With the summer college league season rapidly drawing to a close, a number of teams are jockeying for position to become the No. 1 team in the country. The Cape Cod League's Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, who posted the best record in league play and are unbeaten in playoff action, retain the top spot for the third week in a row.
With three more wins, the Red Sox could close the deal and repeat as the nation's No. 1-ranked summer team. Y-D previously was accorded that honor in 2006 and 2007.
The latest rankings are eerily similar to 2008, when Yarmouth-Dennis and the California Collegiate League's Santa Barbara Foresters came down the stretch ranked 1-2, only for the Foresters to overtake the Red Sox when they won the National Baseball Congress World Series while Y-D faltered in the Cape League playoffs. Santa Barbara, No. 2 again this week, remains alive in the NBC tournament, but was relegated to the loser's bracket by a third-round loss.
The last remaining undefeated teams in the NBC World Series, the Haysville Heat and Liberal Bee Jays, both from the Jayhawk League, made a significant jump in the latest PG CrossChecker rankings. Both were 4-0 as play began Tuesday.
A number of summer-league champions have been crowned, while several leagues (Northwoods, Texas, West Coast) have yet to begin post-season play.
The final PG CrossChecker Top 30 ranking of the summer season will appear when all leagues have wrapped up playoff action.
PG CROSSCHECKER
SUMMER BASEBALL TOP 30
Weekly Ranking of College Summer League Teams (Previous Week's Ranking Noted in Parentheses)
#Season complete
| RANK |
LW |
Team |
ST |
League |
Record |
Accomplishment |
| 1 |
1 |
Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox |
MA |
Cape Cod |
30-17 |
Eastern Division regular-season champion |
| 2 |
2 |
Santa Barbara Foresters |
CA |
California |
43-10 |
League champion; 3-1 in NBC World Series |
| 3 |
3 |
Eau Claire Express |
WI |
Northwoods |
43-20 |
|
| 4 |
6 |
Chillicothe Paints |
OH |
Prospect |
40-17 |
Eastern Division regular-season champion |
| 5 |
10 |
Orleans Firebirds |
MA |
Cape Cod |
25-21 |
|
| 6 |
4 |
Sedalia Bombers |
MO |
MINK |
38-9 |
League champion; 3-1 in NBC World Series |
| 7 |
8 |
Haymarket Senators |
VA |
Valley |
36-15 |
Regular-season champion |
| 8 |
9 |
#Mat-Su Miners |
AK |
Alaska |
33-15 |
League champion |
| 9 |
11 |
Forest City Owls |
NC |
Coastal Plain |
40-20 |
No. 1 seed, Pettit Cup playoffs |
| 10 |
12 |
Corvallis Knights |
OR |
West Coast |
31-17 |
Western Division regular-season champion |
| 11 |
19 |
Haysville Heat |
KS |
Jayhawk |
36-9 |
League champion; 4-0 in NBC World Series |
| 12 |
5 |
#Brewster Whitecaps |
MA |
Cape Cod |
27-19 |
|
| 13 |
|
#Hamilton Joe's |
OH |
Great Lakes |
29-15 |
League champion |
| 14 |
17 |
#Amsterdam Mohawks |
NY |
New York |
33-15 |
League champion |
| 15 |
15 |
#Alaska Goldpanners |
AK |
Alaska |
34-15 |
|
| 16 |
|
Liberal Bee Jays |
KS |
Jayhawk |
35-13 |
4-0 in NBC World Series |
| 17 |
|
Cotuit Kettleers |
MA |
Cape Cod |
22-23 |
|
| 18 |
30 |
St. Cloud River Bats |
MN |
Northwoods |
37-26 |
|
| 19 |
23 |
Victoria Generals |
TX |
Texas |
30-16 |
|
| 20 |
|
Edenton Steamers |
NC |
Coastal Plain |
36-24 |
|
| 21 |
7 |
#Licking County Settlers |
OH |
Great Lakes |
31-13 |
Regular-season champion |
| 22 |
26 |
Luray Wranglers |
VA |
Valley |
34-19 |
|
| 23 |
18 |
#San Luis Obispo Blues |
CA |
California |
32-17 |
|
| 24 |
14 |
#Newport Gulls |
RI |
New England |
30-17 |
Eastern Division regular-season champion |
| 25 |
28 |
#North Fork Ospreys |
NY |
Atlantic |
31-15 |
League champion |
| 26 |
29 |
#Winter Park Diamond Dawgs |
FL |
Florida |
31-11 |
League champion |
| 27 |
22 |
#Bethesda Big Train |
MD |
Cal Ripken Sr. |
29-17 |
League champion |
| 28 |
|
North Shore Navigators |
MA |
New England |
30-20 |
|
| 29 |
13 |
#Bourne Braves |
MA |
Cape Cod |
24-22 |
Western Division regular-season champion |
| 30 |
20 |
Green Bay Bullfrogs |
WI |
Northwoods |
36-27 |
|
OTHERS RECEIVING CONSIDERATION: Kenai Peninsula Oilers/Alaska (33-17); Youse's Maryland Orioles/Cal Ripken Sr. (31-15); Gastonia Grizzlies/Coastal Plain (37-24); Wilson Tobs/Coastal Plain (37-21); Morehead City Marlins/Coastal Plain (35-22); Waikiki Surfers/Hawaii (24-16); Tradewater Pirates/KIT (34-15); St. Joseph Mustangs/MINK (31-16); North Adams SteepleCats/New England (29-19); Danbury Westerners/New England (29-21); Elmira Pioneers/New York (31-17); Madison Mallards/Northwoods (36-27); Willmar Stingers/Northwoods (35-28); Danville Dans/Prospect (33-24); Quincy Gems/Prospect (30-24); Springfield Sliders/Prospect (35-20); Palm Springs Power/Southern California Baseball Association (33-3); East Texas Pumpjacks/Texas (32-18); Wenatchee AppleSox/West Coast (29-19); Swift Current Indians/Western Major (35-13); Regina Red Sox/Western Major (34-16).