(Records are reflected through Apr. 28)
1. St. John's (Shrewsbury) (8-1; Last Week – 2) The Pioneers took down their second Catholic Conference power this season with a thorough 6-0 victory over Xaverian. With a 1-0 loss to Pope Francis serving as the only blemish on their record, they move back into the top spot in our poll.
2. BC High (8-2; Last Week – 1) Braintree stunned the Eagles at the Bay State-Catholic Conference Challenge last Saturday. But with three elite starters, this team is still arguably the most dangerous contender in the field this year.
3. Xaverian (7-3; Last Week – 4) Hawks were shut down by St. John's ace Jared Wetherbee in another tough draw. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the state will hurt this team at times, but it will also help them when it's time to select eight teams for the MIAA Division 1A Tournament.
4. Plymouth North (8-1; Last Week – 6) The Eagles played three games in four days and emerged victorious over Silver Lake, Bridgewater-Raynham and Dennis-Yarmouth when the dust had settled. Two more wins over Pembroke and Duxbury have this senior-laden squad trending upwards.
5. Malden Catholic (7-3; Last week - 9) The Lancers exacted their revenge by shutting down St. John's Prep on the road behind an impressive performance by senior Anthony DeSouza. They have a great chance to cement their Super 8 resume with wins at Billerica and BC High this upcoming week.
6. St. John's Prep (6-3; Last Week – 3) After a stunning comeback win over Malden Catholic, the Eagles dropped consecutive home games to conference foes, as they drew tough matchups against two veritable aces in Blake DeCarr and Anthony DeSouza.
7. Silver Lake (7-1; Last Week – 7) Lakers have been cruising since dropping a 2-1 heartbreaker at Plymouth North. A visit from West Springfield on May 7 serves as the biggest challenge for this team prior to its May 19 rematch with the Blue Eagles.
8. Braintree (5-3; Last Week – 5) The defending Super 8 champs played up in a big spot with a 3-2 win over then top-ranked BC High on Saturday, but quickly crashed back to earth with losses to conference rivals Needham and Dedham this week.
9. Lincoln-Sudbury (5-2; Last Week – 8) The Warriors have primarily been idle since their 18-8 thrashing of Acton-Boxborough. They'll face A-B at home this Friday in a tilt with big implications in the Dual County League standings.
10. St. Peter-Marian (6-2; Last Week – 10) With three wins since their surprising 4-3 loss to Holy Name, the Guardians remain on the fringe of the Super 8 picture. A home tilt against West Springfield this Saturday provides a huge opportunity for both programs.
11. West Springfield (7-1; Last Week – 12) – The Terriers won their fifth straight game in dramatic fashion, edging Chicopee Comp 7-6 in extra innings this Thursday. A tilt at St. Peter-Marian this Saturday will provide an opportunity for this Western Mass. power to build a resume worthy of the Super 8.
12. North Andover (6-1; Last week - 11) Scarlet Knights drop one spot after suffering their first loss of the season to Burlington. They bounced back with a win over Dracut to maintain their lead in the MVC standings.
13. Bridgewater-Raynham (8-1; Last Week – 13) After losing a close one to Plymouth North, the Trojans took care of business with wins over Hingham and Marshfield.
14. Norwood (4-3; Last Week – 18) Mustangs beat another true state title contender in Xaverian, 1-0, behind a one-hitter from Sean Mellen. They went on to edge Wellesley 4-2 and Natick 2-1, but they'll need other players to step up on days when Mellen can't pitch.
15. Pope Francis (7-2; Last week - 16) Cardinals followed a huge upset of St. John's with a puzzling loss to Holyoke before defeating Westfield 6-5 in a nail-biter Thursday.
16. Belmont (7-0; Last Week – NR) When Penn State commit Cole Bartels takes the mound, the Marauders have proven that they can beat anybody. A top seed in the Division 2 tournament seems like a given for this team, with a Super 8 berth looming as a distant opportunity.
17. Taconic (6-0; Last Week – 22) Since defeating Westfield and Monument Mountain, the Braves have put up 25 runs in two more decisive victories to maintain their perfect record.
18. Central Catholic (7-3; Last Week – 23) After losing three straight games to in-state opponents, the Raiders rattled off four straight victories, including huge wins over conference rivals Lawrence and Billerica.
19. Billerica (6-2; Last Week – 17) The Indians couldn't get much going offensively during a 6-1 loss to Central Catholic earlier this week, but still have a dangerous lineup, as proven by their 13-4 bombardment of Tewksbury on Thursday.
20. Danvers (7-2; Last Week – 15) An undefeated start for the Falcons quickly came to an end with a tight 5-4 loss at rival Beverly. With a second blemish on their record in the form of a 2-0 loss to Swampscott, they're no longer running away with the Northeastern Conference.
21. Dedham (6-2; Last Week – NR) An early-season upset of Norwood raised some eyebrows, but a 5-1 win over Walpole and a 12-2 thrashing of Braintree this week proves that the Marauders are for real this season.
22. Acton-Boxborough (6-2; Last Week – 22) They beat up on Bedford this Monday, but the Colonials remain fixed at No. 22 in the polls until we see how they perform in a rematch with conference rival Lincoln-Sudbury this Friday.
23. Austin Prep (7-1; Last Week – NR) The Cougars are dominating competition at the Division 3 level, with a 57-6 run differential during their current five-game winning streak.
24. King Philip (7-1; Last Week – NR) Warriors suffered their first loss of the year in the form of a 2-1 heartbreaker to Attleboro, but rebounded with wins over Franklin and Taunton to remain in first place in the Kelley-Rex Division of the Hockomock League.
25. Needham (7-1; Last Week – 25) The Rockets pulled out a huge 6-5 win over defending Super 8 Champion Braintree, but a home loss to Weymouth prior to that contest doesn't look good on their overall resume.
Last 10 out: Newton North (5-2), Stoughton (5-2), Taunton (5-2), Swampscott (7-2), North Attleborough (6-3), Middleborough (5-2), Lawrence (5-2), Peabody (5-3), Lowell (6-3), Westfield (3-3)
