Gainesville – The Spruce Creek (Port Orange) Hawks won two more games last week and continue to be the unanimous #1 team in the baseball Prep Zone Power Poll.
The defending 8A state champion Hawks rolled over Hagerty (Oviedo) 8-0 and Seminole (Sanford) 6-1 and received all seven first-place votes for the second week in a row. Spruce Creek (11-2) has been ranked nationally this season by MaxPreps and Baseball America.
Bolles (Jacksonville) also had a 2-0 week and leapfrogged from fourth to second in this week’s poll. Bolles defeated Sandalwood (Jacksonville) and Ponte Vedra last week. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) lost 9-6 to Clay (Green Cove Springs) and fell into a tie for third with the Blue Devils. Clay followed up the win over Kenny with a 1-0 loss to now-#6 Creekside (St. Johns). Fletcher (Neptune Beach) had another 3-0 week including a win over Sandalwood and moves to 5th as the only undefeated team in Northeast Florida at 12-0.
Creekside (9-1) moves up four spots to 6th after a 2-0 week and win over Clay. New Smyrna Beach had a 2-0 week but dropped from fifth to seventh. The rest of the top ten consists of Forest (Ocala), Nease (Ponte Vedra) and Buchholz (Gainesville). Buchholz (7-3) outscored Keystone Heights and Gainesville by a combined 34-0 score in two wins last week.
The only unbeaten team in North Central Florida, Trenton (11-0), starts off the second ten at number 11. Big movers this week include Williston (9-3), up three spots from 17th to 14th, and Baker County (Glen St. Mary) who is 12-1 and also moved up three places from #15 to #12. Fort White (9-3) dropped from #11 to #18 after two losses last week.
Moving into the poll for the first time this season in Trinity Catholic (Ocala) at #19, and North Marion (Citra), who defeated #8 Forest (Ocala) 2-1 and moved into a three way tie at #20 along with Union County (Lake Butler) and Lafayette (Mayo). It’s also the first appearance in the poll this season for the Lafayette Hornets.
Taylor (Pierson) dropped out of the poll after being ranked 18th last week.
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball, baseball and softball teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters.
PREP ZONE POWER POLL – BASEBALL POLL #2
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through March 17, and total voting points)
1. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (8A) (7) (11-2) – 140
2. Bolles (Jacksonville) (4A) (12-1) – 129
3T Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (5A) (10-2) – 117
3T Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (10-2) – 117
5. Fletcher (Neptune Beach) (7A) (12-0) – 111
6. Creekside (St. Johns) (5A) (9-1) – 101
7. New Smyrna Beach (7A) (9-1) – 100
8. Forest (Ocala) (7A) (10-2) – 88
9. Nease (Ponte Vedra) (5A) (11-2) – 87
10. Buchholz (Gainesville) (7A) (7-3) – 85
11. Trenton (1A) (11-0) – 73
12. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (11-1) – 63
13. Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (8-6) – 54
14. Williston (4A) (9-3) – 44
15. First Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (9-3) – 29
16T Santa Fe (Alachua) (4A) (8-4) – 21
16T Eustis (5A) (9-2) – 21
18. Fort White (4A) (9-3) – 17
19. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (4A) (9-2) – 16
20T North Marion (Citra) (5A) (9-4) – 11
20T Union County (Lake Butler) (1A) (7-6) – 11
20T Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (9-1) – 11
Also receiving votes: South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (6-2) – 7; Terry Parker (Jacksonville) (5A) (8-4) – 6; Taylor (Pierson) (1A) (8-4) – 5; Ponte Vedra (5A) (6-6) – 3; Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (9-4) – 3.
