MaxPreps Top 25 high school softball rankings

Behind the pitching of Erica Romero, Santiago (Corona, Calif.) defeated a trio of highly regarded foes and jumped from No. 19 to No. 4 in the latest Maxpreps Xcellent 25 Softball Rankings.

Santiago enters the third week of the 2013 softball season unbeaten at 5-0, after 2-1 wins over Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.), Poly (Riverside, Calif.) and Chino Hills, 5-2.

In 31 innings, Romero has given up only two earned runs and opponents are batting just .130 against her.

Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.) remained No. 1 for the third-straight week despite not playing. The Dons open their season on March 14 in the Queen of the Mountain Tournament. The Dons are defending champions of the tournament.

Two other California teams, No. 21 Cypress and No. 20 Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) opened unbeaten and made their 2013 debut in the Xcellent 25 with impressive wins.

Also new to the Top 25 this week are No. 12 Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) and No. 22 Coronado (Lubbock, Texas). Marcus is unbeaten in a dozen games and Coronado stands 15-1 with three tournament titles on the young season.

Two Top 25 teams suffered 1-0 extra-inning losses last week and dropped in the rankings. North Marion, 8-1, dropped 20 spots to No. 24, but remained ranked after Holly McKinnon followed the defeat by pitching a pair of shutouts. She has eight shutouts and has allowed just 11 base hits.

Wharton lost to Bloomingdale (Valrico, Fla.) as sophomore Lace Smith outdueled Mak Dooley. Each pitcher allowed only five hits and they combined for 31 strikeouts.

An early-season showdown will feature a pair of 8-0 teams on Tuesday as No. 6 West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.) visits No. 11 Lake Howell (Winter Park, Fla.). West Orange has scored 99 runs, while Howell's Autumn Hanners has limited opponents to a .122 batting average.

Also in the spotlight are a number of highly regarded teams playing in the Dave Kops Tournament of Champions at Mojave High School in Bullhead City, Ariz. Among the teams playing in the 38-team event Thursday through Saturday
are No. 9 Centennial of Las Vegas (Nevada's 2012 4A state champs), Norco (Calif.), Taylorsville (Utah), Foothill (Henderson, Nev.) and Gila Ridge (Ariz.).

MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Softball Rankings

1. (Last week 1) Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.), 0-0
After winning their first 25 games of the 2012 season, the Dons lost 1-0 on the season's final day. The Dons begin play March 14.

2. (2) Northern (Owings, Md.), 0-0
The 3A state champions will open the season March 10 and haven't lost since 2010 after going 25-0 last year and 21-0 in 2011.

3. (3) Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), 0-0
The Knights have recorded 16 straight shutouts since losing to No. 2 Northern last April. Their season begins March 12 at home against St. Mary's Ryken.

4. (19) Santiago (Corona, Calif.), 5-0
Senior Erica Romero picked up her fifth win of the week as the Sharks handed Poly (Riverside) its first loss, 2-1. Sophomore Nichole Fry is batting .535. Next up: Jurupa Valley Big League Dreams Tournament.

5. (5) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 8-0
The Patriots have outscored their opponents 81-1 and are hitting .505 as a team as eight starters are above .400. They also are perfect on 52 stolen base attempts. Their trio of pitchers has limited opposing batters to just six base hits and has recorded 52 strikeouts in 40 innings. The Patriots host Cypress Bay (Weston, Fla.) on Thursday.

6. (6) West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.), 8-0
West Orange most recently blanked Tavares 7-0 and Edgewater (Orlando) 15-0. They have outscored foes 99-12. West Orange plays No. 11 Lake Howell on Tuesday.

7. (7) Logan (Union City, Calif.), 0-0
The California North Coast Section Division I champions were the only team to defeat No. 1 Amador Valley last season. Logan opens its season March 13 by hosting Alameda.

8. (8) El Diamante (Visalia, Calif.), 3-0
El Diamante posted three wins in its opening week, 4-0 and 8-7 over Clovis North (Clovis), and 2-0 over Tulare West. Sierra Hyland threw a pair of shutouts. The Miners play in the Buchanan Tournament this weekend.

9. (9) Woodinville (Wash.), 0-0
With Washington's Gatorade POY Madi Schreyer (Stanford) in the circle, the Falcons have lost just twice in the last three seasons. Their season begins in late March.

10. (10) Centennial (Las Vegas), 0-0
The defending 4A champs return every starter from a team that batted .426 and hit 46 homers. Their season opens March 7 in the Tournament of Champions in Bullhead, Ariz.

11. (11) Lake Howell (Winter Park, Fla.), 8-0
The Silver Hawks are led by Autumn Hanners' 7-0 record (five shutouts) with a 0.50 ERA. They have outscored opponents 67-3. They host No. 6 West Orange on Tuesday.

12. (NR) Marcus (Flower Mound, Texas) 12-0
Led by pitchers Jordan Gundersen (4-0) and Hannah Null (7-0), Marcus remained unbeaten with a 4-0 win over Plano East (Texas). Marcus hosts Allen (Texas) on Tuesday.

13. (13) Cy-Fair (Cypress, Texas), 16-1
Since losing to Klein Oak, 4-1, Cy-Fair has won 14 straight including recent shutout wins over Jersey Village (Houston) and Nederland. Mariah Gibson is 13-0 and freshman Alysa Dalton is hitting .477 and has driven in 27 runs. The Bobcats host Cypress Lakes (Houston) on Tuesday.

14. (20) Curtis (River Ridge, La.), 7-0
The Patriots are off to an impressive start, winning their first seven games as they run their win streak to 28.

15. (14) Pearland (Texas), 20-1
The Oilers swept through the Missouri City tournament last weekend, outscoring their opponents 48-7 in six victories. Rylie Spell has 10 homers and Samantha Show has 35 RBIs and is 14-0 on the season with an 0.28 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 75 innings. Up next is Sam Rayburn (Pasadena, Texas).

16. (16) Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington Township, N.J.), 0-0
With Steph Thomas on the mound (27-0), Immaculate Heart was unbeaten in winning the 2012 state title. The Eagles open their season April 1 hosting Paramus Catholic (N.J.).

17. (17) Lake City (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho), 0-0
Two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year Casey Stangel is back for her senior year. The Timberwolves open their season March 26 hosting Lakeland (Rathdrum, Idaho).

18. (18) North Medford (Ore.), 29-1
Louisville signee Maryssa Becker makes the Black Tornado a heavy favorite to repeat as Oregon 6A champs. The Black Tornado begin their season on March 19 at Foothill (Palo Cedro, Calif.).

19. (25) Mountain View (Mesa, Ariz.), 8-0
Pitcher Valerie Kaff is unbeaten with seven shutouts and 103 strikeouts in 51 innings. The Toros have given up just one earned run while scoring 37. Most recently they beat Mesquite, 5-0, as Kaff had a dozen strikeouts. Sidney Ryan leads the team with 10 RBIs, a .385 average and four home runs. The Toros visit 8-2 Red Mountain (Mesa, Ariz.) on Tuesday.

20. (NR) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 4-0
Archbishop Mitty swept Clovis West 7-1, 6-2 and defeated Pioneer (San Jose) before routing Westmont (Campbell, Calif.), 19-2. Jazmyn Jackson and Catherine Callaway have combined for 15 hits and nine RBIs. Next up, unbeaten Gilroy (Calif.).

21. (NR) Cypress (Calif.), 5-0
The Centurions got timely hitting from Kacey Whitney and Allie Wood to go along with impressive pitching from Ashley Ross and Madi Dove for a perfect first week of the season. They visit Newport Harbor (Newport Beach, Calif.) on Saturday.

22. (NR) Coronado (Lubbock, Texas), 15-1
With a win over Kennedale, 3-0, the Mustangs captured the Burleson Tournament title for their third tournament title in three weekends. In beating Kennedale, Monique Garcia struck out a dozen to run her season record to 10-0. The Mustangs host Midland (Texas) on Friday.

23. (23) Olathe East (Kan.), 0-0
Led by state Gatorade winner Allison Stewart (13-0, 0.20 ERA and 52 RBIs), Olathe opens the season March 28 at North (Shawnee Mission, Kan.).

24. (4) North Marion (Citra, Fla.), 8-1
After losing 1-0 in 12 innings to Bellevue, the Colts bounced back with a pair of shutouts. Senior Holly McKinnon has eight shutouts and the Colts have outscored foes 54-1. McKinnon has allowed only 11 hits in 8 games. The Colts visit Eastside (Gainesville, Fla.) on Tuesday.

25. (22) Wharton (Tampa, Fla.), 7-1
Despite 17 strikeouts by Mak Dooley, the Wildcats lost 1-0 to Bloomingdale (Valrico). The Wildcats host Gaither (Tampa) on Thursday.

Dropped Out: Horizon (Scottsdale, Ariz.), Orange Lutheran (Calif.), Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.), and Vestavia Hills (Vestavia, Ala.).