The News-Gazette's baseball Top 10: Sages last area unbeaten remaining

Apr. 16—Preps coordinator Zach Piatt breaks down the best of the best from around the area in his latest power rankings:

1. Monticello

➜ Record: 15-0

➜ Previous ranking: No 1

➜ Quick hit: As long as the Sages keep that zero in the loss column, this top spot is theirs to lose. Chris Jones secured his 300th career win in dramatic fashion a couple weeks ago with a 3-2 win in 10 innings against New Berlin. Jake Motsegood was the hero with a walk-off single.

2. St. Joseph-Ogden

➜ Record: 13-1

➜ Previous ranking: No 2

➜ Quick hit: It's early, but the Spartans might not lose again. After losing 3-1 to Columbia in their season opener, they've won 13 in a row while outscoring their opponents 114-26. Another fun fact concerning SJ-O: veteran coach Josh Haley is closing in on 400 career wins.

3. Unity

➜ Record: 9-2

➜ Previous ranking: No 4

➜ Quick hit: The Rockets didn't play their best game against Monticello last Thursday, but they still only lost 9-7 and had a chance to win in the end. Unity has bounced back since then, earning a doubleheader sweep against Carterville and an impressive 7-1 win against Mahomet-Seymour.

4. Mahomet-Seymour

➜ Record: 13-3

➜ Previous ranking: No 3

➜ Quick hit: On the topic of bouncing back, the Bulldogs have proven they know how to do that. Max Young hit a home run and pitched a four-inning no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 15-0 win against Taylorville on April 8, which came one day after M-S got no-hit by the Tornadoes in an 8-0 loss.

5. Champaign Central

➜ Record: 8-3

➜ Previous ranking: No 6

➜ Quick hit: Shoutout to Central pitching coach Dom Erlinger and his pitching staff. The Maroons bested Twin City rival Urbana twice by a combined score of 41-0, and in eight total innings pitched, they tossed a no-hitter in the first meeting and a perfect game in the second.

6. Armstrong-Potomac

➜ Record: 7-1

➜ Previous ranking: No 5

➜ Quick hit: The Trojans finally lost their first game of the season on Monday, falling 1-0 to Vermilion Valley Conference rival Bismarck-Henning/Rossville-Alvin and leaving Monticello as the last unbeaten area team remaining. Despite the loss, A-P looks like it'll be in the mix this season.

7. Argenta-Oreana

➜ Record: 11-2

➜ Previous ranking: No 7

➜ Quick hit: In their current eight-game winning streak, the Bombers have won in a number of different ways. Half of those wins have been by double digits, and two others have been by one run. Eric Gebben's team is proving it knows how to win, maybe the most important trait.