Bob Jones Madison, Ala.	Mount Carmel Chicago, Ill.	Notre Dame Sherman Oaks, Calif.	St. Thomas Aquinas Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

 

In the Rankings

Bob Jones: #12 in MaxPreps Preseason Top 100
Mount Carmel: #93 in MaxPreps Preseason Top 100
Notre Dame: #1 in MaxPreps Preseason Top 100
St. Thomas Aquinas: #49 in MaxPreps Preseason Top 100

Alumni Profiles

Lucas Gordon (Notre Dame) is a two-time alumnus of USA Baseball national teams, playing on the silver medal-winning 2019 18U team and winning a gold medal with the 2017 15U squad. In 2019, Gordon posted a 1.23 ERA over 7.1 innings in World Cup play, including 5.1 innings of one-run ball in the gold medal game against Chinese Taipei. The lefty made two appearances with the 15U national team in 2017, tallying nine strikeouts over 5.0 innings while allowing three earned runs on his way to earning a gold medal.

Prospect Profiles

Ed Howard (Mount Carmel) is a standout shortstop ranked as the top prep infielder and No. 12 overall prospect in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft, according to MLBPipeline.com. The 6-foot-2 senior batted .419 (36-for-86) with 18 extra-base hits (3 HR, 3 3B, 12 2B), 29 RBI, and 36 runs scored as a junior in 2019, leading Mount Carmel in nearly every offensive category. Howard is a University of Oklahoma commit, but his all-around game could make him a first-round selection in June. 

Devan Ornelas (Notre Dame) returns to the Knights lineup after leading the team in batting average (.423), hits (44), RBI (20) and runs scored (28) as a junior in 2019. The left-handed hitting, Texas Christian University commit is a versatile player that can play up the middle in the infield or outfield for the Knights.

Dylan Ray (Bob Jones) returns as the reigning Alabama 7A Hitter of the Year after posting eye-popping production as a junior, including nine home runs and 64 RBI to go along with his .403 (62-for-154) batting average. The University of Alabama commit leads a potent offense that blasted 51 home runs and scored 425 runs in 52 games and finished runner-up in the 2019 season Alabama Class 7A state championship. The 6-3 righty also throws in the low-to-mid 90s on the mound and tallied a 5-1 record as a junior with 60 strikeouts over 37.1 innings. After his extraordinary junior season, Ray was invited to participate in the MLB Prospect Development Pipeline League.

Nate Thomas (St. Thomas Aquinas) led the Raiders with a 1.20 ERA (7 ER, 41.0 IP) during his junior season, helping St. Thomas to a 24-4 overall record. The a 6-foot-3, 225-pound right-hander pounds the strike zone with a high-80s two-seam fastball, and held opposing batters to just 15 hits in 2019 while tallying 47 strikeouts. Thomas is committed to play collegiate baseball at the University of Miami for Head Coach Gino DiMare.

NHSI History

Bob Jones High School:
Bob Jones is making its first appearance in the NHSI.

Mount Carmel High School:
Mount Carmel will make its second appearance at NHSI after posting a 2-2 record in the 2018 event. The 2018 squad proved to be one of the more dominant pitching staffs in the tournament, posting a team ERA of 2.00 over 28.0 innings pitched. Luke Pappas led the stellar pitching output by throwing the first no-hitter in NHSI history, notching seven strikeouts in 7.0 innings against Trinity Prep (Fla.). 

Notre Dame High School:
Notre Dame is making its first appearance in the NHSI.

St. Thomas Aquinas High School:
St. Thomas Aquinas will return to NHSI for its second appearance after a four-year absence. The 2015 Raiders went 2-2 in pool play with wins over Leesville Road (N.C.) and College Station (Texas). Second baseman Andrew Garcia was named to the 2015 All-NHSI team, batting .583 (7-for-12) with two extra-base hits (2B, 3B), two RBI, and one run scored over four games. 

Matchups

Bob Jones vs. St. Thomas Aquinas (Wednesday, April 1, 12 p.m)
Bob Jones enters the tournament as arguably the top offense in the field, but that offensive firepower will have its hands full in their opening game, especially if St. Thomas Aquinas Head Coach, Joey Wardlow turns to the Raiders ace, Nate Thomas. If the burly righty wants to repeat his minuscule ERA from a year ago, he'll have to battle it out against Dylan Ray, Cam Hill, Caden Rose, and the powerful Patriots.

Notre Dame vs. Mount Carmel (Wednesday, April 1, 4 p.m. // Streamed on MLB.com)
Notre Dame enters the NHSI widely considered the best high school team in the country, with depth and experience in their pitching staff as well as their lineup. The Knights first challenge of the tournament won't be an easy one, however, as they take on Ed Howard and the Mount Carmel Caravan. If Knights manager Tom Dill hands the ball to Lucas Gordon in the team's opener, the battle between the Team USA alum and the top prospect in the tournament could be the most anticipated matchup of the event. Mount Carmel Head Coach Brian Hurry may need a big performance on the mound from senior RHP Nick Miketinac to take down the nation's number-one-ranked team.

Round 2

The team that advances to the semifinals from this section of the bracket will face the semifinalist from the American Heritage Delray (Delray Beach, Fla.), Harvard-Westlake School (Studio City, Calif.), North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.) and Reagan High School (Pfafftown, N.C.) section.