Alabama has its first high school softball national champion.
Orange Beach is No. 1 in the final MaxPreps Top 25 rankings of the 2024 season after going 46-1, capturing its fourth consecutive Class 4A state title and posting a 3-0 record against top 10 teams.
The Makos featured a loaded lineup that combined for 51 home runs and 179 extra-base hits. There were also powerful arms in the circle, led by South Carolina commit
Kaylee Favors.
Undefeated
Northwest Rankin (Brandon), back-to-back state champions in Mississippi, finished No. 2 after a dominant campaign. The Cougars scored over nine runs per game while MaxPreps State Player of the Year
Jolie Hays allowed just 14 earned runs in 113 innings of work.
Aforementioned Pace fought through one of the toughest playoff brackets in the entire country to claim Florida's Class 6A state championship. The Patriots' only two losses were by a combined four runs to No. 1 Orange Beach.
Shelby McKenzie (Florida State commit) and MaxPreps State Player of the Year
Jayden Heavener (LSU) were two of the top players in the country.
Summerville (S.C.) rounds out the top five. The Green Wave were on another level this year and did not allow a run in 23 of their 30 games. State Player of the Year
Ansley Bennett allowed just two earned runs in 89 innings of work and held opponents to a .079 batting average. The team has now won 50 straight games dating back to last season.
Read on for a complete look at the final MaxPreps Top 25 along with an expanded look at the top 50.
Past MaxPreps National Champions2011 —
The Woodlands (Texas)2012 —
Norco (Calif.)2013 —
Northern (Owings, Md.)2014 —
Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.)2015 —
Bishop Carroll (Wichita, Kan.)2016 —
Eagle (Idaho)2017 —
Los Alamitos (Calif.)2018 —
James Madison (Vienna, Va.)2019 — Norco
2020 — No champion crowned (Pandemic)
2021 —
Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas)Final MaxPreps Top 25
Record: 46-1 |
Last week: 1
Class 4A state champion.
2. Northwest Rankin (Brandon, Miss.)
Record: 34-0 |
Last week: 2
Class 7A state champion.
3. Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.)
Record: 27-2 |
Last week: 3
Southern Section Division 1 champion.
4. Pace (Fla.)
Record: 28-2 |
Last week: 4
Class 6A state champion.
5. Summerville (S.C.)
Record: 30-0 |
Last week: 5
Class 5A state champion.
6. Austintown-Fitch (Youngstown, Ohio)
Record: 23-1 |
Last week: 6
Division 1 state champion.
7. Weslaco (Texas)
Record: 37-6 |
Last week: 7
Class 6A state champion.
8. Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.)
Record: 37-6 |
Last week: 8
Class 7A state champion.
9. Xavier College Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.)
Record: 28-4-1 |
Last week: 9
Class 6A state champion.
10. Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport, La.)
Record: 35-2 |
Last week: 10
Division III Select state champion.
11. Ridgeline (Millville, Utah)
Record: 30-1 |
Last week: 11
Class 4A state champion.
12. Melissa (Texas)
Record: 38-2-1 |
Last week: 12
Class 5A state champion.
13. Carterville (Ill.)
Record: 37-1 |
Last week: 13
Class 2A state champion.
14. Woodgrove (Purcellville, Va.)
Record: 26-0 |
Last week: 14
Class 4A state champion.
15. Silverdale Academy (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
Record: 50-3 |
Last week: 15
Division II-A state champion.
16. Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.)
Record: 25-2 |
Last week: 16
Division 4A state champion.
17. Hudsonville (Mich.)
Record: 42-0 |
Last week: 17
Division 1 state champion.
18. Coahoma (Texas)
Record: 32-0 |
Last week: 18
Class 3A state champion.
19. St. Anthony's (Melville, N.Y.)
Record: 25-0 |
Last week: 19
CHSAA champion.
20. Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.)
Record: 19-11 |
Last week: 20
Northern California Division 1 champion.
21. Garner (N.C.)
Record: 28-1 |
Last week: 21
Class 4A state champion.
22. St. John-Vianney (Holmdel, N.J.)
Record: 26-1 |
Last week: 22
Non-Public A champion.
23. Calallen (Corpus Christi, Texas)
Record: 34-2 |
Last week: 23
Class 4A state champion.
24. Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers, Ind.)
Record: 25-0 |
Last week: 24
Class 4A state champion.
25. Sterlington (La.)
Record: 33-1 |
Last week: 25
Division III Non-Select champion.
Next 2526. Neshannock (New Castle, Pa.)
Record: 26-0
Class 2A state champion.
27. Bartow (Fla.)
Record: 30-2
Class 6A state runner-up.
28. Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.)
Record: 21-4
Southern Section Division 1 runner-up.
29. Gaylord (Mich.)
Record: 38-4
Division 2 state champion.
30. Masuk (Monroe, Conn.)
Record: 27-0
Class L state champion.
31. Rising Sun (North East, Md.)
Record: 22-0
Class 2A state champion.
32. Capital Christian Academy (Sacramento, Calif.)
Record: 26-3-1
Northern California Division 2 champion.
33. Kenosha Bradford (Kenosha, Wis.)
Record: 28-3
Division 1 state champion.
34. Allegany (Cumberland, Md.)
Record: 22-0
Class 1A state champion.
35. Oak Ridge (El Dorado Hills, Calif.)
Record: 24-5
Northern California Division 1 runner-up.
36. St. Charles North (St. Charles, Ill.)
Record: 26-6
Class 4A state champion.
37. Henderson County (Henderson, Ky.)
Record: 36-5
KHSAA state champion.
38. Watkins Memorial (Pataskala, Ohio)
Record: 31-2
Division 1 state runner-up.
39. Melbourne (Fla.)
Record: 29-1
Class 6A state quarterfinalist.
40. Marist (Chicago, Ill.)
Record: 36-4
Class 4A state runner-up.
41. Saint Francis (Mountain View, Calif.)
Record: 28-1
Central Coast Section Open Division champion.
42. Mount St. Dominic Academy (Caldwell, N.J.)
Record: 31-2
Non-Public A runner-up.
43. Whitney (Rocklin, Calif.)
Record: 22-4
Sac-Joaquin Section Division 1 runner-up.
44. Centennial (Las Cruces, N.M.)
Record: 31-3
Division 5A state champion.
45. Queen Creek (Ariz.)
Record: 26-5
Class 6A state runner-up.
46. Sheldon (Eugene, Ore.)
Record: 29-3
Class 6A state champion.
47. Guyer (Denton, Texas)
Record: 37-5
Class 6A state semifinalist.
48. Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.)
Record: 23-0
VISAA Division I state champion.
49. Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.)
Record: 26-2
Class 6A state semifinalist.
50. Coronado (Henderson, Nev.)
Record: 20-6
Class 5A state champion.
