This is Brentt Eads of Line Drive Softball…

I’m very happy to announce that Mark Tennis—who runs CalHiSports.com, the top source for California high school sports—is back in 2025 to help us feature the top high school softball teams in the country.

I’ve known Mark for almost 40 years (which is odd because we’re both in our 30’s…. uh, yea). Moving on…

My first job out of college was working with Mark at Student Sports based in Torrance, Calif. where I got to interview future Hall of Famers in football (Tom Brady), basketball (Lebron James) and baseball (Joe Mauer)… when they were in high school.

It was at Student Sports—now called Stack AthleteX— where I first got into covering fastpitch softball… and have loved the sport and the people ever since then.

Over time, I came to realize that Mark is the best ever in producing high school sports rankings, not just in California where he lives, but across the nation and in multiple sports including football, basketball, baseball and, yes, softball.

Here is Mark’s first high school softball team rankings of the season for Line Drive Softball including his reasoning why two Florida teams—for now—are atop the list…

*****

Head-to-head results should always be an overriding factor in any ranking not done by a computer so that’s why this Saturday’s scheduled matchup in Florida between Doral Academy and Montverde Academy is so important.

The winning team will become the first real frontrunner to be the 2025 national No. 1 according to the Line Drive Softball SUPER 70.

For the record, national rankings for softball go back in depth into the 1980s. These rankings are the ones connected to the Student Sports Magazine FAB 50 compiled in the 1990s and then on ESPN from 2008 to 2012. The system of ranking teams is the same one utilized in the 1990s for the FAB 50.

The Line Drive SUPER 70 should be viewed as a snapshot of the season taken at a very particular time, which in this case is not only after games played last weekend but even games played on Tuesday night. It’s a late night of collecting scores, but it’s worth it because teams can lose on a Tuesday.

This week, for example, one of the top-ranked teams coming into the week from Texas, Kingwood High, and one of the top-ranked teams coming into the week from Florida, Eustis High, both lost on Tuesday night and were dropped in the rankings.

Since the top two teams are slated to play each other, which one is higher this week doesn’t matter much.

Here is a closer look at this week’s top quartet of teams of the Line Drive Softball SUPER 70…

No. 1 Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.)

We do have Doral Academy one spot higher than Montverde Academy since the Firebirds have significant head-to-head wins over both Park Vista and American Heritage, two teams that have not lost in any other games.

Senior Sara Breaux had been one of the top hitters with a .467 average, four homers and 20 RBI. Junior Anabela Abdullah has a higher batting average (.581) and has three homers and 18 RBI. The leading pitcher has been senior Megan Villazon (8-0, 0.17). Freshman Cami Diaz also has been effective in the circle.

No. 2 (Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.)

Montverde Academy, which has achieved No. 1 national ranking finishes in boys’ basketball more than once, also played on Tuesday and posted a 2-0 victory against Wakulla (Fla.).

Ole Miss-bound junior Neveah Williams and freshman La’Breah Sands combined for a no-hitter. Junior Luna Taboas has been the top hitter and had a .640 batting average in her first seven games.

No. 3 Melissa (Melissa, Texas)

Melissa (Texas) is a team that has been No. 1 in the nation by others (including MaxPreps) and very well could be up there at the end. The Lady Cardinals haven’t had much trouble recently, including a 10-0 win on Tuesday vs Lovejoy.

But they did have to go to extra innings to get past Midway of Waco back in February. The team just mashes the home runs and had 61 for the season with 18 games in the books, led by Kennedy Bradley and Finlee Williams with 12 apiece.

No. 4 El Modena (Orange, Calif.)

The California scene also is always very important to every national softball ranking.

El Modena of Orange moved to the top of the state rankings (CalHiSports.com) by winning the prestigious Dave Kops Tournament of Champions in Arizona but has a loss and will be playing an insanely difficult schedule in the coming weeks since it is in the same five-team league as nationally ranked Canyon of Anaheim and defending California State Team of the Year Pacifica (Garden Grove).

El Modena is playing both teams three times and will be in the upcoming Michelle Carew Classic.

Note that the next update to the Line Drive Softball SUPER 70 will be after the big tournaments played from April 3-5 and then we will be weekly after that for the rest of the season.

Many of the teams from cold-weather states of course also will still be just getting started with their seasons.

— Mark Tennis of CalHiSports.com for Line Drive Softball

 *****

(Through reported results of Tuesday, March 18)

1. Doral Academy (Doral, Fla.) 11-0
2. Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.) 9-0
3. Melissa (Melissa, Texas) 19-0
4. El Modena (Orange, Calif.) 9-1
5. Norco (Norco, Calif.) 11-1
6. Lake Creek (Montgomery, Texas) 16-0
7. Pace (Pace, Fla.) 9-0
8. Canyon del Oro (Oro Valley, Ariz.) 12-0
9. Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas) 19-2
10. Katy (Katy, Texas) 21-1

Scroll down to see the rest of the Top 50 plus 20 more teams on the bubble…