LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The first four places in the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 remained the same this week, led by unbeaten No. 1 Pacifica.
The (13-0) Mariners stayed perfect for the season with a 13-0 romp over Valencia on Wednesday, and also defeated Crean Lutheran and El Modena in a 3-0 week. Katy (22-1-1), Jackson (5-0) and Northwest Rankin (12-0) combined to go 5-0 and keep pace in places 2-4.
After that, things got interesting with big moves and three poll newcomers joining the top 10.
Losses above them allowed one-loss Calvary Baptist (20-1) to surge six spots to fifth and highly-rated Austintown-Fitch, which opens its season Saturday against Lakeview, to move up to No. 6. Basha (14-1-1) stayed eighth after a 3-0-1 week that included a 10-0 rout of No. 18 Canyon Del Oro, just below new No. 7 Sterlington. The (21-0) Panthers have wins over last week’s fifth-ranked team, North DeSoto and debuting No. 20 St. Thomas More this season.
Unbeaten newcomers Antioch (4-0) and Diamond (7-0) round out the top 10. Antioch beat incoming No. 17 Lincoln-Way East on Saturday, while Diamond defeated then-No. 22 Mount Vernon twice in the last week, including 9-5 on Wednesday in the final of the two-day Mount Vernon Tournament.
Coral Springs Charter and West Stanly are tied for the 25th spot after losses dropped them four and eight places, respectively. Desert Mountain, Lake Creek, Mount Vernon and Norco all fell out of the poll this week.
State rankings submitted by the 2024 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 and strength of schedule.
USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – March 21, 2024
1. Pacifica (Calif.)
Record: 13-0 | PR: 1
2. Katy (Texas)
Record: 22-1-1 | PR: 2
3. Jackson (Wash.)
Record: 5-0 | PR: 3
4. Northwest Rankin (Miss.)
Record: 12-0 | PR: 4
5. Calvary Baptist (La.)
Record: 20-1 | PR: 11
6. Austintown-Fitch (Ohio)
Record: 0-0 | PR: 7
7. Sterlington (La.)
Record: 21-0 | PR: NR
8. Basha (Ariz.)
Record: 14-1-1 | PR: 8
9. Antioch (Ill.)
Record: 4-0 | PR: NR
10. Diamond (Mo.)
Record: 7-0 | PR: NR
11. Watkins Memorial (Ohio)
Record: 1-0 | PR: 13
12. Rockridge (Ill.)
Record: 1-0 | PR: 14
13. Bingham (Utah)
Record: 7-0 | PR: 24
14. Red Mountain (Ariz.)
Record: 12-1 | PR: 15
15. Ballard (Ky.)
Record: 1-0 | PR: 19
16. Roncalli (Ind.)
Record: 0-0 | PR: 20
17. Lincoln-Way East (Ill.)
Record: 4-1 | PR: NR
18. Canyon Del Oro (Ariz.)
Record: 15-1 | PR: 18
19. Benton (Ark.)
Record: 4-1 | PR: 22
20. St. Thomas More (La.)
Record: 20-2 | PR: NR
21. North DeSoto (La.)
Record: 20-3 | PR: 5
22. Marist (Ill.)
Record: 2-1 | PR: 6
23. Lemont (Ill.)
Record: 1-1 | PR: 12
24. Neshoba Central (Miss.)
Record: 8-2 | PR: 16
t-25. Coral Springs Charter (Fla.)
Record: 7-2 | PR: 21
t-25. West Stanly (N.C.)
Record: 8-1 | PR: 17
Dropped out: Desert Mountain (Ariz.), Lake Creek (Texas), Mount Vernon (Mo.) and Norco (Calif.).
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!
