Baylor co-head coach Greg Elie is shown above during a recent game at McCallie. The Red Raiders are currently ranked as the top team in Tennessee and no. 9 in the nation according to the latest poll by Maxpreps. Elie says his team will approach things game by game as they try for their third straight title in DII-AA.
photo by Dennis Norwood/File Photos
As they get ready to start their quest for a third straight state title in Division II-AA, Baylor baseball finds its stock rising in one national poll, while dropping one spot in another, though remaining in the top 15 in both polls. With the release of its latest look at prep baseball across the country, Maxpreps has the Red Raiders at no. 9, up from 15 last week.
Meanwhile, PerfectGame.org has Baylor at no. 15 this week, down from last week’s no. 14 spot. To show the scope of these two polls, a couple of perennial prep powerhouses, Alfred M. Barbe of Lake Charles, La. and IMG Academy out of Bradenton, Fla. occupy two of the top three positions in both polls. Currently, Friendswood, Texas sits atop the Maxpreps poll with a record of 27-0.
Baylor, whom Maxpreps ranks as the top team in Tennessee, has played six teams ranked in the country's top 30 at some point this season. Those games include a 2-1 loss to IMG Academy (no. 2 nationally) at the PBR National High School Select Tournament, as well as wins this season against Bob Jones, Florence, Knoxville Farragut and Combine Academy.
When asked how the national rankings played into his team’s mindset going into the playoffs, Baylor's veteran co-head coach Greg Elie answered, “It’s always exciting to see our team recognized on a national stage for the strength of schedule we’ve played and what we’ve accomplished.”
Elie continued, “(Our) end goal is to win another state championship, so our guys are focused on the next task at hand; the first step being getting past a tough and well-coached Ensworth team.”
Baylor (22-4) hosts Ensworth (10-15) Wednesday in a best of three playoff series with the winner advancing to the Spring Fling in Murfreesboro. With the championships not being held in 2020, the Red Raiders remain the defending champs, having defeated Christian brothers, 4-2, in 2019 at MTSU’s Reese Smith Jr. Field. Due to COVID restrictions still in place at university facilities, this year’s DII-AA baseball championship will be played entirely at Wilson Central High School.
The Baylor philosophy, according to Elie, is, “If we continue to approach things game by game, in the end the rankings will take care of themselves.”
(Email Dennis Norwood at dennisnorwood56@gmail.com; follow him on Twitter at @noogasportsdude)