LOUISVILLE, Ky. —Lake Creek is the No. 1-ranked team in the final USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 following a 2023 season during which it won a second straight Texas 5A state title.
This past week, the (44-1) Lions got some more good news with the announcement of senior pitcher Ava Brown as the 2022-23 Gatorade National Player of the Year. Brown went 27-0 with 292 strikeouts and a 0.53 ERA over 172 innings this year, and was a remarkable 81-0 over the last two seasons. She is heading to the University of Florida in the fall to pitch for a Gators staff that will also include Keagan Rothrock of sixth-ranked Roncalli (31-4-1), who collected Gatorade national honors last season.
With the season now complete for all teams in the Super 25, there was no movement from last week’s listing. There are 11 state champions in the final ranking, plus No. 19 Hollister (30-3), who won both the Northern California (Division 1) and Central Section (Open) titles.
All of the top five were state titlists, including repeat champions Lake Creek and No. 4 Ballard (36-1), and three-time reigning champ Rockridge (38-1), which has won three of the last four Illinois state crowns. No. 2 Jackson (28-1) and No. 5 Rosemount (26-0) also closed their seasons with a crown.
Other state titlists were No. 9 Austintown-Fitch (22-0-1), No. 10 St. Amant (34-2), No. 12 Salpointe Catholic (35-1) and No. 13 West Stanly (31-1), No. 20 Spanish Fork (28-2) and No. 24 Benton (28-4).
State rankings submitted by the 2023 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.
Final 2023 USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll
1. Lake Creek (Texas)
Record: 44-1
2. Jackson (Wash.)
Record: 28-1
3. Rockridge (Ill.)
Record: 38-1
4. Ballard (Ky.)
Record: 36-1
5. Rosemount (Minn.)
Record: 26-0
6. Roncalli (Ind.)
Record: 31-4-1
7. Bentonville (Ark.)
Record: 29-2
8. Willow Canyon (Ariz.)
Record: 30-2-1
9. Austintown-Fitch (Ohio)
Record: 22-0-1
10. St. Amant (La.)
Record: 34-2
11. Mount Vernon (Mo.)
Record: 37-1
12. Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.)
Record: 35-1
13. West Stanly (N.C.)
Record: 31-1
14. Donovan Catholic (N.J.)
Record: 28-2
15. Anthony Wayne (Ohio)
Record: 28-5
16. Coral Springs Charter (Fla.)
Record: 25-1-2
17. Watkins Memorial (Ohio)
Record: 28-2-1
18. Springfield (Holland, Ohio)
Record: 27-1
19. Hollister (Calif.)
Record: 30-3
20. Spanish Fork (Utah)
Record: 28-2
21. Norco (Calif.)
Record: 28-4
22. Neshoba Central (Miss.)
Record: 25-5
23. Saint Francis (Calif.)
Record: 28-4
24. Benton (Ark.)
Record: 28-4
25. Bend (Ore.)
Record: 26-4
Celebrating 40 years in 2023, the NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its vast library of digital education, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to an extensive Awards & Scholarships platform, to NFCA Webinars and a National Convention.
