MaxPreps top 25 national high school softball rankings

Video: The behind-the-back drag bunt
See an amazing at-bat by 10-year-old Florida girl Amani Stanley.

With three shutouts in its last four wins, Norco remains atop MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Softball Rankings. The Cougars have scored 117 runs and allowed 15 in their 14 victories. Their most recent win was 9-0 over 12-4 Mater Dei.

Pinnacle returned to No. 2 this week after winning six in a row and running its record to 23-1. The Pioneers lone loss was by a 1-0 margin. Los Alamitos, which started the season ranked No. 1, moved back into the Top 5 at No. 3 following a trio of impressive wins.

Rounding out the top five are 24-1 Willis and 10-0 Scott County.

One of the week's biggest movers was Orange Lutheran, which jumped from No. 15 to No. 8 after winning four times in which it scored a total of 31 runs.



Also new to the Top 10 this week are No. 7 Coral Springs Charter  and No. 10 Johnson.

New to the Top 25 this week are unbeatens Hurricane, La Cueva, Bentonville and North Fort Myers.

Three major tournaments scheduled for this weekend – the Michelle Carew Classic in California, the Kissimmee Klassic in Florida and the Bob Jones Invitational in Alabama – are expected to impact next week's Xcellent Top 25 Rankings with 17 ranked or previously ranked teams competing.

1. (Last week 1) Norco (Calif.), 14-0
The Cougars blanked Mater Dei (Santa Ana) 9-0. They participate in the Michelle Carew Classic starting Wednesday through Saturday.

2. (4) Pinnacle (Phoenix), 23-1
Since losing 1-0, the Pioneers have won their last six games by a 70-7 margin. A Friday showdown with No. 12 and 20-3 O'Connor (Phoenix) looms.

3. (6) Los Alamitos (Calif.), 11-2
The Griffins beat previously ranked Huntington Beach (Calif.) 6-1. They play in the Michelle Carew Classic.



4. (7) Willis (Texas), 24-1
The Wildkats ran their win streak to 20 straight with shutout wins over Walter and Tomball. They have allowed 17 runs and have won 15 times by shutout.

5. (9) Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.), 10-0
The Cardinals won the Elizabethtown Tournament going 5-0, then blanked Boyle County 4-0 and beat Lafayette (Lexington) 6-1. They face previously ranked and 15-2 West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.) on Tuesday in the opener of the Kissimmee Klassic.

6. (2) Hendrickson (Pflugerville, Texas), 21-1
The Hawks lost 4-3 to Cedar Ridge (Round Rock). It was their second straight one-run game after defeating rival Pflugerville 2-1 in extra innings.

7. (12) Coral Springs Charter (Coral Springs, Fla.), 16-1
The Panthers have won nine straight, including the last five by shutout. Opponents have scored just 11 runs against them this season. Sophomore Shannon Doherty is batting .609.

8. (15) Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 11-2
The Lancers, who have lost twice this season by 3-2 margins, won four games last week. They open play Thursday in the Michelle Carew Classic.

9. (10) Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), 9-0
Kat Sandercock struck out 16 in a 1-0, eight-inning win over previously unbeaten McLean (Va.). Sandercock is 9-0 with 104 strikeouts in 50 innings and has a 0.14 ERA.



10. (13) Johnson (San Antonio), 20-1
The Jaguars have won eight in a row. Senior Mia Moreno has six homers, 26 RBIs and is batting .509.

11. (NR) Hurricane (W. Va.), 10-0
Led by 2016 state Player of the Year Katie Adams, the Redskins are running on all cylinders.

12. (17) O'Connor (Phoenix), 20-3
With 10 wins in a row, the Eagles' offense keeps churning out runs at a high pace. During the 10-game streak, they have scored 121 times. Senior Madison Westmoreland has 13 home runs and 42 RBIs for the Eagles. O'Connor, which is hitting .392 as a team, plays No. 2 Pinnacle on Friday.

13. (14) Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas), 22-2-1
The Tigers have won 16 straight and Hannah Mayo owns a 0.82 ERA with a 20-2 won-loss mark.

14. (20) Stockdale (Bakersfield, Calif.), 16-0
The last five Mustang victories have come by a 54-0 margin. Freshman pitcher Sydney Hornbuckle is 11-0 with a 0.47 ERA.

15. (18) Katy (Texas), 22-3
The Tigers have won seven in a row – six times by run-rule margins.



16. (16) Grand Terrace (Calif.), 6-1
Alexis Lemus had four of the Titans' 16 hits, and Lilly Bishop homered and knocked in four runs, as the Titans out slugged Roosevelt (Eastvale) 13-6. The Titans open play Thursday in the Michelle Carew Classic.

17. (21) Kingwood (Texas), 20-3
The Mustangs have won 10 in a row. Madison Lindsey has 144 strikeouts in 72 innings.

18. (22) East Carter (Grayson, Ky.), 7-0
The Raiders, who open play in the Cal Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach (S.C.) on Monday, have committed just four errors behind a trio of pitchers who have combined for a 0.72 ERA (junior Montana Fouts is 4-0 with 55 strikeouts in 23 innings and a 0.00 ERA).

19. (NR) Bentonville (Ark.), 12-0
Led by the Wildeman sisters – Jenna Wildeman and Payton Wildeman – and pitcher Madison Prough, the Tigers have eight wins by shutouts. Sophomore Cailey Cochran pitched a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in her last start.

20. (NR) La Cueva (Albuquerque), 15-0
The Bears routed Manzano (Albuquerque,) on Saturday, 18-2 and 15-0, to remain undefeated.

21. (23) Woodinville (Wash.), 7-0
The senior-loaded Falcons won all three games they played last week, 9-0, 3-0 and 3-1.



22. (NR) Fort Myers (Fla.), 19-1
The youthful (as in no seniors) Green Wave have won 18 in a row since losing. They are hitting .419 as a team (led by .490-plus hitters Jessica Wilson, Maria Angelino and freshman Ryley Topliff). Junior pitcher Hannah Perkins is 13-0 with a 0.86 ERA.

23. (19) Orange (Hillsborough, N.C.), 7-0
The Panthers are hitting .404 as a team, with four starters hitting .475 or higher.

24. (24) Cape Fear (Fayetteville, N.C.), 13-0
The Colts are hitting like a slow-pitch team and have scored 201 runs. They have reached double digits 10 times and scored 20 or more in five games.

25. (8) Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.), 29-2
The Jaguars lost 5-4 to Austin (Decatur).

Dropped out: Hamilton (Ariz.), Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.), Gahr (Calif.) and St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.).