SBLive Arkansas Super 7 softball rankings: Regional week is here for smaller schools

We will soon find out the contenders from the pretenders as regional play begins this week for Class 1-4A while 5 and 6A are finishing up the final games on the regular-season schedule. There was some significant movement in Class 3A with plenty of other shifts elsewhere, but all of the top-ranked teams remained the same.

Here are the SBLive Arkansas Super 7 softball rankings for May 2-9. 

6A 

1. Bentonville (19-3) 

2. Rogers (16-4)

3. Bryant (20-4)

4. Cabot (17-4)

5. Conway (11-9)

6. North Little Rock (16-7)

7. Bentonville West (15-9)

Outside looking in: Fort Smith Northside, Rogers Heritage

Analysis:

-Bentonville crushed Fayetteville 18-0 to begin the week, then clinched the West conference title in a 5-0 win over Rogers. The Lady Tigers were swept in a two-game series on the road at Benton but are still in prime position to win another state title. They look to close out an undefeated conference slate this week at Springdale followed by a home game with rival Bentonville West in the final game of the regular season.

-Rogers has four losses this year, two a piece, to Bentonville and Benton who have proven to be the hands down Top 2 teams in the state. The Lady Mounties will close out the regular season this week in home games against Har-Ber.

-Bryant went 3-0 last week, including a 6-2 win over previously No. 2 Cabot, and currently hold a one-game lead in the Central. The Lady Hornets face two challenging games this week up against No. 6 North Little Rock and No. 5 Conway.

-After starting the year 13-0, Cabot has won four of the past eight games heading into the final few of the regular season. It does not get any easier with a road game at Fort Smith Northside followed by the final conference match-up against No. 6 North Little Rock on Friday.

-Conway had its four-game win streak snapped at the hands of 4A defending state champion Morrilton and then fell again to conference foe Fort Smith Northside before closing out the week with a 4-0 victory over Central. Road trips to White Hall and Mount St. Mary will get the week started before finishing the conference regular season with a home game against No. 3 Bryant.

-North Little Rock is currently on a three-game win streak after pummeling Little Rock Southwest and Mount St. Mary, then squeezed by Fort Smith Northside 3-2. The Lady Charging Wildcats have a huge week ahead to close out conference play with road trips to Bryant and Cabot.

-Bentonville West went 1-1 last week prior to the Friday contest against Van Buren getting cancelled. The Lady Wolverines have a favorable match-up against Fort Smith Southside Tuesday before finishing the conference regular season against top-ranked rival Bentonville.

5A

1. Benton (25-0)

2. Sheridan (18-4)

3. Greene County Tech (21-4-1)

4. Beebe (20-5)

5. Van Buren (17-5)

6. Marion (17-8)

7. Greenwood (16-7)

Outside looking in: Alma, Vilonia

Analysis:

-It was just another week at the office for Benton as the Lady Panthers played five games and continued to add to the win streak. They are now 56-0 since the beginning of the 2021 season and continue to show why they are the best team in the state. Another undefeated 5A Central championship will be added to the resume assuming they sweep a Tuesday doubleheader with Little Rock Christian. Another tough non-conference match-up awaits at No. 2 Sheridan on Thursday.

-Sheridan’s winning streak is now at 15, and the Lady Jackets have a chance to prove even more this week. They face one of their tougher weeks of the season taking on Class 4A No. 4 Bauxite, a road game to Hot Springs, and a possible preview of the state championship at home with overall top-ranked Benton.

-Greene County Tech has been on a mission since losing two games in a row, now on a five-game win streak including taking down 4A No. 4 Valley View on the road. A home series sweep over No. 6 Marion will clinch the East outright.

-Beebe is scoring runs, but the pitching has been lights out and is a big reason the Lady Badgers are continuing to show they are a legit threat to win the state championship. The offense really picked up in a doubleheader against Maumelle scoring a combined 30 runs to Maumelle’s 2. They will finish second in the Central and have non-conference games against Vilonia and on the road against Searcy remaining.

-Van Buren has a hold on the rugged West and looks to solidify it in a final home doubleheader against Russellville. Last Friday’s contest against Bentonville West was cancelled, but the Lady Pointers will finish the regular season against Class 6A competition with Har-Ber and Fayetteville.

-Marion has faced some adversity this year but is still in the hunt to earn a share of the East if the Lady Patriots can take care of business on the road at Greene County Tech. They are scheduled to finish the year next week with a trip to Class 6A No. 4 Cabot.

-Greenwood has now won 11 in a row after earning three wins in a huge doubleheader sweep of Alma to claim the second spot in the West, but also a 3-2 road victory over a tough Fort Smith Northside squad. The Lady Bulldogs have three games remaining in the regular season and all will be on the road starting with a Tuesday doubleheader against Greenbrier.

4A

1. Nashville (21-4)

2. Stuttgart (18-2)

3. Bauxite (22-4)

4. Valley View (21-4)

5. Morrilton (18-6)

6. Southside Batesville (20-4)

7. Gravette (19-6)

Outside looking in: Farmington, Mena

Analysis:

-Nashville had to fight in a 2-0 win at Mena and then absolutely rolled in two more road trips at De Queen and Fountain Lake, posting shutouts while scoring 34 combined runs to win the 4A-7. The Scrapperettes open 4A-South regional tournament play against Crossett on Thursday.

-Stuttgart has not lost since mid-March and took care of Robinson and Lonoke last week to secure an undefeated 4A-5 Conference title. Junior ace Emma Banks pitched a complete game in the district title game against Lonoke striking out 20 batters while allowing just 3 hits. The Lady Ricebirds open regional play against Highland.

-Bauxite has pitched very well, and the Lady Miners’ powerful lineup has been on a tear at the plate scoring double-digit runs four times in the past five games. They close out the regular season on Monday at Class 5A No. 2 Sheridan before heading to the 4A South regional in Malvern.

-Valley View’s seven-game win streak was snapped by Class 5A No. 3 Greene County Tech and the Lady Blazers will have one final regular season game against very tough Class 2A No. 2 Tuckerman before opening up their regional play against Robinson.

-Morrilton rebounded from a close loss to Southside defeating Conway followed by conference foes Pottsville and Clarksville to clinch the regular season 4A-4 championship. The Lady Devil Dogs host the North regional and play Pea Ridge Thursday morning.

-Southside Batesville swept Jonesboro Westside to claim the second seed from the 4A-3 along with a share of the conference title. The Lady Southerners finished the regular season with a 5-4 win over Class 5A Mountain Home and will play their first game in the East regional against Wynne.

-Gravette defeated Farmington to claim the 4A-1 Tournament Championship and have won nine-straight games against Class 4A competition.

3A

1. Baptist Prep (21-4)

2. Lincoln (26-5)

3. Booneville (24-1)

4. Hackett (20-6)

5. Gosnell (20-4)

6. Smackover (16-2)

7. Ashdown (18-5)

Outside looking in: Atkins, Valley Springs

Analysis:

-Baptist Prep realistically just needs to play its game as we have seen for so long and the rest will take care of itself. Though there are plenty of great teams behind them in Class 3A, the Lady Eagles are primed to hoist the trophy in a couple of weeks.

-Other than a stumble here and there, Lincoln has done just about everything you could ask. Since falling to Farmington on April 6, the Lady Wolves have scored 15 or more runs four times in nine games and have allowed just 5 total runs. They open Region 1 Tournament Play against Danville.

-Booneville moves up four spots as one of the hottest teams in the state right now. The Lady Bearcats have hit very well, pitched even better and are continuing to show that they are not a fluke.

-Hackett lost a tough 3A-4 district title game to Booneville after falling to Clarksville earlier in the week. Sandwiched in between those games was a 10-0 win over Danville and the Lady Hornets need to get back on track quickly with Region 1 play beginning Thursday evening.

-Gosnell fell to Hoxie in the 3A-3 championship ending an eight-game win streak but still have plenty of confidence heading into regionals as the 3A-3’s regular season champion.

-Smackover is rolling as the Lady Bucks wrapped up the undefeated regular season and district championship after hardly being touched in 3A-8 play. They have won 14 in a row hoping for much more.

-Ashdown has shown flashes many times this season of being much better than the final spot, but the overall body of work in Class 3A has been extremely tough to compete with. Following a tough loss to Bismarck, the Lady Panthers regrouped to handle Camden Harmony Grove 18-0.

2A

1. McCrory (22-2)

2. Tuckerman (18-5)

3. East Poinsett County (25-2)

4. Rector (17-3)

5. Woodlawn (18-0)

6. Magnet Cove (15-4)

7. Mansfield (16-6)

Outside looking in: Fordyce, Melbourne

Analysis:

-McCrory has rolled over in-state competition in just about every contest this year and that continued in the 2A-6 district tournament as the Lady Jaguars took care of England 12-2 followed by a continuously improving Carlisle. They play Buffalo Island Central in the North Regional.

-Tuckerman continues to make a strong argument for No. 1 as the Lady Bulldogs are clicking on all cylinders. They have another opportunity to add to an already great body of work against Class 4A No. 4 Valley View to end the regular season.

-East Poinsett County defeated Rector to claim another 2A-3 championship and have now won 25 games heading into North Regional play where the Lady Warriors will face-off against England on Thursday afternoon.

-Rector had its third battle with East Poinsett County in a week in the 2A-3 district title game and fell 2-1. The Lady Cougs open North Regional play with Hazen.

-Lillie-Faye McWhorter was the hero once again for Woodlawn as the freshman star smacked a walk off grand slam to end the district tournament championship game over Fordyce via the sportsmanship rule. The Lady Bears have a home contest against Class 5A Maumelle before regionals.

-Magnet Cove clinched the 2A-7 regular season and tournament titles and the Lady Panthers are looking to make a deep run currently playing as a complete unit. They have not lost a game against Class 2A competition in over a month.

-Mansfield is back in the Super 7 after starting the season near the top as the defending 2A runner-up from last season. The Lady Tigers are heating up at the right time and have won ten in a row, most recently defeating Lavaca to win the 2A-4.

1A

1. Taylor (15-2)

2. Ouachita (14-3)

3. Mt. Vernon-Enola (13-4)

4. Greers Ferry Westside (16-3)

5. Shirley (11-7)

6. Wonderview (10-6)

7. Izard County (13-8)

Outside looking in: Concord, Viola

Analysis:

-Taylor completed yet another undefeated 1A-8 run in a 21-5 win over Hermitage led by Carly Downs’ home run and four runs batted in. The Lady Tigers begin the hunt for a fifth-straight state championship this week against Blevins as hosts of the 1A Region 4 bracket.

-Ouachita’s overall body of work along with how the Lady Warriors have been pitching moves them up into the second spot. They will open up 1A Region 4 play against Nevada.

-Mt Vernon-Enola avenged April 19th one-run loss to Wonderview in the 1A-4 district championship with an 8-6 win.

-Greers Ferry Westside took a loss to a very good Valley Springs squad to begin the week but tore through its final conference games and then defeated Calico Rock to win the 1A-2 district championship. The Lady Eagles play Marked Tree in the first round of the 1A Region 2 tournament.

-Shirley fell to Calico Rock in the district tournament but got two huge wins earlier in the week against Izard County and Concord to take second place in the deep 1A-2 conference behind Greers Ferry Westside.

-Wonderview scored a big win over Mt. Vernon-Enola then got another opportunity to take down the Lady Warhawks again in the 1A-4 district title game but came up just short in a hard-fought defeat.

-Izard County fell twice to Greers Ferry West Side, the second time was in the district tournament championship, but did earn a tough win over conference foe Viola.