MaxPreps Top 25 national high school softball rankings

Video: Mission Viejo (CA) - Taylor McQuillin
See Mission Viejo star pitcher Taylor McQuillin in action

The top three teams in this week's MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Softball Rankings stayed the same, as in recent weeks, but three season-long fixtures disappeared after suffering losses.

Mission Viejo (Calif.) held on to No. 1 as it has since the first preseason poll in February, and Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.) and Pioneer (San Jose, Calif.) remained at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively.

Mission Viejo's Taylor McQuillin is just six wins away from tying the California Interscholastic Federation's Southern Section record for most career victories by a pitcher (100). The Diablos have won 48 of their last 49 games and 74 of their last 77.

Alexander Central ran its win streak to 89 games when it opened the postseason on Monday with a 27-0 win, as Kiana Millsaps recorded her eighth-straight shutout. Pioneer remained unbeaten with its fifth shutout in its last six wins and has won 31 of its last 32 games.

But while the top three continue streaking, St. Amant (La.), West Orange (Winter Garden, Fla.) and Reed (Sparks, Nev.) lost and dropped out of the Top 25.

Rockwall (Texas) opened the postseason with a lopsided win and moved up to No. 4, while Lebanon (Ohio) defeated three of Ohio's better teams to go to 21-0 on the season and is ranked No. 5 this week.

Sherwood (Sandy Springs, Md.), ranked No. 12, defeated Blair on Monday to set a state record for consecutive wins at 78.

New to the Top 25 this week are 10-0 Mercy (Farmington Hills, Mich.), Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.) and Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.).

Click here to see softball playoff brackets from across the nation


1. (No. 1 last week) Mission Viejo (Calif.), 22-0
Taylor McQuillin recorded her 15th shutout of the season.

2. (2) Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.), 24-0
The Cougars opened the postseason with a 27-0 win over Statesville to stretch their state-record win streak to 89. Kiana Millsaps has pitched eight straight shutouts, including a no-hitter in a 10-0 win over North Iredell on May 1. They have allowed just one run in their last 14 games.

3. (3) Pioneer (San Jose, Calif.), 23-0
Pioneer has allowed just nine runs this season, as sophomore Holly Azevedo is 22-0 after a two-hit, 10-strikeout performance in a 6-0 win over Santa Teresa. She also had three hits and two RBIs.

4. (5) Rockwall (Texas), 23-0-1
The Jackets, led by Peyton Mills' three doubles, pounded out 10 hits en route to a series sweep. Rockwall outscored Killeen Ellison 19-0 in the series and advanced to the second round of the 6A playoffs.

5. (7) Lebanon (Ohio), 21-0
Lebanon defeated three of Ohio's top-ranked teams – Mason, Centerville and Greenville - last week. Behind the pitching of Tara Trainer and Kim Frank, Lebanon has won 10 games by shutout.

6. (6) Aledo (Texas), 15-0
Aledo routed Trimble Tech, 19-0, in the first round of the 5A playoffs.

7. (8) Coronado (Lubbock, Texas), 25-0-1
Coronado defeated EP Franklin, 15-0, in the first round of the state 6A playoffs.

8. (9) Crown Point (Ind.), 18-1
Crown Point beat teams from Indiana, Michigan and Illinois to win the Lakeshore Invitational in Michigan. Pitchers Miranda Elish (10-0) and Alexis Holloway (8-1) have combined for 249 strikeouts in 120 innings.

9. (10) American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.), 24-1-1
Pitcher Jenna Goodrich is 15-0 (0.34 ERA) after back-to-back shutout wins over Suncoast and Mount Dora. The team moves into the state 5A semifinals on Wednesday.

10. (11) Bishop Carroll (Wichita, Kan.), 16-0
The Golden Eagles are averaging 16 runs per game after routing South (Wichita) 16-0 and 16-1. They are hitting .626 and have 102 extra base hits in just 16 games. Senior Brittany Finney is hitting .818 with 10 homers and 42 RBIs in just 58 plate appearances. The lowest batting average on the team is .421.

11. (12) Woodinville (Wash.), 15-0
The Falcons have outscored their opponents 136-13. Taylor Rhinehart struck out 14 in an 8-0 win over Newport.

12. (13) Sherwood (Sandy Spring, Md.), 16-0
The Warriors defeated Blair 7-0 on Monday to run their win streak to 78 straight games and set a state record. The last time the Warriors lost was in 2011. The three-time Maryland 4A state champion has outscored its opponents 231-10. Nicole Stockinger has 13 home runs.

13. (16) Eagle (Idaho), 24-0
In tuning up for the state 5A tournament, Eagle beat Borah (17-0), Meridian (19-0) and Vallivue (Caldwell) (18-1).

14. (14) La Grange (Texas), 29-0
La Grange got four RBIs each from Elana Ledwik, Briana Angel and Blake-Ann Fritsch in a 28-0 win in the first round of the state 4A playoffs.

15. (17) Yucaipa (Calif.), 22-3
Since losing to No. 1 Mission Viejo, the Thunderbirds have shut out nine of 10 opponents behind the pitching of senior Brooke Bolinger.

16. (NR) Mercy (Farmington Hills, Mich.), 10-0
Led by power-hitting pitcher Abby Krzywiecki and leadoff hitter Alex Sobczak, Mercy is averaging just under 10 runs per game.

17. (21) Santiago (Corona, Calif.), 23-3
Flirting with a team batting average of .400, the Sharks have won six straight. Senior Nichole Fry has 11 home runs and 41 RBIs.

18. (20) Atascocita (Humble, Texas), 23-3
Led by junior Shelby Mcglaun (14-2, .508 batting average), and Madison Emswiler (.464, 39 RBIs), Atascocita opened bi-district play with a win over Klein Collins.

19. (19) Boiling Springs (Spartanburg, S.C.), 25-2
Pitcher McKenna Quinn pitched a four-hit shutout, homered and doubled as the Bulldogs advanced to Wednesday's district final.

20. (22) Mount St. Dominic Academy (Caldwell, N.J.), 21-1
Kelsey Oh is 18-0 with a 0.24 ERA and has 213 strikeouts in 117 innings, but it was freshman Julianna Kocenski who threw a five-inning no-hitter in a 10-0 win over Glen Ridge.

21. (23) Cape Fear (Fayetteville, N.C.), 18-0
Mary Williams struck out 17 and allowed one hit as the Colts ended the regular season with a 4-0 win over South View. It was Williams' 15th shutout of the season.

22. (NR) Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.), 28-3
Hagerty beat last week's No. 15 West Orange, 2-1, to move into the Florida 8A state semifinals.

23. (NR) Sam Houston (Lake Charles, La.), 24-2
The Griffins beat previously unbeaten and No. 4 ranked St. Amant in the semifinals (4-1) and then beat Dutchtown, 3-1, for its fourth 5A state title in five years.

24. (24) Orange Lutheran (Calif.), 23-2
The Lancers routed league foes Rosary (Fullerton) and JSerra Catholic, as Maddy Dwyer picked up her 17th win.

25. (25) Bald Knob (Ark.), 20-2
Led by Autumn Humes, Bald Knob has won 14 straight. Humes is hitting .522 with 47 RBIs and is 16-1 with a 0.35 ERA in the circle. She had 10 RBIs in five wins last week and pitched a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts against Cedar Ridge.

Dropped Out: West Orange (Fla.), St. Amant (La.), Reed (Nev.).