Owasso High School (Okla.) Ranked No. 1
TUCSON, Ariz. — With eight returning starters from last year’s undefeated and state champion team, Owasso H.S. (Owasso, OK) is ranked No. 1 in Collegiate Baseball’s 2014 Pre-Season National High School Baseball poll.
Owasso, 36-0 last season, finished No. 2 in the nation in the final Collegiate Baseball National High School poll of 2013.
The dominance of the Owasso Rams is undeniable. The program has gone to the 6A Oklahoma state finals in 15 of the last 17 years and won nine titles. In 12 of those years, the Rams have lost five or fewer games. The only time Owasso has gone undefeated was last year with the Rams running the table.
In the amazing history of Owasso baseball which stretches back to 1968, no varsity baseball team had ever gone unbeaten until last season. A fabulous core of players return, including the top two pitchers Jeb Bargfeldt (Wichita State signee, 9-0, 2 SV, 91 K, 65 IP) and Braden Webb (South Carolina signee, 6-0, 1.98 ERA, 53 K, 46 IP). Both are Louisville Slugger Pre- Season All-Americans.
The Rams also return a great catcher in Garrett Hall who signed with Rogers State, a school that played in the NAIA World Series last season. Plus, the infield defense should be solid, led by 1B Mason O’Brien (Oklahoma State signee, .357, 8 2B, 8 HR, 38 RBI) and SS Jonah Bride (.344, 27 RBI), who moves into that position after playing second base last season.
Junior players worth keeping an eye on include LHP/OF Trevor McCutchen, 3B/RHP Gabe Neph and 2B Bo Winters.
“We should be very solid defensively and offensively,” said Coach Larry Turner.
“Our experienced players returning will be huge for us, and we are coming off a championship season.
“We will put another solid lineup on the field, and hopefully we will compete for another state championship. One of the strengths of our team should be our outfield. We have five legitimate guys who can really play there.”
While several players with big power numbers graduated last year, Turner is confident the returners will step up to replace them.
“We have players who buy into our philosophy and understand our tradition. Our players expect to win, and that attitude is passed down year after year,” he said.
|
Collegiate Baseball’s National Pre-Season H.S. Poll |
|
|
(As of Jan. 14, 2014) |
|
| Rank School City/State |
2013 Record |
| 1. Owasso (Owasso, OK) |
36-0 |
| 2. Venice (Venice, FL) |
29-3 |
| 3. Milton (Milton, GA) |
29-9-1 |
| 4. The First Academy (Orlando, FL) |
23-3 |
| 5. AC Flora (Columbia, S.C.) |
26-6 |
| 6. Collierville (Collierville, TN) |
34-12 |
| 7. Archbishop McCarthy (Southwest Ranches, FL) |
26-5 |
| 8. Harvard-Westlake (Studio City, CA) |
28-4 |
| 9. Parkview (Lilburn, GA) |
27-9 |
| 10. The Woodlands (The Woodlands, TX) |
38-4 |
| 11. Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) |
30-8-1 |
| 12. Coral Springs Christian (Coral Springs, FL) |
22-7 |
| 13. Dyer County (Newbern, TN) |
28-13 |
| 14. Clovis (Clovis, CA) |
24-9 |
| 15. Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati, Ohio) |
32-2 |
| 16. Fayetteville (Fayetteville, AR) |
27-2 |
| 17. Pensacola Catholic (Pensacola, FL) |
30-0 |
| 18. Gloucester Catholic (Gloucester, NJ) |
29-5 |
| 19. Brother Rice (Bloomfield Hills, MI) |
31-9-1 |
| 20. Barbe (Lake Charles, LA) |
33-4 |
| 21. Puyallup (Puyallup, WA) |
22-3 |
| 22. DeSoto Central (Southaven, MS) |
27-10 |
| 23. Farragut (Knoxville, TN) |
35-9 |
| 24. Blue Valley West (Overland Park, KS) |
21-4 |
| 25. Mountain Pointe (Phoenix, AZ) |
23-9 |
| 26. Cypress Ranch (Cypress, TX) |
31-6 |
| 27. Spanish Fort (Spanish Fort, AL) |
38-9 |
| 28. Orange Lutheran (Orange, CA) |
19-8 |
| 29. Greenway (Phoenix, AZ) |
31-3 |
| 30. ThunderRidge (Highland Ranch, CO) |
21-5 |
More Information: Complete statistics on the top players who return for ranked teams and other pertinent information can be found in the Jan. 24, 2014 edition of Collegiate Baseball. This issue also includes the 2014 Louisville Slugger Pre-Season H.S. All-American team and a list of top high school players state-by-state across the USA, plus much more. To order a copy of the January 24, 2014 issue, CLICK HERE.
Recent Comments