9. Santiago (Corona, Calif.), 27-2
With Michigan commit Lauren Sweet behind the plate and All-CIF junior Erin Rodriguez in the circle, Santiago figures to be the top team in Riverside County this year and possibly the entire Southern Section. Sweet batted .448 with 37 RBIs, 10 doubles and eight home runs while Rodriguez was 14-0 with a 0.70 ERA and 113 strikeouts.
10. Tomball (Texas), 30-10
Ranked second in several Texas 5A preseason rankings, Tomball returns four players with all-state honors - Alyssa Bass, first team outfield; Sloan Walker, second team utility; Michelle Quinn, third team outfield; and Renada Davis, honorable mention shortstop. Tomball reached the Texas 5A semifinals last season.
11. Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.), 20-12
After losing nine of their first 13 games last season, the Eagles righted the ship at midseason and went on to win the Southern Section Division I championship with a 12-9 win over Corona. Returning pitcher
Amy Letourneau, who was recovering from surgery last season which contributed to the Eagles' slow start, is the returning co-pitcher of the year in the Trinity League and is joined by other returning all-league players
Jessie Dauton (junior),
Amanda Reiss (senior),
Dannyelle Doucette (sophomore), and
Catie Monnahan (senior). Letourneau was 14-4 with a 0.87 ERA and also batted .377 with five home runs.
12. Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.), 27-2
Gatorade State Player of the Year Chelsea Wilkinson returns along with four other all-state players - sophomore first baseman Brooke Sharpe, junior center fielder Kaylea Payne, junior catcher Lauren Elder and senior third baseman Lauren Elder. Wilkinson was 27-2 last year with a 0.37 ERA and 349 strikeouts in 172 innings pitched. She helped lead Alexander Central to the third round of the Class 4A playoffs in 2010 and a state championship in 2009.
13. The Woodlands (Texas), 38-4
The Highlanders return one of the top pitchers in Texas in junior
Paige McDuffee, who earned second team all-state honors last season. Last year as a sophomore, McDuffee batted .458 and went 27-3 in the circle with 253 strikeouts and a 0.15 ERA in 182.1 innings pitched. McDuffee's battery mate
Kayla Prater, an honorable mention all-state pick, also returns after batting. 355 last season. Another top hitter,
Faith Bohack, returns. She hit .331 with 10 doubles and four home runs as a sophomore.
14. Piedra Vista (Farmington, N.M.), 28-2
Behind Gatorade State Player of the Year
Karysta Donisthorpe, Piedra Vista hopes to make it five straight New Mexico state championships. Donisthorpe has been the winning pitcher in four straight state titles starting in her eighth grade season. Donisthorpe is 58-0 the past two seasons with 346 strikeouts in 161.1 innings pitched her junior year. She also struck out 168 batters in 82.2 innings pitched as a sophomore.
15. Red Mountain (Mesa, Ariz.), 35-4
The Arizona 5A state champions should be solid on offense with all-state outfielder Courtney Sherwin returning along with all-state honorable mention picks Hailey Culley and Sheila Goodrum. Sherwin batted .505 with 13 doubles, 48 RBIs and nine home runs while Goodrum batted .471 and Culley .463. The Mountain Lions must replace pitcher Mel Willadsen, however, Siera Phillips was 9-0 in the circle last season.
16. Bellaire (Texas), 32-6
The Cardinals have dominated District 20-5A in the Houston area and this year shouldn't be any different as all-state pitcher Gabby Smith (22-3, 269 strikeouts) returns along with senior infielders Michaela Granchelli (.351) and Victoria Granchelli (.408). Smith, who also led the team in batting with a .533 average, was the district MVP.
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