Video: Pitcher strikes out all 21 in win New Jersey's Mia Faieta tosses the perfect perfect game.
Having won four state titles since 2012, Millard South outdistanced the rest of the field and earned the top spot as Nebraska's most dominant softball program over the past six seasons. The Patriots, who played their way into MaxPreps' Nebraska Top 25 softball rankings at the end of each of the last six seasons, won four state championships during that same time frame.
Papillion-LaVista finished a distant second with 191 points, 30 behind the Patriots, after securing one state title in four tries. Class B power Elkhorn South checks in at No. 3 after piling up 146 points by claiming the 2016 state title and finishing as runners-up in 2014 and 2015.
York and Millard West round out the Top 5 in the Nos. 4 and 5 spots respectively. Only Classes A and B are represented in this week's Top 10. But Class C showed well with Bishop Neumann landing in the No. 17 spot after winning the state title last fall, and finishing as runners-up in 2015.
Lincoln Pius X finished just one point out of the Top 10 despite earning a ranking in all six season-ending polls and claiming the 2012 state title. Each of the top four teams and No. 6 Omaha Skutt Catholic earned a spot in all six end of year rankings, and played in at least one state championship game.
MaxPreps has developed its own system in determining which softball programs compete at the highest level over an extended period of time. Here is how points are accumulated:
1. 20 points for a state title
2. 10 points for finishing as a state runner-up
3. Other points are based on a team's Top 25 standing in the final MaxPreps Nebraska Computer Rankings. For instance, if a school claimed the top spot, it received 25 points, while a No. 25 ranking was good for one point.
Nebraska's dominant softball programs since 20121. Millard South (Omaha) – 221 points
State titles: 4
Runner-ups: 0
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (2), 2013 (1), 2014 (1), 2015 (5), 2016 (2), 2017 (4).
2. Papillion-LaVista (Papillion) – 191 points
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 3
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (4), 2013 (2), 2014 (3), 2015 (2), 2016 (3), 2017 (1).
3. Elkhorn South (Omaha) – 146 points
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 2
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (25), 2013 (5), 2014 (6), 2015 (4), 2016 (1), 2017 (9).
4. York – 128 points
State titles: 0
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (6), 2013 (4), 2014 (7), 2015 (3), 2016 (10), 2017 (8).
5. Millard West (Omaha) – 114 points
State titles: 0
Runner-ups: 0
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (1), 2013 (9), 2014 (5), 2015 (9), 2016 (5), 2017 (13).
6. Skutt Catholic (Omaha) – 104 points
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 0
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (3), 2013 (3), 2014 (14), 2015 (17), 2016 (19), 2017 (16).
7. Marian (Omaha) – 97 points
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2013 (16), 2014 (4), 2015 (1), 2016 (16).
8. Elkhorn – 96 points
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2012 (15), 2014 (2), 2016 (9), 2017 (12).
9. Gretna – 95 points
State titles: 1
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2014 (17), 2015 (11), 2016 (4), 2017 (7).
10. Lincoln Southwest (Lincoln) – 94 points
State titles: 0
Runner-ups: 1
Top 25 state rankings: 2013 (12), 2014 (13), 2015 (8), 2016 (11), 2017 (2).
