I could not find a link to the artice, but the February, 2011 edition of Sporting News ranks the top 25 high school baseball teams in the country, with Bishop Amat at No. 17 and the lone area team on the list. Look, I know Amat is good, they probably have the deepest fielding and hitting team in the area by far, but pitching wins championships and other area teams are deeper on the hill. In any case, here is what Sporting News wrote about the Lancers, who had some flattering words for the Big River, AKA, Rio Ruiz, who may have to help on the mound this season. That’s a scary thought for anyone who’s been on the receiving end of one of his passes in football. And if you ever shake his hand, you better shake it like a man or it’s going to hurt.

From the SPORTING NEWS: Putting runs on the board in 2011 should not be a problem for Bishop Amat, which returns one of the most talented teams in Southern California. The Lancers reached the traditionally tough CIF Southern Section quarterfinals last year and return USC-bound third baseman Rio Ruiz (.528-4-34), who has a chance to be a very high draft pick in 2012 as either a hitter or pitcher. He will have plenty of support in the batting order with senior first baseman Adrian Franco (.337-2-29) and junior outfielder Jordan McCraney (.333-3-21), who have committed to San Diego State and USC, respectively. Senior third baseman Bernardo Zavala (.327-4-30) and senior outfielder Jay Anderson (.340-4-23) also return. Pitching depth may be the key for Bishop Amat. Junior lefthander Daniel Zamora (5-1, 2.86) is the top returning hurler, but Ruiz has shown flashes of becoming a high-level pitching prospect, and his development could be the difference between a good or great season.