Four Sunshine State teams dot the Top 10 of this week's MaxPreps Top 25 national softball rankings, but it's California's Norco that remains on top after winning the battle of SoCal unbeatens last week.
Meanwhile, Texas has two among the Top 10 after Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas) won its 22nd straight game to join Forney near the top.
Video: MaxPreps Top 25 high school softball rankings
See who jumps into the Top 10 and how Norco remained at No. 1.
Norco ran its two-year win streak to 27 as junior pitcher Sarah Willis limited previously unbeaten Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista, Calif.) to three hits.
Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton, Fla.), remained No. 2 and is joined in the Top 10 by Winter Springs (Fla.), Estero (Fla.), and Oakleaf (Orange Park, Fla.). It's the first time in more than 10 years that four Florida teams have been ranked in the Top 10 at the same time.
Pinnacle (Phoenix) and Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) returned to the Top 25 after recording impressive wins last week. Also new to the Top 25 this week are Evansville Reitz (Evansville, Ind.), Sunrise Mountain (Peoria, Ariz.) and Keller (Texas).
Dropped out: Gardendale (Ala.), Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.), Santiago (Corona, Calif.), Deer Park (Texas) and Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.).
On
the Bubble: Marist, (Chicago), 7-2; Hoover (Clendenin, W.Va.), 8-0;
Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.), 26-3; Holmes (San Antonio), 14-1; South
Granville, (Creedmoore, N.C.), 7-0; Pembroke Pines Charter (Pembroke
Pines, Fla.), 12-1-1; East Lake (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 15-1; Eustis (Fla.),
13-0; George Washington (Charleston, W.Va.), 10-0; Klein Collins (Spring,
Texas), 19-2. Splendora (Texas), 18-2, Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 8-0,
Bob Jones (Madison, Ala.) 22-2; Lexington (Tenn.) 18-1; and Lakewood (Calif.),
14-1.
Prospect of the Week: Norco freshman
Abby Dayton was
3-for-4 with two runs scored in the Cougars' 5-0 win over
Mater Dei Catholic.
Game of the Week: Norco 5, Mater Dei Catholic 0.
Junior
Sarah Willis (Washington pledge) pitched a three-hitter and senior
catcher
Kinzie Hansen (Oklahoma signee) and freshman Dayton were a
combined 6-for-7. Hansen had two RBI and was 3-for-3 with a pair of
doubles, while Dayton was 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Willis is 11-0 with a 0.57 ERA
Game to Watch: In a battle of
Florida unbeatens, No. 5 Winter Springs travels to 13-0 Eustis on
Thursday. Only two teams have scored against Eustis this season. Winter
Springs is batting .397 as a team and has scored 145 times.
Tournaments: Softball followers will focus on Southern California and the 33rd annual Michelle Carew Classic from Thursday through
Saturday. Top-ranked Norco, No. 11 Mater Dei Catholic and No. 14 Grand Terrace highlight the 32-team field. Also entered
are previously Top 25-ranked Gahr, Huntington Beach, Santiago, Orange Lutheran and Great Oak.
Defending champion Cathedral Catholic is also entered,
but is struggling at 3-7.
Top 25 national softball rankings
1. (Last week 1 ) Norco (Calif.), 18-0The Cougars beat Mater Dei 5-0 and Corona 13-1.
2. (2) Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton, Fla.), 11-0Kayla Howald and
Payton Kinney combined for a one-hitter in a 6-0 win over Charlotte (Punta Garda).
Avery Goelz doubled twice and drove in three runs.
3. (3) Foothill (Pleasanton, Calif.), 9-0Oklahoma pledge
Nicole May has tossed five-straight shutouts. She has six on the season as the Falcons have a 65-3 scoring edge over their opponents.
4. (4) Cedar Ridge (Round Rock, Texas), 22-0The Raiders are making it seem easy after outscoring two opponents last week, 23-1. Nine Raiders have hit home runs this season.
5. (5) Winter Springs (Fla.), 16-0The Bears had a big week with three run-rule wins and impressive wins over Lake Wales, 5-1, and Bartow 3-1.
6. (6) Estero (Fla.), 15-0Wildcat pitchers tossed three shutouts last week, giving them 11 for the season. One was an eight-inning 1-0 win over Mariner (Cape Coral) when
Lauren Hobbs and
Alex Salter combined to strike out 20. The winning run was unearned with two outs in the bottom of the eighth.
7. (11) Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas), 25-1The Eagles have won 22 in a row and the shutouts total 17, including four in a row. They have not allowed more than two runs in any game this season.
8. (8) Forney (Texas), 15-1The Jackrabbits won their Rivalry Game against North Forney 12-0.
9. (9) Neshoba Central (Philadelphia, Miss.), 17-0The stats are getting gaudy: 142 runs scored and six allowed. Senior pitcher
Aspen Wesley has allowed eight hits in 75 innings in winning all 12 of her starts. She has 188 strikeouts in 75 innings and seven no-hitters.
10. (10) Oakleaf (Orange Park, Fla.), 13-1Ran its win streak to seven with a 4-3 win over Mandarin (Jacksonville) and needed a run in the bottom of the seventh to tie it and a run in the bottom of the eighth to win it.
11. (7) Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista, Calif.), 11-1The Crusaders couldn't hang with Norco but look to rebound at the Michelle Carew Classic.
12. (12) Apopka (Fla.), 13-0Apopka had a good week, winning 15-0, 8-4 and 9-1. A big test comes Tuesday when the Blue Darters face 11-1 Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs). Since losing 2-1 to Apopka, Lake Brantley has won six straight.
13. (13) White Knoll (Lexington, S.C.), 11-0Shelby Davies homered and
Andrea Lyon pitched a three-hit shutout and struck out 15 in a 9-0 win over Dutch Fork (Irmo). They needed a five-run seventh to beat Lexington and remain unbeaten.
14. (17) Grand Terrace (Calif.), 11-2-1The bats boomed with 22 hits in 12-2 and 11-0 wins over Fontana.
15. (NR) Evansville Reitz (Evansville, Ind.), 6-0The Panthers went to Tennessee and swept the Southern Warrior Classic going 5-0.
16. (19) Cape Fear (Fayetteville, N.C.), 9-0The Colts raised their overall team batting average to .455 in 22-0, 25-0 and 14-0 victories last week.
Morgan Nunnery is batting .652.
17. (25) Dripping Springs (Texas), 25-2The seventh-straight victory ran the win streak to 15 with a trio of wins and a 39-1 scoring margin.
18. (18) Empire (Tucson, Ariz.), 19-1The Ravens won twice after seeing their unbeaten start end in a 2-0 loss to Mountain View (Tucson).
19. (22) Los Alamitos (Calif.), 11-3The Griffins avenged their loss to Huntington Beach, 9-1, then rode
Sarah Ladd's two-hitter in a 4-1 win over Marina (Huntington Beach). The only run Huntington Beach scored off Ladd was unearned.
20. (NR) Keller (Texas), 20-3-1The Indians handed V.R. Eaton its first loss in 20 games and have eight-straight wins.
21. (NR) Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), 18-1The Eagles avenged their lone loss of the season with a 1-0 win over previously ranked Orange Lutheran.
22. (20) Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.), 7-1The goal of a perfect season ended in a 2-1 walk-off loss to 7-1 Glacier Peak (Snohomish). They bounced back with a 14-1 win over Mount Vernon.
23. (NR) Pinnacle (Phoenix), 13-2After losing two straight, the Pioneers have exploded for 48 runs and a trio of wins to return to the Top 25.
24. (24) Bradshaw Mountain (Prescott Valley, Ariz.), 23-1The Bears win streak ended at 21 in a 3-2 loss to 15-3 Mingus (Cottonwood), but they rebounded two days later with an 11-1 win over Mingus and followed that win with a 16-0 rout of Deer Valley (Glendale). Six Bears have two or more homers on the season.
25. (NR) Sunrise Mountain (Peoria, Ariz.), 10-0The Mustangs have recorded three straight shutout wins and have allowed four runs in their last nine victories.
Lynae Doty, Empire
Photo by Chris Hook
