Nationally-ranked Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) new No. 1
GAINESVILLE – The high school baseball season is off and running and heading towards the final month of the regular season.
Meanwhile, there has already been a switch at the top of The Prep Zone Power Poll, which ranks the top 20 teams across 26 counties in Florida.
Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) moves into the No. 1 spot this week.
The Conquerors (10-1) picked up wins over No. 11 Clay (Green Cove Springs), then-No. 6 Providence (Jacksonville), North Marion (Citra), and Ponte Vedra and has won 10 in a row since losing their opening game to Sam Houston (LA).
Trinity Christian, which is ranked No. 1 in 3A, 2nd overall statewide, & 23rd nationally by MaxPreps, received five of the eight first-place votes this week.
The other three first-place votes go to the former No. 1 team, St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park).
The Spartans (9-2) dropped to No. 2 despite being ranked No. 1 in 2A and No. 7 overall statewide by MaxPreps.
St. Johns Country Day did lose two games in the last two weeks, to No. 1 overall statewide IMG Academy (Bradenton) and RV Oakleaf (Orange Park). The Spartans did pick up a second win of the season against No. 4 Buchholz (Gainesville).
Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) moves up two spots to 3rd.
The Crusaders (9-2), Class 4A state runners-up last year, picked up wins over Mandarin (Jacksonville), Sandalwood (Jacksonville), and Bartram Trail (St. Johns), with their only loss in that span to Buchholz, 1-0.
Buchholz moved up three spots to No. 4.
The Class 6A Bobcats (8-3) lost to St. Johns Country Day for the second time this year, but beat Bishop Kenny and trounced No. 10 Forest (Ocala), 21-6.
Class 7A Spruce Creek (Port Orange) rounds out the top five.
The Hawks (10-3) defeated RV Creekside (St. Johns), Killian (Miami), and DeLand and dropped games to Merritt Island and New Smyrna Beach.
Newberry (12-1) starts off the second five.
The Panthers, 1A state semifinalists last year, moved up four spots from the previous poll as they went 6-0 with wins over 1A No. 2 and No. 20 overall Bozeman (Panama City Beach), 1A No. 5 Holmes County (Bonifay), and 1A No. 13 Chipley as well as Williston twice and Trenton.
Bolles (Jacksonville) is No. 7 this week, followed by two teams tied for 8th with Lafayette (Mayo) and Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine).
Forest (10-2) rounds out the top 10.
New to the poll this week are Fleming Island (Orange Park), which is tied for 15th with Providence and 20th-ranked Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville).
Dropping out from the previous poll are Baldwin and First Coast (Jacksonville).
The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, girls volleyball, girls basketball, boys basketball, softball & baseball 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, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL POWERED BY ANYTIME FITNESS OF GAINESVILLE – 2024 BASEBALL POLL #2
(School, followed by classification, first place votes, final 2023 record, 2024 record through 3/25, and total voting points)
1. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (5) (10-1) – 156
2. St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) (2A) (3) (9-2) – 153
3. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (9-2) – 137
4. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (8-3) – 125
5. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (10-3) – 124
6. Newberry (1A) (12-1) – 119
7. Bolles (Jacksonville) (3A) (10-4) – 111
8T. Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (9-1) – 87
8T. Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) (6A) (11-2) – 87
10. Forest (Ocala) (6A) (10-2) – 84
11. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (7-4) – 73
12. Montverde Academy (3A) (8-5) – 62
13. Keystone Heights (3A) (9-1) – 56
14. Englewood (Jacksonville) (5A) (11-1) – 42
15T. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (6A) (8-3) – 34
15T. Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (6-6) – 34
17. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (4A) (8-2) – 31
18. Mount Dora Christian Academy (2A) (11-4) – 27
19. Dunnellon (4A) (8-3) – 21
20. Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) (3A) (8-3) – 20
Also receiving votes: Columbia (Lake City) (5A) (5-7) – 14; Baldwin (3A) (8-3) – 13; Oak Hall (Gainesville) (2A) (6-2) – 11; Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (6-5) – 11; Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (7-7) – 10; P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (3A) (7-2) – 9; First Coast (Jacksonville) (6A) (7-3) – 8; Episcopal (Jacksonville) (3A) (8-3) – 6; St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine) (2A) (10-3) – 6; Lake Minneola (6A) (8-4) – 5; Umatilla (3A) (10-2) – 4.
