HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Bishop Gorman's Jeff Malm, a fifth-round draft choice by the Tampa Bay Rays and a Southern Cal signee, was named to the USA Today's All USA baseball team. He is shown in action this past April against Pahrump Valley in a Southwest Class 4-A Division game. The third baseman is Casey Clendenen. Advertisement

Want more proof that Pahrump Valley is in arguably the best high school baseball league in the U.S.?

Check out what Bishop Gorman -- in the Sunset Region Southwest Class 4-A Division, as are the Trojans -- has accomplished in the past year.

By winning an American Legion World Series last summer and a fourth straight Nevada Class 4-A 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.

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.

The Gaels, who at one point in the season had a 35-game winning streak, outscored opponents 513-76 during that run, which ended with a 10-2 loss to Cimarron-Memorial in the Sunset Region final May 15.

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 tabbed as a first-team selection on USA Today's All-USA Baseball Team.

Malm, a fifth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Rays, was the only player from Nevada on the squad. Only seniors were eligible.

Malm, a Southern California signee and the Las Vegas Review-Journal's state player of the year, hit .564 with 17 home runs and 69 RBIs this season to lead the Gaels (40-4) to their fourth straight title.

As a pitcher, he was 11-1 with a 1.50 earned run average and 87 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings.

Malm was recently drafted in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Rays. Malm reportedly 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).

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The Web site, www.nevadapreps.com, contributed to this story.