We have a leader in the clubhouse so to speak to be the mythical FAB 50 national champion for the 2014 high school season and it’s St. Thomas Aquinas of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The Raiders won their second straight Class 7A state title last weekend with a 1-0 win over Harmony. The teams were No. 7 and No. 9 in last week’s FAB 50 and both possess strong No. 1 pitchers that both did well against each other.

Maryland-bound Meghan King pitched the shutout for St. Thomas Aquinas and had 12 strikeouts with just one hit allowed. Aleshia Ocasio (signed with Florida) also pitched a one-hitter for Harmony, but that one hit was a two-out RBI single in the first inning by Rachel Collins that scored the only run of the game.

While St. Thomas Aquinas has losses to American Heritage and Columbia (both of Florida), the team does have enough other quality wins and by repeating as a state champion has jumped to No. 4 in this week’s FAB 50.

For the Raiders to eventually move up to No. 1, however, the three teams above them in the rankings would all have to lose. Of those three teams, No. 2 Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.) and No. 3 Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.) are not as likely to lose.

No. 1 Mission Viejo (Calif.) could even lose one of two games in a doubleheader this week to No. 11 Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.) and stay No. 1. The Diablos already have two wins over Pacifica this season and the doubleheader won’t have much bearing on the top seeds for the upcoming CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Here are this week’s rankings:

(Previous ranking listed in parentheses)

(Through reported results of Monday, May 12)

*Indicates season complete.
**Indicates forfeit wins, losses not included.

 

 ***

1.    (1) Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, Calif.) 20-0

2.    (2) Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.) 22-0

3.    (3) Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.) 27-0

4.    (7) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 30-2*

5.    (5) The Woodlands (Conroe, Texas) 34-3

6.    (10) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 25-1

7.    (14) Lebanon (Lebanon, Ohio) 26-0

8.    (8) Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas) 30-0

9.    (13) Cypress-Fairbanks (Cypress, Texas) 29-1

10.  (16) Sparkman (Harvest, Ala.) 59-4-2**

11.  (17) Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.) 22-4-1

12.  (47) Bloomingdale (Valrico, Fla.) 27-2*

13.  (19) Vacaville (Vacaville, Calif.) 25-0-1

14.  (9) Harmony (Harmony, Fla.) 27-3*

15.  (18) Olathe East (Olathe, Kan.) 16-0

16.  (20) West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.) 28-1*

17.  (21) Immaculate Heart (Washington Township, N.J.) 22-0

18.  (41) Gibb (Corryton, Tenn.) 43-4

19.  (26) Deer Park (Deer Park, Texas) 33-4

20.  (29) North Davidson (Lexington, N.C.) 26-0

21.  (24) Alhambra (Martinez, Calif.) 20-2

22.  (11) Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 31-3*

23.  (27) Mauldin (Mauldin, S.C.) 27-0

24.  (25) Bishop Carroll (Wichita, Kan.) 18-0

25.  (33) John Curtis Christian (River Ridge, La.) 29-2*

26.  (34) Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.) 22-4

27.  (NR) Bellaire (Houston, Texas) 28-4

28.  (4) Cinco Ranch (Katy, Texas) 29-3*

29.  (37) Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) 21-3

30.  (40) M.L. King (Riverside, Calif.) 22-4

31.  (31) Sherwood (Sandy Spring, Md.) 16-0

32. (49) Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) 23-1

33.  (NR) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) 25-6*

34.  (6) Ponte Vedra (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) 29-1*

35.  (NR) Mountain Ridge (Glendale, Ariz.) 27-6-1

36.  (12) Verrado (Buckeye, Ariz.) 27-3-1

37.  (35) Hoover (North Canton, Ohio) 18-3

38.  (32) Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.) 24-5

39.  (42) Tahoma (Kent, Wash.) 19-0

40.  (43) Bay City Western (Auburn, Mich.) 18-0

41.  (NR) Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) 23-2

42.  (39) LaGrange (LaGrange, Texas) 35-2

43.  (NR) Flower Mound (Flower Mound, Texas) 27-6-1

44.  (NR) Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 29-3-1

45.  (46) Southington (Southington, Conn.) 12-0

46.  (NR) Baker (Mobile, Ala.) 62-5

47.  (45) P.K. Yonge (Gainesville, Fla.) 25-4*

48.  (NR) South Salem (Salem, Ore.) 22-1

49.  (NR) Lincoln-Way West (New Lenox, Ill.) 24-1

50.  (30) Huntington Beach (Huntington Beach, Calif.) 19-4

Dropped Out: Previous No. 15 Halls (Knoxville, Tenn.); No. 22 Sahuaro (Tucson, Ariz.); No. 23 Brazoswood (Clute, Texas); No. 28 Manteno (Manteno, Ill.); No. 36 O’Connor (Phoenix, Ariz.); No. 38 Red Mountain (Mesa, Ariz.); No. 44 Santiago (Corona, Calif.); No. 48 Chamberlain (Tampa, Fla.); No. 50 Clovis (Clovis, Calif.).

Teams On The Bubble

• Bloom-Carroll (Carroll, Ohio) 21-3
• Cactus (Glendale, Ariz.) 25-8
• Chaparral (Scottsdale, Ariz.) 26-7
• Chino (Chino, Calif.) 23-4-1
• Chopticon (Morganza, Md.) 17-1
• Clovis (Clovis, Calif.) 28-3
• Columbia (Lake City, Fla.) 28-2*
• Downer’s Grove South (Downer’s Grove, Ill.) 25-1
• Eastern Tech (Baltimore, Md.) 20-0
• Greenwood (Bowling Green, Ky.) 28-2-1
• Halls (Knoxville, Tenn.) 38-4*
• Indian Hills (Oakland, N.J.) 20-0
• James Logan (Union City, Calif.) 20-2
• Ironwood Ridge (Tucson, Ariz.) 26-7
• Lake Braddock (Burke, Va.) 15-1
• Manteno (Manteno, Ill.) 30-1
• Marysville (Marysville, Ohio) 18-1
• McCracken County (Paducah, Ky.) 28-4
• Pearland (Pearland, Texas) 25-8
• Pembroke Pines Charter (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) 20-6*
• Portage Central (Portage, Mich.) 26-2
• Red Mountain (Mesa, Ariz.) 27-6
• Richland (North Richland Hills, Texas) 27-8
• Santiago (Corona, Calif.) 23-5
• Westminster Christian (Miami, Fla.) 24-3*