LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Reigning state 7A titlist Buford opens this year’s NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll exactly where it finished last season — in the No. 1 position.
The (7-0) Wolves, who were 32-1 and claimed their 11th Georgia High School Association championship — and first in their current classification — last November, have won their first seven games of the 2023 season by a 68-2 margin. Both runs Buford has allowed so far came in a 12-2 triumph over Walnut Grove on Aug. 14. The Wolves host a region game against Mountain View later today.
Meanwhile, Colorado’s Columbine (3-0) also starts ranked where it finished last season (second) after scoring 14 or more runs in each of its first three contests. The Rebels rolled past Rock Canyon, 14-3, on Tuesday, and have Fruita Monument up next on Friday.
Fellow Colorado school Holy Family (6-0), Nebraska’s Gretna (5-0) and Oklahoma’s Caddo (6-0) round out a perfect top five. Those three have outscored their opponents by a combined 158-26 through their first 17 games, averaging 9.3 runs per contest. In all, the first 10 teams in the poll are undefeated.
Elsewhere, No. 11 Turner (15-1) has been tearing it up in Oklahoma, winning its last 11, and all five ranked Iowa teams are state titlists, including repeat champions Regina Catholic (30-8) and Winterset (28-12). No. 21 North Linn (39-6) recently wrapped up its summer season with an Iowa Class 1A crown, which is the third state title in the last five years for the Lynx, who were Class 2A champs in 2019 and 2021.
State rankings submitted by the 2023 NFCA High School Steering Committee are used to compile the NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality, strength of schedule, and active NFCA membership. Five states — Colorado, Georgia, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri — play a fall fastpitch schedule, while Iowa recently completed its summer season.
NFCA Summer/Fall High School Top 25 Coaches Poll, Week 1
1. Buford (Ga.)
Record: 7-0
2. Columbine (Colo.)
Record: 3-0
3. Holy Family (Colo.)
Record: 6-0
4. Gretna (Neb.)
Record: 5-0
5. Caddo (Okla.)
Record: 6-0
6. Owasso (Okla.)
Record: 14-0
7. Strasburg (Colo.)
Record: 6-0
8. Jeff Davis (Ga.)
Record: 5-0
9. Erie (Colo.)
Record: 3-0
10. Eaton (Colo.)
Record: 5-0
11. Turner (Okla.)
Record: 15-1
12. Broken Arrow (Okla.)
Record: 10-1
13. Lincoln East (Neb.)
Record: 5-1
14. Houston County (Ga.)
Record: 6-1
15. Millard West (Neb.)
Record: 3-1
16. East Paulding (Ga.)
Record: 8-1
17. Lincoln Southwest (Neb.)
Record: 2-0
18. Pope (Ga.)
Record: 8-1
19. Lone Grove (Okla.)
Record: 10-3
20. Moore (Okla.)
Record: 10-2
21. North Linn (Iowa)
Record: 39-6
22. Ankeny Centennial (Iowa
Record: 36-5
23. Regina Catholic (Iowa)
Record: 30-8
24. Williamsburg (Iowa)
Record: 36-9
25. Winterset (Iowa)
Record: 28-12
