MaxPreps Top 25 national high school softball rankings

Led by seniors Johanna Grauer, Victoria Molina and Ashley Lotosynski, Amador Valley defeated Granada and reached its preseason goal of winning the California Interscholastic Federation North Coast Section Division I softball title.

In the process, the Dons finished the season with a perfect 27-0 record and remained atop this week's MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Softball Rankings.

Alexander Central remains in the hunt for the mythical national title by knocking off previously unbeaten and No. 8 North Davidson twice in the semifinals of North Carolina 4A state tournament. With a record of 33-0, Central is quite possibly the most dominating team on either side of the Mississippi, averaging more than a dozen runs per game while allowing less than one.

Behind another sterling performance by Taylor McQuillin, Mission Viejo moved from No. 5 into the No. 3 spot. Mission Viejo won the CIF Southern Section Division 2 title with a nine-inning 1-0 victory over Chino as McQuillin struck out 17.

New to the Top 25 this week are Kamiakin (Kennewick, Wash.), Aledo (Texas), Bishop Carroll (Wichita, Kan.), Parkland (Allentown, Pa.) and Indian Hills (Oakland. N.J.).


1. (No. 1 last week) Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.), 27-0 *Season over
Johanna Grauer and fellow seniors Victoria Molina and Ashley Lotosynski collected two hits each as the Dons defeated Granada (Livermore) to capture the CIF North Coast Section D-I title. Grauer also scattered five hits and struck out 11 to finish the season 27-0 with 290 strikeouts in 191 innings and a 0.51 ERA. She had 14 shutouts and pitched all but two innings of the Dons' unbeaten season.

2. (2) Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.), 31-0
Central continues to roll and will face Cape Fear (Fayetteville) Friday in the North Carolina D-4 state title game Central has outscored its opponents 404-31 after beating previously unbeaten North Davidson (Lexington) twice (12-3 and 4-2).

3. (5) Mission Viejo (Calif.), 26-1 *Season over
The Diablos won their first softball championship with a 1-0 victory over Chino in the D-2 CIF-SS title game. Mission Viejo pitcher Taylor McQuillin had 17 strikeouts in nine innings and allowed only a first-inning single. Since losing 2-1 to Pacifica (Garden Grove), the Diablos recorded five straight shutouts in the postseason, outscoring their opponents 31-0.

4. (4) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.), 30-1 *Season over
With a 7-4 win over Pioneer (San Jose), Mitty captured the Central Coast Section D-2 championship. It was Mitty's third CCS title in the last four years, seventh in the last nine years and 12th overall.

5. (6) Lebanon (Ohio), 32-0
Lebanon scored a 3-2 win over Mason and on Thursday will meet 26-3 and previously ranked Hoover (North Canton) in the first round of the Ohio D-1 state tournament.

6. (13) Crown Point (Ind.), 28-0
The Bulldogs face Munster Tuesday in regional play. The winner moves on to state 4A semifinal. They have outscored three playoff teams, 23-1. Miranda Elish has allowed nine hits and struck out 34 in three postseason games.

7. (16) Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.), 29-4-1 *Season over
Pacifica's Kaylee Carlson tossed a five-hit shutout, and second baseman Brooke Marquez hit a game-winning RBI double in the top of the 12th inning to help Pacifica earn a 1-0 CIF Southern Section D-1 championship win over ML King of Riverside. Carlson, who struck out 11, ended the season with a 46-inning shutout streak.

8. (10) Sherwood (Sandy Spring, Md.), 22-0 *Season over
Sherwood, which has won 62 straight games, has won last three 4A state titles.

9. (19) Unionville-Sebewaing (Sebewaing, Mich.), 36-0
Unionville beat Reese 12-3 and 9-4 to win the Greater Thumb Conference title and improved to 36-0. Nicole Bauer earned a win and save on the mound, plus added a homer and four RBIs on offense. Next up is the postseason.

10. (NR) Bishop Carroll (Wichita, Kan.), 25-0 *Season over
Seniors Jessi Haffner, Brittany Finney and Morgan Balderas led the Golden Eagles to their fourth-straight 5A state title and 13th in school history with an 11-0 win over South (Maize). In the title game, Haffner pitched a two-hitter, Finney hit two home runs and Balderas hit a three-run blast.

11. (NR) Parkland (Allentown, Pa.), 24-0-1
The Trojans have won 18 straight since their no-score tie with Phillipsburg (N.J.). They've scored 172 runs and have allowed just 26. The Trojans have 10 shutouts this season.

12. (8) Vacaville (Calif.), 29-1-1 *Season over
The Bulldogs won a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section title.

13. (18) South Salem (Ore.), 29-1
After ending the regular season with wins over highly regarded West Albany (1-0) and North Medford (4-3), the Saxons routed a trio of state tournament opponents to move into Tuesday's semifinals against South Medford.

14. (14) Sparkman (Harvest, Ala.), 63-4-1 *Season over
Sparkman won the 6A state title.

15. (15) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), 30-2 *Season over
The Raiders won Florida's 7A state title for the second-straight year.

16. (17) Eastern Tech (Baltimore), 24-0 *Season over
Tech beat Easton 3-1 to capture the Maryland 2A state championship.

17. (NR) Indian Hills (Oakland, N.J.), 31-0
Madison Levine hit a walk-off home run to lead Indian Hills to a 5-4 win over No. 22 Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington Township). The win gave Indian Hills the Bergen County Championship. Up next is the playoffs.

18. (22) La Grange (Texas), 40-2 *Season over
Led by pitcher Missy Zoch and Kristy Bertsch, the Cougars defeated Van, 7-3, to win the Texas 3A title. Bertsch homered and drove in three runs and Zoch scattered six hits for her 31st win of the season. Alyssa Angel finished the season with a .578 batting average and drove in 71 runs. She had 42 extra-base hits for the season.

19. (21) Curtis (River Ridge, La.), 30-2 *Season over
Won state 3A title.

20. (NR) Kamiakin (Kennewick, Wash.), 24-2 *Season over
Kamiakin became the first 3A Washington team to win three consecutive fastpitch state titles when it defeated previously ranked and unbeaten Enumclaw, 4-2.

21. (25) Deer Park (Texas), 39-6 *Season over
Caitlin Plocheck homered and singled and Devann Hebert had three base hits to back Payton McBride's complete game effort as Deer Park won the Texas 5A title.

22. (11) Immaculate Heart Academy (Washington Township, N.J.), 31-1
IHA lost on a walk-off home run in the finals of the Bergen County Tournament. It reached the finals by outscoring its opponents 32-2 in four games. Up next is the postseason.

23. (24) West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.), 28-1 *Season over
The Jaguars won the state 4A title.

24. (9) The Woodlands (Texas), 39-4
The Highlanders dropped the 5A state title game to No. 21 Deer Park.

25. (NR) Aledo (Texas), 33-4
Tournament MVP Rhylie Makawe had three hits and scored twice as Aledo defeated Ennis, 10-3, to win the Texas 4A title. Junior Lauren Craine finished the season 26-1 for the title winners.

Dropped out: North Davidson (N.C.), James Logan (Calif.), Enumclaw (Wash.), Olathe East (Kan.), Barbers Hill (Texas).