ESPNBoston.com's baseball Top 25

Updated: May 28, 2013, 5:09 PM ET
ESPNBoston.com Staff

Our top 25 MIAA baseball poll, as selected by our panel of staff writers, correspondents and area coaches (updated 5/27).

Team Name Record Last Week Notes
1. St. John's Prep (19-1) 1 Eagles ripped off 19 straight wins, including Monday's thriller over Danvers, to grab the top overall seed in Division 1 North.
2. BC High (15-5) 2 Eagles are No. 6 seed in Division 1 South, and for the first round they draw one of the true wild cards of the tournament in New Bedford.
3. St. John's (Shrewsbury) (17-5) 3 Pioneers are No. 3 seed in D1 Central, but might as well be the favorite. Four of their five losses are to Catholic Conference schools  Xaverian (8-4), BC High (7-4) and St. John's Prep (2-1, 4-2)  and the other is a 12-inning decision last weekend to red-hot Algonquin, which has won 9 of 10 after starting 2-8.
4. East Longmeadow (17-3) 7 Jake Smith blasted a two-run walk-off homer to lift the Spartans over Holyoke, a great way to end the regular season. They'll have the top seed in D1 West.
5. Silver Lake (16-5) 9 Lakers get the nod over Norwood at this spot based on head to head. They earned the No. 3 seed in D1 South and could potentially meet BC High in round two.
6. Norwood (16-4) NR Mustangs skyrocket back into the poll this week following wins over Walpole, Newton North and Xaverian. Their reward? The No. 2 overall seed in D1 South, but a first-round battle with the team nobody wants to face  defending state champ Xaverian.
7. Danvers (19-1) 12 Falcons lost in a thriller to cross-town rival St. John's Prep on Monday, and are one of several favorites as the No. 2 overall seed in Division 2 North.
8. Walpole (17-3) 4 Rebels captured the top overall seed in D1 South, and look to have a bit more favorable path than last season, when they drew Xaverian in the first round.
9. North Reading (18-2) 13 After a 17-0 start, defending D3 state champs come into the North tournament having lost two of last three. But they'll no doubt be a favorite to repeat as champs.
10. Newton North (17-3) 6 Tigers lost out on Bay State Carey title by virtue of loss to Norwood, but still secured a first-round home game as the No. 2 overall seed in Division 1 North.
11. Northbridge (18-2) 11 Rams are one of several favorites in Division 2 Central, as the top overall seed. A potential semifinal with Hudson or Assabet will be an intriguing matchup.
12. Peabody (18-4) 5 Tanners one of the top seeds in D1 North. We know their pitching depth is solid at the top, but do they have enough to run through the North gauntlet?
13. Bridgewater-Raynham (15-5) 8 Old Colony League champs earned the No. 5 seed in D1 South and will face Attleboro in round one, with a potential buzzsaw battle with Braintree looming in round two.
14. Xaverian (10-10) NR Hawks clinched D1 South berth with win over Millis last week, and look well-rested for another deep tournament run. They'll have to go through familiar foe Norwood, who beat them 6-5 Monday, first.
15. Braintree (14-4) 18 Wamps downed Walpole to clinch a fourth straight Bay State Carey title, and earned the No. 4 seed in D1 South. An interesting first round matchup lies in Marshfield.
16. Coyle-Cassidy (16-4) 14 Warriors captured No. 2 overall seed in D3 South. With a pitching staff anchored by Donny May and Mac Curran, do they have the tools for a deep playoff run?
17. Amherst (14-6) 10 After taking down East Longmeadow and Springfield Cathedral in successive weeks, Hurricanes ran into Longmeadow and came up on wrong end of 7-4 decision.
18. Shepherd Hill (15-4) 15 Rams grab No. 2 overall seed in Division 1 Central, but it could be a rocky path. Potential matchups with St. Peter-Marian, Leominster and St. John's (Shrewsbury) lay near.
19. Beverly (15-5) 16 Panthers grab No. 6 seed in D2 North, and could be in for challenge if they draw Middlesex stalwarts Burlington or Belmont.
20. Medford (17-3) 24 After capturing the Greater Boston League title, Mustangs secured a first-round home game as the No. 2 seed in Division 1 North.
21. Nashoba (17-3) 19 Chieftains won the Mid-Wach B title outright, and now face steep competition as the No. 1 overall seed in D1 Central.
22. Burlington (14-4) NR Red Devils debut in poll after capturing Middlesex Freedom title outright, and securing the No. 3 seed in D2 North. The defending district champions are riding a six-game win streak into the tourney.
23. Agawam (15-5) NR Valley League champions return to poll after a one-week hiatus. With much parity in D1 West this year, Brownies are looking at one of the district's top seeds.
24. Nauset (17-3) NR Warriors return to poll after one-week hiatus. They captured the top overall seed in D2 South, and have an intriguing first-round matchup in the Hopkinton-Milford preliminary winner.
25. Abington (17-3) NR Green Wave make debut in poll after winning South Shore League outright, and captured the No. 1 overall seed in D3 South.
Last 10 out: Auburn (16-4), Blackstone Valley Tech (17-4), Bishop Fenwick (16-4), Central Catholic (15-5), Hingham (15-6), Oliver Ames (15-5), Plymouth North (14-6), Springfield Cathedral (13-7), Springfield Central (12-8), Taunton (14-6)

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