MaxPreps Top 25 high school softball rankings

Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) won all five of its games to win the 18th annual Dave Kops Tournament of Champions played last weekend in Bullhead, Ariz.

The Monarchs, 7-1, got a home run from Sharlene Godoy and four-hit pitching from Andie Formby to win the 3-1 championship game over Norco (Calif.).

In winning the prestigious 40-team tournament, Mater Dei moved into MaxPreps Xcellent 25 Rankings at No. 6.

At the TOC, the Monarchs also defeated California (Whittier, Calif.), 2-0, previously-ranked Centennial (Las Vegas) 2-0, Chino (Calif.) 1-0 and Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.), 7-3.

Featuring teams from five states, the Kops TOC was dominated by California, with the first 10 placings going to California squads. Cienega (Vail, Ariz.) went 4-1 and won the consolation title. Cienega also earned a No. 20 ranking in this week's poll.



Also moving into the Top 25 for the first time in 2013 were No. 7 Cypress Bay (Cypress, Fla.), No. 14 Niceville (Fla.), No. 20 Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.) and No. 25 Carolina Forest (Myrtle Beach, S.C.). All are unbeaten.

No. 1 Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.) opens the season on Thursday in defense of the Queen of the Mountain Tournament that it swept through in 2012, outscoring opponents 35-3, including a 2-0 championship win over No. 4 Logan (Union City, Calif.).

Logan, meanwhile, opened its 2013 campaign with a pair of victories.

No. 3 ranked Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.) opens the season on Tuesday.

Last week's No. 4 team, Santiago (Corona, Calif.), won its first nine games before giving up three runs in the bottom of the seventh to lose to Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.). As a result, Santiago dropped to No. 11.

MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Softball Rankings

1. (Last week 1) Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.), 0-0
After winning their first 25 games of the 2012 season, the Dons lost 1-0 on the season's final day. Begin play on Thursday.



2. (2) Northern (Owings, Md.), 0-0
The 3A state champions haven't lost since 2010 after going 25-0 last year and 21-0 in 2011. The Patriots host Patuxent on March 22.

3. (3) Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), 0-0
The Knights have recorded 16 straight shutouts since losing to No. 2 Northern last April. Their season begins on Tuesday when they host St. Mary's Ryken.

4. (7) Logan (Union City, Calif.) 2-0
Logan opened its season with a pair of wins, defeating Foothill (Pleasanton, Calif.) 2-1 and Castro Valley (Calif.), 5-2. The Colts needed three runs in the seventh to beat Castro Valley. Logan, with a 20-game winning streak, hosts Alameda on Wednesday.

5. (12) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) 14-0
Hannah Null struck out 22 in a 10-inning victory over Kennedale as Marcus remained unbeaten in 14 games. Null, 10-0, allowed only four hits and has 40 strikeouts in her last two games. Maddie Heathington and Madison Greenwell each hit two-run homers for Marcus. Ryan (Denton) hosts Marcus on March 19.

6. (NR) Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) 7-1
The Monarchs only loss this season was 3-2 to unbeaten Great Oaks (Temecula, Calif). The Monarchs, led by Sharlene Godoy's .571 batting average and junior twins Alex and Andie Formby, who are a combined 7-0.

7. (NR) Cypress Bay (Weston, Fla.), 9-0
After beating previously-ranked No. 5 American Heritage, 4-0, the Lightning ripped Everglades (Miramar, Fla.), 16-0 as Courtney Methven and Maddie Wideman each homered. Relying on four pitchers, the Lightning has limited opponents to 25 base hits and only three earned runs. They host Pembroke Pines Charter on Wednesday.



8. (14) Curtis (River Ridge, La.) 11-0
The Patriots have outscored their opponents 79-16 in getting off to an 11-0 start and running their win streak to 32. They host Mt. Carmel on Tuesday.

9. (9) Woodinville (Wash.), 0-0
With Washington's Gatorade POY Madi Schreyer (Stanford) in the circle, the Falcons have lost just twice in the last three seasons. Their season begins in late March.

10. (15) Pearland (Texas), 22-1
The Oilers moved to 22-1 with a 4-1 win over Alvin. Pitcher Samantha Show, 16-0 with 166 strikeouts in 85 innings, has eight home runs and 40 RBIs. Rylie Spell has a nation-leading 11 homers. The Oilers visit Pasadena Memorial on March 19.

11. (4) Santiago (Corona, Calif.), 9-1
After back-to-back shutouts, Santiago allowed Roosevelt (Eastvale) three runs in the bottom of the seventh to lose 4-3 to end the Sharks nine-game winning streak. Sophomore Nichole Fry is batting .535. Next up: March 19 at Redlands.

12. (21) Cypress (Calif.), 7-0
The Centurions got timely hitting from Kacey Whitney and Allie Wood to go along with impressive pitching from Ashley Ross and Madi Dove for a perfect first week of the season. And in week two, they shut out hosting Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.) 10-0 and 4-0. They host Gahr (Cerritos, Calif.) on Tuesday.

13. (22) Coronado (Lubbock, Texas), 18-1
In beating Kennedale and Midland, Monique Garcia remained unbeaten in 12 starts. The Mustangs, who have titles in three 2013 tournaments, visit Odessa on Tuesday.

14. (NR) Niceville (Fla.), 10-0
The defending State 6A champs posted four straight shutouts and have outscored foes 90-14. Winners of 19 in a row, the Eagles host Mosley (Lynn Haven, Fla.) on Thursday.



15. (NR) Great Oak (Temecula, Calif.), 7-0
The only team to beat No. 6 Mater Dei this season, the Wolfpack have outscored their opponents 42-6. In three straight shutout wins, their foes have totaled just five base hits.

16. (16) Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington Township, N.J.), 0-0
With Steph Thomas on the mound (27-0), Immaculate Heart was unbeaten in winning the 2012 state title. The Eagles open their season April 1 hosting Paramus Catholic (N.J.).

17. (17) Lake City (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho), 0-0
With two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year Casey Stangel in the circle, the Timberwolves open their season March 26 hosting Lakeland (Rathdrum, Idaho).

18. (18) North Medford (Ore.), 0-0
Louisville signee Maryssa Becker makes the Black Tornado a heavy favorite to repeat as Oregon 6A champs. The Black Tornado begin their season on March 19 at Foothill (Palo Cedro, Calif.).

19. (20) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 5-0
Desiree Severance threw a one-hitter with seven strikeouts and Madeline Kim homered in a 6-0 win over previously unbeaten Gilroy. Mitty's Jazmyn Jackson and Catherine Callaway have combined for 15 hits and nine RBIs. Next up: Valley Christian (San Jose) on Tuesday.

20. (NR) Cienega (Vail, Ariz.), 10-1
In winning four of five games, the Bobcats took the consolation title at the KORS TOC. Team is hitting .476 as a team and has recorded wins of 6-0 over Los Lunas (N.M.), 4-1 over Clovis (Calif.), 6-0 over Foothill (Calif.) and 5-2 over Chino Hills (Calif.). They host Marana (Tucson) on Tuesday.

21. (11) Lake Howell (Winter Park, Fla.), 11-1
The Silver Hawks beat No. 6 West Orange, 7-4, as Kori Dunn had three hits and Autumn Hanners drove in two and struck out 8, but then lost 7-4 Winter Springs, 5-0. The Silver Hawks bounced back with 3-2 win over Pine Castle Christian Academy (Orlando, Fla.) and 18-0 over Seminole (Sanford, Fla.). They play at Lake Mary on Tuesday.



22. (13) Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas), 20-2
Since losing 1-0 to Montgomery, the Bobcats bounced back to beat Cypress Lakes (Katy, Texas) 11-0 and Cy-Ridge (Houston), 10-0. The Bobcats host Cypress Lakes (Houston) on Tuesday.

23. (23) Olathe East (Kan.), 0-0
Led by last year's state Gatorade winner Allison Stewart (13-0, 0.20 ERA and 52 RBIs), Olathe opens the season on March 28 at North (Shawnee Mission, Kan.).

24. (4) North Marion (Citra, Fla.), 10-1
Since losing to Belleview 1-0 on Feb. 27, the Colts have four straight wins, three behind Holly McKinnon shutouts. The other win was 3-2 over Belleview as McKinnon allowed only 2 hits and struck out 11. For the season, she has nine shutouts and 109 strikeouts in 69 innings. She has allowed just 13 hits on the season. The Colts host Lake Weir (Ocala, Fla.) on Tuesday.

25. (NR) Carolina Forest (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), 7-0
Led by Marisa Runyon (.667, 12 RBIs) and Sarah Sweatt (.668, 12 RBIs), the Panthers are outscoring their foes, 65-18. They host West Florence on Tuesday.

Dropped out: No. 5 American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), No. 6 West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.), No. 8 El Diamante, No. 10 Centennial (Las Vegas), No. 19 Mountain View (Mesa, Ariz.) and No. 25 Wharton (Fla.).