MaxPreps top 25 national high school softball rankings

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A number of challenging games will face No. 1 Norco over the next 10 days, starting with Mater Dei on Tuesday.

Norco remains atop MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Softball Rankings and will get a stiff challenge from Mater Dei (12-3), which owns a win over No. 15 Orange Lutheran. Mater Dei is the defending California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section D1 champion.

After the Mater Dei test, Norco will be one of the favorites in the prestigious Michelle Carew Classic, set for April 5-8. The Carew Classic, which is named after Baseball Hall of Famer Rod Carew's daughter Michelle, features California's top teams, including five ranked this week and four others previously ranked.

Norco was one of the few Top 5 teams from last week to win as three suffered losses, allowing 21-0 Hendrickson to move to No. 2 after winning twice last week.

Rounding out the top five are Amador Valley, No. 4 Pinnacle and No. 5 St. Mary's.

Also new to the Top 10 this week are unbeatens Scott County and Bishop O'Connell.

New to the Top 25 this week are O'Connor, Orange, Stockdale, East Carter, Gahr, and Woodinville.

1. (Last week 1) Norco (Calif.), 13-0
The Cougars swept Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga) twice, 6-0 and 11-0.
Next up: 12-3 Mater Dei (Santa Ana) on Tuesday.

2. (4) Hendrickson (Pflugerville, Texas), 21-0
The Hawks got a three-hit pitching performance from Hope Trautwein and edged crosstown rival Pflugerville, 2-1, in eight innings.
Next up: Cedar Ridge (Round Rock) on Friday.

3. (7) Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.), 7-0
The Dons' junior Danielle Williams has pitched five shutouts in seven wins.
Next up: 4-1 Livermore on Monday.

4. (5) Pinnacle (Phoenix), 20-1
Since losing 1-0 to No. 11 Hamilton (Chandler), the Pioneers routed former No. 2 Desert Ridge, 12-0, and Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) and then edged Desert Vista (Mesa), 4-3.
Next up: 15-6 Westwood (Mesa) on Tuesday.

5. (11) St. Mary's (Stockton, Calif.), 9-0
The Rams are hitting .460 with 40 extra base hits.
Next up: Lincoln (Stockton) on Wednesday.

6. (8) Los Alamitos (Calif.), 9-2
The Griffins avenged an earlier season loss to Mission Viejo as Mary Iakopo hit a two-run homer.
Next up: 7-3 Cypress (Calif.).

7. (10) Willis (Texas), 22-1
The Wildkats have 18 straight wins and allowed just nine runs during the streak.
Next up: Waller on Tuesday.

8. (3) Spain Park (Hoover, Ala.), 22-1
The Jaguars lost 14-7 to Hewitt-Trussville.
Next up: 13-5 Hayden on Monday.

9. (23) Scott County (Georgetown, Ky.), 8-0
The Cardinals swept through the Big M Classic at 5-0 and have outscored their opponents, 60-8.
Next up: Boyle County (Danville) on Tuesday.

10. (13) Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, Va.), 5-0
Kat Sandercock has allowed two hits in her four shutout victories.
Next up: Bishop Ireton (Alexandria).

11. (12) Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), 17-3
The Huskies routed Desert Vista, 12-0, and previously ranked Desert Ridge (Mesa) and edged No. 4 Pinnacle (Phoenix), 1-0.
Next up: 9-7 Corona del Sol (Tempe) on Monday.

12. (17) Coral Springs Charter (Coral Springs, Fla.), 14-1
With a team batting average of .407, the Panthers have won seven straight. Senior pitcher Allison Muraskin is 14-1 (0.30 ERA and 130 strikeouts in 73 innings).
Next up: 7-5 Boca Raton on Tuesday.

13. (18) Johnson (San Antonio), 18-1
The Jaguars have won six in a row and have allowed 20 runs this season. Seniors Caitlyn Colquhoun and Mia Moreno have combined for 50 RBIs and each are hitting .519.
Next up: 3-12-1 Roosevelt (San Antonio) on Tuesday.

14. (22) Carroll (Corpus Christi, Texas), 21-2-1
The Tigers have won 14 straight since losing to Katy and needed 12 innings to beat Gregory-Portland (Portland), 4-3.
Next up: 8-9 Veterans Memorial (Corpus Christi, Tex.) on Thursday.

15. (21) Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), 9-2
The Lancers beat St. Anthony (Long Beach) twice, 10-3 and 12-2.
Next up: 12-2 Santa Margarita (Rancho Santa Margarita).

16. (16) Grand Terrace (Calif.), 5-1
Next up: 7-4 Roosevelt (Eastvale) on Thursday.

17. (NR) O'Connor (Phoenix), 16-2
The Eagles are hitting over .400 and seven different players have homered. They have won seven in a row.
Next up: Tolleson.

18. (20) Katy (Texas), 21-3
The Tigers have won four in a row.
Next up: Mayde Creek (Houston) on Wednesday.

19. (NR) Orange (Hillsborough, N.C.), 7-0
Freshman Jaden Hurdle is hitting .583 and senior Mia Davidson is hitting .562. They have combined for 30 RBIs.
Next up: 9-1 Apex.

20. (NR) Stockdale (Bakersfield, Calif.), 13-0
Led by freshman Sydney Hornbuckle (9-0) and senior Haleigh Hutton (.600 batting average, 19 RBIs), the Mustangs have allowed just 17 runs.
Next up: 9-3 Liberty (Bakersfield) on Monday.

21. (24) Kingwood (Texas) 18-3
The Mustangs have won eight straight.
Next up: King (Houston) on Tuesday.

22. (NR) East Carter (Grayson, Ky.), 3-0
Montana Fouts has 32 strikeouts in 14 innings, including a 20-strikeout performance, as East Carter has won its first three games.
Next up: Morgan County (West Liberty) on Monday.

23. (NR) Woodinville (Wash.), 5-0
The Falcons are playing like a team with seven college signees, as they have made their tough early season schedule look not so tough. Woodinville 44, opponents six.
Next up: 4-1 Inglemoor (Kenmore) on Tuesday.

24. (25) Cape Fear (Fayetteville, N.C.), 12-0
The Colts scored 78 runs in four wins last week, three times scoring 22 or more.
Next up: 8-1 South View (Hope Mills) on Tuesday.

25. (NR) Gahr (Cerritos, Calif.), 11-0
Led by Malia Quarles and Alyssa Kumiyama, the Gladiators routed Pacifica (Garden Grove), 7-1, and Aliso Niguel (Aliso Viejo) 8-0 last week.
Next up: La Mirada Tournament on Saturday.

Dropped out: LaHabra (Calif.), Desert Ridge (Ariz.), Lakewood Ranch (Fla.), Westminster Christian (Ala.), D.H. Conley (N.C.), and Mission Viejo (Calif.).