SBLive Oklahoma Top 25 baseball rankings: 12-game win streak catapults Bixby to top spot
By Ty Loftis
Bixby baseball photo by Bixby Spartan Athletics Twitter page
As spring has sprung, baseball season has arrived.
With that in mind, it is time to take a look at the first official Top 25 rankings from across the state of Oklahoma with the SBLive Oklahoma Top 25.
Note: Rankings are from games through Tuesday, March 28.
1. Bixby Spartans
With back-to-back wins against Tahlequah, the Spartans are now 13-3 on the young season. They have plenty of talent returning from a team that made it to the Class 6A state tournament a year ago.
Max Knight recently pitched a no-hitter while striking out 13. He also added two hits and a home run. Jack Williams was 2-for-2 with two home runs in that same game.
After starting 1-3, the Spartans have won 12 straight.
2. Stillwater Pioneers
The Pioneers fell short of qualifying for the state tournament last year, but they are looking for a second chance in 2023. With an 11-1 start to the season, the Pioneers are well on their way to having that opportunity.
In Stillwater’s most recent game against Tulsa Union, senior Anthony Smith worked well on the mound while also launching a grand slam to get Stillwater going offensively.
In a three-game set against Missouri school Platte County, Gage Gundy blasted two home runs and had five RBIs.
3. Broken Arrow Tigers
The Tigers have a rich baseball history and they are looking for their first state title in 12 years.
Starting 13-3, Broken Arrow could have big things ahead with the dominance of Jaxon Reid on the mound, who recently pitched a complete game of one-run baseball, and Grayson Childers, who blasted two home runs in the same game.
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4. Washington Warriors
The Warriors have started out 13-1 on the year and are playing well on both sides of the ball, having outscored their last four opponents 49-3.
In a win against Jones, the team combined for a whopping 14 hits. Camden Bates was 3-for-3 and Nate Roberts went 2-for-3.
Kale Brakefield and Bates combined to throw a shutout in their most recent win against Frederick.
5. Tuttle Tigers
Tuttle is still one of a handful of unbeaten teams across the state, as the Tigers are 16-0 on the year.
Alex Conover will be a name to keep an eye on, as he can do a little bit of everything. He most recently struck out eight while allowing only one run and went 2-for-3 from the plate and scoring a run.
As a team, the Tigers have combined for four no hitters on the season so far.
6. Sand Springs Sandites
Sand Springs has gotten off to a solid 10-4 start, having most recently gotten a 9-6 win against Broken Arrow. In that game, Dominic Ornelas was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a two-RBI home run.
Over a three game span last week, Ornelas was 9-for-15 with nine RBIs and three home runs.
Junior Eli Buxton recently struck out 14 in five innings of work and didn’t allow a single run.
7. Tulsa Union Redhawks
The Redhawks are coming on strong, as they most recently have back-to-back conference wins against Stillwater.
On Tuesday night, shortstop Miguel Juarez hit a walk-off triple to win the game for his team and on Monday, the Redhawks won, 4-2. They also recently handed Edmond Deer Creek a loss thanks to a strong pitching performance from Brad Rupert.
8. Owasso Rams
Sitting at 9-6, the reigning Class 6A state champs haven’t gotten off to the hot start that they had hoped, but the Rams still have plenty of time to figure things out as the season goes along.
They have won three straight and in their first two district games, both Ram pitchers threw no-hitters.
9. Midwest City Carl Albert Titans
The Titans are 11-1 overall after making a trip to the Class 5A state tournament last year.
In a win against Del City on Monday, Kash Ferris pitched a perfect game and struck out 18 batters. The offense picked things up on Tuesday, as the Titans defeated Del City, 18-2.
10. Silo Rebels
The Rebels are the defending Class 2A state champions and are hungry for more, having gotten off to a 10-1 start in 2023.
Silo’s lone loss was a part of a five-game tournament that they took part in down in Florida. The Rebels won those other four games against teams from Florida, Pennsylvania and New York.
11. Duncan Demons
The defending Class 5A state champions have gotten out to a solid 10-2 start and for the Demons, it all starts with their dominant pitching staff. In their most recent 12-0 win against Altus, it was Brance Garrett throwing a no-hitter.
Duncan will be competing in the Noble Tournament this weekend, where they are expected to see plenty of quality competition.
12. Edmond Deer Creek Antlers
The Antlers have worked their way up to 10-5 on the year, but most importantly, they stand at 4-2 in the district standings.
After recently dropping the first of a double-header against Edmond North, Ashton Hartwig led the way with a home run, double and four RBIs to get the series split.
The Antlers most recently got two wins against Northwest Classen.
13. Piedmont Wildcats
The Wildcats have been on a roll as of late, as they are now 10-4 on the year after most recently getting an exciting 4-1 win against El Reno.
Jackson Califano is getting it done on the mound for Piedmont, as he pitched a complete game against El Reno, only giving up the one run and allowing only two hits. Luke Hill and Weston Thomas are both impressing at the plate.
14. Oktaha Tigers
The Tigers were runner-up for the Class 2A crown last year and they are back for more in 2023 after a 7-1 start to the year.
The likes of Hunter Dearman, who threw a shutout against Tahlequah and Kipton Christian, who is leading the charge offensively, will prove to be a threat for the Class 2A title.
They are sure to get some good competition this weekend at the Fort Gibson Tournament.
15. Sapulpa Chieftains
The Chieftains are 13-3 on the year after finding recent success against Midwest City.
Senior Hayden Lance has kept things steady on the mound in the early parts of the season and Jack Blevins has gotten off to a great start behind the plate.
Sapulpa has a notable win against Sand Springs and beat a few out of state teams at a spring break event in Gulf Shores, Ala.
16. Yukon Millers
After missing out on a state tournament appearance last year, the Millers are back and with an 11-5 start, they have the experience that might just carry them forward to make that run.
During a spring break tournament, Carter Parent had six RBIs and four stolen bases and most recently, junior Chance Owens scored five times and was named player of the week by his team.
17. Blanchard Lions
The Lions are looking to repeat as Class 4A state champions and standing at 12-1, they seem to be the odds-on favorite as of now.
Junior Carson Howe has already made his commitment to Murray State College and he has been putting in a lot of hard work in the infield so far this year.
The Lions got some great experience by playing in an out-of-state tournament that should pay dividends down the road.
18. Collinsville Cardinals
The Cardinals are an impressive 12-1 on the year after two run-rule wins against Nathan Hale on Tuesday.
Prior to those games, they had a 16-8 win against Perry in which the offense went for 11 hits and drew 14 walks.
In a 14-0 win against Nathan Hale, Corbin Gorrell was 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Seth Wright had 12 strikeouts on the night as well.
19. Jenks Trojans
The Trojans earned two district wins on Saturday, which improved their record to 11-6 on the year. Ty Walls is impressing, as he most recently had a complete-game shutout to secure a victory, but he also had three hits in that same game.
Senior Logan Tibbett is also contributing offensively.
20. Noble Bears
Heading into their home tournament, the Bears stand at 10-2 on the year.
Most impressive about Noble is what they did this past weekend at the Choctaw Baseball Festival, when senior Jake Williams recorded eight strikeouts in five shutout innings to defeat the host team Yellowjackets, 11-0.
Colin Fisher, who is being recruited as a pitcher, is also doing big things at the plate for the Bears.
21. Edmond Santa Fe Wolves
The Wolves have improved to 10-5 after back-to-back district wins against Capitol Hill this week.
It was a little bit of a struggle to start the season with a new head coach for Edmond Santa Fe, but the Wolves seem to have gotten in rhythm offensively, and Logan Lunceford is getting comfortable on the bump.
22. Guthrie Bluejays
The Bluejays have gotten off to a solid start on their 2023 campaign, as they are looking to find their way back into the state tournament.
Guthrie has an impressive win against Dale and a sweep over a solid El Reno team. Guthrie will rely on its loaded pitching staff as the season rolls along.
23. Enid Plainsmen
Enid has gotten off to a bit of a sluggish start, but junior utility player Cooper Jarnigan has helped keep his team right in the hunt for playoff positioning.
The Plainsmen were also down, 7-0, in a game at the Edmond Tournament before scoring 15 unanswered runs to get the victory, showing that they are beginning to turn the corner.
24. Elk City Elks
The Elks have gotten off to a solid start this year thanks in large part to the play of Oklahoma State University commit Kash Mayfield. The junior has been great on the mound and his teammates have fed off his energy.
The Elks were a run shy of playing for the Class 4A title game a year ago, and they are hungry to get back there this year.
25. Fort Cobb-Broxton Mustangs
The Mustangs were a game short of winning the Class B state championship last year and sitting at 8-3, they are looking to avenge that loss from last year.
All three of their losses have come against top 25 teams, and they plan on seeing even more stiff competition at both the Marlow and Cashion Tournaments before starting the district playoffs in late April.
