Extra Elite 80 National High School Rankings: Wins & Losses in Florida & Alabama Have Big Impact On This Week’s Rankings

Although there are still many teams at 0-0 for the 2023 national high school softball season and still will be for a few more weeks, a sudden shift in Florida has created a lot of movement in the second installment of the Extra Elite 80 national rankings.

Sunshine State perennial power Lakewood Ranch of Bradenton, which was No. 3 in the first rankings, has had to drop all the way out this week following three straight losses. The Mustangs had begun their season with six straight wins and then just last Saturday fell 2-1 to a Windermere squad that was 2-2. Then came a 6-1 loss to Parrish Community on Tuesday and then the next day there was another loss, 5-4 in eight innings, to Windermere.

Lakewood Ranch had lost two early games last season, but in that situation, both were to Lake Brantley so in the rankings the team was just dropped behind Lake Brantley and not that far. The Mustangs also bounced back to win another Class 7A state championship. This time, they have to go all the way out for now.

Parrish Community is a team with everyone back from a 24-4 squad of a year ago, including pitcher Isabella Vega, who is headed to Central Florida and who tossed a one-hitter against Lakewood Ranch. Parrish Community (3-0) was moved up to No. 16 in this week’s national rankings.

The other newcomer that went from unranked (not even in the list of teams from No. 51 to No. 80) and into the top 15 this week is Wetumpka of Wetumpka, Alabama. The Indians were up to 22-0 last time we checked and had wins over preseason national No. 11 Spain Park as well as a Vestavia Hills squad that began this week with a 19-3 record.

Troy University commit Mya Holt, a junior, has been leading Wetumpka at the plate and in the circle. In her first 22 games, she was 15-0 with a 0.42 ERA plus 73 strikeouts in 67 innings. Mya also was batting .509 with 12 homers.

Many of the top teams from Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada will all be playing each other this week at the 27th annual Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Bullhead City, Ariz. The runner-up from last year and No. 1 in California to start this year, Murrieta Mesa of Murrieta, Calif., is back looking to win it all this time.

Others from the Extra Elite 80 who will be there include Norco (Calif.), Los Alamitos (Calif.), Salpointe Catholic (Ariz.) and Marina (Huntington Beach, Calif.). Marina freshman Mia Valbuena has been an early season sensation in California and on Tuesday she pitched well again in a 2-1 win over league rival Huntington Beach.

In most cases, teams that have yet to begin their season are locked into the same positions they were placed in the very first rankings.

It’s a situation we’re very familiar with in doing national softball rankings for more than 20 years with the cold-weather states all starting much later than in places like California, Florida and Texas.

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2023 Extra Elite Eighty Rankings

(Previous ranking in parentheses)
(Through reported games of Wednesday, March 7)

1. 1. (1) Lake Creek (Montgomery, Texas) 21-0
   2. (2) Roncalli (Indianapolis, Ind.) 0-0
   3. (5) Murrieta Mesa (Murrieta, Calif.) 3-0
   4. (4) Ballard (Louisville, Ky.) 0-0
   5. (6) Clovis North (Fresno, Calif.) 6-0
   6. (7) Salpointe Catholic (Tucson, Ariz.) 9-0
   7. (8) Lake Ridge (Mansfield, Texas) 18-0
   8. (14) Norco (Norco, Calif.) 6-0
   9. (12) Bartow (Bartow, Fla.) 5-0
   10. (10) Anthony Wayne (Whitehouse, Ohio) 0-0

*** Scroll down to see the rest of the 2023 Extra Elite Eighty Preseason teams!

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