Tournament baseball is great for the coaches, who get to mix and match a Rubik’s Cube of lineups over each 4-6 game tournament weekend. It’s great for the players who get lots of “seat time” to hone their timing at the plate, field different positions and maybe log a few innings on the mound. It’s great for fans who get to sate their appetites through a steady parade of teams on fields across Texas.
What tournament baseball is not good for is trying to sus out which teams are legitimate contenders and which are simply early season pretenders. One team can run up an impressive record against overmatched opponents in a weaker tournament while a powerful team can drop three 1-run games again state powers in a different event. Throw in – pardon the pun – the fact that pitching is such an integral part of high school baseball and the records can become skewed in a hurry. Who knows how many arms are left in Game 5 on a Saturday afternoon?
All of that is simply our way of saying these are the teams that seem to have come out of tournament play with decent records, plenty of potential after quality losses, or both. Not sure if it would be any more or less valid to draw names out of a hat at this early stage.
But in the name of having to start somewhere, it sure seems like Buda Johnson has a leg up on the field with plenty of quality teams lined up behind the Jags. Pay special attention as we move into district play to any one of those teams in the Top 10. We suspect this will look different come May, but for now, here’s our first crack at the 2026 Austin area Baseball Power Rankings.
VYPE's Austin Baseball Rankings
(Last week’s rankings in parentheses)
1. (NR) Buda Johnson Jaguars (6A) 13-3-2
2. (NR) Rouse Raiders (5A) 12-2
3. (NR) Dripping Springs Tigers (6A) 12-4-1
4. (NR) Liberty Hill Panthers (5A) 10-3-1
5. (NR) Georgetown Eagles (5A) 14-2
6. (NR) Weiss Wolves (5A) 13-2-1
7. (NR) Bowie Bulldogs (6A) 10-3-1
8. (NR) Round Rock Dragons (6A) 9-6
9. (NR) Westwood Warriors (6A) 11-5-1
10. (NR) Lake Travis Cavaliers (6A) 7-8-1
11. (NR) Hendrickson Hawks (5A) 9-4-2
12. (NR) Anderson Trojans (5A) 9-6
13. (NR) Cedar Ridge Raiders (6A) 8-5-2
14. (NR) San Marcos Rattlers (6A) 10-7-1
15. (NR) Leander (5A) 10-4
On the radar: Vista Ridge Rangers (6A) 8-6; Westlake Chaparrals (6A) 7-10; Navarro (5A) 10-2; Hays Hawks (5A) 7-6-1