LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Orange Beach stayed unbeaten and overtook Calvary Baptist Academy for the top spot in the NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Association announced on Thursday.
The five-time reigning Alabama state champion (27-0) Makos, who have won crowns every year of their school’s short existence, won four of their seven games this past week by 10 or more runs. Six of those victories were by at least six runs, and overall Orange Beach outscored their opponents in those contests by a 63-6 margin.
Fellow five-time state titlist Calvary Baptist (31-1), the No. 1-ranked team for the last five weeks, dropped to third after falling to longtime Louisiana power West Monroe, 3-2 on Monday, a team the Cavaliers had beaten 6-4 last month.
Thompson (27-1-1) also lost, dropping two places to fourth, allowing unbeaten Murrieta Mesa (17-0) to leapfrog both Calvary and the Warriors into second. Murrieta rolled past Murrieta Valley, 13-0 Tuesday, in its only action, and faces the Nighthawks for a third time this season later today.
The teams in spots 5-9 remained unchanged, with new No. 10 South Warren (20-0) leading six unbeaten newcomers in this week’s poll. The Spartans, led by this week’s MaxPreps/NFCA National High School South Central Region Player of the Week Layla Ogden, have been dominating opponents in and out of Kentucky by a 247-15 margin. But they have a huge test tonight on the road at No. 1 Orange Beach.
Elsewhere, Northern teams are finally logging some games, with Illinois’ Marist (9-0) returning to the rankings at No. 13, fellow Land of Lincoln squad Carterville (14-0) joining at No. 15 and Ohio’s Kenton Ridge (10-0) in at 16th. Perennial New Jersey powers Mount St. Dominic Academy (5-0) and St. John Vianney (3-0) are the other two new additions this week at 18th and 20th, respectively.
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 – April 9, 2026
|
Rank |
Team |
2026 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Orange Beach (Ala.) |
27-0 |
2 |
|
2 |
Murrieta Mesa (Calif.) |
17-0 |
4 |
|
3 |
Calvary Baptist Academy (La.) |
31-1 |
1 |
|
4 |
Thompson (Ala.) |
27-1-1 |
3 |
|
5 |
Lake Creek (Texas) |
26-1 |
5 |
|
6 |
Owyhee (Idaho) |
15-1 |
6 |
|
7 |
Melissa (Texas) |
24-2 |
7 |
|
8 |
Skyline (Wash.) |
9-0 |
8 |
|
9 |
Vandebilt Catholic (La.) |
25-0 |
9 |
|
10 |
South Warren (Ky.) |
20-0 |
NR |
|
11 |
Doral Academy (Fla.) |
14-1 |
11 |
|
12 |
Gray Collegiate (S.C.) |
18-0 |
12 |
|
13 |
Marist (Ill.) |
9-0 |
NR |
|
14 |
Norco (Calif.) |
15-2 |
16 |
|
15 |
Carterville (Ill.) |
14-0 |
NR |
|
16 |
Kenton Ridge (Ohio) |
10-0 |
NR |
|
17 |
Fullerton (Calif.) |
16-2 |
14 |
|
18 |
Mount St. Dominic Academy (N.J.) |
5-0 |
NR |
|
19 |
La Salle Academy (R.I.) |
4-0 |
23 |
|
20 |
St. John Vianney (N.J.) |
3-0 |
NR |
|
21 |
Donovan Catholic (N.J.) |
3-0 |
20 |
|
22 |
Desert Mountain (Ariz.) |
16-2-1 |
10 |
|
23 |
Middleton (Idaho) |
13-2 |
17 |
|
24 |
Montverde Academy (Fla.) |
13-3 |
18 |
|
T25 |
Barbers Hill (Texas) |
28-3 |
19 |
|
T25 |
Midway (Texas) |
22-4-1 |
21 |
Dropped out: Desert Vista (Ariz.), JSerra Catholic (Calif.), Kingwood (Texas), Richland (Wash.) and Sam Houston (La.).
2026 NFCA High School Steering Committee
The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaches polls and All-America awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of over 7,000 coaches today!
