Arkansas high school softball Super 7 rankings (3/18/2024)

Save for Northwest Arkansas' Farmington Tournament, Mother Nature put a giant damper on premier competitions statewide last week. 

The week overall was far from a complete wash as multiple ranked teams had the chance to square off against one another. A number of squads will head out of state to play in tournaments during spring break, but most will use the week to reset before wrapping up March. 

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6A 

1. Bryant (8-0) 

2. Rogers (7-1)

3. Springdale Har-Ber (9-2)

4. Bentonville (6-3)

5. Cabot (10-1)

6. Bentonville West (7-3)

7. Fayetteville (5-4)

Bryant: Convincing wins over Jonesboro, the Lady Hornets' conference opener, and 1A No. Bradley keeps their unblemished streak going. They have Little Rock Central after break and then a big matchup against No. 5 Cabot on April 2.

Rogers: The Lady Mounties have looked sharp since falling to Springdale Har-Ber on leap day as they have shut out four of their six opponents in that span with wins including No. 6 Bentonville West, plus Gravette and Pea Ridge, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in Class 4A, respectively. 

Springdale Har-Ber: It was a disappointing finish to an overall good weekend for the Lady Wildcats in the Farmington Tournament, as they surrendered seven runs in the fifth inning to the host Lady Cardinals in the championship round. The game was called after five innings due to the tournament time limit following a go-ahead, three-run homer by Farmington.

Bentonville: The early season struggles were expected with a squad starting seven combined freshmen and sophomores, but the Lady Tigers gained some confidence by taking the Harrison Tournament championship over Cabot in a rematch of the 2022 state final.

Cabot: The Lady Panthers have yet to give up more than two runs in a game. It was the same story against Bentonville in the Harrison Tournament final, but the offense struggled to get runs across which resulted in their first loss of 2024.

Bentonville West: A 6-0 start seems like a distant memory as the Lady Wolverines have lost three of their past four contests, including a run rule defeat to 4A No. 1 Gravette in which they surrendered 10 runs in the third inning.

Fayetteville: A tough week that began with a 10-run loss to Bentonville finished with some promise in a hard fought defeat to Har-Ber. The Lady Purple Dogs host Rogers Heritage on March 26, who is also flirting with cracking the final spot in the 6A Super 7.

5A

1. Benton (5-1)

2. Sheridan (9-0)

3. Greenbrier (6-3)

4. Maumelle (6-0-1)

5. Greenwood (5-1)

6. Greene County Tech (3-1)

7. Sylvan Hills (6-1)

Benton: After suffering their first loss of the season to cross county rival, and 6A No. 1, Bryant, the Lady Panthers responded with wins over Greenbrier and Hot Springs. Huge week up when they return to the field that features a trip to Lake Hamilton, then back home to host No. 2 Sheridan.

Sheridan: Thriving as much as any team in 5A heading into break both in the circle and at the plate, Sheridan will take on another loaded week that feature Nashville, White Hall and top-ranked Benton to finish it off when they return from break. 

Greenbrier: Some will point to the Lady Panthers dropping four of five contests – all to Top 3 teams in three different classifications – but they made a statement by bouncing back and run ruling Van Buren in Game 2 of a doubleheader, in which both games were lopsided.

Maumelle: A quick doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville to kick off Central conference play were the lone contests for the Lady Hornets, whose win streak is now at four following the Mar. 4 tie with Conway. 

Greenwood: Bad weather squashed the chance of the Lady Bulldogs facing six-time defending 1A state champion Taylor in the finals of the DMAC Tournament. However, they do take a four-game win streak into break with a huge doubleheader versus Van Buren up on March 26.

Greene County Tech: It was a split series, but Nettleton's run rule victory in five innings showed the Lady Eagles are still working out some kinks. This week's trip to Gulf Shores (Ala.) to play in the Gulf Coast Classic should end up paying off as they take on Central – Phenix City, Brewbaker Tech and St. James, all quality teams from Alabama.  

Sylvan Hills: There is still a lot to prove, but the Lady Bears did take No. 3 Greenbrier to the wire. They face off against Beebe in a Central conference doubleheader after break which expects to be a great test for both squads.

4A

1. Gravette (4-2)

2. Pea Ridge (5-1)

3. Farmington (3-1)

4. Bauxite (8-2)

5. Malvern (6-2)

6. Monticello (10-0)

7. Nashville (5-3)

Gravette: Some crucial mistakes proved costly in Gravette's loss to Springdale Har-Ber during the semifinal round of the Farmington Tournament, but the Lady Lions rode an 10-run third inning to bounce back against Bentonville West in the third place game. 

Pea Ridge: No. 1 through No. 3 is a toss up, but it is hard to debate that the Lady Blackhawks do not have the edge over anyone in Class 4A in the circle. Prior to Friday's loss to 6A No. 2 Rogers, Central Arkansas commit Emory Bowlin came into that contest with a perfect 0.00 earned run average.

Farmington: Playing the first two games of the year with their full team, the Lady Cardinals came from behind to beat Bentonville West in the Farmington Tournament semifinal, then put sevens runs up on Springdale Har-Ber in the fifth inning of the final. Three-run shots by Morgan Uher and Mallory Sills led the way, while Sills' go-ahead bomb ended the game due to time restraints.

Bauxite: The Lady Miners went 4-0 last week, starting with routs of 1A No. 4 Midland and Little Rock Christian,  in which they put up 15 runs in each, then finished it off defeating Brookland and Quitman in the Blazer Blast.

Malvern: Four consecutive conference games have all ended with run rules in the Lady Leopards' favor and they look to keep rolling against one of Class 4A's better arms when Mena comes to town on March 25. 

Monticello: Following a great weekend while dealing with wet conditions at the DMAC Tournament, the Lady Billies are off to their second consecutive 10-0 start and have won 20 straight regular season games dating back to last April. 

Nashville: They have been right on the outside since dropping out, but the Scrapperettes make their way back and claim the final spot in the Super 7. Before conference play picks back up after break, Nashville will take on 5A No. 2 Sheridan on March 25. 

3A

1. Atkins (8-0)

2. Hackett (10-3)

3. Booneville (9-3)

4. Mayflower (9-4)

5. Baptist Prep (4-2)

6. Lincoln (9-6)

7. Lamar (3-1)

Atkins: The two-time defending state runner-up is off to another hot start as the Lady Red Devils get right back into the gauntlet that is Region 5, starting at home with Maumelle Charter before Thursday's road trip to No. 7 Lamar. 

Hackett: A late night controversial ending against Bentonville West in the Farmington Tournament made for a frustrating start to the weekend, but the Lady Hornets finished it off with consecutive shutouts, including the finale against Lincoln. 

Booneville: A strong response in wins over 2A No. 7 Lavaca, along with Cedarville, helped the Lady Bearcats shake off a two-game skid. They get right back to it following break with matchups against No. 7 Lamar and No. 2 Hackett. 

Mayflower: Since starting 2-4 against a brutal slate, the Lady Eagles have been soaring since getting their whole squad together as winners of their past seven contests, including a 3-0 sweep in the Blazer Blast.

Baptist Prep: The Lady Eagles handled business in their lone game against Harmony Grove (Haskell) and will get right back to playing challenging non-conference matchups next week against 5A No. 3 Greenbrier and 4A No. 6 Monticello. 

Lincoln: While they certainly will not use it as an excuse, the Lady Wolves continue to battle injuries and gutted through a tough field at the Farmington Tournament, taking losses to 4A No. 1 Gravette and No. 2 Hackett. 

Lamar: After dropping their season opener to Class 5A Russellville, the Lady Warriors turned the corner and conquered Class 4A's Ozark, Dardanelle and Morrilton by a combined 38-1. Two great tests are on the horizon next week against No. 3 Booneville and No. 1 Atkins. 

2A

1. Riverside (7-0)

2. Magnet Cove (8-3)

3. Mansfield (1-1)

4. South Side Bee Branch (6-0)

5. Quitman (5-4)

6. Woodlawn (7-4)

7. Lavaca (3-2)

Riverside: Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the Blazer Blast Tournament, which halted a possible state final preview between the Lady Rebels and Magnet Cove, but Riverside had another dominant week, pitching three consecutive shutouts. 

Magnet Cove: It was not the exact slate of games the Lady Panthers thought they would have, but they did notch Blazer Blast Tournament wins over Obion (Tenn.) County, Central (Mo.) and 6A North Little Rock in a redemption loss from Mar. 9.

Mansfield: Having played only two games there is not much to go off of, but don't write the Lady Tigers off because of an early loss to a quality 4A Mena squad.

South Side Bee Branch: The Lady Hornets remain unbeaten and will join multiple other teams in representing The Natural State for the 2024 Gulf Coast Classic Tournament over spring break in Gulf Shores (Ala.). 

Quitman: All four teams that have conquered the Lady Bulldogs are playing good softball and their 2-0 win over Woodlawn solidified their case in getting back into the Super 7. They head to Clinton the Monday after spring break, then return home Tuesday for a big one against Mount Vernon-Enola. 

Woodlawn: Arkansas commit Lillie-Faye McWhorter threw a gem, striking out 13 batters, but the Lady Bears were only able to manage two hits in a shutout loss to Quitman. That was the first of a two-game skid, the other to 4A Brookland, as they face a three-game slate against 4A squads after break.

Lavaca: The Lady Arrows bounced back from a six-run loss to defending 3A state champion Booneville with a 10-0 rout of Dardanelle in five innings. Lavaca begins 2A-4 play at Magazine on Mar. 25. 

1A

1. Taylor (7-2)

2. Bradley (6-4)

3. Concord (5-0)

4. Midland (3-4)

5. Shirley (3-3)

6. Viola (3-1)

7. Wonderview (0-3)

Taylor: They were not able to play the championship round due to rain, but the six-time defending state champions had another strong showing in the DMAC Tournament. A No. 1-vs. No. 2 matchup with rival Bradley goes down the Tuesday after spring break.  

Bradley: Save for losses to 6A No. 1 Bryant, then Prairiland – a 3A Texas squad – in the opening round of the DMAC Tournament, there were some good things that happened for the Lady Bears last week. They rebounded and took third place, but ace Ainslee Moore also returned from injury, and punched out 11 Hermitage batters while passing 500 career strikeouts.

Concord: Lady Pirates head coach Keith Cornett felt his defense would be much improved in 2024 and they have proven that correct so far as their 3-0 week included back-to-back ranked wins over Viola and Shirley. 

Midland: While three lopsided losses to higher classifications were not what the Lady Mustangs envisioned heading into spring break, they won't back down from another test that awaits in Class 5A Beebe on Mar. 25.

Shirley: A conference-opening loss to Concord was a minor setback, but the Lady Blue Devils have multiple chances to climb back up the week after break with 1A-2 matchups including West Side (Greers Ferry) and Viola. 

Viola: Four runs by Concord in the top of the seventh broke a tie and the Lady Longhorns were not able to respond in the bottom of the inning, thus resulting in their first loss. They return with a non-conference home game against Yellville-Summit, before getting back into 1A-2 play. 

Wonderview: Winless or not, the current body of work in Class 1A has yet to prove that the Lady Daredevils are not worthy of the final spot. The challenges continue after break with a road trip to familiar foe Mount Vernon-Enola. 

-- Kyle Sutherland | kyle@scorebooklive.com | k_sutherlandAR