LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The state title game is all that stands between Melissa and a likely No. 1 national finish in the NFCA Spring High School Top 25 Coaches Poll this season.
The (37-1) Cardinals face perennial Texas power Barbers Hill (35-3) in Friday’s Texas Class 5A, Division 1 final. Melissa has been the top-ranked team in the poll for the past 12 weeks and has won its past three games by a combined 34-6 margin following a 2-0 loss to Lake Benton on May 14 in the opener of their best-of-three regional final series.
Fellow Texas team Lake Creek leapfrogged Summerville into the No. 3 spot behind Melissa and Louisiana state titlist Calvary Baptist after sweeping Rouse, 4-3 and 8-4, in the 5A, Division 2 state semis last week. The unbeaten (36-0) Lions play Hallsville for the championship on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the (33-1) Green Wave were edged 9-8 in the second game of their South Carolina 5A, Division 1 state championship series with James F. Byrnes on Wednesday to slip from third to No. 5 in this week’s ranking. The two teams will be back at it Friday for a winner-take-all game three.
No. 8 Doral Academy (31-1) defeated Pace 1-0 in Saturday’s Florida 6A state final, while No. 11 Skyview (24-1) topped Rogers 3-1 later than same day for the Washington 4A championship.
A 6-3 triumph over Hoover on Wednesday has No. 12 Perrysburg (27-1) in Saturday’s Ohio Division I regional final against Jackson, with a berth in the June 7 state semis on the line.
Two teams broke into the rankings this week. Taunton (20-0) continued its unbeaten campaign, which includes a May 17 victory over No. 16 La Salle, while one-loss Glenwood (31-1) is also new.
Meanwhile, No. 21 Benton (31-2) continued its dominance, capturing the Arkansas state 5A championship for the fourth consecutive year with a 11-4 victory over Sheridan last Thursday.
Mt. Spokane (28-2) won five of its last six games to salvage a fourth-place finish in the Washington 3A playoffs after a surprising first-round loss as the tournament’s No. 2 seed.
No. 25 Norco (28-3) advanced to Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 1 title game versus El Modena, which beat previously-ranked Rosary Academy 7-5 in the second round on May 17.
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 – May 29, 2025
|
Rank |
Team |
2025 Record |
Previous |
|
1 |
Melissa (Texas) |
37-1 |
1 |
|
2 |
Calvary Baptist (La.) |
37-1 |
2 |
|
3 |
Lake Creek (Texas) |
36-0 |
4 |
|
4 |
Bishop O’Connell (Va.) |
20-0 |
5 |
|
5 |
Summerville (S.C.) |
33-1 |
3 |
|
6 |
Katy (Texas) |
36-2 |
6 |
|
7 |
Lincoln-Way Central (Ill.) |
32-1 |
7 |
|
8 |
Doral Academy (Fla.) |
31-1 |
8 |
|
9 |
Owyhee (Idaho) |
28-1 |
9 |
|
10 |
Donovan Catholic (N.J.) |
23-1 |
10 |
|
11 |
Skyview (Wash.) |
24-1 |
12 |
|
12 |
Perrysburg (Ohio) |
27-1 |
13 |
|
13 |
Ridgeview (Ore.) |
23-1 |
14 |
|
14 |
Taunton (Mass.) |
20-0 |
NR |
|
15 |
Glenwood (Ill.) |
31-1 |
NR |
|
16 |
La Salle Academy (R.I.) |
22-1 |
15 |
|
17 |
Orange Beach (Ala.) |
47-2 |
16 |
|
18 |
Marist (Ill.) |
31-2 |
17 |
|
19 |
Beecher (Ill.) |
33-2 |
18 |
|
20 |
Sam Houston (La.) |
32-2 |
19 |
|
21 |
Benton (Ark.) |
31-2 |
20 |
|
22 |
Mt. Spokane (Wash.) |
28-2 |
11 |
|
23 |
Kingsway (N.J.) |
21-2 |
21 |
|
24 |
St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) |
24-3 |
22 |
|
T25 |
St. John Vianney (N.J.) |
16-2 |
24 |
|
T25 |
Norco (Calif.) |
28-3 |
25 |
Dropped out: Rosary Academy (Calif.).
2025 NFCA High School Steering Committee
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