Nationally ranked Trinity Christian snags regional power poll top spot

The high school baseball season is off and running and heading towards the halfway point. 

Meanwhile, there has already been a switch at the top of the Prep Zone Baseball Power Poll. 

Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) moves into the No. 1 spot this week. The Conquerors (10-1) who are ranked No. 1 in 3A, No. 2 overall statewide, and No. 23 nationally according to MaxPreps, picked up wins over No. 11 Clay (Green Cove Springs), then-No. 6 Providence (Jacksonville), North Marion (Citra) and Ponte Vedra and has won 10 in a row since losing their opening game to Sam Houston (LA). Trinity Christian received five of the eight first-place votes this week. 

The other three first-place votes go to the former No. 1 team, St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park). The Spartans (9-2) drop to No. 2 despite being ranked No. 1 in 2A and No. 7 overall statewide according to MaxPreps. 

St. Johns Country Day did lose two games in the last two weeks to No. 1 overall statewide IMG Academy (Bradenton) and RV Oakleaf (Orange Park). The Spartans picked up a second win of the season over No. 4 Buchholz (Gainesville). 

Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) moves up two spots to No. 3. The Crusaders (9-2) picked up wins over Mandarin (Jacksonville), Sandalwood (Jacksonville) and Bartram Trail (St. Johns), with their only loss in that span 1-0 to Buchholz. 

Speaking of the Bobcats, they move up three spots to No. 4. Buchholz (8-3) lost to St. Johns Country Day for the second time this year but beat Bishop Kenny and trounced No. 10 Forest (Ocala), 21-6. 

Spruce Creek (Port Orange) rounds out the top five. The Hawks (10-3) defeated RV (receiving votes) Creekside (St. Johns), Killian (Miami), and DeLand and dropped games to Merritt Island and New Smyrna Beach. 

Newberry (12-1) starts off the second five. The Panthers move up four spots from the previous poll as they went 6-0 with wins over 1A No. 2 and No. 20 overall Bozeman (Panama City Beach), 1A No. 5 Holmes County (Bonifay) and 1A No. 13 Chipley as well as Williston twice and Trenton. 

Bolles (Jacksonville) is No. 7 this week, followed by two teams tied for eighth with Lafayette (Mayo) and Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine). Forest (10-2) rounds out the top 10. 

The only Mainstreet Daily News area team in the second 10 this week is No. 13 Keystone Heights (9-1). Receiving votes are Columbia (Lake City), Oak Hall and P.K. Yonge.

New to the poll this week are Fleming Island (Orange Park), who is tied for 15^th with Providence, and 20th-ranked Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville). 

Dropping out from the previous poll are Baldwin and First Coast (Jacksonville). 

The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, girls volleyball, girls basketball, boys basketball, softball & baseball teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on bi-weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.

THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL POWERED BY ANYTIME FITNESS OF GAINESVILLE – 2024 BASEBALL POLL #2

(School, followed by classification, first place votes, final 2023 record, 2024 record through 3/25, and total voting points)

Teams in bold are inside the Mainstreet Daily News coverage area

1. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (3A) (5) (10-1) – 156

2. St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) (2A) (3) (9-2) – 153

3. Bishop Kenny (Jacksonville) (4A) (9-2) – 137

4. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (8-3) – 125

5. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (10-3) – 124

6. Newberry (1A) (12-1) – 119

7. Bolles (Jacksonville) (3A) (10-4) – 111

8T. Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (9-1) – 87

8T. Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) (6A) (11-2) – 87

10. Forest (Ocala) (6A) (10-2) – 84

11. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (7-4) – 73

12. Montverde Academy (3A) (8-5) – 62

13. Keystone Heights (3A) (9-1) – 56

14. Englewood (Jacksonville) (5A) (11-1) – 42

15T. Fleming Island (Orange Park) (6A) (8-3) – 34

15T. Providence (Jacksonville) (3A) (6-6) – 34

17. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (4A) (8-2) – 31

18. Mount Dora Christian Academy (2A) (11-4) – 27

19. Dunnellon (4A) (8-3) – 21

20. Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) (3A) (8-3) – 20

Also receiving votes: Columbia (Lake City) (5A) (5-7) – 14; Baldwin (3A) (8-3) – 13; Oak Hall (Gainesville) (2A) (6-2) – 11; Oakleaf (Orange Park) (6A) (6-5) – 11; Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (7-7) – 10; P.K. Yonge (Gainesville) (3A) (7-2) – 9; First Coast (Jacksonville) (6A) (7-3) – 8; Episcopal (Jacksonville) (3A) (8-3) – 6; St. Joseph Academy (St. Augustine) (2A) (10-3) – 6; Lake Minneola (6A) (8-4) – 5; Umatilla (3A) (10-2) – 4.