Even in a national ranking like the FAB 50, league standings can be very important in some weeks.

In this week’s FAB 50 for softball, for example, the biggest mover was M.L. King of Riverside, Calif. The Wolves had a strong week in their league, called the Big VIII, which is one of the strongest and in some years is the best league in Southern California.

M.L. King started last week with a 7-0 win over Santiago of Corona (Calif.), which had moved up to No. 12 in last week’s FAB 50 and was No. 2 in last year’s final rankings. Coach Lucinda Brewer’s squad then beat Norco (Calif.), 4-2, which just two years ago was the FAB 50 mythical national champion.

University of Alabama commit Alexis Osorio had 12 strikeouts with a three-hitter against Santiago. She had 15 strikeouts and another three-hitter against Norco, which didn’t score until getting a two-run homer in the seventh inning off of Osorio.

With those two league wins, M.L. King moved up from No. 42 to No. 19 in this week’s FAB 50 and also jumped to No. 4 in California. Santiago, which won later in the week, fell from No. 12 to No.  33.

The other result in California that caused some changes in the top of the order this week was previous No. 4 Archbishop Mitty of San Jose losing its first game of the season. The Monarchs fell 3-1 to Valley Christian of San Jose. They are still leading in their league, though, and their overall performance for the season has been strong enough so that they only dropped from No. 4 to No. 10 in this week’s rankings.

Here are this week’s rankings:

(Previous ranking listed in parentheses)

(Through reported results of Saturday, April 26)

*Indicates forfeit wins, losses not included.

 ***

1.    (1) Mission Viejo (Mission Viejo, Calif.) 17-0

2.    (2) Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.) 17-0

3.    (3) Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.) 22-0

4.    (5) Cinco Ranch (Katy, Texas) 27-1

5.    (6) Columbia (Lake City, Fla.) 19-1

6.    (7) Ponte Vedra (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) 27-0

7.    (8) Barbers Hill (Mt. Belvieu, Texas) 24-0

8.    (9) The Woodlands (Conroe, Texas) 30-2

9.  (11) St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) 26-2

10.  (4) Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) 21-1

11.  (13) Harmony (Harmony, Fla.) 24-2

12.  (14) Atascocita (Humble, Texas) 29-1

13.  (17) Verrado (Buckeye, Ariz.) 23-2-1

14.  (18) Cypress-Fairbanks (Cypress, Texas) 27-1

15.  (20) Lebanon (Lebanon, Ohio) 13-0

16.  (15) Halls (Knoxville, Tenn.) 36-2

17.  (10) Sparkman (Harvest, Ala.) 51-2*

18.  (19) Olathe East (Olathe, Kan.) 10-0

19.  (42) M.L. King (Riverside, Calif.) 19-3

20.  (21) Vacaville (Vacaville, Calif.) 19-0-1

21.  (22) West Florida (Pensacola, Fla.) 24-1

22.  (24) Immaculate Heart (Washington Township, N.J.) 16-0

23.  (25) Sahuaro (Tucson, Ariz.) 22-3-1

24.  (29) Brazoswood (Clute, Texas) 26-3

25.  (26) Alhambra (Martinez, Calif.) 15-2

26.  (27) Bishop Carroll (Wichita, Kan.) 12-0

27.  (28) South Salem (Salem, Ore.) 18-0

28.  (31) Deer Park (Deer Park, Texas) 29-4

29.  (32) Pacifica (Garden Grove, Calif.) 17-4

30.  (46) Clovis (Clovis, Calif.) 26-1

31.  (33) Sherwood (Sandy Spring, Md.) 11-0

32.  (34) Mauldin (Mauldin, S.C.) 21-0

33.  (12) Santiago (Corona, Calif.) 19-3

34.  (38) Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.) 19-4

35.  (41) John Curtis Christian (River Ridge, La.) 24-2

36.  (43) Manteno (Manteno, Ill.) 23-0

37.  (44) North Davidson (Lexington, N.C.) 21-0

38.  (16) Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.) 18-4

39.  (40) LaGrange (LaGrange, Texas) 32-1

40.  (23) Hoover (North Canton, Ohio) 14-2

41.  (35) Gibbs (Corryton, Tenn.) 27-4

42.  (45) Tahoma (Kent, Wash.) 14-0

43.  (48) Bay City Western (Auburn, Mich.) 11-0

44.  (NR) Los Osos (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) 17-2

45.  (NR) O’Connor (Phoenix, Ariz.) 25-4

46.  (47) Southington (Southington, Conn.) 7-0

47.  (49) Red Mountain (Mesa, Ariz.) 22-5-1

48.  (50) P.K. Yonge (Gainesville, Fla.) 22-3

49.  (NR) Camas (Camas, Wash.) 10-0

50.  (NR) Bloomingdale (Valrico, Fla.) 23-2

Dropped Out: Previous No. 30 Sunrise Mountain (Peoria, Ariz.); No. 36 Mountain Ridge (Glendale, Ariz.); No. 37 Vista Murrieta (Murrieta, Calif.); No. 39 Westview (San Diego, Calif.).

 

Teams On The Bubble

• Baker (Mobile, Ala.) 48-4
• Benet Academy (Lisle, Ill.) 16-1
• Bloom-Carroll (Carroll, Ohio) 14-2
• Chino (Chino, Calif.) 20-3
• Chopticon (Morganza, Md.) 14-1
• Eastern Tech (Baltimore, Md.) 17-0
• Flower Mound (Flower Mound, Texas) 24-6-1
• Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.) 25-4
• Huntington Beach (Huntington Beach, Calif.) 16-3
• Huntsville (Huntsville, Ala.) 45-8
• Gilbert (Gilbert, Ariz.) 23-6
• Indian Hills (Oakland, N.J.) 15-0
• Lake Orion (Lake Orion, Mich.) 6-0
• Lincoln-Way West (New Lenox, Ill.) 18-1
• Marysville (Marysville, Ohio) 14-1
• McCracken County (Paducah, Ky.) 23-4
• Middle Creek (Apex, N.C.) 14-1
• Mountain Ridge (Glendale, Ariz.) 23-5-1
• Mt. Juliet (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) 26-4
• Sunrise Mountain (Peoria, Ariz.) 18-3
• University (Orange City, Fla.) 23-3