LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Buford stayed unbeaten and solidified its hold on the No. 1 spot in the NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll with a top-five victory over Wesleyan.
The (17-0) Wolves won four games for the second straight week, including Wednesday’s 3-2 triumph over No. 5 Wesleyan. Buford allowed one run combined in its other three wins over Collins Hill (11-1 last Thursday) and Central Gwinnett (16-0 and 15-0 on Tuesday).
Dale (16-1) remained second, while one-loss Lincoln Southwest (15-1) made a big move, going from 11th to third. That slid back-to-back Iowa state Class 2A titlist Van Meter (34-2), whose summer season is complete, down one place this week to fourth.
East Coweta (15-3), which lost to Harris County, 2-1 in nine innings last Thursday, is the new No. 6 team. Harris County had been the winner of the NFCA/F.A.N. Leadoff Classic in Colorado earlier this season. Millard North, Broomfield, Lakewood and Owasso round out the revised top 10.
Speaking of Colorado, a pair of squads from that state jumped into the rankings after continued strong play. Elizabeth (12-2) is the new No. 18 team, while Columbine (12-4), which boasts wins over poll teams Lutheran and Arvada West this season, enters the mix at No. 21.
Caddo and Valor Christian dropped out this week following multiple losses.
State rankings submitted by the NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule. Five states — Colorado, Georgia, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri — play a fall fastpitch schedule, while Iowa recently completed its summer season.
NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll – Sept. 18, 2025
Rank |
Team |
2025 Record |
Previous |
1 |
Buford (Ga.) |
17-0 |
1 |
2 |
Dale (Okla.) |
16-1 |
2 |
3 |
Lincoln Southwest (Neb.) |
15-1 |
11 |
4 |
Van Meter (Iowa) |
34-2 |
3 |
5 |
Wesleyan (Ga.) |
16-2 |
5 |
6 |
East Coweta (Ga.) |
15-3 |
4 |
7 |
Millard North (Neb.) |
18-3 |
6 |
8 |
Broomfield (Colo.) |
12-2 |
8 |
9 |
Lakewood (Colo.) |
12-3 |
20 |
10 |
Owasso (Okla.) |
15-3 |
9 |
11 |
North Cobb (Ga.) |
16-3 |
10 |
12 |
Helias Catholic (Mo.) |
12-3 |
12 |
13 |
Arvada West (Colo.) |
10-2 |
13 |
14 |
Gretna (Neb.) |
16-5 |
7 |
15 |
Blue Springs South (Mo.) |
10-5 |
14 |
16 |
Papillion-LaVista (Neb.) |
16-6 |
15 |
17 |
Lutheran (Colo.) |
11-4 |
18 |
18 |
Elizabeth (Colo.) |
12-2 |
NR |
19 |
Raymore-Peculiar (Mo.) |
11-4 |
17 |
20 |
Northwest (Iowa) |
34-4 |
21 |
21 |
Columbine (Colo.) |
12-4 |
NR |
22 |
Clarksville (Iowa) |
31-4 |
24 |
23 |
Rock Bridge (Mo.) |
12-5 |
22 |
24 |
Lafayette (Mo.) |
9-6 |
19 |
25 |
Piedmont (Okla.) |
16-7 |
25 |
Dropped out: Caddo (Okla.) and Valor Christian (Colo.).
NFCA High School Steering Committee
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