SBLive Arkansas Super 7 softball rankings: Regular season winding down for big schools with key matchups; small schools entering postseason play

By Kyle Sutherland | Photo by Sadie Rucker 

Some regular-season conference champions (and co-champions) have been crowned as district tournaments begin for some this week, while others from the bigger classes still look to claim their spots for the upcoming state tournament over the next couple of weeks. Spring weather appears to be officially here to stay and some squads are getting hot while others are cooling down as we head to the final month of the season. 

Here are the SBLive Arkansas Super 7 softball rankings for April 25-May 2. 

6A

1. Bentonville (17-1)

2. Rogers (15-3)

3. Cabot (15-2)

4. Bryant (17-4)

5. Conway (10-7)

6. North Little Rock (14-7)

7. Bentonville West (13-8)

Outside looking in: Fort Smith Northside, Rogers Heritage

Analysis:

-Bentonville has dominated its schedule the past two weeks allowing just five runs while scoring 70. The Lady Tigers are playing up to their potential at the right time and look to close out an undefeated regular season conference championship with four league games remaining. A tough rematch against Benton on the road also awaits Friday and Saturday after the Lady Panthers throttled Bentonville 8-1 almost a month ago.

-Rogers is on a roll and has solidified itself near the top of the Class 6A rankings with losses only to top-ranked Bentonville and overall No.1 Benton, who is currently ranked in the nation’s Top 10.

-Cabot fell in a surprise loss to a very good Valley View team on April 15, then bounced back against Bentonville West and Little Rock Southwest, only to fall in a 1-0 pitcher’s duel to Conway who is continuing to trend up. To make matters more difficult, a game at overall top-ranked Benton awaits immediately Monday followed by two road trips before finishing the week at home against No. 4 Bryant.

-Bryant had an anticipated non-conference matchup with White Hall postponed but didn’t have any problems with Mount St. Mary and Little Rock Central. The Lady Hornets start the week at home against solid Little Rock Christian then end it at No. 3 Cabot.

-Conway did not show up in March’s Bearcat Blast but has since figured some things out and won four of the past five games. Junior ace pitcher Katlyn Erickson was a major part of last season’s state runner-up finish and is continuing to pitch very well.

-North Little Rock has a good body of work but is in unfamiliar territory losing three of its past five. A streaky Vilonia team comes to town this week with Mount St. Mary and Fort Smith Northside also on the schedule.

-The past two and-a half weeks have not been kind to West, losing six of its past eight games. Granted, these games were played against some of the top teams from classes 4-6A, but the Lady Wolverines will have to figure out ways to pull these kinds of games out if they want to make a run in the postseason.

5A

1. Benton (20-0)

2. Sheridan (14-4)

3. Greene County Tech (18-4-1)

4. Beebe (17-5)

5. Marion (14-7)

6. Van Buren (15-5)

7. Greenwood (13-7)

Outside looking in: Alma, Vilonia

Analysis:

-Benton played a doubleheader against Maumelle and scored 10 runs in each game while allowing none. The Lady Panthers have not allowed a run in their past five games and haven’t allowed more than two in a game all season. Huge week ahead beginning with Class 6A No. 3 Cabot before welcoming 6A No. 1 Bentonville to the Benton Complex for a two-game series this weekend on Friday and Saturday.

-Sheridan had to battle but overcame White Hall 7-5 thanks to freshman Cooper Terry’s game-winning three-RBI double. Terry also had 12 strikeouts in the circle. The Lady Jackets capped the week not even breaking a sweat in a 20-2 win against Texarkana and begin this week with a 5A South matchup against a sneaky Lakeside squad.

-Greene County Tech went back to form after a rough time last week crushing Jonesboro in a doubleheader on the road 34-1 in those two games. The Lady Golden Eagles are still two games ahead in the 5A East race with series against Searcy and Marion still left to play.

-Beebe is on a roll winning 12 of its past 13 games. A non-conference contest at home against Pottsville gets things started for the Lady Badgers to kick off the week followed by a home doubleheader against Maumelle to try and solidify the No. 2 spot in the East, before one final home game with Vilonia.

-Marion is still in position to take the East but has some work to do. The Lady Patriots went 3-0 last week but had to have their final doubleheader against Paragould rescheduled to this Thursday due to weather conditions. Doubleheaders with Batesville and Greene County Tech are still ahead.

-Van Buren currently holds the top spot in what has become the Wild Wild West after most recently sweeping Vilonia. Favorable conference doubleheaders remain against Siloam Springs, along with Russellville next week, and the Lady Pointers also face 6A No. 7 Bentonville West in a home non-conference matchup on Friday.

-Greenwood had some kinks to work out in March and have done just that in April winning nine out of 12 this month including eight in a row. A very crucial home doubleheader showdown against Alma goes down Tuesday before finishing up conference play on the road against Greenbrier next week.

4A

1. Nashville (18-4)

2. Stuttgart (16-2)

3. Valley View (18-3)

4. Bauxite (17-4)

5. Farmington (15-5)

6. Morrilton (15-6)

7. Southside Batesville (17-4)

Outside looking in: Gravette, Malvern/Mena

Analysis:

-Nashville flexed its muscle on offense, along with senior ace Maci McJunkins continuing to deal, defeating Hope, Arkadelphia, and 3A No. Ashdown by a combined 50-2 last week. The Scrapperettes face three road trips this week but also have an opportunity to clinch the 4A-7 regular season title.

-Stuttgart is continuously showing each week that, when healthy, it can compete and win against some of the best in the state. The Lady Birds have shown they can get runs on the board, but junior ace pitcher Emma Banks has emerged as one of the best in the state and the defense behind her has also been very good.

-Valley View’s stock has skyrocketed as of late after a 2-1 defensive battle win over Cabot on April 15, who was No. 2 in Class 6A at the time. Southside Batesville may have something to say about the Lady Blazers being the top seed out of the 4A-3, but they are certainly clicking just about all cylinders at the right time.

-Bauxite handled previously No. 2 Morrilton on the road and then took care of business two more times on trips to gritty Mena and Hope. The Lady Miners are home all week beginning with a very important game against Malvern Tuesday followed by an out of conference matchup with White Hall, then finishing the week against De Queen.

-Farmington fell 5-2 to 6A No. 2 Rogers to end last week but won a slugfest at 6A No. 7 Bentonville West, then defeated conference foes Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove to win the 4A-1 regular season conference title. In the Prairie Grove game, sophomore Reese Shirey came up huge at the plate going three-for-three driving in four runs. Kamryn Uher also was stellar in the circle allowing just one hit in the mercy-rule win.

-Morrilton is down but certainly not out falling in three of its past five games, albeit against good competition against Baptist Prep, Bauxite, and recently Southside Batesville since April 12. Out of conference contests against Conway and Mena await this week.

-Southside Batesville had a poor showing in March’s Bearcat Classic sandwiched in between a solid start and what is now a 10-game win streak, the most recent over defending 4A champ Morrilton who was previously ranked No. 2. The Lady Southerners were down 6-0 early but did not quit and Lundyn Foree walked it off to win it for her team 8-7.

3A

1. Baptist Prep (19-4)

2. Lincoln (24-5)

3. Hackett (19-4)

4. Gosnell (19-3)

5. Ashdown (17-4)

6. Smackover (13-2)

7. Booneville (18-1)

Outside looking in: Atkins, Valley Springs

Analysis:

-It was another dominating week from top-ranked Baptist Prep that began with a trip a mile down the road in a 15-2 lopsided win over Class 5A’s Little Rock Christian, followed by back-to-back 11-0 wins over Pottsville and Two Rivers. In the win over Two Rivers, junior Liv Slayton pitched a perfect game striking out 11 batters in five innings. More top competition on the road this week beginning Monday at 4A No. 2 Stuttgart and overall No. 1 Benton.

-Lincoln’s dream season continues after capping an undefeated 3A-1 regular season title and the top spot for the district tournament. The Lady Wolves will play Friday at 5 p.m. against either Greenland or West Fork at Lincoln.

-Hackett has either won or competed strong against both mother nature and a tough schedule all season, and mother nature has continued to get in the way lately. Weather permitting, the Lady Hornets will play Clarksville on their home field at 5 p.m. Monday.

-Gosnell defeated Corning Thursday to clinch an undefeated 3A-3 regular-season title. The Lady Pirates square off in the district tournament against either Rivercrest, Harrisburg, or Piggott on Thursday at 4 PM.

-Ashdown stumbled against 4A top-ranked Nashville on Thursday, but other than that has continued to roll against league competition winning its past 11 games and is in prime position to take the 3A-7 regular season conference title.

-Smackover is another team mother nature has been extra cruel to for lack of a better word, but the Lady Bucks were able to get two games in last week defeating Rison and McGehee by a 24-2 combined score, but Thursday’s game with Dumas was called off. They have all but solidified the 3A-8 regular season title currently up 2.5 games.

-Booneville has rather quietly had a near undefeated campaign up to this point, excluding a 1-0 loss to No. 3 Hackett on March 16, and is looking to add on to the second-round finish in the state tournament last year. Ace pitcher Lexi Franklin has been good in the circle, along with the solid defense behind her, and the offense has been consistent as well.

2A

1. McCrory (20-2)

2. Tuckerman (16-5)

3. East Poinsett County (21-2)

4. Rector (16-2)

5. Woodlawn (15-0)

6. Melbourne (15-3)

7. Magnet Cove (13-4)

Outside looking in: Fordyce, Mansfield

Analysis:

-McCrory fell to Tennessee Class 3A’s Covington suffering its second loss of the year but looked like its normal self in contests against Manila and Hazen winning 17-0 and 11-1, respectively. The Lady Jags continue to put on offensive clinics and have already solidified the 2A-6 regular season championship. They will play another school from Tennessee on the road this week against a very good Brighton team.

-Tuckerman has begun to look like the team we thought they were coming into the year as defending 2A champs. The Lady Bulldogs seem to be healthy and have clicked on all cylinders despite some of the position adjustments and have outscored conference opponents 155-6. Junior Kenzie Soden has been incredible in the circle pitching two perfect games so far this season, and sophomore sensation MaKaylie Gist returned to pitch Saturday throwing a no-hitter defeating Melbourne 5-0 to clinch the 2A-2 regular season title.

-East Poinsett County played its stiffest tests of the conference slate last week and split games with Rector: a 3-1 victory on Tuesday followed by a 2-1 loss Thursday. Ace junior Keegan McCorkle struck out 24 total between the two games and threw a no-hitter in the first contest. The Lady Warriors got back on track in a 17-1 win over Bay Saturday but will need to avoid an upset against Marmaduke Monday. If all goes as expected, EPC will clinch the regular season 2A-3 title.

-Rector has been making noise all season, but officially moved itself into the state title contender conversation after losing just 3-1 to East Poinsett County, one of Class 2A’s top offensive teams and top overall teams, then defeated the Lady Warriors 2-1 Thursday in another pitcher’s duel. Lady Cougs ace Morgan Garner pitched well in both games but was lights out in the 2-1 victory that went eight innings, throwing a complete game and striking out nine. Emmah Tarno doubled in the bottom of the eigth to score a run as the Lady Cougs walked it off for the win.

-Woodlawn is a tough team to predict right now. The Lady Bears are the final unbeaten team in Class 2A, have one of the top pitchers throughout all classifications in freshman Lillie-Faye McWhorter along a very good defense behind her, plus they have scored a ton of runs. The only question is will lacking a statement win hurt them once we get into the meat of the postseason? They certainly have what it takes on paper.

-Melbourne has won 14 of its past 15 but could not overcome the great pitching of MaKaylie Gist in a 5-0 loss to defending state champ Tuckerman on Saturday. The Lady Bearkatz were able to bounce back later in the day to defeat Salem 11-0 that clinched second place in 2A-2. They hit the road to play a non-conference game against 5A Mountain Home Monday.

-Magnet Cove fell 1-0 in a pitcher’s duel against a very good CAC squad from Class 3A then bounced back to defeat Foreman 3-0 to clinch the 2A-7 regular season conference title. The Lady Panthers face-off against a gritty Rison team on the road in non-conference action Monday.

1A

1. Taylor (13-2)

2. Mt. Vernon-Enola (12-4)

3. Greers Ferry Westside (11-2)

4. Ouachita (12-3)

5. Wonderview (9-4)

6. Concord (12-4)

7. Shirley (9-6)

Outside looking in: Izard County, Viola

Analysis:

-Taylor was pushed as much as it has been all year from 1A competition by Bradley last week but was able to come out on top of that one 7-2. The Lady Tigers have already clinched the 1A-8 regular season and will finish up league play in road games against Nevada and Hermitage this week.

-Mt Vernon-Enola clinched a share of the 1A-4 regular season title after the Lady Warhawks were defeated by Wonderview but will still have the top seed in the district tournament.

-Greers Ferry Westside scored two big wins on the road this week against ranked Viola and Shirley and the Lady Eagles have now won five in a row. They close out the regular season this week starting with non-conference action against Class 3A Valley Springs and finish with conference foe Izard County, both home games.

-Ouachita has already won the 1A-7 regular season title but saw its double-digit win streak end in a 1-0 loss to Class 2A Poyen. Freshman Maddie Fulmer threw yet another gem striking out 12 and allowing just 4 hits but one run was enough for Poyen to squeak past the Lady Warriors.

-Minus some slumps here and there, Wonderview has looked pretty good this year and had the looks of a team who could get hot at the right time. That has happened. The “DirtDevils” notched a huge 7-6 walk off win against No. 2 Mt. Vernon-Enola thanks in part to Tyleigh Hoyt’s two out single that sent Anna Ford home from third. With that win, Wonderview clinched a share of the 1A-4 regular season title.

-Concord has been streaky this season, but that is expecged with a lineup of mostly freshmen. The Lady Pirates are clicking and thriving following a great week with victories over Viola along with doubleheader sweeps of Izard County and Norfork. They are currently on a six-game win streak as they close out the regular season against Calico Rock on Monday.

-Shirley holds on to the final spot in the Super 7 heading into the final two games of the season that will be crucial to district tournament seeding beginning with a road trip to Izard County Monday followed by a Tuesday regular season home finale against Concord.