LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Melissa prepared for the Texas Division 1 playoffs with three more victories to continue as the No. 1 team in the NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Coaches Poll for a seventh week.
The undefeated Cardinals beat Walnut Grove, Bentonville and Texas. They have won their 30 games this season by an average of 11.3 runs and have won 15 straight on the road dating back to last year. Melissa will see Texas High again in the best-of-three Class 5A bi-district round on Saturday.
Meanwhile, No. 2 Calvary Baptist rolled past Fisher, 16-1 on Tuesday, in its Louisiana playoff opener. The top-seeded (34-1) Cavaliers had a bye into the regional round of the Division III Select playoffs and will play either Bunkie or Dunham in Saturday’s state quarterfinal.
Illinois’ Beecher (18-0) is the only change from last week’s top 10, breaking into the rankings after logging five more triumphs. The unbeaten Bobcats have now won 39 of their last 40 games dating to last year.
Three other newcomers are in the poll — No. 18 La Salle Academy, No. 22 Benton and No. 23 Austintown-Fitch. La Salle (10-0) stayed perfect with an 8-0 rout of then-No. 19 Cheshire on Saturday, while Benton (18-2) edged then-No. 25 Sheridan, 5-3 on Tuesday. Austintown-Fitch (12-2) returns to the rankings for the first time in three weeks.
State rankings submitted by the NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Coaches Poll. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule.
NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Softball Coaches Poll – April 24, 2025
|
Rank |
Team |
2025 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Melissa (Texas) |
30-0 |
1 |
|
2 |
Calvary Baptist (La.) |
34-1 |
2 |
|
3 |
Summerville (S.C.) |
21-0 |
3 |
|
4 |
Katy (Texas) |
31-1 |
4 |
|
5 |
Norco (Calif.) |
22-2 |
5 |
|
6 |
Lake Creek (Texas) |
27-0 |
6 |
|
7 |
Bishop O’Connell (Va.) |
11-0 |
7 |
|
8 |
Owyhee (Idaho) |
20-0 |
8 |
|
9 |
Donovan Catholic (N.J.) |
11-0 |
9 |
|
10 |
Beecher (Ill.) |
18-0 |
NR |
|
11 |
Lincoln-Way Central (Ill.) |
15-1 |
10 |
|
12 |
Doral Academy (Fla.) |
24-1 |
11 |
|
13 |
Lincoln-Way East (Ill.) |
16-0 |
12 |
|
14 |
Rosary Academy (Calif.) |
21-2-1 |
13 |
|
15 |
Skyview (Wash.) |
11-1 |
14 |
|
16 |
St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) |
10-1 |
15 |
|
17 |
Weddington (N.C.) |
17-1 |
17 |
|
18 |
La Salle Academy (R.I.) |
10-0 |
NR |
|
19 |
Marist (Ill.) |
14-1 |
20 |
|
20 |
Orange Beach (Ala.) |
37-2 |
22 |
|
21 |
Lake Central (Ind.) |
14-1 |
18 |
|
22 |
Benton (Ark.) |
18-2 |
NR |
|
23 |
Austintown-Fitch (Ohio) |
12-2 |
NR |
|
24 |
St. John Vianney (N.J.) |
6-1 |
24 |
|
T25 |
Orange Lutheran (Calif.) |
20-3 |
23 |
|
T25 |
Monteverde Academy (Fla.) |
23-2 |
T25 |
Dropped out: Anthony Wayne (Ohio), Cheshire (Conn.), Oak Ridge (Calif.) and Sheridan (Ark.).
2025 NFCA High School Steering Committee
The NFCA is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaches polls and All-America awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention.
Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of over 7,000 coaches today!
