LOUISVILLE, Ky. — No. 1 Orange Beach continued to win and lead an NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Coaches Poll first eight that hasn’t changed for three weeks, the Association announced on Thursday.
The five-time reigning Alabama state champion (42-1) Makos didn’t allow a single run in victories over Opp (14-0 Monday), Dale County (13-0 Monday) and Geneva (10-0 Tuesday).
Meanwhile, No. 3 South Warren (35-0), which dealt Orange Beach its lone loss this season, added three more wins to its ledger to stay firmly behind No. 2 Calvary Baptist Academy (37-1), which wrapped up its sixth straight Louisiana state championship two weeks ago.
South Warren two-way threat Layla Odgen is just seven strikeouts from 500 for her career, despite splitting time on a talented Spartan staff. For the season, the Western Kentucky commit is 16-0 with a 0.76 ERA, 10 shutouts and 57 scoreless innings, while also helping anchor a potent offensive attack.
No. 4 Lake Creek (35-1) and sixth-ranked Melissa (31-2) both advanced to their respective Texas 5A regional finals, while No. 5 Murrieta Mesa (25-1) returns to action Friday with a game against Valley View in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Division I playoffs. Seventh-ranked Owyhee (24-2) and No. 8 Gray Collegiate (28-0) are continuing their playoff runs as well.
Three newcomers entered the rankings this week, including two unbeaten squads. Lake Central (25-0), which has outscored its opponents 309-25 this season, debuts at No. 11, while Austintown-Fitch (21-0) is ranked 14th. Cheshire (16-1), which has won 15 consecutive games since a 2-0 season-opening loss to Masuk on March 29 joins at No. 24.
State rankings submitted by the NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Coaches Poll. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule.
NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Coaches Poll – May 14, 2026
|
Rank |
Team |
2026 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Orange Beach (Ala.) |
42-1 |
1 |
|
2 |
Calvary Baptist Academy (La.) |
37-1 |
2 |
|
3 |
South Warren (Ky.) |
35-0 |
3 |
|
4 |
Lake Creek (Texas) |
35-1 |
4 |
|
5 |
Murrieta Mesa (Calif.) |
25-1 |
5 |
|
6 |
Melissa (Texas) |
31-2 |
6 |
|
7 |
Owyhee (Idaho) |
24-2 |
7 |
|
8 |
Gray Collegiate (S.C.) |
28-0 |
8 |
|
9 |
Destiny Christian (Calif.) |
25-0 |
10 |
|
10 |
Barrington (Ill.) |
31-0 |
11 |
|
11 |
Lake Central (Ind.) |
25-0 |
NR |
|
12 |
Skyline (Wash.) |
17-1 |
12 |
|
13 |
Marist (Ill.) |
29-1 |
13 |
|
14 |
Austintown-Fitch (Ohio) |
21-0 |
NR |
|
15 |
Carterville (Ill.) |
30-1 |
9 |
|
16 |
Doral Academy (Fla.) |
25-2 |
14 |
|
17 |
Thompson (Ala.) |
43-1-2 |
15 |
|
18 |
Norco (Calif.) |
25-2 |
16 |
|
19 |
Kenton Ridge (Ohio) |
25-0 |
17 |
|
20 |
St. John Vianney (N.J.) |
21-0 |
18 |
|
21 |
Weddington (N.C.) |
22-0 |
20 |
|
22 |
Donovan Catholic (N.J.) |
21-1 |
19 |
|
23 |
Caldera (Ore.) |
22-1 |
21 |
|
24 |
Cheshire (Conn.) |
16-1 |
NR |
|
T25 |
Mount St. Dominic Academy (N.J.) |
23-2 |
22 |
|
T25 |
Barbers Hill (Texas) |
36-3 |
24 |
Dropped out: Fullerton (Calif.), La Salle Academy (R.I.) and Penn (Ind.).
2026 NFCA High School Steering Committee
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