Alonso, Jesuit, pick up ESPN rankings

Posted Feb 23, 2010 by Adam Adkins

Updated Feb 23, 2010 at 11:06 AM

Early-season losses didn’t prevent Alonso and Jesuit from cracking the ESPN RISE FAB 50 preseason national baseball poll. But in the Ravens’ case, the season-opening loss to Sickles did prevent them from starting the season at No. 1.

That much was noted in the text accompanying the preaseason poll about the defending Class 6A state champs: “If Alonso had won and not lost in its very first game, it’s likely the Ravens would have been No. 1 in the preseason FAB 50 instead of Bellaire (Texas). The team returns a top-notch combination of pitching, led by seniors Thomas Dorminy and Jose Fernandez, plus hitting.” Fernandez is a junior.

Still, the Ravens, who were ranked No. 1 nationally in the preseason by MaxPreps.com, appeared at No. 15.

Jesuit, meanwhile, appeared at No. 5. The Tigers, who were ranked 18th nationally in the MaxPreps.com Xcellent 25 preseason rankings, lost for the first time this season Saturday against rival Tampa Catholic.

You can view the entire ESPN poll HERE.

And, in case you missed it, you can view the MaxPreps.com preseason national poll HERE.