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Teams play Friday in state semifinals in Fort Myers

The Jupiter and St. Thomas Aquinas baseball teams have a common thread this weekend besides vying for titles at the state championships at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers.

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Southlake Carroll has risen from 20th to No. 16 in the latest MaxPreps Xcellent 50 National Baseball Rankings. The Dragons are 30-4-1 and will play Midland in a best-of-3 5A Region I quarterfinal starting Friday.

Carroll is the only team from the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the rankings. Here are the Texas teams in the top 25, along with their class and region. (Region … [visit site to read more]

High School Sports Blog

Lions advance to Regional Finals for the fourth consecutive year

WEST PALM BEACH – King’s Academy’s offense staked the Lions to an early lead and a clutch defensive play late in the game earned them another trip to the regional finals.

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Coral Springs Charter’ Guillorme topping the mark for second straight season

Five Palm Beach County players hit the mark as districts get under way

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Coral Springs Charter’ Guillorme topping the mark for second straight season

Five Palm Beach County players hit the mark as districts get under way

Broward HS Sports

All teams have winning records

The district softball playoffs begin in less than two weeks, and much like baseball, the District 9-8A tournament should be very compelling.

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The Eagles (9-6) show signs it might be a serious playoff contender

The Eagles (9-6) show signs they might be a serious playoff contender

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A week after making a major leap in the ESPNHS Powerade Fab 50, American Heritage has moved up again, and this time, the Patriots have risen as high as they can go.

American Heritage moved from No. 2 to No. 1 in the most recent ranking and have all but locked up the Powerade Fab 50 title. However, nothing is official yet since some states are still finishing their seasons.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about it’s decision to move the Patriots into the top spot:

“American Heritage moves up from No. 2 to No. 1 after previous No. 1 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) was upset in the CIF Southern Section Division I semifinals by Newbury Park (Thousand Oaks, Calif.). The three No. 1 teams prior to the Monarchs who lost were Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas), Jesuit (Tampa, Fla.) and Olympia (Orlando, Fla.).

The difference for the Patriots was strength of schedule and on-field performance. All four of their losses were by one run and one of those was in an extra-inning game 1-0 to Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), which is another nationally ranked team.”

Also ranked in the Powerade Fab 50 is three-time state champion Archbishop McCarthy which is ranked No. 16. Nova is ranked No. 42.

Follow this link to see the complete ESPNHS Powerade Fab 50.

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Two years ago, Nick Castellanos helped lead the Archbishop McCarthy baseball team to its first state title.

A few weeks later, he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers and that summer, he began his professional career. But even though he’s two years removed from his days with the Mavericks, Castellanos is still keeping an eye on how his alma mater is doing. Since Castellanos’ graduation, McCarthy has won two more state titles.

On Sunday, Castellanos–a third baseman with the AA Erie SeaWolves–was named MVP of the Futures Game, which showcases some of the minor league’s most talented players. I had the chance to catch up with him about his Futures Game performance and during our conversation, Castellanos said he’s “extremely proud” of McCarthy’s incredible baseball success, especially since his younger brother Ryan has been a part of that success.

“Of course I’ve been watching them,” Nick Castellanos laughed. “I’ve been keeping in touch with them. I have a lot of friends on the team. And I keep in touch with my coaches, they’re a big reason why I’m here. I’m extremely proud of them. To win once is hard, to do it three times is near impossible.”

For their part, the Mavericks are plenty proud of Castellanos too. This past spring, the team traveled to Lakeland to meet with Castellanos–who was then playing for the single-A Lakeland Flying Tigers. And McCarthy coach Rich Bielski said the third-baseman often visits campus when in South Florida.

“He’s so great about coming back and sharing the things he’s learned with our players,” Bielski said. “He’s still approachable. It’s like he hasn’t left and he’s just one of our seniors. Any time he’s in town, he’s here. I think he feels like the players on the team now are all his little brothers.”

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For American Heritage, the wait continues.

After winning the Class 5A state baseball championship, the Patriots rose in a number of national rankings, even taking the No. 1 spot in the ESPNHS Powerade Fab 50. But with a handful of states still wrapping up their seasons, Heritage can’t quite claim the national championship…yet.

That said, another week as the top-ranked team in the most recent Fab 50 moves them one step closer. Joining Heritage in the most recent Powerade Fab 50 are Archbishop McCarthy (No. 13) and Nova (#48).

In Baseball America’s most recent ranking, Heritage takes the No. 4 spot and McCarthy comes in at No. 5.

Follow this link to see the complete ESPNHS Powerade Fab 50 and you can click here for the complete Baseball America rankings.

Broward HS Sports