High School: Extra Elite 80 No. 1 Lake Creek Wins Back-to-Back Texas State Titles

Look up the word “dominant” in the dictionary—at least the high school softball one—and you will probably fine “Lake Creek High” as a synonym.

Synonym means “same or alike” and that’s what Lake Creek (Montgomery, Texas) High softball has been the last two years when it comes to winning softball games in the Class 5A division of the Lone Star State.

The Lions won a second straight state title and, combining this year and last year, have won 85 of their last 85 games. And it’s all but certain now the school will finish the season No. 1 in the Extra Elite 80 National High School Rankings.

Superstar pitcher Ava Brown, the Florida signee and No. 3 ranked player in the 2023 Extra Elite 100, was once again her dominant (there’s that word again) self as she finished her prolific high school career throwing a one-hit 8-0 shutout over a good Canyon (New Braunfels, Texas) High team in the UIL state playoffs Saturday at Red and Charline McCombs Field in Austin.

Brown recorded 15 strikeouts and gave up just one walk to give her and her Lake Creek teammates a third straight trip in the state title game, with the last two—this year and last—bringing home the hardware.

The last out for the Lions title came, appropriately enough, on Brown’s 15th strikeout of the 5A title win:

STATE CHAMPIONS! @LakeCreek_SB pic.twitter.com/29Z7YQZu4d

— Montgomery ISD (@MontgomeryISD) June 3, 2023

That means Brown and her senior teammates finish their careers with a sparkling 138-4 record and the two state titles.

The first one is always special, but going back-to-back, it’s not easy to do, especially with the competition we had to go through this year,” Lake Creek coach Michelle Rochinski told Jon Poorman of the Houston Chronicle after the title victory.

“All the credit goes to these kids,” she continued. “They came in, and they wanted it. I guess the difference is they do have that one loss on their record, but they all kind of put that aside. Their overall goal was to win a back-to-back state championship, and they accomplished it.”

What Coach Rochinski– who was named as the 2022 state coach of the year right before the championship game—meant by that “one loss” comment was a defeat this year in the playoffs—an 8-2 loss to Georgetown in the Class 5A regional finals—but the Lake Creek won the best two-of-three round to advance to the title game.

That means the Lions with a record of 44-1 this year and a perfect 41-0 mark in 2022, now have won 99 of their past 101 games over the last four years and, since the softball team started in 2019, has a 157-13 record.

For Canyon High it was the team’s first loss of the year as it finishes with an impressive 32-1 record, but Lake Creek wasn’t to be denied as the Lions put the only run it’d eventually need on the board in the first when LSU-bound Maddie McKee, another Extra Elite 100 2023 standout, started the game off with a walk and was driven in by an Ava Brown double.

The Lions would put the game out of reach by scoring five runs in the 4^th and 5^th innings and, with Brown on the mound, it’s doubtful even the Houston Astros could have scratched a run in against her.

Ava Brown caps off her HS career with a 1-hit shutout while striking out 15 and driving in a run, helping Lake Creek beat NB Canyon 8-0 for back to back titles. She'll go down as one of the best HS softball players ever from the state of Texas. @avajbrownn @LakeCreek_SB pic.twitter.com/vYlo2VFiDT

— Travis Recek (@TravisRecek) June 3, 2023

The senior finishes with a perfect 81-0 record for her illustrious career and now goes on to play for Tim Walton and the Florida Gators.

She had a lot of help from her offense as Piper White had a two run RBI single in the 4^th inning while Payton Bauer also drove home a pair of runs herself with a 5^th inning double. RBI singles by Madalyn Davis and Bauer in the 6^th inning clinched the final score of 8-0.

Brown was named as MVP for the championship game for the second time and, just like last year’s big win in the 41-0 perfect season for Lake Creek, threw a one-hit shutout to bring home the trophy.

And the final No. 1 ranking in the Extra Elite 80 national rankings. A record-setting run that has been one of the most dominant we’ve ever seen in prep fastpitch history.

And there’s that word again (dominant), which will forever describe the Lake Creek Lions place in high school softball history over the past five years.

— Brentt Eads

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