LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Top-ranked Lake Creek won its area championship game and moved forward to the Texas state 5A regional quarters to remain No. 1 for a 25th straight week, and the first five teams stayed the same in the 2023 USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25.
The defending state champion (37-0) Lions mauled Elgin, 11-0, last Friday as Florida commit Ava Brown tossed a no-hitter (11 strikeouts) and hit a home run. Lake Creek has a regional quarterfinal against Pflugerville later today at Mumford High.
Meanwhile, No. 2 Willow Canyon (29-0-1) topped Campo Verde, 2-0, on Saturday and has a playoff game versus Canyon View today. Third-ranked Bentonville (28-1) earned a bye in the Arkansas state playoffs and will face the winner of today’s game between Conway and Rogers Heritage on Friday.
No. 4 Roncalli (20-2-1) went 6-0 in a busy week during which the Royals outscored their opponents, 50-2. Fifth-ranked Jackson (19-1) needed nine innings Monday to score a 3-0 victory over Lake Stevens and rolled past Mariner, 23-2, on Wednesday.
Neshoba Central (24-3), Moorpark (20-1), Watkins Memorial (23-0) and Louisiana state champion St. Amant (34-2) all gained one spot with Los Alamitos’ 5-1 CIF Southern Section Division 1 quarterfinal loss to Pacifica, while unbeaten Springfield (22-0) moved into the top 10 with its second come-from-behind ranked triumph over Anthony Wayne (19-2) of the season, 4-3, on Monday in a matchup of two of the top three Northern Lakes League squads. Springfield faces the third — Perrysburg — tonight.
Queens Creek (29-3-1) dropped from 21st to 25th after two losses in the past week, including a 3-0 defeat Wednesday in the opener of its best-of-three Arizona state 6A semifinal with Basha.
State rankings submitted by the 2023 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality, strength of schedule, and active NFCA membership.
USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Softball Poll
|
Rank |
Team |
2023 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Lake Creek (Texas) |
37-0 |
1 |
|
2 |
Willow Canyon (Ariz.) |
29-0-1 |
2 |
|
3 |
Bentonville (Ark.) |
28-1 |
3 |
|
4 |
Roncalli (Ind.) |
20-2-1 |
4 |
|
5 |
Jackson (Wash.) |
19-1 |
5 |
|
6 |
Neshoba Central (Miss.) |
24-3 |
7 |
|
7 |
Moorpark (Calif.) |
20-1 |
8 |
|
8 |
Watkins Memorial (Ohio) |
23-0 |
9 |
|
9 |
St. Amant (La.) |
34-2 |
10 |
|
10 |
Springfield (Holland, Ohio) |
22-0 |
12 |
|
11 |
Rockridge (Ill.) |
26-1 |
13 |
|
12 |
Los Alamitos (Calif.) |
24-4 |
6 |
|
13 |
Saint Francis (Calif.) |
23-2 |
14 |
|
14 |
Coral Springs Charter (Fla.) |
24-0-2 |
15 |
|
15 |
Ballard (Ky.) |
24-1 |
11 |
|
16 |
Mount Vernon (Mo.) |
34-1 |
16 |
|
17 |
Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.) |
33-1 |
18 |
|
18 |
West Stanly (N.C.) |
24-1 |
19 |
|
19 |
Donovan Catholic (N.J.) |
20-1 |
20 |
|
20 |
Anthony Wayne (Ohio) |
19-2 |
17 |
|
21 |
Benton (Ark.) |
24-4 |
22 |
|
22 |
Norco (Calif.) |
27-3 |
23 |
|
23 |
Spanish Fork (Utah) |
21-2 |
24 |
|
24 |
Bend (Ore.) |
22-2 |
25 |
|
25 |
Queen Creek (Ariz.) |
29-3-1 |
21 |
Dropped out: None.
State rankings submitted by the 2023 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality, strength of schedule, and active NFCA membership.
Celebrating 40 years in 2023, the NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its vast library of digital education, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to an extensive Awards & Scholarships platform, to NFCA Webinars and a National Convention.
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