maize, 4-3. The team has posted a .417 batting average and a 1.83 team ERA.

Owasso, Okla. (23-3) moved into the poll at No. 28. They are the No. 1 team in the state’s 6A division after defeating Stillwater, Broken Arrow twice and Tulsa Memorial. Pete Kozma continues to lead the team with a .475 batting average, 32 RBI, 13 doubles, four triples, five home runs, and eight stolen bases. No. 29 The Woodlands, Tex. captured its fifth consecutive district championship with a 13-0 record. In district play, they have 29 consecutive wins over the past three years. Currently they are 24-3 as they head towards post season play.

No. 30 Oakland (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) has posted a 31-1 record for the season and moved into the No. 1 spot in their division in Tennessee. They recently won the Sportsbelle Classic held in Knoxville.

Dropped from the poll are Flanagan, Fla.; Langham Creek, Tex.; Maize, Kan.; Klein Collins, Tex.; Catalina Foothills, Ariz. and Lyons Township, IL. All have suffered losses recently that have dropped them in their state polls. Also under consideration for the poll was East Rutherford (Forest City, NC), 18-1 and Brownsburg, Ind., 7-2.