Winners of 92 of 97 games dating back to 2017, balanced Norco squad finishes the season where it started — No. 1.
Video: Final Top 50 national softball rankings Norco ends up on top after starting the season at No. 1.
As Male (Louisville, Ky.), Williamsville East (East Amherst, N.Y.) and Pine Grove (Pa.) were busy running the table on the 2019 season, Norco (Calif.) staked its claim to the national championship.
Male became the second Kentucky team to complete an unbeaten season as it won the state title to finish 39-0.
Williamsville East won New York's Class A championship and Pine Grove finished unbeaten in 28 games in winning the state's Division 3 title.
Yet, none of those accomplishments were able to overcome the depth and breadth of Norco's 31-1 season, a year in which the Cougars opened as the preseason No. 1.
"I think the key to our success is we were a balanced team in all parts
of the game," Norco coach Richard Robinson said. "We won games 1-0 with great pitching and
defense. We also won games with our offense once coming back from a 6-0
deficit in the fifth inning scoring seven runs in the final two innings.
"I do not believe you win championships if you are not good at all parts of the game," he added.
The Cougars not only finished No. 1 in the Top 25 rankings, but the MaxPreps Computer Rankings as well, a rarity.
Norco has won 92 of its last 97 games over the past three seasons — the five losses are by a combined 11 runs.
The Cougars won a trio of tournaments this season, including the Dave Kops
Tournament of Champions in Arizona and the Michelle Carew Classic, two
of the more prestigious events in the country. They also won their own
Big League Dreams tournament. In addition, Norco powered to a CIF Southern Section Division 1 title in one of the toughest postseason tournaments in the land.
"You always think about being No. 1, but we tried to keep focus on
what we can control on the field, which is a CIF D1 championship," the coach said. "With the playoffs being single elimination you really have to
have a 'one game at a time mentality.' "
In 2017, the Cougars entered the final game of the season 33-0 and
ranked No. 1, but lost 3-1 to Los Alamitos in the section's title game.
That loss knocked them from the top of the polls and ended their dream
of going unbeaten.
"I thought we had a chance to go unbeaten (this season), but
with the tournament schedule we play and in our league we face a lot of
state and nationally ranked teams so if you make an error or have a bad
bounce you can drop a game," Robinson said.
The Cougars had pitching in junior
Sarah Willis (22-1) and sophomore
Stevie Hansen (9-0). The offense came from four-year starters
Kinzie Hansen (Oklahoma signee) and
Paige Smith (Mississippi signee), who combined
for 81 RBI. Defensively, the Cougars committed just 26
errors in fielding .969.
No one was bigger in tournament
and postseason play than Kinzie Hansen, who hit .527 and drove in 27 runs. Smith
lead the Cougars with 45 RBI and drove in a run in each of her final
nine games.
Freshman
Abby Dayton was the program's biggest surprise, hitting .370 in the two-spot with a team-high 28 runs scored.
And as good as Norco was this season, the Cougars will head into 2020 with a loaded lineup.
Willis and Stevie Hansen return as perhaps the deadliest 1-2 pitching punch in the country. The duo combined for 19 shutouts with a 0.64 ERA. In addition, Norco returns five players who hit .350 or better.
The unbeaten seasons enabled Top 10 finishes for Male and Williamsville East, while and Pine Grove finishing in the MaxPreps Top 25 for the first time.
Male, Williamsville East and Pine Grove are three of seven unbeaten teams ranked in the Top 25. Nine unbeatens are ranked in the Top 50, and 16 lost one game during the season.
2019 Final MaxPreps Softball Top 50
Southern Section Division 1 champions. Season complete.
2. (2) Foothill (Pleasanton, Calif.), 28-0North Coast Section Division 1 champions.
3. (3) Winter Springs (Fla.), 31-0Class 8A state champions.
4. (4) Male (Louisville, Ky.), 39-0Kentucky state champions.
5 (5) Oshkosh North (Oshkosh, Wis.), 31-0Division 1 state champions.
6. (6) Katy (Texas), 37-2Class 6A state champions.
Class 5A state champions.
8. (8) Angleton (Texas), 40-2Class 5A state champions.
9. (11) Williamsville East (East Amherst, N.Y.), 27-0Class A state champions.
10. (9) Neshoba Central (Philadelphia, Miss.), 33-2Class 5A state champions.
11. (10) Mater Dei Catholic (Chula Vista, Calif.), 31-4San Diego Section Division 1 champions.
12. (12) Hartsville (S.C.), 29-0Class 4A state champions.
13. (13) Shadow Ridge (Las Vegas), 31-2Class 4A state champions.
14. (14) Shawnee Heights (Tecumseh, Kan.), 22-1Class 5A state champions.
15. (15) Huntingtown (Md.), 22-1Class 3A state champions.
16. (16) Trenton (Fla.), 27-0Class 1A state champions.
17. (17) Rains (Emory, Texas), 34-1Class 3A state champions.
18. (18) Donovan Catholic (Toms River, N.J.), 30-2New Jersey Tournament of Champions winner.
19. (NR) Pine Grove (Pa.), 28-0Division 3 state champions.
20. (22) Millington (Mich.), 38-2-1Class 3 state champions.
21. (20) Jonathan Alder (Plain City, Ohio), 30-1Class 2A state champions.
22. (21) Garfield (Seattle), 28-2Class 3A state champions.
23. (23) Hoover (Clendenin, W. Va.), 34-1Class AA state champions.
24. (24) Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton, Fla.), 30-1Class 8A runner-up.
25. (25) Masuk (Monroe, Conn.), 26-1Class L state champions.
26. Klein Collins (Spring, Texas), 38-3Class 6A runner-up.
27. Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.), 28-3Class 4A state champions.
28. Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.), 26-4-1CIF Southern Section Division 1 runner-up.
29. O'Connor (Phoenix), 24-6Class 6A state champions.
30. Stone Bridge (Ashburn, Va.), 25-1Class 5A state champions.
31. St. Amant (La.), 29-3-1Class 5A state champions.
32. Huntley (Ill.), 35-7Class 4A state champions.
33. Central Dauphin (Harrisburg, Pa.), 24-2Class 6A state champions.
34. Sherwood (Sandy Spring, Md.), 24-1Class 4A state champions.
35. Rose Bud (Ark.), 35-1Class 3A state champions.
CIF Southern Section Division I quarterfinalist.
37. Woodland (Wash.), 26-1Class 2A state champions.
38. Marist (Chicago), 36-4Class 4A semifinalist.
39. Marin Catholic (Kentfield, Calif.), 25-1CIF North Coast Section Division 3 champions.
40. Baylor (Chattanooga, Tenn.), 42-3Class Division 2 AA state champions.
41. West Stanly (Oakboro, N.C.), 28-2Class 2A state champions.
42. Park Vista (Lake Worth, Fla.), 29-3Class 9A state champions.
43. Poynette (Wis.), 30-0Class Division 3 state champions.
44. Keller (Texas), 35-4Class 6A semifinalists.
45. Oakdale (Calif.), 29-1-1CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division 3 champions.
46. Champion (Warren, Ohio), 30-2Division III state champions.
47. Bohemia Manor (Chesapeake City, Md.), 21-1Class 1A state champions.
48. West (Salt Lake City), 26-2Class 5A state champions.
49. Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Ariz.), 25-4Class 4A state champions.
50. Notre Dame (Crowley, La.), 35-0Division III state champions.
