Baseball America tabs Bishop Gorman as nation’s top team

By winning an American Legion World Series last summer and a fourth straight Class 4A state title in May, Bishop Gorman’s departing baseball seniors have already enjoyed a decorated send-off.

But it became even sweeter Tuesday, when the Gaels were named Baseball America’s High School Team of the Year and awarded their first No. 1 national ranking in the publication’s final poll.

“This is the one thing this group hadn’t accomplished yet,” Gorman coach Chris Sheff said. “It’s a great way to see them go out.”

The Gaels (40-4) opened the season in the No. 1 spot, only to stumble to a 1-3 start. But they rattled off 35 straight wins on the way to the state crown.

Gorman was ranked No. 2 in the second-to-last poll, but the door opened to No. 1 when Moody of Corpus Christi, Texas, suffered a 4-3 state tournament loss June 11 to Texas High of Texarkana, Texas.

The Gaels also finished No. 1 nationally in rankings at Rivals.com and PerfectGame.org, and were No. 4 in ESPN RISE’s Fab 50.

Sheff said national rankings have never been Gorman’s focus, but he acknowledged his players began to think of a No. 1 ranking while putting together the 35-game winning streak.

“We don’t really talk about the national polls as much as state titles,” he said. “But I think the kids had it in the backs of their minds. After we ran off 35 in a row, we got ourselves back in the mix.”

The Gaels outscored opponents 513-76 during the 35-game streak, which ended with a 10-2 loss to Cimarron-Memorial in the Sunset Region final May 15.

“We really put something special together, and we had one bad day among 40 games,” Sheff said. “Other than that, we were pretty spotless down the stretch.”

Gorman also tied at least two national records in the process.

Sophomore catcher Erik Van Meetren blasted a national record-tying five home runs in a 27-0 win at Clark on April 30, and senior first baseman/pitcher Jeff Malm finished his high school career with a national record-tying 277 hits.

Malm was recently drafted in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Rays. Sheff said Malm is still undecided on whether to sign a professional contract or fulfill his commitment to Southern California. The deadline to sign a pro deal is Aug. 15.

Malm is one of five Gaels who signed with a Division I program in November. He was joined by infielder/pitcher R.J. Santigate (Long Beach State), a 44th-round pick of the Los Angeles Angels; outfielder/pitcher Joey Rickard (Arizona); infielder/pitcher Stephen Manthei (Arizona); and infielder/pitcher Tyler Wagner (Utah).