MaxPreps top 25 national high school softball rankings

Video: All-state shortstop with first softball MPTopPlay of the year
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Norco High School, ranked No. 3 last week, blanked La Habra, 2-0, in the final of the 22nd annual Dave Kops Tournament of Champions Invitational at Mohave High School last weekend.

As a result, Norco moves atop the MaxPreps Xcellent Softball Top 25 Rankings.

In addition to Los Alamitos and Orange Lutheran losing, last week's No. 2 Mission Viejo lost twice during the Kops tournament that featured seven Top 25 teams from last week.

Needless to say, with the highly ranked teams beating up on one another, this week's rankings saw a lot of movement.

With three of the top five teams losing, Pinnacle moved to No. 2 and Los Alamitos dropped to No. 3. Rounding out the top five are Desert Ridge and Spain Park.



La Habra jumped seven spots to No. 9 this week, but the biggest jump of the week was by 18-0 Hendrickson, which vaulted from unranked to No. 6. Also new to the Top 10 this week are 13-0 Ouachita Parish, 7-0 Clovis and Grand Terrace edged up one spot to No. 10.

Other teams new to the Top 25 this week are Amador Valley, 18-0 Macarthur, D.H. Conley, Carroll, Willis and Chelsea.


1. (Last week 3) Norco (Calif.), 9-0
Led by senior Taylor Dockins, the Cougars won the prestigious Dave Kops TOC that featured seven teams ranked in the MaxPreps Xcellent Top 25 Rankings. Dockins, the senior right-handed pitcher, tossed a three-hit, seven-inning shutout in the title game and also hit a game-winning home run.
Next up: Diamond Ranch (Pomona, Calif.).

2. (5) Pinnacle (Phoenix, Ariz.), 12-0
The Pioneers are running on all cylinders – pitchers CC Cook (4-0) and Marissa Schuld (8-0) have combined to strikeout 140 in in 75 innings and the team is hitting .382 with 125 runs scored.
Next up: Sahuaro (Tucson) on Tuesday.

3. (1) Los Alamitos (Calif.), 7-1
The Griffins finished third in the Kops TOC.
Next up: Semifinals of the Best of the West Tournament (Orange County).

4. (8) Desert Ridge (Mesa, Ariz.), 11-0
Sophomores Shaylee Ackerman (.606 batting average, 25 RBIs and seven homers) and Jadyn Gonzales (.615) tearing it up.
Next up: Showdown with No. 2 Pinnacle (Phoenix) on Mar. 21.



5. (9) Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.), 15-0
The Jaguars edged Cullman, 1-0, as eighth grader Annabelle Widra pitched a one-hitter and struck out 13. She is 13-0 with a 1.57 ERA and has 91 strikeouts in 49 innings. All-American MK Tedder has four homers and 19 RBIs. Next up: Oak Mountain (Birmingham) on Tuesday.

6. (NR) Hendrickson (Pflugerville, Texas), 18-0
The Hawks are firing on all cylinders. Jory Cervantes and Emily Klanika are hitting over .500, pitchers Hope Trautwein (North Texas signee) and Taylor Bachmeyer (Ole Miss pledge) have combined 1.5 strikeouts per inning and freshman standout Mariana Torres (Texas A&M pledge) has solidified the infield. The Hawks have allowed just 12 runs this season.
Next up: McNeil (Austin).

7. (15) Ouachita Parish (Monroe, La.), 15-0
Next up: Pineville on Mar. 21.

8. (NR) Clovis (Calif.), 7-0
A 6-2 victory over previously ranked Oaks Christian (Westlake Village) is among the Cougars' highlights.
Next up: Bullard (Fresno) on Friday.

9. (16) La Habra (Calif.), 6-2
The Highlanders' runner-up finish at Kops TOC included big wins over California rivals Orange Lutheran and Los Alamitos.
Next up: Piedra Vista (Farmington, N.M.) on Wednesday.

10. (11) Grand Terrace (Calif.), 1-0
The Titans routed Redondo Union (Redondo Beach), 14-1, behind Lilly Bishop's two home runs and a combined three-hitter by Yesenia Morrison and Samantha Vargas.
Next up: Heritage (Romoland) on Monday.



11. (NR) Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.), 4-0
The Dons had a good opening week, winning four games by a combined 34-2 margin to capture the Queen of the Mountain Tournament. Three wins were shutouts pitched by junior Danielle Williams.
Next up: Archbishop Mitty (San Jose). 12. (NR) MacArthur (Houston, Texas), 18-0
The Generals are hitting .484 and have scored 221 runs. In 11 of their victories, the opposition has been held to one run or less.
Next up: Spring.

13. (14) Sparkman (Harvest, Ala.), 13-2
Next up: Gulf Coast Classic in Hillcrest (Gulf Shores) on Monday.

14. (NR) Willis (Texas), 18-1
The Wildkats have won 14 in a row since losing 1-0 to Plano (6-1). McKenzie Parker has eight homers and 34 RBIs and senior pitcher Casey Dixon is 12-1 with a 0.45 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 62 innings.
Next up: Tomball Memorial (Tombal).

15. (19) Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), 2-0
Kathryn Sandercock has six hits and seven RBIs and has pitched a pair of perfect games with a combined 21 strikeouts to open the season.
Next up: Our Lady of Good Counsel (Olney, Md.).

16. (NR) Chelsea (Ala.), 11-0
Sarah Cespedes is getting it done in the circle as Chelsea has allowed seven runs in 11 games.
Next up: Leeds on Monday.

17. (18) Westminster Christian (Huntsville, Ala.), 18-1
The Wildcats captured the Clemens Tournament and Annie Willis upped her season strikeout total to 175 in 73 innings with a 0.08 ERA and a 15-0 record.
Next up: Gulf Coast Classic on Monday.



18. (6) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 6-1
The Patriots fell out of the Top 10 after losing, 3-1, to 8-1 Palm Beach Gardens.
Next up: Stranahan (Fort Lauderdale).

19. (NR) D.H. Conley (Greenville, N.C.), 4-0
The Vikings have overwhelmed their first four opponents by a combined 48-4 margin.
Next up: J.H. Rose (Greenville) on Tuesday.

20. (12) Katy (Texas), 19-3
After losing two of three, the Tigers have won three-straight by a 48-5 margin.
Next up: Mayde Creek (Houston).

21. (4) Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 7-2
Despite impressive pitching, the Lancers lost a pair of 3-2 games at the Kops TOC.
Next up: St. Anthony (Long Beach) on Mar. 25.

22. (NR) Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas), 17-2-1
The Tigers have won 10 straight since losing to Katy. Hannah Mayo is 14-2 with a 1.02 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 96 innings.
Next up: Crosstown rival Callahan.

23. (13) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 8-3
The Huskies lost to Orange Lutheran and Los Alamitos at the Kops TOC, but knocked Mission Viejo from the Top 25.
Next up: Corona Del Sol (Tempe) on Tuesday.



24. (24) Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.), 0-0
The 2016 state champions (36-2) open the season on Mar. 12 at Butler.
Next up: Mercy (Louisville) on Tuesday.

25. (20) Coral Springs Charter (Coral Springs, Fla.), 8-1
The Panthers lost to 8-4 West Nassau (Callahan), 3-2 in eight innings, but bounced back to blank Baker County, 3-0.
Next up: Wellington on Monday.

Dropped Out: Atascocita (Tex.), O'Connor (Ariz.), Oaks Christian (Calif.), Oak Forest-River Forest (Ill.), Lakewood (Ohio), Keystone (Ohio), Mission Viejo (Calif.), and Plano West (Tex.).