Publication picks Gorman as nation’s best prep baseball team

Baseball America honors four-time state champion Gaels — again

Richard Brian / Special to the Sun

Bishop Gorman junior Johnny Field is congratulated by teammates after scoring during the 4A state championship baseball game against Cimarron-Memorial May 23. Gorman won its fourth straight title with a 3-1 victory.

By Ray Brewer (contact)

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 | 3:05 p.m.

High school sports section

Members of the Bishop Gorman baseball team knew what to expect each time they took this field this spring.

The Gaels opened the season ranked No. 1 in Baseball America’s preseason poll and had to be ready for everyone’s best game.

“We were the No. 1 team in the nation and the game everyone else wanted,” said Gorman senior Jeff Malm, who was drafted in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Rays two weeks ago.

Despite dropping three of their first four games, the Gaels rebounded to win 39 of their final 40 contests to capture a fourth consecutive state championship.

They were awarded Tuesday for their run by being named Baseball America’s high school team of the year.

“It shows that all of our hard work over the last few years has really paid off,” Malm said.

Gorman’s season was highlighted by a 35-game winning streak. It went from having a 1-3 mark to an impressive 36-3 overall record.

Gorman outscored opponents 513-76 during the streak and won 24 games by the 10-run mercy rule. The Gaels also had 12 shutouts.

“We weren’t swinging the bats well and lost a few low-scoring games,” Malm said. “But we were able to find a way to put it all together.”

The publication’s honor wouldn’t have been possible if not for a little fortune in scheduling.

Gorman was upset by Cimarron-Memorial in the Sunset Regional championship game, but still advanced to the four-team state tournament because the event was scheduled for Southern Nevada in a year-by-year rotation with Reno.

Malm pitched a two-hitter with 15 strike outs against Green Valley High in Gorman’s 2-1 eight-inning victory in its first game at state. The Gaels won their next two games for the title to fulfill a promise Malm made as a ninth-grader.

“I told coach (Chris) Sheff when I was a freshman that we were going to win four in a row,” Malm said. “I was a little naive, though. It got tougher and tougher each year.”

Gorman’s national exposure wasn’t limited to the high school season. Its American Legion affiliate won the national title last summer, two months after the high school team was ranked No. 2 in Baseball America’s final high school poll.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or ray.brewer@lasvegassun.com.