High school softball: Best team in every state heading into the 2026 season

Melissa finished the 2025 season as the top-ranked team in the country and will be the favorite from the state of Texas. The Cardinals join Orange Beach (Ala.) as teams who will land inside the top 10 nationally to start the season.

Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport, La.), Norco (Calif.), Desert Mountain (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Palo Verde (Las Vegas, Nev.), Kaukauna (Wis.), Taunton (Mass.) and Kenton Ridge (Springfield, Ohio) are all on the list after finishing in the final MaxPreps Top 25 in the 2025 spring season.

Read on for a look at the top team from your state. Alabama
Orange Beach
The five-time defending state champions return their top five hitters including Katie King and Ava Hodo from a squad that finished No. 2 in the country last season. Star pitcher K.G. Favors is now at South Carolina but M.K. McMullan is back after going 16-1 with a 0.77 ERA as a freshman.

Alaska
Bettye Davis East Anchorage (Anchorage)
The Thunderbirds finished 2025 ranked No. 3 in the state and return star pitcher Sela Rodriguez, who went 14-2 with a 0.57 ERA. Rodriguez also hit .600 and will be joined in the lineup by returners Maliana Tavai and Valley Wakefield, who each hit over .450 last season.

Arizona
Desert Mountain (Scottsdale)
Closed out 2025 with 27-straight wins topped with a second straight 5A state championship. Northwestern pitching commit Lilly Goodwin is back after going a perfect 20-0 with a 0.36 ERA.

Arkansas
Bentonville
MaxPreps All-America selection Darby Burnett is looking to help the Tigers win their third straight state championship before heading to Texas A&M. She will be joined in the circle by junior Daylyn Osborne, a North Carolina State commit.

California
Norco
The Cougars return UCLA commit Coral Williams, the No. 1-ranked junior pitcher in the country who went 17-0 last season for the No. 5 team in the nation. The reigning Southern Section Division 1 champs also bring back leading hitter Leighton Gray, a junior Texas A&M pledge.

Colorado
Broomfield
The Eagles wrapped up the fall season with a 5A state title and a No. 4 national ranking. Lilly Smith, Serenity Molloy and Lauren Martinez all hit .500 or better while Iowa commit Ireland Heer won 18 games.

Connecticut
Foran (Milford)
Foran brings a 28-game winning streak into 2026. Senior pitcher Abigail Corris recorded a 0.62 ERA last season. The top four hitters from 2025 all return and none of them are seniors yet.

Delaware
Caravel Academy (Bear)
The Buccaneers are going for their sixth-consecutive state championship. Sophomore Kaley Arrowsmith went 17-1 with a 1.15 ERA while batting .323 as a freshman.

Florida
Montverde Academy (Montverde)
A season after going 27-3 and reaching the third round of the 2A state playoffs, the Eagles return their top two hitters in Luna Taboas (Georgia) and Addison Poe (Central Florida). Senior Ole Miss commit Nevaeh Williams is back in the circle after going 15-3 with an 0.88 ERA.

Georgia
Buford
The Wolves got the job done in the fall and went 36-0. Buford was led by senior pitchers Caroline Stanton (Florida) and Addie Rackley (LSU), who had a 0.91 ERA in the circle while hitting 17 home runs with 58 RBI at the plate.

Hawaii
Mililani
The Trojans went 15-1 and won their second consecutive Division I state title in 2025. Junior Cal pledge Hinano Bautista is back in the circle after going 9-0 last year while adding 10 home runs with her bat. She will be joined in the lineup by Oklahoma commit Ori Mailo and Washington pledge Kahiau Aina.

Idaho
Owyhee (Meridian)
Won the 6A state title and finished 2025 with a 28-1 record. Top pitchers Hailey Brennan (Boise State) and Hailey Bock are back after going 18-0 as a unit in the circle.

Illinois
Glenwood (Chatham)
A trio of Big Ten commits in Ryleigh Kiel (Penn State), Hope Gilmore (Purdue) and Ava Bobb (Wisconsin) led the Titans to the 3A state crown last year with a 3-2 win in eight innings. Miami (Ohio) pledge Irie Lohrenz did it all in the title by pitching a complete game and driving in the go-ahead run.

Indiana
Crown Point
The Bulldogs are coming off a state championship where Miami (Ohio) commit Paige Liezert threw a 9-inning shutout in the 2-0 title win while striking out 16. She is back this season along with DePaul pledge Ashlyn Kita, who hit .505, and Providence commit Scarlette Tegtman.

Iowa
Northwest (Waukee)
The Wolves won the 5A state championship in 2025 with a 34-4 record. Sophia Schlader threw an 8-inning no-hitter in the title game and went 30-1 with 296 strikeouts on the season as a freshman.

Kansas
Olathe West (Olathe)
Pitcher Celise Kellepouris is back after leading the Owls to the 6A state championship as a sophomore. Emma Heinemann leads a strong group of hitters after batting .463 with 29 RBI.
South Warren (Bowling Green)
The Spartans return Florida State commit McLaine Hudson, who hit 20 home runs and Western Kentucky pledge Layla Ogden, who hit 24 for a 34-4 squad. Ogden is also an ace in the circle with a 12-1 record while Kentucky commit Courtney Norwood went 18-1 as a sophomore.

Louisiana
Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport)
The five-time defending state champions return Louisiana Player of the Year and Georgia commit Kynzee Anderson, who won 24 games in the circle and hit 14 home runs. Baylor Bockhaus is also back after batting .551 while leading all freshmen with 25 home runs.

Maine
Cheverus (Portland)
The Stags reached the Class A semifinals where Florida State pledge Addison DeRoche struck out 14 in a complete game 1-0 loss. Now a senior, DeRoche is coming off a junior season where she had a 0.45 ERA in the circle and a .535 batting average.

Maryland
Northeast (Pasadena)
Brynn Jones led the Eagles to the 3A state semifinals by batting .585 with 14 stolen bases. Northeast returns four hitters who hit over .400 including pitcher Presley McGinty. The senior hit .443 while recording a 0.48 ERA.

Massachusetts
Taunton
While the five-time defending state champs will have to replace pitcher Catherine Larson, who is now at Georgetown, the offense is loaded and led by two juniors. Aniyah Bailey hit .524 as a sophomore with 10 home runs and is committed to UMASS. Bella Bourque committed to South Carolina after hitting .475 with five bombs for a team that finished No. 24 in the nation with a perfect record.

Michigan
Saline
The Hornets ended 2025 on a 10-game winning streak, culminating with a victory in the Division I state championship. Back is Wayne State pledge Abby Curtis in the circle and Grand Valley State commit Reese Rupert who hit .420.

Minnesota
Forest Lake
The Rangers are coming off a third-place finish in the Class AAAA state tournament. Pitcher Avery Muellner is back after going 13-1 with 115 strikeouts in 2024. Isabella Dowdall and Karianne Drury also return after posting batting averages above .400.

Mississippi
Hernando
Defensively the Tigers allowed just 82 total runs in 37 games and return star pitcher Olivia Skinner, who won eight games in 2025 as a freshman.

Missouri
Raymore-Peculiar (Peculiar)
Won the Class 5 state title and finished the fall season ranked No. 3 in the nation with a 25-2 record. North Carolina State commit Kelsie Donaldson was lights out in the circle, helping the Panthers finished the season on a 23-game winning streak.

Montana
Shepherd
Return top eight hitters and all three pitchers from a 25-0 squad that won the B/C state championship. Sisters Charity Dunn and Krista Dunn are major factors in both, combining for a 21-0 record in the circle and 65 RBI at the plate.

Nebraska
Northwest (Grand Island)
Won the Class B state championship in the fall and finished ranked No. 8 in the country. Freshman Abby Dinkelman paced the Vikings with an average of .608 while sophomore pitcher Graclyn Simmons posted a 16-1 record.

Nevada
Palo Verde (Las Vegas)
Finished 2025 with a perfect 25-0 record and a 5A state championship. Georgia commit Taylor Johns is back for her senior season while Halle Law, Keileanna Johnson and Ava Cruz had stellar freshman years where they hit over .400. The Panthers also have depth in the circle with Ava Koenig (20-0) and Haley Kearnes (5-0).

New Hampshire
Londonderry
Won consecutive state championships and haven't lost in 40 games. Stonehill commit Elisabeth Kearney is back after going 16-0 with a 0.43 ERA in 2025.

New Jersey
Mount St. Dominic Academy (Caldwell)
The Lions won the state championship as Villanova commit Jillian Cianfrocca hit .516 with 10 home runs. Her sister Abby Cianfrocca was the team leader in the circle as a freshman with 91 strikeouts.

New Mexico
Silver (Silver City)
Silver finished 2025 ranked as the No. 2 team in New Mexico while winning the Class 4A state championship. The Fighting Colts return three .400 hitters including Vanessa Lucero, who hit .554 with 45 RBI as a sophomore. Azariah Madrid is back for her junior year after going 12-2 with 102 strikeouts.

New York
Lancaster
North Carolina
Union Academy (Monroe)
The 1A state champs return their top three hitters including home run leader Taylor Surratt, an Auburn pledge. The Cardinals also have a leader in the circle in senior Avery Wilson. The Coastal Carolina commit won 25 games as a junior while winning 25 games.

North Dakota
Williston
The Coyotes are coming off their first state championship and return starting pitcher Alana Thomas, who had 117 punch-outs on the title run. Leading hitters Allison Wilcox and Rylee Irgens also return after combining to hit 12 home runs with 70 RBI.

Ohio
Kenton Ridge (Springfield)
Kenton Ridge won the state championship with a very young team in 2025. It all started in the circle with Ivee Rastatter, who went 28-0 with a 0.74 ERA as a freshman. Ohio State commit J.J. Davis provides power to the lineup and is coming off a 13-home run season and a .631 batting average.

Oklahoma
Mustang
The Broncos took the 6A state title in the fall and finished ranked No. 5 in the country. Oklahoma State pledge Reese Poage hit .463 as a senior and only struck out once.

Oregon
Sherwood
Maisy Schindler hit two home runs in the 6A state championship victory for the Bowmen, with nine on the season. Sherwood also brings back three hitters who batted over .400, including Presley Sarono-Ramos, who hit .422. Sarono-Ramos also dominated in the circle with a 1.10 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched.

Pennsylvania
Penn-Trafford (Harrison City)
The Warriors return about half of their starters that won the 5A state title last spring including junior pitcher Allyson Paulone. In the state title game she pitched a complete game shutout, allowing three hits with no walks in the 2-0 victory.

Rhode Island
La Salle Academy (Providence)
Winners of three-straight state titles, the Rams bring back top pitcher Hailey Vigneau, a Marist commit. Rigneau won 20 games as a junior and is also the leading returning hitter with a .387 batting average.

South Carolina
Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia)
The 4A state champs were led by a young core featuring slugger Aspen Boulware. The South Carolina commit hit .573 as a sophomore with 22 bombs, including one each in the final two postseason games. MacKenzie Sease and Peyton Hendrix each pitched over 60 innings and combined for a record of 19-2 with 202 strikeouts.

South Dakota
West Central (Hartford)
Won the Class A state title for the second time in three years. Defending South Dakota Player of the Year Elisabeth Miller is back in the circle after allowing just three earned runs all postseason.

Tennessee
Liberty Creek (Gallatin)
The Wolves are going for three straight state championships after going 32-2 last season. Reigning Tennessee Player of the Year Kaylor West is back in the circle and her catcher Kenslee Gregory also returns.

Texas
Melissa
The defending national champions have stars across the lineup and it all starts in the circle with Arizona commit Eloisa Maes. The junior went 31-1 and had a 13-game stretch last season without allowing an earned run. In the batter's box, Finlee Williams (Oklahoma), Hutton Adrian (Arkansas) and Kennedy Bradley (Florida) combined to hit 56 home runs and 51 doubles.

Utah
Bear River (Garland)
The Bears are coming off a 4A state championship victory and will bring in transfer Brielle Gardiner, one of the best pitchers in the country. Along with Kate Wilson, who went 31-3 last season, Bear River has one of the best 1-2 punches in the country.

Vermont
Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)
Led by senior Megan Gonyeau, Bellows Free Academy is coming off an undefeated season that ended with a state title win. Gonyeau struck out 16 in the title game without allowing a run. Key hitter Marah McGinn, who is also a star hockey player, also returns to the lineup.

Virginia
Eastside (Coeburn)
The Class 1 state champions went 27-2 and finished 2025 ranked as the No. 3 team in the state. The Spartans lost their No. 1 pitcher to graduation but last season's No. 2 Emma Sartin had an exceptional year, going 11-1 with a 0.53 ERA as a junior. The top three hitters also return for Eastside, which averaged 7.8 runs per game.

Washington
Skyline (Sammamish)
Abby Haapala had 156 strikeouts for the No. 2 team in the state and is committed to Santa Clara. Senior Emma Dahlgren and junior Stanford pledge Shea Staley are big bats returning that combined to drive in 63 runs.

West Virginia
Cabell Midland (Ona)
The Knights won the Class AAAA state title as pitcher Drea Watts went 22-1 with a 0.86 ERA and 278 strikeouts, 14 of which were in the title game. The Bowling Green commit is now a senior and hit .333. Cabell Midland also has its top hitter returning in Syracuse commit Becca Conrad, who hit .607 with six home runs.

Wisconsin
Kaukauna
The Galloping Ghosts are a winning machine with a 91-1 record and two state championships over the past three seasons. Butler signee Paige Bodenheimer is back and she has 123 hits with 110 stolen bases in that span. Lilly Boyle is a junior and drove in the only run in last season's state title game.