Five new teams enter this week's MaxPreps Top 25 high school softball rankings as more states get underway.
The 30th annual Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz., featured top teams from across the West Coast, including
Murrieta Mesa (Murrieta, Calif.). The Rams (11-0) jumped from unranked to No. 5 after winning the championship over
JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) 2-1.
Murrieta Mesa was led by Arizona signee
Lilly Hauser. With the final knotted up 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the senior got a single and then scored the winning run on a ball put in play by freshman
Finlee Angle. In the circle Hauser struck out 11 without allowing an earned run.
In the five-game tournament, Hauser went 4-0 with a 0.38 ERA and 27 strikeouts while going 8-for-13 in the batter's box.
JSerra Catholic jumped to No. 7 after going 4-1 in the tournament, including a 2-0 win over then-No. 1
Norco (Calif.). Florida pledge
Liliana Escobar pitched six scoreless frames in that contest with 13 strikeouts.
Norco dropped to No. 15 and also lost to
Fullerton (Calif.), which rose to No. 11.
Orange Beach (Ala.) jumps up one spot to No. 1 with a 7-0 record.
Coahoma (Texas) checks in at No. 24 after winning two games last week, including a 21-run performance yesterday where all nine batters recorded at least one hit. Senior
Bree Lewis had four.
Rounding out the MaxPreps Top 25 is
South Caldwell (Hudson, N.C.). The Spartans (5-0) won all three of their games last week thanks in part to junior Charlotte commit
Holland Weisner, who is batting .619 with 10 RBI.
Murrieta Mesa senior Lilly Hauser has a 7-0 record this season with a 0.44 ERA and 58 strikeouts for the No. 5 team in the nation. The Arizona signee has 48 wins and 49 extra-base hits during her four-year varsity career. (PHOTO: Nathaniel Herbert)
1. Orange Beach (Ala.)
Record: 7-0 |
Last week: 2
Scores: Def. Fairhope 11-1, def. Spanish Fort 12-1, def. Smiths Station 11-5, def. Prattville Christian 9-0, def. Central 12-1, def. Saint James 4-3
Next: Today at Satsuma
2. Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport, La.)
Record: 16-0 |
Last week: 3
Scores: Def. Parkway 11-0, def. Lutcher 8-0, def. Riverside Academy 12-0, def. Bullard 3-1
Next: Today vs. West Ouachita
3. Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.)
Record: 16-0-1 |
Last week: 4
Scores: Def. Chilton County 12-0, def. Hoover 8-0, def. Auburn 12-0, tied St. Clair County 6-6, def. Mortimer Jordan 5-2, def. Corner 9-3
Next: Today vs. Helena
4. Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas)
Record: 20-3 |
Last week: 5
Scores: Def. Sterling 20-0, def. Port Arthur Memorial 20-0, def. Lee 10-0
Next: Today at Beaumont United
5. Murrieta Mesa (Murrieta, Calif.)
Record: 11-0 |
Last week: NR
Scores: Def. Temescal Canyon 4-2, def. Aliso Niguel 7-0, def. Chino Hills 3-2, def. Agoura 6-1, def. Pacifica 7-2, def. JSerra Catholic 2-1
Next: March 12 vs. Murrieta Valley
6. Lake Creek (Montgomery, Texas)
Record: 20-1 |
Last week: 6
Scores: Def. Huntsville 14-0, def. A&M Consolidated 13-2, def. College Station 5-4
Next: March 16 vs. Rudder
7. JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Record: 10-1 |
Last week: 45
Scores: Def. Westlake 8-4, def. Los Alamitos 1-0, def. Bonita 4-1, def. No. 1 Norco 2-0, def. La Mirada 5-2, lost to Murrieta Mesa 2-1
Next: March 14 at Oaks Christian
8. Melissa (Texas)
Record: 15-2 |
Last week: 8
Scores: Def. Greenville 14-0, def. Sherman 18-1, def. Anna 19-0
Next: March 13 vs. Denison
9. Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.)
Record: 5-0 |
Last week: 9
Scores: Def. Cardinal Gibbons 4-3, def. Dwyer 6-1
Next: March 11 at American Heritage
10. Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Record: 7-0-1 |
Last week: 10
Scores: Def. Vernado 10-0, def. Horizon 12-0
Next: Today vs. Saguaro
11. Fullerton (Calif.)
Record: 9-1 |
Last week: 31
Scores: Def. Lakewood 9-0, def. O'Connor 12-7, lost to La Mirada 5-0, def. No. 1 Norco 3-2, def. Orange Lutheran 9-2
Next: March 12 vs. Brea Olinda
12. Midway (Waco, Texas)
Record: 15-3-1 |
Last week: 11
Scores: Def. Harker Heights 9-0, def. Shoemaker 11-0
Next: Today vs. Temple
13. Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia, S.C.)
Record: 3-0 |
Last week: 17
Scores: Def. No. 21 Catawba Ridge 10-0, def. Midland Valley 6-2, def. Mountain View Prep 8-3
Next: Today at North Augusta
14. Palo Verde (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Record: 3-0 |
Last week: 13
Scores: Def. Centennial 8-2, def. Bishop Gorman 8-0
Next: Today vs. Shadow Ridge
15. Norco (Calif.)
Record: 7-2 |
Last week: 1
Scores: Def. Campo Verde 9-0, def. Torrance 5-0, lost to JSerra Catholic 2-0, lost to Fullerton 3-2, def. Agoura 2-0
Next: March 20 at Centennial
16. Kingwood (Texas)
Record: 18-2 |
Last week: 14
Scores: Def. North Shore 10-0, def. Humble 16-0
Next: Today at Channelview
17. Kenton Ridge (Springfield, Ohio)
Record: 0-0 |
Last week: 15
Next: Opens March 24 at Miami East
18. Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.)
Record: 0-0 |
Last week: 18
Next: Opens March 14 vs. Brunswick Academy
19. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)
Record: 6-1 |
Last week: 7
Scores: Def. Eustis 7-4, lost to Bartow 5-1
Next: Today at East River
20. La Salle Academy (Providence, R.I.)
Record: 0-0 |
Last week: 19
Next: Opens March 31 vs. Smithfield
21. Pace (Fla.)
Record: 8-1 |
Last week: 20
Scores: Def. Gulf Shores 2-0, def. North Bay Haven Academy 11-0, def. Wakulla 9-6, def. Clarke Prep 8-0, lost to Parrish Community 9-1
Next: Today vs. Crestview
22. Hernando (Miss.)
Record: 12-0 |
Last week: 22
Scores: Def. Tupelo 6-2, def. South Panola 4-0, def. Itawamba Agricultural 5-4
Next: Today vs. Northwest Rankin
23. Destiny Christian Academy (Sacramento, Calif.)
Record: 1-0 |
Last week: 25
Next: Today at Pleasant Grove
24. Coahoma (Texas)
Record: 9-1 |
Last week: 30
Scores: Def. Stanton 14-2, def. Forsan 21-11
Next: March 13 at Lamesa
25. South Caldwell (Hudson, N.C.)
Record: 5-0 |
Last week: 26
Scores: Def. A.C. Reynolds 17-4, def. Reagan 7-4, def. Bunker Hill 14-10
Next: March 11 at West Rowan
Dropped out: No. 12
Del Oro (Loomis, Calif.), No. 16
Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.), No. 21
Catawba Ridge (Fort Mill, S.C.), No. 23
Xavier College Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.), No. 24
Bear River (Garland, Utah)
