Twenty-ninth edition of the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions starts this week, features four ranked teams.
Reigning national champion and preseason No. 1
Orange Beach (Ala.) lost its first game of the season, meaning there is a new No. 1 in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school softball rankings.
Orange Beach fell 6-5 to
Spanish Fort (Ala.) on Feb. 25. Louisiana signee
Haley Hart hit a three-run bomb in the bottom of the sixth to give the Toros the lead and they held on to pull off the upset. Spanish Fort is red-hot to start the season, boasting a 12-0 record and climbing to No. 7 in the rankings. The Makos drop to No. 9.
Melissa (Texas) slides into the top spot. The Cardinals are 14-0 and have launched 45 home runs, led by
Finlee Williams, who has 10. Fellow sophomore
Eloisa Maes has been dominant in the circle, posting a 9-0 record with 65 strikeouts.
Sophomore Finlee Williams has already blasted 10 home runs while batting .553 for top-ranked Melissa. (PHOTO: Oladipo Awowale)
Staying in Texas, both
Lake Creek (Montgomery) and
Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu) enter this week's rankings.
Lake Creek is off to a 14-0 start, led by ace pitcher and Wichita State commit
Sara Wiggins.
Barbers Hill has collected several impressive early-season wins. Sophomore pitcher
Macie Bryant struck out 11 and held No. 6
Katy to just four hits in a 2-0 victory Saturday.
In Florida,
Calvary Christian (Clearwater) joins the rankings at No. 19 after a 5-0 start. North Carolina State commit
Morgen Talley has been lights out, allowing just one earned run, striking out 28 and posting a 3-0 record in 18 innings.
Looking ahead, the 29th annual Dave Kops Tournament of Champions will take place March 6-8 in Bullhead, Ariz. One of the premier high school softball tournaments in the country, it features many of the top-ranked teams, including No. 2
Norco (Calif.), No. 11
Ridgeline (Millville, Utah), No. 17
JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.), No. 20
Canyon (Anaheim, Calif.) and several other elite squads from the West Coast.
1. Melissa (Texas) Record: 14-0 |
Last week: 2
Makenna Ramsey and
Eloisa Maes combined to throw a no-hitter while
Caigan Crabtree went yard and drove in three runs during a 9-0 win over Rains on Saturday.
2. Norco (Calif.)Record: 7-0 |
Last week: 6
Leighton Gray had a pair of hits including a home run as the Cougars beat La Mirada 10-1 on Saturday.
3. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)Record: 5-0 |
Last week: 3
Elena Friedman hit a home run, a triple and drove in six runs as the Eagles beat East Lake 15-0 on Saturday.
4. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills, Calif.)Record: 5-0 |
Last week: 4
Brooklyn Paratore drove in four runs and
Gemma Almont added another two as the Trojans beat Vanden 9-0 on Friday.
5. Summerville (S.C.)Record: 5-0 |
Last week: 7
Head coach Heather Tucker picked up her 500th career win during a 10-0 win over Cane Bay on Saturday.
6. Katy (Texas) Record: 18-1 |
Last week: 5
The Tigers bounced back from their first loss of the season with a 9-2 win over Foster.
Ella Kate Smith and
Maddie Smith both had three hits a piece.
7. Spanish Fort (Ala.)Record: 12-0 |
Last week: NR
Anne Thomas Luke had two hits, including a double, and drove in two during a 6-5 win over Orange Beach.
8. Northwest Rankin (Brandon, Miss.)Record: 7-0 |
Last week: 9
Grace Wallis went the distance and did work at the plate with two hits as the Cougars beat Clinton 2-1 on Saturday.
9. Orange Beach (Ala.)Record: 0-1 |
Last week: 1
The Makos return to action March 10.
10. Austintown-Fitch (Youngstown, Ohio)Record: 0-0 |
Last week: 8
Season begins March 22.
11. Ridgeline (Millville, Utah)Record: 0-0 |
Last week: 10
Season begins March 5
12. Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.)Record: 3-0 |
Last week: 12
Sarah Breaux hit two bombs and knocked in five runs during a 14-0 win over Somerset Academy on Wednesday.
13. Coahoma (Texas)Record: 9-0 |
Last week: 13
Bree Lewis hit her first dinger of the season during a 4-0 win over Jacksboro on Saturday.
14. Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport, La.)Record: 4-0 |
Last week: 17
Jaycee Sledge,
Baylor Bockhaus and
Mallory Carver all went deep while
Kynzee Anderson struck out 14 during a 11-0 win over Ponchatoula on Saturday.
15. Lake Creek (Montgomery, Texas)Record: 14-0 |
Last week: NR
North Carolina commit
Madalyn Davis had a big day on Saturday during a 8-0 win over Liberty. The junior had three hits, a double and drove in two.
16. Garner (N.C.)Record: 2-0 |
Last week: 20
The Trojans have scored 24 runs in two games to open 2025.
Gaby Mizelle has two bombs and six RBI.
17. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)Record: 5-1 |
Last week: 21
Freshman
Melia Munoz had a double and triple during a 6-0 win over Dana Hills on Friday.
18. Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas)Record: 10-2 |
Last week: NR
Aybrie Corona and
Izzy Lawrence each drove in a run during a 2-0 win over Katy.
19. Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.)Record: 5-0 |
Last week: NR
University of North Florida commit
Alexis Camilleri has nine hits through five games, including two during Friday's 9-1 win over Crystal River.
20. Canyon (Anaheim, Calif.)Record: 5-0 |
Last week: 23
Samantha Gresham hit a double in the bottom of the eighth inning to score
Jade Diaz, lifting the Comanches to a 2-1 win over South on Saturday.
21. Sonora (La Habra, Calif.)Record: 8-0 |
Last week: NR
Arizona State commit
Brooke Piwowar had two hits, including a home run, with three RBI, in a 7-5 win over Mission Viejo on Saturday.
22. Carterville (Ill.)Record: 0-0 |
Last week: 15
Season begins March 22.
23. Neshannock (New Castle, Pa.)Record: 0-0 |
Last week: 18
Season begins March 14.
24. St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.)Record: 0-0 |
Last week: 19
Season begins March 17.
25. Gaylord (Mich.)Record: 0-0 |
Last week: 24
Season begins March 19.
Next 2526.
Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.)27.
Central (Phenix City, Ala.)28.
Bloomingdale (Valrico, Fla.)29.
St. Charles North (St. Charles, Ill.)30.
Rising Sun (North East, Md.)31.
Marist (Chicago, Ill.)32.
Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia, S.C.)33.
Gordonsville (Tenn.)34.
Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)35.
Springville (Ala.)36.
Kenosha Bradford (Kenosha, Wis.)37.
Canyon del Oro (Tucson, Ariz.)38.
Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs, Fla.)39.
Lincoln-Way Central (New Lenox, Ill.)40.
Forney (Texas)41.
Henderson County (Henderson, Ky.)42.
Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.)43.
Randolph (Minn.)44.
Eagleville (Tenn.)45.
Summer Creek (Houston, Texas)46.
La Salle Academy (Providence, R.I.)47.
Ichabod Crane (Valatie, N.Y.)48.
Etiwanda (Calif.)49.
Hudsonville (Mich.)50.
Wamego (Wamego, Kan.)
