There is a new No. 1 team in this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school softball rankings.
This time of year it's all about momentum and who's hot, and that describes
Kingwood (Texas) perfectly right now. The Mustangs have won 23 straight games and swept previous No. 1 Katy in a best-of-three series to advance to the 6A state semifinals. Freshman phenom
Hunter Quentel has been a beast on both sides of the ball. She is batting .462 with 12 home runs and is also the team's ace with a 17-2 record in the circle. Kingwood joins the rankings at No. 16.
So now, who is No. 1?
Orange Beach (Ala.) slides into the top spot after wrapping up its season with a 4A state title on May 14, the school's fourth straight title. The Makos' two wins over No. 5
Pace (Fla.), the Sunshine State's top team and 6A state champion, and a 4-2 win over No. 9
Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.), Alabama's 7A champion, add enough to their resume to vault them to the top spot. South Carolina commit
Kaylee Favors finished the season 21-1 with a 0.77 ERA. Sophomores
Teagan Revette and
Ava Hodo combined to hit 24 of the team's 51 home runs. They could be a favorite for preseason No. 1 next spring.
It's not out of the question for No. 2
Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.) to end up in the top spot when all is said and done. The Lancers rolled to a Central Coast Open section championship and compete for a NorCal Division 1 regional championship.
For Pace, its only two losses of the season were to Orange Beach. The Patriots went through one of the toughest brackets in all of high school softball to capture the 6A title. LSU commit
Jayden Heavener didn't allow a single run in the last four playoff games. She allowed two hits and struck out 63 batters in 28 innings. She also hit a two-run bomb in their 2-0 win over Bartow in the championship game.
No. 6
Summerville (S.C.) finished its season at 30-0 and won a second straight 5A state championship with a run-rule win over Lexington. South Carolina pledge
Ansley Bennett, who threw a no-hitter in the series opener, struck out nine batters in four innings of the final game and put the Lady Wave on top for good with a first-inning, two-run home run.
won its 50th game of the season to repeat as Division II-A state champions. Michigan State commit
Ella Cunningham finished her senior season with 17 home runs and 55 RBI. She also went 31-1 in the circle with 368 total strikeouts.
Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.) routed Emerald Ridge to win its second consecutive Class 4A state championship. UNLV commit
Yanina Sherwood wrapped up her incredible prep career with a 73-7 record, 859 strikeouts and a 0.79 career ERA. The Timberwolves rejoin the rankings this week at No. 22.
Orange Beach slides into the No. 1 spot in the MaxPreps Top 25 softball rankings. The Makos won the Class 4A title, their fourth straight, on May 14 and take over the top spot after previous No. 1 Katy (Texas) fell in the Lone Star State playoffs. (Photo: Holly Mapel)
Record: 46-1 |
Last week: 4
Season complete. Class 4A state champions.
2. Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.)
Record: 28-0 |
Last week: 2
Rebecca Quinn had three RBI and
Kate Munnerlyn went the distance on the bump, as the Lancers beat Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) 7-2 in the Central Coast Section title game.
3. Northwest Rankin (Brandon, Miss.)
Record: 34-0 |
Last week: 3
Season complete. Class 7A state champions.
4. Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.)
Record: 27-2 |
Last week: 11
Season complete. Southern Section Division 1 champions.
5. Pace (Fla.)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: 7
Florida State commit
Shelby McKenzie ended her senior season batting .617 with 14 home runs and 49 RBI.
6. Summerville (S.C.)
Record: 30-0 |
Last week: 10
Hope Chase hit a two-run shot in the fourth of the championship game. She also pitched the final inning as the Wave repeated as state champions.
7. Kaukauna (Wis.)
Record: 24-0 |
Last week: 8
Karly Meredith struck out 11 and tossed a no hitter as the Ghosts beat Bay Port (Green Bay) to advance in postseason play.
8. Watkins Memorial (Pataskala, Ohio)
Record: 30-1 |
Last week: 11
Carsyn Cassady and the Warriors have not allowed a single run in Division 1 state tournament play.
Cortney Dobbs added offensive firepower in the quarterfinals with a three run bomb.
9. Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.)
Record: 37-6 |
Last week: 13
Season complete. Class 7A state champions.
10. Guyer (Denton, Texas)
Record: 35-3 |
Last week: 14
Finley Montgomery was lights out in the circle as the Wildcats took two of three from Keller to advance to the 6A state semifinals.
Kaylynn Jones and
Lauryn Jones had six of the team's 12 hits in the series clinching win.
11. Xavier College Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Record: 28-4-1 |
Last week: 15
Season complete: 6A state champions.
12. Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport, La.)
Record: 35-2 |
Last week: 17
Season complete. Division III (Select) state champions.
13. Ridgeline (Millville, Utah)
Record: 30-1 |
Last week: 18
Season complete: 4A state champions.
14. Melissa (Texas)
Record: 36-2-1 |
Last week: 19
The Cardinals swept the series over Forney to advance to the 5A state semis.
Eloisa Maes pitched a near flawless game in the 4-0 series clinching game.
15. Austintown-Fitch (Youngstown, Ohio)
Record: 21-1 |
Last week: 20
The Falcons have locked a spot in the Division 1 semis after an 8-2 victory over Walsh Jesuit.
Sydnie Watts and sophomore
Kylie Folkwein went deep in the win.
16. Kingwood (Texas)
Record: 36-7 |
Last week: NR
Mia Gagliardi hit a three-run bomb to walk-off Katy in game one of the series. The Mustangs have combined to hit 58 home runs.
17. Carterville (Ill.)
Record: 35-1 |
Last week: 21
The Lions secured a spot in the 2A semifinals on Tuesday but it didn't come easy.
Colbie Bennett hit a 14th-inning, walk-off to beat Carmi-White County on Wednesday to win 1-0.
Taryn Ford and
Caidence Phillips each pitched seven innings in the victory.
18. Woodgrove (Purcellville, Va.)
Record: 21-0 |
Last week: 22
The Wolverines have been on a tear as of late, outscoring their opponents 50-0 over the past four games.
19. Silverdale Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Record: 50-3 |
Last week: 23
Western Kentucky commit
Kennedy Stinson hit 17 bombs on the season. The Seahawks combined to smash 66 home runs.
20. Marist (Chicago)
Record: 30-3 |
Last week: 24
Mary Fortner homered and
Gabi Novickas had three hits as the RedHawks beat Lyons 10-3 on Saturday in postseason play.
21. Liberty (Texas)
Record: 40-2 |
Last week: 25
Abbie Key,
Bryana Pantalion, and
Bayleigh Taylor all went yard to help lift the Panthers past Bullard. They now compete in the 4A Final Four.
22. Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.)
Record: 25-2 |
Last week: NR
Leneyah Mitchell and
Allie Thomsen each went deep during the Timberwolves' 10-1 state title victory.
23. Anthony Wayne (Whitehouse, Ohio)
Record: 29-1 |
Last week: NR
The Generals have been on a tear, winning 15 consecutive games and advancing to the D1 semis. Up next is a clash with No. 8 Watkins Memorial.
24. Hudsonville (Mich.)
Record: 34-0 |
Last week: NR
The Eagles have now scored 10 or more runs in 23 games. They have put up 368 runs this season.
25. Lake Central (St. John, Ind.)
Record: 31-1 |
Last week: NR
Taylor Schafer went deep and drove in three runs as the Lady Indians beat Munster 10-1 on Friday.
On the bubble: Katy (Texas), 39-3-1;
Bartow (Fla.), 30-2;
Orange Lutheran (Calif.), 21-4;
Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills, Calif.), 22-4;
Whitney (Rocklin, Calif.), 21-3
