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1. Berkeley Prep (15-0)

Berkeley Prep junior James Hankerson.

The Buccaneers took wins off of Tampa Prep and Cleveland, Ohio’s St. Ignatius last week and remain the area’s lone undefeated team. Senior Anthony Castillo doubled and drove in four against Tampa Prep, and James Hankerson (first), Owen McElfatrick (fourth), and Cade Kurland (eighth) each homered in the win over St. Ignatius. The Buccaneers have a busy week hosting Brooks DeBartolo on Tuesday, traveling to face St. Pete Catholic on Thursday, and square off at home against Steinbrenner on Friday.

2. Sickles (14-2)

The Gryphons dropped a two-run game to Jefferson and picked up wins over district opponent Gaither and against King in a (at least compared to Sickles start to the year) subdued offensive week. I mean, not of course Caden McDonald who was 4-for-7, with a double and three RBI and remains in the Top 10 nationally in batting average. Sickles bookended the loss with wins over Gaither and King on the week. The 1-0 win in the Saladino keeps Sickles ahead of Jesuit on the week. The Gryphons open this week with a game at district opponent Leto, host Robinson and travel to Strawberry Crest in a big three-game week.

3. Jesuit (11-5)

Jesuit won a thriller agaisnt previously unbeaten Calvary Christian in extra-innings (click here to read about it) on an RBI from AJ Nessler, while senior pitcher Jamie Arnold has 50 strikeouts on the year. Jesuit faces Jefferson in its first district game on Tuesday, before hosting Georgia’s St. Pious X on Wednesday and traveling south to face Sarasota on Friday.

4. Plant (12-4)

The Panthers split in a home-and-away with Bloomingdale last week, with each home team taking the dub by two run margins. Robert Satin picked up the win on the mound with six-plus innings of work, and also added a double and an RBI. Tuesday’s road loss did include a solo homer from senior Conley Strayer, and 3 1/3 shutout innings from freshman Dominic Woodward. A split on the year with Sickles, and a loss to Jesuit in Week 1 slots the Panthers at fourth after the 1-1 week. A pair of district games await the Panthers, with a home tilt against Palm Harbor on Tuesday, and a visit to Steinbrenner on Thursday.

5. Strawberry Crest (11-4)

The Chargers defeated Newsome (click here to read our coverage) and King last week, with a big return to the lineup in junior Arjun Nimmala who was 3-for-7 with two doubles, a homer and eight RBI in the two-game stretch. Zach Redner tossed five innings, walking just one, before Zach Vincent finished off the six-inning, mercy-rule no-hitter against King. A three-game week for the Chargers, which hosts Bloomingdale tonight, travels to Tampa Bay Tech on Thursday and hosts Sickles on Friday.

6. Durant (10-5)

The Cougars took care of Chamberlain and battled it out against Newsome for two wins last week sophomore Carlos Morales going 4-for-6 with two RBI in the wins, while junior Dylan LaPointe has 17 RBI for Durant this season. The Cougars host Riverview this evening, and Plant City on Thursday in the midst of a five-game district slate.

7. Freedom (10-4)

We stopped by and watched the Patriots home-defense against Jefferson (click here) to start last week, before Freedom kept it going with a one-run wins against Armwood and Wharton and jumps the team into the heart of our rankings. Senior Evan Mobley is having a huge impact for the Pats this year, and was clutch in all three wins last week going 5-for-9, with three RBI, scored three runs including a steal of home, and earned a complete-game win against Jefferson. Freedom hosts Blake on Tuesday and travels to Gaither on Thursday.

8. Lennard (12-1)

As seen above, we know losses are going to happen so we try not factor that in when we do our rankings, but after a huge win against Durant two weeks ago Lennard took a 20-2 thumping from Wharton 20-2. And though they did pick up a 4-3 win against East Bay last week, we need to see some fight against Bloomingdale and Leto on Friday and Saturday to put the Longhorns back in the Top 5.

1-On-the-Bubble

Plant City (11-3)

The Raiders picked up wins against Riverview and Brandon last week – the first featuring a complete-game effort by Preston Rogers on the mound, and the second featured Colin Shultz fifth homer of the season. The Raiders travel this week facing Alonso on Tuesday and then a neighborhood visit to Durant on Thursday.

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