2024 USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 softball rankings: Week 9
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Top-ranked Katy swept its playoff series to continue as the leader in the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 for a fifth week.
The (34-1-1) Tigers roared past Fort Bend Dulles 10-0 and 14-0 late last week in their best-of-three Texas Class 6A bi-district matchup, and will face Cesar E. Chavez in a playoff series starting today.
Similarly, No. 2 Northwest Rankin blanked Harrison Central, 2-0 and 4-0, in the first round of the Mississippi state tournament to remain unbeaten. The (28-0) Cougars open a best-of-three Class 7A playoff series against D’Iberville on Friday.
Third-ranked Jackson (17-1) scored two more victories as the Washington state regular season is winding down, while No. 4 Calvary Baptist (35-2) and No. 5 Sterlington (33-1) both captured Louisiana state championships last Saturday. It was the fourth straight title for Calvary Baptist.
Unbeaten Saint Francis (21-0) stayed put in the No. 6 spot after posting three more victories.
Alabama’s Orange Beach jumped from 11th to seventh this week, after routing Mobile Christian by a combined 21-0 in the two games of its best-of-three playoff series. The (39-1) Makos have now won 21 straight games at home dating back to last season.
No. 8 Lake Central (24-0) moved up two places, while No. 9 Shenendehowa (13-1) cracked the top 10 just one week after joining the rankings. Poll newcomer Walsh Jesuit (15-0) is the No. 10 team, fresh off its 1-0 victory over then-No. 8 Anthony Wayne last Saturday.
Ohio teams occupy the No. 10 through 13 spots, with little to separate them from each other. A fifth school from the state, Lancaster (20-2), is the 17th-ranked team.
New Jersey’s Mount St. Dominic (14-1) is the other team making its debut, entering the Super 25 at No. 21. The Lions have won 12 straight since a 1-0 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas on April 6.
The No. 25-ranked duo of St. Thomas More (31-4-1) and North DeSoto (31-5) both lost deep in their respective Louisiana state tournaments. St. Thomas More dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker in the Division I select semis to eventual state champion Archbishop Chapelle, while North DeSoto lost 9-4 in the Division II non-select final to Lutcher, snapping a run of three straight state titles for the Griffins.
State rankings submitted by the 2024 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule.
USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – May 2, 2024
1. Katy (Texas)
Record: 34-1-1 | PR: 1
2. Northwest Rankin (Miss.)
Record: 28-0 | PR: 2
3. Jackson (Wash.)
Record: 17-1 | PR: 3
4. Calvary Baptist (La.)
Record: 35-2 | PR: 4
5. Sterlington (La.)
Record: 33-1 | PR: 5
6. Saint Francis (Calif.)
Record: 21-0 | PR: 8
7. Orange Beach (Ala.)
Record: 39-1 | PR: 11
8. Lake Central (Ind.)
Record: 24-0 | PR: 10
9. Shenendehowa (N.Y.)
Record: 13-1 | PR: 12
10. Walsh Jesuit (Ohio)
Record: 15-0 | PR: NR
11. Austintown-Fitch (Ohio)
Record: 14-1 | PR: 16
12. Watkins Memorial (Ohio)
Record: 23-0 | PR: 7
13. Anthony Wayne (Ohio)
Record: 17-1 | PR: 8
14. Oak Grove (N.C.)
Record: 21-1 | PR: 13
15. St. Anthony’s (N.Y.)
Record: 12-0 | PR: 14
16. Diamond (Mo.)
Record: 32-1 | PR: 9
17. Lancaster (Ohio)
Record: 20-2 | PR: 15
18. Bartow (Fla.)
Record: 25-1 | PR: 17
19. Owyhee (Utah)
Record: 17-2 | PR: 18
20. Sheridan (Ark.)
Record: 24-2 | PR: 19
21. Mount St. Dominic (N.J.)
Record: 14-1 | PR: NR
22. Notre Dame (N.J.)
Record: 15-1 | PR: 21
23. Roncalli (Ind.)
Record: 16-1 | PR: 23
24. Pacifica (Calif.)
Record: 23-2 | PR: 21
t-25. St. Thomas More (La.)
Record: 31-4-1 | PR: 22
t-25. North DeSoto (La.)
Record: 31-5 | PR: t-25
Dropped out: Bingham (Utah) and Marist (Ill.).
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