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Having won four state titles since 2012, Millard South outdistanced the rest of the field to remain Nebraska's dominant softball program over the past seven seasons. The Patriots played their way into MaxPreps' Nebraska Top 25 at the completion of each season, beginning in 2012, and edged Papillion-LaVista 242-226 to claim Cornhusker State bragging rights.
The Monarchs, who trailed Millard South by 30 points a year ago, claimed the Class A state title in 2017 and played in four other state championship contests over the past seven seasons. Class A power Elkhorn South checks in at No. 3 after piling up 146 points and claiming the 2016 Class B state title. The Storm finished as Class B runners-up in 2014 and 2015.
Elkhorn and Lincoln Southwest round out the Top 5 in the Nos. 4 and 5 spots respectively. Only Classes A and B are represented in this week's Top 10. But, Class C did show well with Bishop Neumann landing in the No. 14 spot after winning the state championship in 2017 and finishing as runners-up in 2015 and last fall.
Since Gretna and Omaha Marian tied for ninth, and scored the same amount of state championship points, the powerhouse programs share this week's No. 9 spot. Millard South, Papillion-LaVista, Millard West and Omaha Skutt Catholic are the only members of this week's Top 10 to find a home in every MaxPreps Top 25 since the rankings began in 2012.
MaxPreps has developed its own system in determining which softball programs compete at the highest level over an extended period of time. Here is how points are accumulated:
1. 20 points for a state title
2. 10 points for finishing as a state runner-up
3. Other points are based on a team's Top 25 standing in the final MaxPreps Nebraska Computer Rankings. For instance, if a school claimed the top spot, it received 25 points, while a No. 25 ranking was good for one point.
Nebraska's dominant softball programs since 2012
1. Millard South (Omaha) — 242State titles: 4
Runner-ups: 0
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (2), 2013 (1), 2014 (1), 2015 (5), 2016 (2), 2017 (4), 2018 (5).
2. Papillion-LaVista (Papillion) — 226
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 4
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (4), 2013 (2), 2014 (3), 2015 (2), 2016 (3), 2017 (1), 2018 (1).
3. Elkhorn South (Omaha) — 146
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 2
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (25), 2013 (5), 2014 (6), 2015 (4), 2016 (1), 2017 (9).
4. Elkhorn — 139
State titles: 2
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (15), 2014 (2), 2016 (9), 2017 (12), 2018 (3).
5. Lincoln Southwest (Lincoln) — 138
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2013 (12), 2014 (13), 2015 (8), 2016 (11), 2017 (2), 2018 (2).
6. Millard West (Omaha, Neb) — 132
State titles: 0
Runner-ups: 0
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (1), 2013 (9), 2014 (5), 2015 (9), 2016 (5), 2017 (13), 2018 (8).
7. York — 128
State titles: 0
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (6), 2013 (4), 2014 (7), 2015 (3), 2016 (10), 2017 (8).
8. Skutt Catholic (Omaha) — 126
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 0
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (3), 2013 (3), 2014 (14), 2015 (17), 2016 (19), 2017 (16), 2018 (4).
9. (tie) Gretna — 112
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2014 (17), 2015 (11), 2016 (4), 2017 (7), 2018 (9).
9. (tie) Marian (Omaha) — 112
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2013 (16), 2014 (4), 2015 (1), 2016 (16), 2018 (11).
