SBLive's Texas Softball Top 25: South, East Texas teams top first edition of statewide rankings

High school softball season is in full swing in Texas with squads across the state now entering the thick of district play.

To highlight the best the top teams around the state, SBLive will release two sets of statewide rankings recognizing Texas' most elite big and small school squads on the softball diamond.

We're beginning by unveiling our first SBLive Texas Softball Top 25, which seeks to rank the top Class 5A-6A teams competing throughout Texas.

East and South Texas squads dominated the top of our first installment of the SBLive Texas Softball Top 25 rankings.

Did your school earn a spot in our first Top 25 of the season? Check out the rankings in their entirety below: 

Editor's Note: SBLive’s Texas Softball Top 25 and Small School Top 10 rankings are compiled by reporter Andrew McCulloch and will be released weekly throughout the regular season.

SBLIVE'S TEXAS SOFTBALL TOP 25 RANKINGS (MARCH 25):

25. Santa Fe (16-4)

• Last Week: W 10-0 vs. Baytown Goose Creek Memorial; W 3-0 at La Porte (8 innings)

• Up Next: vs. Friendwood, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 25th

24. Kingwood (19-5)

• Last Week: W 19-0 at Humble

• Up Next: at Humble Summer Creek, 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

23. Trophy Club Byron Nelson (13-3)

• Last Week: L 2-1 vs. South Grand Prairie

• Up Next: vs. Keller, 7 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. Keller Central, 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

22. Lubbock Monterey (18-3-1)

• Last Week: W 9-4 vs. Amarillo; W 14-7 at Abilene Wylie

• Up Next: vs. Lubbock Cooper, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. Lubbock Coronado, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

21. Crosby (18-3)

• Last Week: W 10-0 vs. Galena Park

• Up Next: at Port Arthur Memorial, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. Houston Lamar, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

Lubbock Monterey checks in at No. 22 in the first edition of SBLive's Texas Softball Top 25 to become the second 5A West Texas team to crack our statewide rankings. Monterey has been punching above its weight class throughout this season with multiple marquee wins against some of the top 6A squads in West Texas like El Paso Eastlake, Midland Legacy and Wolfforth Frenship. The Lady Plainsmen have been playing their best ball of the year since the start of March, though, with wins over Amarillo, Bushland, Grapevine, Fort Worth Paschal, Hobbs (New Mexico), Lucas Lovejoy and most recently an enormous 14-7 victory against Abilene Wylie in their District 4-5A opener. That win to start district play positions Monterey as an early favorite to take the district crown. If the Lady Plainsmen can continue to drive in runs at the same staggering pace (11.4 runs per game) that they have averaged in March, their offense should carry them to the top of the 4-5A district standings and deep into the postseason.

Two East Texas teams — Crosby and Santa Fe — earned the 21st and 25th spots, respectively, in this week's statewide rankings. Crosby played one of the state's toughest early-season schedules, which is now beginning to pay dividends. The Cougars have lost just three times this year to a trio of other ranked teams: a 2-1 extra-innings loss to Klein Collins in late February, a 4-1 defeat to Georgetown in early March and a 1-0 loss to rival Barbers Hill in its district opener. Since dropping its first District 21-5A game of the season at home to Barbers Hill though, Crosby has caught fire. The Cougars have won four games in a row and overpowered their 21-5A competition with 13.5 runs per contest, setting up an intriguing rematch with Barbers Hill in what should be a battle for first place in one the state's toughest districts. Santa Fe, meanwhile, holds onto the final spot in this week's rankings amidst one of the longest active winning streaks in Texas. The Indians have won 12 consecutive games after a 4-4 start that featured losses to several of the top teams around the state, including Cypress Bridgeland, Friendswood and Lake Belton. During its 12-game winning streak, however, Santa Fe has routinely found different ways to win big games. The Indians have pitched four shutouts since losing 7-1 to Friendswood in its first district matchup of the season. They have also tallied 97 runs to fuel an offensive explosion during their current winning streak, which sets up a critical rematch against Friendswood on Friday for shared control of first place in District 22-5A.

Kingwood and Trophy Club Byron Nelson claimed the final spots in this week's SBLive Texas Softball Top 25 by taking the No. 24 and No. 23 spots, respectively. Byron Nelson became one of four DFW softball teams to debut in the first edition of our statewide rankings this season after tackling a brutally tough non-district schedule. The Bobcats beat Azle, Boerne, Grapevine, Lewisville, Lucas Lovejoy, McKinney Boyd and San Antonio Clark to highlight an impressive early-season resume. The team stumbled twice during tournament play, losing 7-3 to College Station and falling 3-1 against Wolfforth Frenship, but has held onto its momentum and carried it into one of the area' tougher 6A districts. The Bobcats earned scrappy wins against Southlake Carroll (9-6) and Northwest Eaton (4-3) to kick of its District 4-6A slate and then bludgeoned Keller Fossil Ridge (12-0) and Keller Timber Creek (10-6) to move into sole possession of first place. Byron Nelson will look to get back on track Friday after a 2-1 loss at home against South Grand Prairie earlier this week snapped a seven-game winning streak. Kingwood has quickly started to close in on the 20-win mark for this season after a fantastic start to district play. The Mustangs have smashed Humble Atascocita, Galena Park North Shore, Beaumont West Brook and Houston C.E. King during their first three District 21-6A contests of the year with their potent offense being a major reason why. Kingwood put up 52 runs during its first four district games, proving that it's one of the state's most prolific lineups offensively. The Mustangs have plated five or more runs in 15 games so far this season and mustered a 14-1 record in those contests. Kingwood is set to wrap up its first round of district play in 21-6A at home against Humble on Friday night.

20. Klein Collins (18-6)

• Last Week: W 8-0 vs. Klein

• Up Next: at Tomball Memorial, 6:15 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. Klein Forest, 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

19. El Paso Hanks (23-3)

• Last Week: W 12-2 vs. El Paso El Dorado

• Up Next: at Canutillo, 4 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. El Paso Parkland, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

18. Aldine MacArthur (18-1)

• Last Week: W 15-2 vs. Aldine Davis

• Up Next: at Spring, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 25th; at Aldine Nimitz, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

17. Prosper (19-3-1)

• Last Week: W 12-3 at Southlake Carroll; W 11-0 at Denton Braswell

• Up Next: vs. Allen, 7 p.m. Friday, March 25th; at McKinney Boyd, 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

16. Fort Bend Ridge Point (14-3)

• Last Week: W 12-1 vs. Fort Bend Elkins

• Up Next: at Fort Bend Bush, 5 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. Fort Bend Travis, 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

Three more Houston-area teams — Aldine MacArthur, Fort Bend Ridge Point and Klein Collins — cracked the top 20 of this week's statewide rankings. MacArthur has been the most dominant squad among that trio thus far this season. The Generals benefited from a big start to the 2022 campaign that included five mercy-rule victories during the first six games of the season. MacArthur also lost its only game of the year to this point, a 6-3 road defeat to Galveston Ball, early in the regular season but has been rolling ever since. The Generals bulldozed through their competition to capture both the Humble ISD and Cleveland Tournament titles. They've also cemented themselves as a huge early favorite to claim the District 14-6A championship after winning their first six district contests and tallying an average run differential of +5.9 runs per game. Fort Bend Ridge Point, meanwhile, stumbled out of the gate early in the season with four losses during its first six games against many of the state's top teams like Clute Brazoswood (twice), Cypress Bridgeland and Montgomery Lake Creek. The Panthers, however, responded by winning their next 11 games and seizing signature victories against Flower Mound, Pearland Dawson and Sherman to claim the No. 16 spot in this week's SBLive Texas Softball Top 25. Ridge Point's bats have caught fire during the current streak too. The Panthers have scored 10 runs or more in eight of their last 11 contests and are averaging 11.3 runs per game during their current winning streak.

Klein Collins rounds out the top 20 for this week's edition of the statewide rankings as the team continues to win against one of the hardest schedules in the state. The Tigers are winners of their last four games, all of which have been shutouts against other District 15-6A squads. Collins collectively hang 37 runs on Klein, Klein Cain, Klein Oak and Tomball during that dominant stretch, but the team's spot in our statewide rankings was mostly solidified during a rigorous non-district slate. The Tigers took on many of the most talented teams across Texas early in the season. They barely lost one- or two-run games to 6A powerhouses like Cypress Bridgeland, Cypress Woods and The Woodlands and to 5A perennial power Montgomery Lake Creek (twice), but the Tigers also claimed many important victories against Crosby, Cy-Fair, Georgetown, Huffman Hargrave, Humble Summer Creek, Huntsville and San Antonio O'Connor. Klein Collins will aim to keep its hold on first place in the 15-6A district standings when the team faces Tomball Memorial in the first of two pivotal district matchups between the two squads.

El Paso Hanks and Prosper check in at 19th and 17th, respectively, to complete this portion of the rankings. Hanks became the top-ranked West Texas squad and the only El Paso team to earn a spot in this week's version of the SBLive Texas Softball Top 25 thanks to one of the state's most powerful lineups. The Knights have scored a jaw-dropping 273 runs already this season, making them one of the only teams in Texas to still be averaging more than 10 runs per contest this season (10.5). Hanks has only lost three times so far this season, all during tournament play, and split a pair of games against two of their toughest opponents in El Paso. The Knights lost to El Paso Americas 4-0 and El Paso Chapin 8-6 in early March, but shutout Americas 2-0 and beat Chapin 12-5 in late February. El Paso Hanks also secured several significant non-district wins against 6A and 5A powers in and around the Permian Basin to propel them into District 2-5A play, where the Knights have outscored their opposition 66-3 during a recent five-game winning streak. Prosper, meanwhile, earns the distinction of being the DFW's third-highest ranked team overall and second-highest among 6A squads after an impressive run during the month of March. The Eagles have taken firm control of District 6-6A with their work at the plate by reaching double figures offensively in each of their four district games so far. Aside from a road test against a strong Denton Guyer team (whom the Eagles beat 12-10 on March 12), Prosper has also been able to count on its pitching to keep its 6-6A opponents from posing much of a challenge. The Eagles' pitchers held opposing teams to three runs or fewer in nine of their last 12 games, which points to improvements inside the circle since the beginning of the season in February.

15. Frisco Heritage (15-1)

• Last Week: W 7-0 at Frisco Wakeland; W 3-1 vs. Frisco Memorial

• Up Next: vs. Frisco Independence, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 25th; at Frisco Centennial, 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

14. Barbers Hill (17-6)

• Last Week: W 7-2 vs. Port Neches-Groves

• Up Next: at Nederland, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. Beaumont United, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

13. PSJA North (20-1)

• Last Week: W 23-0 at Edinburg Economedes; W 11-1 vs. Mission

• Up Next: vs. Edinburg Vela, 7 p.m. Friday, March 25th

12. Cypress Bridgeland (18-5)

• Last Week: W 11-0 vs. Cypress Springs

• Up Next: at Cypress Lakes, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. Cypress Falls, 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

11. Clute Brazoswood (20-5)

• Last Week: L 2-1 at League City Clear Springs
  

• Up Next: vs. Houston Clear Lake, 6:45 p.m. Friday, March 25th; at League City Clear Falls, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

Clute Brazoswood sits on the  cusp of the top 10 this week following a 2-1 road loss in a defensive stalemate to a ranked League City Clear Springs squad. That narrow defeat drops the Buccaneers from a two-way tie for first with Clear Springs in District 24-6A to a two-way tie for second with Dickinson, but it has hardly derailed the team's impressive start. Brazoswood became of one the state's first teams to reach the 20-win mark this year after notching numerous signature wins against Barbers Hill, Cypress Bridgeland, Fort Bend Ridge Point (twice), Kingwood and Lake Belton during a difficult non-district schedule. The Bucs had also won seven straight before their loss to Clear Springs, giving Brazosport enough momentum to still challenge for the 24-6A district title. Cypress Bridgeland, meanwhile, earns the 12th spot in this week's rankings after an 8-5 loss to Clute Brazoswood in mid-February. The Bears mauled Cypress Springs 11-0 earlier this week to extend their active winning streak to five games. Bridgeland has bullied its opponents during that recent stretch dating back to early March and collectively outscored them 47-11 in those five victories. For now, the team remains deadlocked with Cypress Woods for first place in a competitive District 16-6A, but Bridgeland's 9-6 loss to the Warriors during tournament play on March 1 makes every district game critically important for the Bears as the postseason approaches. 

PSJA North became the second 6A squad from the Rio Grande Valley to crack our statewide rankings this week after completing a surreal run through the first half of district play. The Raiders routed a majority of the District 31-6A foes during their first of two matchups against each this spring. PSJA North has beaten six of its eight 31-6A opponents — Edinburg, Edinburg Economedes, Edinburg North, Edinburg Vela, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln and Mission — by double digits in mercy-rule wins. The Raiders have asserted themselves as strong district title favorites by outscoring the other teams in their district 86-2 so far. PSJA North also sports an eight-game winning streak currently after losing its only game of the year to San Antonio Cornerstone Christian 8-5 during tournament play. 

A pair of Class 5A squads from Southeast and North Texas — Barbers Hill and Frisco Heritage — complete this week's top 15. After a rocky start to the season amid one of the toughest non-district schedules in Texas, Barbers Hill has managed to regain its championship form which helped net the program its first softball state title in school history. The Eagles have clawed their way to a 10-1 record in March with hugely significant wins at home against Deer Park (5-2) and on the road against District 21-5A rival Crosby (1-0). Barbers Hill has also been nearly untouchable in the circle since the conclusion of tournament play with Eagles pitchers allowing four combined runs during their current six-game winning streak. Frisco Heritage earned the No. 15 spot in this week's SBLive Texas Softball Top 25, making it the DFW's top-ranked 5A team. The Coyotes have been one of the most dangerous teams throughout North Texas after racing ahead to a commanding lead in the District 9-5A standings. Heritage has made a habit of clobbering many other Frisco ISD squads on the softball diamond this year. The Coyotes boast a nine-game winning streak that includes victories against each of their 9-5A foes. Frisco Heritage walloped those teams by an average of 9.4 runs per game thanks largely to an incredible rotation of pitchers who have tossed 10 shutouts in 16 total games so far this season.

10. Friendswood (16-4)

• Last Week: W 13-0 vs. Baytown Sterling
  

• Up Next: at Santa Fe, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. Galveston Ball, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

9. The Woodlands College Park (15-3-1)

• Last Week: L 2-1 at Alvin Shadow Creek; L 4-0 at Conroe Grand Oaks
  

• Up Next: vs. Willis (7-12), 6:15 p.m. Friday, March 25th

8. Richmond Foster (13-2)

• Last Week: W/ 15-0 vs. Fort Bend Hightower; W 16-0 at Fort Bend Willowridge

• Up Next: vs. Angleton, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. Rosenberg Lamar Consolidated, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

7. Los Fresnos (16-1)

• Last Week: W 22-18 at Harlingen; W 20-1 at Brownsville Hanna

• Up Next: vs. Harlingen South, 6:30 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. San Benito, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

6. Georgetown (17-2)

• Last Week: W 6-2 vs. Leander Rouse; W 14-0 at Liberty Hill

• Up Next: vs. Cedar Park, 7 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. Leander Glenn, 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

Georgetown becomes the second 5A squad to make an appearance in this week's statewide rankings, as well as the top Central Texas team listed. The Eagles are about as close to perfect as possible this season with their only losses to Klein Collins and Leander in one-run contests. Georgetown's excellent pitching, though, has helped the team neutralize several of the state's most dangerous lineups dotting a difficult regular-season schedule. The Eagles have held their opponents to two runs or fewer in 10 straight games and 15 of 19 contests this year. Los Fresnos, on the other hand, checks in at seventh in this week's SBLive Texas Softball Top 25 as perhaps the hottest team in state at the plate. The Falcons, who have earned the top spot in this week's rankings among Rio Grande Valley teams, have poured it on their District 32-6A opponents after suffering their first loss of the season to Weslaco (6-3) on March 15. Los Fresnos battled from behind to earn a hard-fought 22-18 comeback win at rival Harlingen in a slugfest, and then destroyed Brownsville Hanna for a 20-1 road victory to remain tied for first place in 32-6A. 

Richmond Foster and Friendswood — a pair of Houston-area 5A teams ranked eight and 10th, respectively, this week — have also been raking in runs by the dozens lately. Foster steamrolled past its District 24-5A competition last week with back-to-back big wins against Fort Bend Hightower (15-0) and Fort Bend Willowridge (16-0) in three-inning, run-rule victories. Foster also didn't allow a hit in either game, with pitcher Sophie Brammer tossing a 36-pitch perfect game with nine strikeouts against Willowridge. Friendswood, meanwhile, secured a 13-0 home win over Baytown Sterling in the team's return from spring break. The Mustangs have scored 10 runs or more and also shutout their opponents defensively in four of their five most recent games. Friendswood has already collectively outscored its opposition 86-9 in eight District 22-5A games during the first round of district play matchups, but the Mustangs will face Santa Fe next in a de-facto game for first place in the district. 

The Woodlands College Park takes the final spot in the top 10 this week with the Cavaliers sliding in at No. 9 following a tough week on the diamond. For the first time this season, College Park will be looking to snap a losing streak after dropping consecutive contests at Alvin Shadow Creek and Conroe Oak Ridge. The Cavs rolled to wins in nine of their first 10 games of the regular season, but have struggled at the plate since the end of tournament play in early March when they outscored Burnet, Johnson City and Wimberley 22-1 to win the Burnet Tournament. The strength of College Park's team this year, though, has been its pitching. The squad's pitchers have yielded two runs or fewer in 15 of the Cavalier's 19 games so far this season, which should help The Woodlands College Park contend for a district championship despite a deep District 13-6A.

5. League City Clear Springs (17-3)

• Last Week: W 14-3 at League City Clear Creek; W 2-1 vs. Clute Brazoswood
  

• Up Next: at Dickinson, 6:45 p.m. Friday, March 25th; at Friendswood Clear Brook, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

4. South Grand Prairie (17-1)

• Last Week: W 11-0 Arlington; W 2-1 vs. Trophy Club Byron Nelson

• Up Next: at Arlington Lamar, 6 p.m. Friday, March 25th; at Arlington Bowie, 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

3. San Antonio O’Connor (15-1)

• Last Week: W 9-0 vs. San Antonio Taft

• Up Next: vs. San Antonio Jay, 5 p.m. Friday, March 25th; vs. San Antonio Holmes, 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

2. Deer Park (24-2)

• Last Week: W 15-0 vs. Pasadena

• Up Next: at Pasadena Memorial, 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

1. Montgomery Lake Creek (20-0)

• Last Week: W 9-0 vs. Kingwood Park; W 8-0 at Porter

• Up Next: vs. Cleveland, 6:15 p.m. Friday, March 25th; at Conroe Caney Creek, 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 29th

No teams have been as dominant in Class 5A and 6A than Montgomery Lake Creek and Deer Park. Lake Creek seizes the top spot in our first statewide softball rankings of the 2022 season after moving to 20-0 last week with a pair of shutout wins against Kingwood Park and Humble in District 20-5A play. The Lions have not allowed a run in their last four games and have outscored their opponents by 122 runs this year thanks to an elite pitching staff. Deer Park checks in at No. 2 as the highest-ranked 6A squad in the first SBLive Texas Softball Top 25 rankings of the season. The Deer have only lost twice this year, both times during tournament play, against two other ranked teams: Cypress Bridgeland in mid-February and Barbers Hill in early March. Since losing to Barbers Hill though, Deer Park has reeled off five straight wins to race ahead to a commanding lead in the District 22-6A standings. The Deer are beating their 22-6A opponents by 13.8 runs per game and have run away with shutout victories in four of those five contests. 

San Antonio O'Connor and South Grand Prairie earn the third and fourth spots to become the top-ranked South Texas and DFW-area squads in this week's rankings. O'Connor throttled District 29-6A rival San Antonio Taft in its last game action March 13th, but the Panthers have remained one of the state's hottest teams. The Panthers have won their last 10 games in a row and own signature wins over Friendswood, Kingwood, League City Clear Springs and San Antonio Brennan so far this season. South Grand Prairie, meanwhile, has established itself as the 6A team to beat in North Texas midway through the first round of district matchups. The Warriors have been a dominant force thus far, trouncing many of the DFW's top teams. SGP has also tallied an impressive 4-1 record in one-run games this year with marquee wins against Mesquite Horn, Midlothian Heritage, Palmer and most recently a 2-1 victory over Trophy Club Byron Nelson in District 8-6A competition. 

League City Clear Springs rounds out this week's top five after coming out on top of a defensive duel against Clute Brazoswood 2-1 in a pivotal District 24-6A showdown. The marquee victory helped extend the Chargers' seven-game winning streak, while also giving Clear Springs a one-game lead on Brazoswood and Dickinson for first place in the 24-6A district standings.

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