The best of the best have begun to show why they are at the top, and the elite athletes have started to settle into a groove around Baldwin County as baseball and softball season heats up.

County standings continue to shake up with big movement at the top of the baseball side. The past few weeks have been full of standout pitching performances, and while there are still many this week, the offenses around the county showed their strengths. Let’s take a look at the top teams and performances late in March.

TOP TEAMS

The movement in the standings mainly comes on the baseball side, where we see a new leader in the county clubhouse for the third week in a row. The Fairhope Pirates claim the top spot this week at 14-7, riding a three-game win streak after a loss to start the week. The Lady Pirates had a solid week as well to improve to 15-5, winning an area game over Baker before taking down Baldwin County.

Daphne softball became just the second team, along with Spanish Fort, to reach 20 wins this season. The Lady Trojans are 21-6 on the season following a 4-1 week that ended at Lagoon Park in Montgomery. The Trojans are also making noise on the baseball side, as the Daphne boys cling to a four-game win streak that has them at 12-9.

Speaking of Spanish Fort, the Lady Toros continue to roll on as one of the state’s top teams. Spanish Fort softball picked up two important area wins over Baldwin County and Gulf Shores this past week and looks to close out the month against a great Dothan team.

Staying on the Eastern Shore, St. Michael Catholic baseball got back on track with a 2-1 week that included a run-rule win over Baldwin County. Bayshore Christian and Bayside Academy both had 3-0 weeks on the baseball side as well to round out the great week for teams by the bay. The Eagles now have the longest win streak in the county for baseball at six as well.

Down on the beach, the Lady Makos once again come in at No. 1, still yet to be beaten at 19-0. Orange Beach softball surrendered just one run this week, outscoring opponents 32-1 in three victories.

Gulf Shores baseball had another great week as well to move up the rankings, going 4-0 and closing on the third and final Gulf Coast Classic of the season.

Both Elberta programs had their fair share of success this week as well, racking up a combined six wins. The Warriors went a perfect 4-0 on the baseball diamond last week.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCES

The four wins for Elberta baseball put them in the win column, and that was with the help of the first perfect game of the season on the baseball side from Seamus Owens. The Warriors' starter tossed three perfect innings with six strikeouts in a 15-0 win over B.C. Rain last week. Contributing big at the plate for Elberta was leadoff man Aiden Jones, going 6-for-8 on the week with three RBIs and two doubles.

No-hitters seem to be a common theme for aces around the county this year, and Baldwin County softball’s Julianna Thompson accomplished that in a big spot this past week. Although the Lady Tigers only scratched off one in the win column last week, it came in seven hitless innings for Thompson in a 2-0 area win over Foley.

Colin Watson had a very consistent week at the dish for Daphne baseball, going 7-for-10 with a double and four stolen bases. Watson also closed a 10-6 win over Mary G. Montgomery on the mound in 1.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Abby Johnson swung a hot bat for the Lady Trojans last week as well, going 10-for-23 with six RBIs, a pair of doubles and a home run.

Casen Whiteside led the way for Bayshore during a 3-0 week. The Eagles' middle infielder went 5-for-12 with a double and pitched 5.1 innings with five strikeouts in a 7-6 win over Washington County.

Bayside Academy continues to get great pitching out of its staff. Wyatt Williams and Cooper Mason led the charge this week — Williams tossed a complete game with no earned runs and seven strikeouts in a win over Normal West, while Mason threw four hitless innings in an 8-0 win over University Charter.

Fairhope softball had a short week, but that didn’t stop Mallory Earp from racking up base hits. The Lady Pirates shortstop went 6-for-9 at the dish with five RBIs, two doubles and a home run. Ace pitcher Addison Russell also had a great individual game in Fairhope’s win over Baldwin County, pitching a complete game with 12 strikeouts while allowing only one run.

Lance Wade led the way for the Pirates on the baseball side to help them take the county’s top spot. Wade went 4-for-7 at the plate with five RBIs in a week in which the Fairhope offense as a whole lit up the box score.

Foley baseball split the week 2-2, and senior William Quarles continues to power the offense. The Lions' power hitter went 9-for-11 with three RBIs and a double in four games last week.

Gulf Shores baseball had a perfect week led by infielder Jacob O’Bryan, going 8-for-15 at the dish with 10 RBIs and two doubles. Jesse Rogers and John Luke Stephens both pitched complete-game shutouts as well, combining for 13 punchouts in the two wins.

Orange Beach softball had plenty of home run hitters this past week, but not many players had a better week than MK McMullan. The Makos sophomore ace pitched 12 innings in two wins, allowing just four hits, zero earned runs and striking out 19. She also went 4-for-5 at the plate with four RBIs, a double and a home run. Katie King had a great game at the plate in the Makos’ win over Fairhope as well, blasting a pair of home runs with four RBIs.

Spanish Fort baseball got back on track this past week, going 3-1, and it was leadoff man Brayden Bound sparking the offense. The Toros outfielder went 5-for-11 with three RBIs and two doubles in a week that Spanish Fort needed to get back in the 6A playoffs mix.

Toros softball played just two games last week as they wrap up a busy month of March — and center fielder Kimberly Slaton took full advantage with a 4-for-8 week at the plate that included a pair of RBIs. Ace Mallarie Beagle continues to produce as well, tossing 10 total innings and giving up just one earned run in the two wins.

St. Michael softball had an undefeated 2-0 week as well, and Aryia Blackmon was the highlight of the week. The Cardinals infielder went a perfect 4-for-4 in the two games with six RBIs, two doubles and a triple. Addison Pratt started and finished both games for the Cardinals as well, striking out 17 while giving up just one earned run.

For St. Michael baseball, leadoff man Evan Brewer headlined the 2-1 week with a 5-for-10 showing at the plate. He also tossed two scoreless innings on the mound to close out a 10-0 win over Baldwin County.

All stats and records are aggregated from MaxPreps and the GameChanger app. Any additional information is from coaches or from verified social media posts. If there are details regarding stats or records that are incorrect, reach out to sports@gulfcoastmedia.com with correct information.