We’re back with another update to our Missouri high school baseball rankings as we continue to creep closer to the postseason. 

It’s important to note that these rankings do not cover the entire state. Our coverage map from a rankings standpoint, in Missouri, includes mostly the city of St. Louis, extending downward to Jackson, Missouri. That doesn’t mean we’re not covering other areas of the state, but from a consistency standpoint, we will only rank teams that fall inside our coverage area. 

This was a massive week in the rankings, with a shakeup throughout the board from top to bottom, including big rises and notable falls. All of that, and more, broken down below. 

AT THE TOP…

The three top spots on our board remain the same from a week ago, with SLUH (23-6), Eureka (25-6), and Jackson (22-7) holding firm:

+ The Jr. Bills strung together a highly impressive week, finishing 3-1, with four games against quality opponents. They split their conference series with Chaminade, taking down ranked Seckman (8-2) in between, and capping the week by beating ranked Francis Howell 9-4 on Saturday. SLUH is in pole position heading into the postseason and looks plenty capable of representing St. Louis at the state playoffs come June. 

+ Like their counterparts, the Wildcats are finding their stride at the most important time of the year. They’ve won six straight games, and in that span have three wins over ranked teams, two wins over a strong Lindbergh (7-3, 8-1) club, and a 11-1 win over a tough, talented Parkway Central group. The Wildcats’ pitching staff has always been paramount to their success, but the offense has taken a jump up, scoring 5+ runs in all six games they’ve won on their streak.

+ Jackson rounds out this trio with a 2-1 week. They won their conference tournament with a 7-3 victory over Poplar Bluff in the championship game, and added another win over a ranked, and high quality, Seckman club, beating the Jaguars 6-5. The Indians did kick a contest though, finishing their week with a 3-1 road loss to DeSmet. 

+ Vianney (23-8) climbs up two spots this week and is back at No. 4 after a 3-1 showing. They beat O’Fallon (5-1), one of the top Illinois clubs on our rankings, and picked up a win over the St. Louis Patriots (9-1) as well before splitting their Saturday series against Westminster Christian (10-3 W, 7-3 L). 

+ Rounding out the top five is Fort Zumwalt West (21-10-1), as the Jaguars rise up two spots and are back inside our top group for the first time in a few weeks. They went 3-0 on the week, sweeping GAC foe Francis Howell North (10-3, 10-1) in dominant fashion, adding a 2-1 victory over Parkway Central as well. 

ON THE RISE…

+ Rockwood Summit (17-9-1) and Lafayette (21-8) are two teams making notable jumps this week. The Falcons are up two spots to No. 7 after a 4-1 showing, beating Northwest Cedar Hill (10-0), Parkway West (7-0, 11-3) twice, Oakville (4-2), and dropping a game to Parkway South (14-4). As for the Lancers, they rise up three spots to No. 8 after arguably the most impressive week of any team on our board. They took a 1-0 game over Kirkwood before taking two games from an excellent Marquette (9-7, 7-1) club, sweeping the conference set over the Mustangs. 

+ Francis Howell Central (20-11) is also up a spot, now at No. 12 in this week’s update. The Spartans went 2-2 on the week, playing four games against tough opponents. They split their GAC series with Francis Howell (5-1 W, 11-10 L) and added a victory over DeSmet (6-4) before finishing the week with a 12-3 loss to ranked Eureka. 

STAYING PUT…

+ Aside from the top three, the only other teams that stayed put from a week ago are No. 14 Duchesne (21-4) and No. 15 Festus (17-8). The Pioneers have won 17 of their last 18 games, picking up two victories over Westminster Christian (10-6) and Wright City (13-5) this past week. As for the Tigers, they went 2-1, beating Webster Groves (15-0) and Lutheran South (6-5) with a 5-4 loss to Pacific sandwiched in between. 

DROPPING DOWN…

+ Francis Howell (20-12) may be the most notable faller, though the Vikings did only bump down a spot, largely in part to the fact that we still are big believers in what they’ll be able to do come the postseason. They went 1-2 this week, splitting their GAC series with Francis Howell Central before losing 9-4 to SLUH on Saturday. 

+ Marquette (19-8) is another team on the decline this week, bumping down five spots, and now sitting at No. 9 on our board. They picked up a 5-1 win over Westminster Christian on the week, but were swept by Lafayette (7-1, 9-7) in their conference set. Similarly to Francis Howell, we still believe in this Marquette club, and they’re plenty capable of bumping further up this list, as well as making some noise come the postseason. 

+ Seckman (21-8) is down two spots this week after a tough week from a results standpoint, but the Jaguars did play two of the top teams in the area close in their two losses. They fell to No. 3 Jackson by one run (6-5) and lost to No. 1 SLUH (6-2) as well, beating Hillsboro 11-1 for their lone win of the week. 

+ St. Dominic (21-9) bumps down a spot, now at No. 11. The Crusaders went 3-2 on the week, beating Father Tolton (11-4) and Webster Groves (4-1) in the early going. They dropped a game to Parkway Central (5-4) and split their Saturday series with St. Charles West (8-7 W, 3-2 L). 

+ Oakville (18-7) is also down one spot to No. 13 after a 1-1 week where they beat John Burroughs (10-0) but lost to ranked Rockwood Summit (4-2). 

NEXT UP…

+ DeSmet (11-16): Look past their record when evaluating the Spartans. They’ve played a plenty difficult schedule and have competed valiantly against some of the better teams in the area, including winning the Metro Catholic Conference title. This week, DeSmet swept CBC (7-6, 7-1) and also beat No. 3 Jackson on Saturday 3-1. On the year, the Spartans have wins over Edwardsville (IL), Parkway South (2-0), SLUH (6-0, 11-2) twice, Chaminade (6-2), and Vianney (3-2). It’s an impressive resume, and they’re a young group that will be a tough out in the playoffs for anyone. 

+ Union (18-8): The Wildcats have proven themselves to be tough on anyone for the past few years, and this coming season has been no different. They’ve won four straight, and have allowed three or less runs in 16 of their 26 games. 

+ Chaminade (16-13): Their record doesn’t jump off the page, but the Red Devils have given some of the area’s top teams fits all spring. This week, they split with SLUH and beat previously ranked Fort Zumwalt East 20-4. Chaminade, like DeSmet, is going to be a tough draw come the postseason. 

+ MICDS (14-4-1), Kirkwood (11-12), Lindbergh (11-13-2), North County (19-9), and CBC (18-14-1) are five other teams to keep an eye on in the area.