USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 softball rankings: Week 4
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Unbeaten Lake Creek won two more games to remain the top team in the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 for a second-straight week.
The (22-0) Lions rocked Cleveland, 17-0, last Friday, then rolled past Caney Creek, 12-1, on Tuesday to keep roaring. Lake Creek, which captured the NFCA Texas High School Leadoff Classic earlier this season, has now won 60 of its last 62 games, with just a pair of playoff losses last May to eventual Texas 5A state champion Barbers Hill over that span.
Clovis North (10-0) kept pace at No. 2, defeating Madera, 13-1, last Thursday in its lone action. Fellow California schools Oaks Christian (14-0) and Villa Park (14-0) both stayed perfect and jumped past perennial powers Neshoba Central (9-2) and Lakewood Ranch (10-2) — who each lost again — to give the Golden State three teams in the first four.
Elsewhere, No. 11 Alexander Central (12-0) and No. 12 Lexington (10-0) continued to climb the rankings, gaining nine and 10 places, respectively, to get tantalizingly close to the top 10, while No. 9 Marist (2-0) and No. 10 Jackson (8-0) got there this week.
Pineville (24-1), North Augusta (14-1), Eastern Alamance (7-1), Hermiston (6-0) and Damascus (4-0) are this week’s poll newcomers.
State rankings submitted by the 2022 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, strength of schedule, and active NFCA membership.
USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – March 31, 2022
1. Lake Creek (Texas)
Record: 22-0 | Previous Rank: 1
2. Clovis North (Calif.)
Record: 10-0 | Previous Rank: 2
3. Oaks Christian (Calif.)
Record: 14-0 | Previous Rank: 6
4. Villa Park (Calif.)
Record: 14-0 | Previous Rank: 7
5. Neshoba Central (Miss.)
Record: 9-2 | Previous Rank: 4
6. Lakewood Ranch (Fla.)
Record: 10-2 | Previous Rank: 5
7. Riverton (Utah)
Record: 11-0 | Previous Rank: 10
8. Roncalli (Ind.)
Record: 0-0 | Previous Rank: 9
9. Marist (Ill.)
Record: 2-0 | Previous Rank: 11
10. Jackson (Wash.)
Record: 8-0 | Previous Rank: 16
11. Alexander Central (N.C.)
Record: 12-0 | Previous Rank: 21
12. Lexington (S.C.)
Record: 10-0 | Previous Rank: 22
13. Pineville (La.)
Record: 24-1 | Previous Rank: NR
14. John Curtis (La.)
Record: 23-2 | Previous Rank: 8
15. Hewitt-Trussville (Ala.)
Record: 22-2-1 | Previous Rank: 14
16. Deer Park (Texas)
Record: 25-2 | Previous Rank: 13
17. North Augusta (S.C.)
Record: 14-1 | Previous Rank: NR
18. Eastern Alamance (N.C.)
Record: 7-1 | Previous Rank: NR
19. New Palestine (Ind.)
Record: 0-0-1 | Previous Rank: 15
20. South Caldwell (N.C.)
Record: 6-1 | Previous Rank: 18
21. Lakota West (Ohio)
Record: 4-0 | Previous Rank: 19
22. Hermiston (Ore.)
Record: 6-0 | Previous Rank: NR
23. Damascus (Md.)
Record: 4-0 | Previous Rank: NR
24. Donovan Catholic (N.J.)
Record: 0-0 | Previous Rank: 24
25. Owosso (Mich.)
Record: 0-0 | Previous Rank: 25
Dropped out:
Bentonville (Ark.), Byrnes (S.C.), Keystone (Ohio), South (Calif.) and West Monroe (La.)