Our rankings are broken up into two divisions: large school and small schools. We classify the 'large' schools as those residing in Class 5 & 6, while the small schools make up the remaining MSHSAA classifications. We rank what we believe to be the top teams in the state at that level, as well as highlighting several 'On Deck' teams each week.

There was plenty of action throughout the state this past week, despite unfavorable weather, and there was some considerable turnover in the rankings as a result. Below, we've updated our 'Large School' and 'Small School' boards following this past week of games across the state, and we've also given some in-depth knowledge on a multitude of teams that just missed the cut for each board.

Make sure to follow along on Twitter at @PrepBaseballMO for all of our high school coverage throughout the spring.

LARGE SCHOOL NOTES

+ There’s a new No. 1 on our list, as Staley (9-3) rises one tick to occupy the top spot. The Falcons don’t lack any talent at all on their roster and can win games in many ways, whether it be an offensive heavy bout or a tight-knit pitcher’s duel. They won three games this past week, dropping a road matchup against a tough Liberty (KC) club. 

+ We also have a new team debut at No. 2, as Fort Zumwalt West (12-4) climbs up one spot from third overall. The Jaguars didn’t have their best week to date - they finished with two wins and two losses, defeating Troy twice before falling to both Jackson and Ozark on Saturday. Still, Fort Zumwalt West has more than proven themselves on the year, capturing the Troy Buchanan tournament crown and also winning the Midwest Classic two weeks ago. 

+ Blue Springs (9-4) bumps up to No. 4 on our rankings after taking two of three against Raymore-Peculiar in their conference set. Prior to their 9-8 loss against the Panthers, Blue Springs had given up two or less runs in eight straight games, tossing shutouts in five of those contests. They own Missouri’s most dominant pitching staff and should, as a result, be looked at as unquestionably one of the state’s top teams. 

+ Jackson (10-3) sees a rise in this update, climbing up to No. 7 after an impressive week. The Indians, who just gained star RHP John-Paul Sauer (2024; Tulane), beat Fort Zumwalt West on Saturday, taking down Oakville and Vianney as well. Jackson’s a program that you can always count on to be competitive and the Indians appear to be hitting their stride at this point in the year. 

+ Fort Zumwalt South (8-2) see’s a slight bump up in the rankings and now rounds out the top-10. Francis Howell (9-4) drops from first to No. 3 and Lee’s Summit West (10-5) now sits at No. 5. Nixa (11-7) see’s the largest drop on the list, falling outside of the top-10 after losing three games last week and now sitting at No. 11. 

+ We do have one new addition to our rankings, as Rock Bridge (12-4) debuts at No. 14. The Bruins won four games this past week, their only loss came by one run against Ozark, and they did beat Nixa twice, who we previously had ranked at No. 5 overall. 

WHO’S ON DECK…

There are a litany of teams knocking on the door of our top-15, all of whom are shaping up as formidable squads as the season rolls on: 

+ Though they just dropped out, both Vianney (8-6) and Blue Springs South (8-7) are talented clubs capable of beating anybody on any given day. The Griffins have a multitude of name-to-know prospects throughout their roster and are seemingly on the cusp of going on a notable run. As for the Jaguars, they’re coming off a series sweep of top-ranked Lee’s Summit West and have a history of being competitive each year. 

+ Ozark (8-5) is a team to know from the southwest corner of the state with firepower on both sides of the ball. They rebounded nicely after the Red & Blue Classic tournament, rattling off three wins against ranked teams this week in Rock Bridge, Fort Zumwalt West, and Jackson. 

+ Just like last year, Glendale (9-4) looks to be another one of the state’s top teams, though they’ll compete in Class 6 this year come playoff time. Dating back to last week, the Falcons have won four straight games, including a 5-4 win over ranked Webb City on Saturday. They’ve challenged themselves with a tough schedule early on and come out on top in some key games, beating Nixa, Republic, and Liberty (KC). Experience on both sides of the ball, coupled with starpower, makes Glendale a tough out against anyone. 

+ West Plains (12-0) is one of the state’s remaining unbeaten clubs, starting the season on a red-hot note at the plate in particular. The Zizzers have scored 10 or more runs in eight of their 12 games this spring and are outscoring their opponents 125-to-15. 

+ Seckman (8-4-1) was a club that we, internally, were high on prior to the season’s start. After a back-and-forth start, the Jaguars have won five straight games, including victories over ranked Lindbergh and a quality Rockwood Summit team. They’re an experienced bunch with power on both sides of the ball that will be a difficult draw for anyone on any given day. 

+ Lafayette (9-6) won their district last spring, falling to Jackson in the state’s quarterfinals. A large chunk of that group returns to headline an offense that, from top-to-bottom, isn’t going to give away at-bats. The Lancers won four games last week, including a pair of wins over Kirkwood, and they beat ranked Parkway South, too. On the season, Lafayette has defeated Blue Springs, Liberty (KC), Blue Springs South, and Rockwood Summit. 

+ A red-hot finish to last week earned Republic (11-6) a bump in our eyes, as the Tigers rattled off five straight wins to start off April. This team is experienced with strong senior talent on a roster that won 20+ games last spring and is eager for more in the remainder of 2024. 

+ Kearney (11-6) is once again one of the top teams in Class 5 after winning a district last season. They’re a battle tested group that hasn’t played an easy schedule by any means, squaring off against some of the top teams in the state already. Thus far, the Bulldogs have beaten Grain Valley, Ozark, Webb City, and Shawnee Mission East, which is one of the top teams in Kansas. Expect to see Kearney playing deep into the postseason yet again in 2024. 

+ Pitching wins championships, and Raymore-Peculiar (11-5) dons one of the deepest and more talented pitching staffs in the entire state. The Panthers’ offense has supported their star-studded rotation nicely this spring and Ray-Pec has already amassed their win total from last spring. They’ll be able to trot out a power arm to the mound on any given day, giving the Panthers a chance to win every game they’re in. 

+ Add Lee’s Summit (11-4) onto your list of teams to know, as the Tigers are coming off a five win week and have won 11 games on the season. This team doesn’t have a tough out in their lineup and trots out a handful of impact-type prospects in the middle of their order on a game-to-game basis. 

+ Another program from the Kansas City area that’s always good is Liberty (10-4). The Blue Jays are in the midst of their best streak of the young season, winning six straight games and counting. In that span, the Blue Jays have beaten ranked clubs in Staley and Willard, while also taking down Ozark, with wins against Blue Springs and Grain Valley in the opening week. 

+ Rockwood Summit (8-4) is another Class 5 team that won a district last year and is off to another strong start this spring. They’ve picked up a few notable wins on their resume, taking down Farmington, Hillsboro, Francis Howell, and Eureka thus far. Their schedule isn’t getting easier anytime soon, but the Falcons have proved they’re a team to know at the 5A classification. 

+ Fort Zumwalt East (11-3) isn’t too far removed from a trip to Ozark, finishing fourth overall in 2022. The Lions return a large majority of last year’s group, though only a year earlier, and have talent at several different spots on the diamond. Thus far, they’ve picked up wins over St. Dominic, Festus, and ‘Small School’ ranked Southern Boone, and they’re in the midst of a six game win streak. 

+ The reigning Class 5 state champions are finding their footing after a somewhat slow start, as Festus (9-3) has won six of their last seven, including four straight. As far as their roster, Festus brings back a multitude of name-to-know prospects to this team that all played key roles in last year’s title team, making them legitimate players for the 5A crown once again. 

+ The Jr. Billikens have started their 2024 campaign off on the right note, as SLUH is 11-2 in the season’s first few weeks. They nearly edged ranked Parkway South early on before taking down St. Dominic, Webster Groves, and beat Mascoutah (IL), who’s one of the top teams in Illinois. This past week, SLUH swept Chaminade and won two of three games in the Jesuit Classic. They’re about to embark on a tough stretch this week, drawing two games against CBC, with Belleville West (IL), St. Dominic, and Lafayette on the horizon. 

+ It’s no surprise that St. Francis Borgia (8-3) is one of the top teams in Class 5 after finishing as runner-ups in the state tournament last year. A large chunk of their rotation and a few key bats return from that group, including Jack Nobe (2024; Xavier), who’ll likely be on the shortlist for our ‘Player of the Year’ award. 

+ Two more teams of mention are Lebanon (13-2) and Union (11-1). The Yellowjackets won 24 games last spring and fell in their district semi-final match to Vianney. They’ve won nine of their last 10 games, dropping a 7-4 match with Willard for their only loss in that span. Union has only lost to Borgia this spring and has an offense capable of putting runs up in bunches. They’ve scored 10+ runs in seven of their 12 games and are currently on a six game winning streak. 

LARGE SCHOOL RANKINGS (4/8/24)

On Deck: Vianney, Blue Springs South, Ozark, Glendale, West Plains, Seckman, Lafayette, Republic, Kearney, Raymore-Peculiar, Rockwood Summit, Fort Zumwalt East, Festus, SLUH, Lebanon, St. Francis Borgia, Union, SLUH, Liberty (KC), Helias Catholic, CBC, St. Dominic, Carl Junction, Lee's Summit, Poplar Bluff, Westminster Christian, Grain Valley, Warrenton, Capital City, Pacific, Windsor (Imperial), Marshfield, Parkway Central, Webster Groves, Branson

SMALL SCHOOL NOTES

+ The top three teams on our list stay the same, in order: No. 1 Logan-Rogersville (9-3), No. 2 Father Tolton Catholic (9-2), and No. 3 Blair Oaks (12-2). They all had productive weeks and added key wins to their on-going resumes. 

+ There was some minor movement in the middle of our rankings, however. Valle Catholic (12-0) remains undefeated and, as a result, climbs up one spot to No. 4. Southern Boone (11-3) drops one spot to No. 5 and Lone Jack (13-0), who keeps on winning in big fashion, climbs two spots from eighth to sixth. 

+ Scott City (13-1) makes their debut at No. 10 overall in this rankings update. The Rams have only lost one game, they fell to Class 5 Farmington 6-4 early in the year, but they’ve won nine straight games since then. After winning 20 games and a district title last spring, Scott City looks the part of another top team in Class 3. 

WHO’S ON DECK…

+ Though they dropped out in this update, Forsyth (9-3) is still a team to know in Class 3. They did beat Logan-Rogersville on Monday in extra-innings and do have one of the top players in the state in RHP Tristan Hunter (2024; Kentucky signee). 

+ This Summit Christian Academy (9-4) roster is really talented and they’re a team that we expect to be in our rankings at some point before season’s end. They lost three games this past week, though those games came against No. 1 Logan-Rogersville, a tough Branson team that is in Class 5, and Blue Valley Southwest (KS). Look for the Eagles to make some noise here in the coming weeks and they should be viewed as real players in Class 4. 

+ They’ve only played eight games thus far, but look for MICDS (6-2) to make some real noise in the Class 4 landscape. Their only two losses came to out-of-state opponents on their spring trip, and they’ve beaten every team they’ve played in Missouri thus far rather handedly, outscoring them 51-to-5. 

+ Seneca (10-3) is riding a four game winning streak and the Indians have been on the cusp of cracking the top-10 in consecutive weeks. They’ve blanked their opponents five times this spring and have scored 10+ runs in six of their 13 games as well. 

+ Benton (11-1) has had a huge couple of weeks, beating ranked St. Pius X (KC) and they took down Ozark too, who we mentioned as a team to watch in the ‘Large School’ portion of this article. The Cardinals have won six straight games and have thrown five straight shutouts as well. 

+ Mid-Buchanan (9-1) started the season on an eight game winning streak before taking their first loss of 2024 this past weekend. Still, the Dragons have found ways to win games in multiple different ways, which is usually a box that all good teams check. Their offense can put up runs in bunches and they’re strong in tight, low-scoring games as well. 

+ Knob Noster (10-1) can really swing it - the Panthers have scored 10+ runs in five of their 11 games, including outbursts of 15, 16, and 21 runs, respectively. They dropped their only game of the season to Pleasant Hill on March 23rd, though they’ve rattled off five straight wins since then. 

SMALL SCHOOL RANKINGS (4/8/24)

On Deck: Forsyth, Seneca, Summit Christian, MICDS, Benton, Knob Noster, Mid-Buchanan, Kennett, St. Louis Patriots, St. Elizabeth's, Ash Grove, Lawson, Portageville, Valley Park, Notre Dame, Central (Park Hills), Putnam County, Savannah, Sullivan, Chaffee, Windsor, Oran, Fulton, Pembroke Hill, Moberly, Nevada, Pleasant Hill, Eldon, Boonville, Fatima, Galena, Mansfield, Northland Christian

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