LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Oklahoma state Class 4A champion Lone Grove officially finished first in the GameChanger/NFCA Summer-Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Association announced on Thursday afternoon.
Winning a third-straight state title on Oct. 19 helped cement the (41-0) Longhorns’ standing as the No. 1 team, a position they held for the final eight weeks of the season. Lone Grove was making its seventh consecutive appearance in the title game, and captured its fifth title over that span.
This was the second straight year that the Longhorns beat Blanchard for the 4A crown. The two teams were ranked 1-2 nationally when they played in this year’s championship game.
Meanwhile, Windsor, on the heels of a dominant run to the Colorado Class 4A state championship, leapfrogged Blanchard into the No. 2 position in last week’s ranking and held that spot for the final poll.
On Saturday, No. 9 Buford (30-5) was denied a second straight Georgia state crown — and fourth in the past five seasons — by Harrison in the 7A final. The Wolves had lost to Northgate on Thursday, but won three straight games to fight out of the loser’s bracket, including beating Northgate to advance to the championship
No. 17 Troy-Buchanan (30-5) was the Missouri state Class 5 runner-up, losing to Lee’s Summit last Friday to snap an 11-game win streak. No. 18 South Effingham (32-5) suffered a similar fate in the Georgia 6A championship, losing twice to Creekview, which has won the past three state titles.
South Effingham’s earlier victory over Lassiter (26-6) in the loser’s bracket final caused those two teams to swap places in the Top 25.
State rankings submitted by the NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the GameChanger/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.
GameChanger/NFCA Summer-Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll – Nov. 5, 2026
|
Rank |
Team |
2026 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
41-0 |
1 |
|
|
2 |
29-0 |
2 |
|
|
3 |
36-1 |
3 |
|
|
4 |
36-1 |
4 |
|
|
5 |
29-1 |
5 |
|
|
6 |
38-2 |
6 |
|
|
7 |
30-3 |
7 |
|
|
8 |
25-4 |
8 |
|
|
9 |
30-5 |
9 |
|
|
10 |
24-4 |
10 |
|
|
11 |
24-4 |
11 |
|
|
12 |
29-3 |
12 |
|
|
13 |
34-4 |
13 |
|
|
14 |
40-4 |
14 |
|
|
15 |
37-4 |
15 |
|
|
16 |
36-4 |
16 |
|
|
17 |
30-5 |
17 |
|
|
18 |
32-5 |
19 |
|
|
19 |
26-6 |
18 |
|
|
20 |
22-6 |
20 |
|
|
21 |
26-5 |
21 |
|
|
22 |
28-6 |
22 |
|
|
23 |
29-6 |
23 |
|
|
24 |
20-7 |
24 |
|
|
T25 |
29-6 |
T25 |
|
|
T25 |
24-5 |
T25 |
Dropped out: None.
NFCA High School Steering Committee
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