LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Melissa defeated perennial Texas power Barbers Hill 4-2 in last Friday’s Texas Class 5A, Division 1 final to lock up a No. 1 finish for the season in the NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Coaches Poll.
Eloisa Maes won what had been a pitcher’s duel with fellow super sophomore Macie Bryant for much of the contest. Florida commit Kennedy Bradley doubled in Finlee Williams with the first run in the top of the sixth, and Texas-bound Caigan Crabtree hit a long homer to left on the college field she’ll soon call home to help power the (38-1) Cardinals.
Meanwhile, third-ranked Lake Creek (37-0) captured the Texas 5A, Division 2 title and completed a perfect season with a 12-1 rout of Hallsville that same day.
Lincoln-Way Central (34-1) added two shutout victories to its ledger to move up one spot to No. 6 this week. New No. 9 Donovan Catholic (25-1) gained a position as well, beating Our Lady of Mercy and St. Thomas Aquinas this past week to set up a ranked showdown later today with No. 25 (tied) St. John Vianney for the South Jersey Non-Public Group A championship.
St. John Vianney rode junior Madison McDougall’s one-hitter (eight strikeouts) in Tuesday’s 17-0 shutout of Notre Dame to reach the final. The defending Group A champion (18-2) Lancers hold a 3-2 edge over Donovan Catholic in their last five meetings, which includes a 5-2 victory in last year’s A semis.
Undefeated four-time reigning Massachusetts state champ Taunton (22-0) defeated Weymouth 7-1 in Wednesday’s Division 1 round of 16 game on the strength of senior Georgetown commit Cate Larson’s one-hitter (18 strikeouts) and sophomore catcher Bella Bourque’s two-run blast in the third. Larson carried a perfect game into the sixth for the No. 12 Tigers.
Elsewhere, No. 23 Kingsway (23-2) reached the South Jersey Group 4 final with a 10-4 triumph over Southern, and perennial California contender Norco blanked El Modena 3-0 in the CIF Southern Section Division 1 title game to remain tied for the No. 25 spot for another week.
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 Softball Coaches Poll – June 5, 2025
|
Rank |
Team |
2025 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Melissa (Texas) |
38-1 |
1 |
|
2 |
Calvary Baptist (La.) |
37-1 |
2 |
|
3 |
Lake Creek (Texas) |
37-0 |
3 |
|
4 |
Bishop O’Connell (Va.) |
20-0 |
4 |
|
5 |
Katy (Texas) |
36-2 |
6 |
|
6 |
Lincoln-Way Central (Ill.) |
34-1 |
7 |
|
7 |
Doral Academy (Fla.) |
31-1 |
8 |
|
8 |
Owyhee (Idaho) |
28-1 |
9 |
|
9 |
Donovan Catholic (N.J.) |
25-1 |
10 |
|
10 |
Skyview (Wash.) |
24-1 |
11 |
|
11 |
Ridgeview (Ore.) |
26-1 |
13 |
|
12 |
Taunton (Mass.) |
22-0 |
14 |
|
13 |
Glenwood (Ill.) |
32-1 |
15 |
|
14 |
La Salle Academy (R.I.) |
24-1 |
16 |
|
15 |
Orange Beach (Ala.) |
47-2 |
17 |
|
16 |
Summerville (S.C.) |
33-2 |
5 |
|
17 |
Perrysburg (Ohio) |
27-2 |
12 |
|
18 |
Marist (Ill.) |
34-2 |
18 |
|
19 |
Beecher (Ill.) |
35-2 |
19 |
|
20 |
Sam Houston (La.) |
32-2 |
20 |
|
21 |
Benton (Ark.) |
31-2 |
21 |
|
22 |
Mt. Spokane (Wash.) |
28-2 |
22 |
|
23 |
Kingsway (N.J.) |
23-2 |
23 |
|
24 |
St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) |
24-3 |
24 |
|
T25 |
St. John Vianney (N.J.) |
18-2 |
T25 |
|
T25 |
Norco (Calif.) |
29-3 |
T25 |
Dropped out: None.
2025 NFCA High School Steering Committee
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